Promoting Intentional Teaching: The Learn Professional Development Model for Early Childhood Educators (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781598579673)

M. Susan Burns, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita at George Mason University. She is educated in the disciplines of Education and Psychology and received her Ph.D. from George Peabody College, Vanderbilt University. Her entire career has focused on literacy/cognition and early childhood education (birth through grade 3) of children and families, especially those from culturally diverse backgrounds and low-income backgrounds, and professional development for teachers and others serving these children and families. Her expertise in promoting mental health for young children and their families and the role of play-based education as a foundation for intellectual and literacy development is integrated throughout her professional activities. Major publications include Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children and Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers, reports of the National Academy of Sciences, and Knowledge to Support the Teaching of Reading, report of the National Academy of Education. Dr. Burnsâ (TM) publication listings (over 75), includes books, chapters, and journal articles.

Ilham Nasser, Ph.D., is an educator who spent over 25 years in the research of child development and teacher education in different formal and non-formal education settings in the U.S., Central Africa, and the Middle East. She completed a Ph.D. in Human Development and Child Study at the University of Maryland-College Park and worked for several years as a classroom teacher and a school counselor. In addition, she was a faculty of early childhood education for 12 years at George Mason University. Her research agenda includes studies and publications on the topic of global teachersâ (TM) professional development and more specifically, teacher preparation and professional development in social and political contexts and ways these influence childrenâ (TM)s outcomes. Recently, she led the modernization of the curriculum for kindergarten in Iraq and the design and development of the first national curriculum for kindergarten in Palestine.

Leslie La Croix is an Assistant Professor in the Early Childhood Education Program at George Mason University. Prior to joining the faculty, Dr. La Croix was a primary grade teacher with a passion for enhancing young childrenâ (TM)s literacy development through cross-curricular reading and writing experiences. Dr. La Croix's research explores instructional practices for promoting preservice and inservice teachersâ (TM) understandings of diverse young learners. She is particularly interested in expanding educatorsâ (TM) understandings of assessment practices that enhance learning opportunities for all children.

Leah Schoenberg Muccio, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. A former classroom teacher, she teaches early childhood teacher education courses and supervises teacher candidates in the field. Her research focuses on equity pedagogy, early childhood curriculum, and teacher education and professional development. The aim of Dr. Muccio's scholarship is to positively influence the early school experiences of culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse young children, their families, and their teachers.

Sehyun Yun, M.A., is a doctoral candidate in the Ph.D. in Education and Human Development program at George Mason University. Her specialization is Early Childhood Education with a secondary emphasis in Multilingual/Multicultural Education. She earned a M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the University at Buffalo and taught English to young children in Korea. Her research interests are mostly focused on the bilingual and biliteracy development of children as well as the professional development of early childhood preservice teachers. Particularly, she is interested in how teacher education programs prepare preservice teachers to assess children from diverse cultural, linguistic, and socio-economic backgrounds.