Teachers Licensed By MA Department of Education
To work at The Tobin School, all teachers must have a college degree, with specific coursework in early childhood development and education, and fulfill licensing requirements under the MA Department of Education and Care. All our teachers must also meet a higher standard of academic requirements held by our accreditor, the National Association for the Education of Young Children. In addition, our teachers are required to complete at least 20 hours of professional development each year to support their work with children and families.
Ongoing Professional Development In Early Childhood Education
In the current school year, 2016-17, most of our teachers have participated in day-long educational conferences in addition to attending other programs, on-site, off-site, and online.
Recent Topics:
We’d like to share what some of our teachers have focused on:
Social Emotional Learning:
- Communicating with Confidence & Clarity
- Helping Children Resolve Conflict & Manage Anger
- Community, Friendship, Social Power and Bullying in Childhood and Adolescence
- Separation Anxiety and Strategies to Support Students In these Transitions
- Social-Emotional Education for Creating Positive School Culture in Early Childhood
Early Childhood Development / Developmental Phases:
- Developing Children’s Independent Executive Function Skills
- Brain Breaks to Help Students Move and Learn
- Play and Language: The Roots of Social & Academic Learning
- A Moving Child is a Learning Child: How Movement Prepares the Brain to Think
- Planting the Seeds of Learning: Hands-On Nature Based Activities
- Food for Thought: The Influence of Nutrition on Behavior
Teaching Methods In Early Childhood Education:
- The PreK-3 Continuum: Your Role in the Creating Seamless Transitions
- No Such Thing as a Bad Kid: Understanding & Responding to Emotional and Behavioral Challenges Using a Positive, Strength-Based Approach
- Principles of the Playful Parent
- Teaching Strategies Gold Training
- Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents with Lynn Lyons
- Creating a Mindful Classroom
- Creating Inspiring Early Childhood Environments
- Assessment with Young Children
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEAM) – Curriculum Development:
- Putting the A in Steam: Creative Thinking and Problem Solving in the Early Childhood Classroom
- Nature-Based Curriculum Using Loose Parts
- Creating a Vision and Infusing Positive Energy into the Learning Community
- Think Math in the Preschool Years
- Early Childhood Science Inquiry
Literacy, Reading and Writing – Curriculum Development:
- Word Wizardry: Vocabulary Enhancement in Early Childhood
- Let’s Get Them Writing: Strategies to Promote Writing in PreK-K
- Guiding Emergent Readers in PreK to K
- Incorporating the MA Preschool Guidelines and Learning Experiences into Curriculum
- Ready, Set, Tell! Storytelling in the Early Childhood Classroom
Cultural Issues: Gender and Diversity
- An Introduction to Cultural Competency
- Can a Princess Marry a Princess? Gender and Family Structure in the Early Childhood Classroom
These are just some of the topics that our Tobin teachers have focused on during the current school year. We believe in the power of educating our teachers, so that they stay current in the field of early childhood education and receive training in various aspects of managing their classroom, from curriculum development and academics to providing a learning environment that offers students opportunities for growth – as students and as members of a community.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about professional development at The Tobin School, please get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you!