Supporting Preschool Teachers’ Vocabulary Instruction During Storybook Reading

Abstract

Preschool educators represent a unique population for which to design professional development; as a result, innovative professional development models are necessary. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of training preschool teachers to use a Shared Reading Innovation Configuration (IC) tool on their planning, implementation, and reflection of vocabulary instruction during shared storybook reading. Findings revealed that participants were able to reliably rate their instruction along the IC continuum. Findings also suggested that use of the IC to plan, implement, and reflect on instructional practice increased the overall number of best practices used by teachers during shared storybook reading. Finally, the researchers were interested in whether or not preschool teachers would find the format of the IC useful. Teachers described their experiences using the IC in positive terms, attributing their heightened awareness of and attention to vocabulary instruction during storybook reading to their use of the IC. The results of this study show training preschool teachers to utilize a shared reading innovation configuration to plan, implement, and reflect upon their vocabulary instruction during shared reading was a realistic and successful approach to professional development.

Keywords:

• literacy
• language/speech, vocabulary, shared reading, innovation configuration, professinal development