Coaching is one of the best ways to enhance the skills of early childhood practitioners and ensure high-quality learning experiences for young children with and without disabilities. With this authoritative professional learning resource, educators and early interventionists will learn how to use coaching and consultation methods to support inclusion and ensure the best outcomes for all children from birth to five. Written by two experts on early childhood intervention and special education, this book introduces multiple models of professional collaboration and offers in-depth guidance on how to implement an effective consultation/coaching model in early childhood settings. From big-picture considerations to small logistical details, professionals will master the entire process of creating, maintaining, and evaluating a successful coaching relationship. In each chapter, case examples, discussion questions, chapter summaries, and group activities reinforce key points and encourage reflection. An essential professional resource and an ideal textbook for courses on consultation and coaching, this comprehensive guide will help early childhood practitioners work together to improve educational and developmental outcomes for all young children. DISCOVER HOW TO: • Establish ground rules and objectives for coaching • Build rapport and strong communication skills within a coaching relationship • Systematically gather information about the child, teacher, and learning environment to inform coaching practices • Work together to set and prioritize intervention goals for children • Create and implement an action plan that addresses intervention goals • Deliver effective performance feedback • Evaluate the success of both the coaching plan and the partnership • Use current technology to harness the benefits of tele-intervention, mobile coaching, and remote consultation PRACTICAL MATERIALS: Support successful coaching and consultation with more than 25 reproducible downloads, including progress monitoring forms, action plans, a planning matrix, self-assessments, and coaching session sample logs. Reviews: "Drs. Dinnebeil and McInerney’s much-awaited Coaching and Consultation Practices in Early Childhood is the next must-read for those of us passionate about supporting young children with disabilities in high-quality general early childhood classrooms. As the focus of early childhood special education teacher preparation programs and professional development begins to shift focus from training teachers to provide direct instruction to children to that of training teachers to provide coaching and consultation to their general education teaching partners, this new book becomes not only timely but critical to their success. Coaching and Consultation Practices in Early Childhood provides Itinerant Early Childhood Special Education Teachers with the tools and resources necessary for collaborative consultation and ultimately ensures our youngest learners equitable access to high-quality early learning environments." —Ruth E. Gallucci, 619 Coordinator, Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education "After many years of study and training personnel, Dinnebeil and McInerney have provided the field with a masterful resource for coaching and consultation practices. Especially valuable is the chapter on building rapport in a coaching relationship. This book makes clear that coaching and collaborative or “soft” consultation are not mutually exclusive. The emphases on adult learning and performance feedback will propel teachers and other professionals towards fidelity to evidence-based practices." Robin McWilliam, Ph.D., Professor, Special Education and Multiple Abilities, University of Alabama, Director, EIEIO "I have often used and shared Consultation in Early Childhood Settings as part of my work. Now that I’ve had a chance to thoroughly review Coaching and Consultation Practices in Early Childhood, I am thoroughly impressed with how much more thorough, thoughtful, and current this new resource is. The authors have created a book that is simultaneously well-grounded in current research and infinitely practical. The chapters are rich in detail, resources, and examples and offer specific illustrations with immediate relevance to both in-person and virtual applications. Full size samples of forms, reports, and correspondence add to the usefulness of this resource." Camille Catlett, MA, Senior Technical Assistance Specialist, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill "Coaching and Consultation Practices in Early Childhood fills a significant gap in the resources available for teaching preservice students and in-service professionals to become coaches and consultants in early childhood settings. The book’s comprehensive, yet practical orientation dissects every aspect of the coaching process with detailed explanations, plentiful examples, thought-provoking exercises, and usable forms to help readers acquire skills for negotiating the intricate dynamics of establishing successful partnerships with early childhood practitioners on their home turf. Especially noteworthy is the consistent inclusion of technology considerations (e.g., various forms of electronic communication, videoconferencing, web-based platforms) throughout the book as well as a chapter dedicated to issues that became apparent and further transformed virtual coaching and consultation during the COVID-19 pandemic." —Louise Kaczmarek, Ph.D., Associate Professor Emerita, University of Pittsburgh Table of Contents: About the Downloads About the Authors Preface Chapter 1: Introduction to Models of Professional Collaboration Learning Objectives New Roles and Responsibilities for Early Childhood Professionals Models of Professional Collaboration: Promising Practices to Support Professional Learning Models of Coaching and Consultation in Early Care and Education Models of Consultation Overview of Origin and Scope of Consultation in Early Childhood Intervention Research on the Efficacy of Behavioral Consultation and Coaching Consultation/Coaching in Early Childhood: A Professional Collaboration Model Determining the Goals and Purpose of Consultation/Coaching Who Provides Consultation/Coaching in Early Childhood Settings? Research on How Consultation or Coaching is Used in Early Education and Intervention Summary Discussion Questions Case Study Activities Chapter 2: Agreements for Coaching Services: Establishing Ground Rules for Coaching Learning Objectives Introduction: Establishing the Ground Rules for Coaching Why Are Requests for Coaching Services Initiated Establishing Objectives Before Initiating Coaching Services Creating an Agreement for Coaching Services Key Elements in an Agreement for Coaching Services What Details Should Be Addressed in an Agreement for Coaching Services? Benefits of a Formal Agreement for Coaching Services Caveats Related to On-Line and E-Communications Summary Discussion Questions Case Study Activities Chapter 3: Building Rapport in a Coaching Relationship Learning Objectives Introduction: The Nature of a Coaching Partnership Initiating a Coaching Partnership The Role of Rapport in Building a Coaching Partnership Building and Sustaining Rapport: Recommendations for Coaches Use of Interpersonal Communication Skills in Establishing and Building Rapport Non-Verbal Communication Skills Linked to Building Rapport Verbal Communication Skills Linked to Building Rapport Use of Different Forms of Questioning in Communicating with a Partner Common Mistakes in Interpersonal Communication The Role of Social Power and Influence in Coaching Partnerships Perspectives and Interests of the Coach and Partner in a Coaching Relationship Factors that May Contribute to the Success or Failure of a Coaching Partnership Summary Discussion Questions Case Study Activities Chapter 4: Observation and Information Gathering Learning Objectives Introduction: Observation and Information Gathering Getting to Know the Learning Enviornment Assessing the Teaching Skills of Early Childhood Educators Assessing the Program's Climate or Culture Teddy, Alexis, Brittany, and Shelly Summary Discussion Questions Case Study Activities Chapter 5: Implementing the Plan Learning Objectives Setting a Goal Reviewing Assessment Information Triaging or Prioritizing Targets for Intervention Reaching Consensus and Moving Forward: Planning for Action Selecting Strategies to Address the Issue Choosing Child-Focused Intervention Strategies Choosing Evidence-Based Strategies that Promote Adult Learning Creating an Action Plan Supports for Implementation Curriculum Planning Matrices Observation and Data Collection Performance Feedback Ways to Share Performance Feedback Challenges to Implemtnation Summary Discussion Questions Case Study Activities Chapter 6: Evaluating the Success of the Coaching Plan and the Partnership Learning Objectives Introduction: Evaluation of Coaching Partnerships The Relationship Between Coaching Context and Evaluation Use of Common Coaching Tools in Evaluating a Coaching Partnership Evaluating the Process and Outcome of a Coaching Partnership Expectations of Stakeholders: Implications for Evaluating a Coaching Partnership Summary Discussion Questions Case Study Activities Chapter 7: Behind the Scenes in the Coaching Model Learning Objectives Introduction The Role of Logistics in Supporting Effective Coaching: An Overview Key Elements in a Coaching Partnership Considerations in Assigning Coaching Personnel The Expertise Model of Caseload Allocation Cultural Competence in Assigning Caseloads Enrollment of Children with Special Needs in Selected Programs Assigning Caseloads: Striking a Balance Supporting Coaching Services: Creating Office Space at Host Sites Professional Preperation and Learning for Coaches: Building Capactiy Key Elements in a Coaching Partnership: Personal and Professional Organization Challenges in Adopting or Expanding Coaching Services Summary Discussion Questions Case Study Activities Chapter 8: Coaching and Consultation in a Virtual World Learning Objectives Introduction Building Effective Professional Relationships Virtually Sharing Information Virtually Creating Virtual Repositories of Resources Capitalizing on the Benefits of Could-Based Systems Silver Linings Virtual Coaching Lessons Learned from Early Intervention Tele-Intervention Summary Discussion Questions Case Study Activities Index About the Authors: Laurie A. Dinnebeil, Ph.D. is a Professor and holds the Daso Herb Chair in Inclusive Early Childhood Education. She was a preschool special education for five years before entering higher education. She has taught a range of undergraduate and graduate courses related to early childhood education and early childhood special education and has published extensively in the area of itinerant ECSE service delivery. Dr. Dinnebeil is a proficient grant writer, having secured over $6 million in national and state funding over the past 15 years. Dr. Dinnebeil is very active in the field of early childhood special education at the local, state, and national levels. She is a past president of the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood and a past president of the Ohio Higher Education Consortium for Early Childhood Education. She is Associate Editor for Topics in Early Childhood Special Education and serves on editorial boards for numerous academic journals related to early childhood education and special education. Dr. Dinnebeil is active in the local, state, and national early childhood education communities. She is a 2002 Mid-Career Fellow for Zero to Three. She also has college administrative experience as a department chair and associate dean for graduate studies and research. William F. McInerney, Ph.D. is a Professor of Special Education in the Judith Herb College of Education at University of Toledo in Ohio. He teaches graduate-level courses in the early childhood special education (ECSE) area. Throughout his career, Dr. McInerney has secured U.S. Department of Education–Office of Special Education Programs (USDOE-OSEP) funding to support graduate-level training of ECSE teachers and early intervention personnel. He has managed several grants that have focused on itinerant early childhood special education (IECSE) services and has coordinated, with his associates and the Ohio Department of Education, a statewide professional development program for IECSE teachers and their supervisors. He and his colleagues at the University of Toledo have presented their work at professional conferences and have consulted with school districts and state education agencies concerning the status and future of IECSE services.
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