INTRODUCTION
Early childhood teacher educator and author, Ann Barbour joined the dynamic faculty in the Charter College of Education in 1998. She was awarded emeritus status upon retirement. During her tenure in the Division of Curriculum and Instruction, she taught graduate and undergraduate course requirements for the M.A. in Early Childhood and Primary Education and the California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. Currently she is an adjunct professor at Brandman University where she teaches online courses for the B.A. in Early Childhood Education.
TEACHING INTERESTS
My teaching goals have always been to help those who are or will be responsible for guiding the learning of young children to understand the broad spectrum of child development and to develop a personal philosophy and approach to the learning/teaching process that reflects current research and educational theories.
As a full-time professor at CSULA, I coordinated the Master of Arts (M.A.) in Education option in Early Childhood/Primary Education. This degree option prepares individuals to work in a variety of settings to promote the development and learning of young children. Early Childhood Education is a separate field with a distinct focus on children ages 3 to 8. There is growing recognition of the critical importance of early education and also for the specialized skills and knowledge needed to work effectively with young children and their families. As the population of young children in early childhood settings increases and becomes more diverse, there is a corresponding need for well-trained early childhood teachers and administrators, as well as policy makers with strong backgrounds in this field. Within the program, I taught required courses in early childhood curriculum methods, school-family partnerships, and issues and trends in early childhood education. I also taught The Role of Play in Learning, a course required for several different degree programs.
At Brandman University, I teach Social Emotional Competence in Early Childhood Education, Child, Family and Community, Introduction to Curriculum for Young Children, and The Early Childhood Educator as Decision Maker. I was the developer for these last three courses all of which are required for completion of the B.A. in Early Childhood Education.
RESEARCH AND PROJECTS
I have researched and written on appropriate practices, materials, and equipment in early childhood settings for all children regardless of background or ability, school-family partnerships, and relationships between social and physical competence.
I was content director for the Peabody Award-winning series A Place of Our Own and its sister series, Los Nińos en Su Casa, daily television programs for parents and caregivers of young children. Six hundred fifty (650) expisodes of these programs were broadcast on public television networks from 2004 to 2014. I wrote the white paper that launched the education initiative at KCET-TV that resulted in these television series, their companion websites and outreach efforts. I’ve also answered online questions about preparing children for school on the Public Broadcasting Services’ PBSparents website (http://www.pbs.org/parents/experts/archive/2007/06/preparing-children-for-school.html), and I was a consultant to Sesame Workshop, the producers of Sesame Street.
PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
| Title | Date |
|---|---|
Barbour, A. (2016). Play Today: Building the Young Brain through Creative Expression. Lewisville, NC: Gryphon House. https://www.gryphonhouse.com/books/details/play-today
| 2016 |
Barbour, A. (2016). Response to “Outer Space on the Patio.” Online Connections, Vol XVII, Issue 1, Fall 2016. Play, Policy, & Practice Interest Forum of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. https://pppconnections.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/fall-2016-final.pdf | 2016 |
Barbour, A.C. (2010). Learning at Home, PreK-3: Homework Activities That Engage Children and Families. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/author/ann-c-barbour | 2010 |
Barbour, A., Boyer, W., Hardin, B., & Wortham, S. C. (2004). From principle to practice: Using the Global Guidelines to assess quality education and care. Childhood Education, 80(6), 327-331. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ705760 | 2004 |
Barbour, A.C, & Desjean-Perrotta, B. (2002). Prop BoxPlay:50 Themes to Inspire Dramatic Play. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House. https://www.gryphonhouse.com/books/details/prop-box-play | 2002 |
Click for additional publications: /sites/default/files/users/u110586/annbarbour.additionalpublications.pdf
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction with specialization in Early Childhood Education
- University of Texas
Austin, Texas
M.Ed. Elementary Education
- Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts
B.A. American Civilization
- Mills College
Oakland, California