Traditionally, introductory textbooks in early childhood education have been organized by curriculum. The typical introductory text begins with a history of the field and a chapter on developmental theory followed by one chapter on each major subject area-language, mathematics, science, the arts, and so forth. Exploring Your Role in Early Childhood Education takes an integrated approach and is organized around the essential roles and responsibilities that effective early childhood educators must fulfill.
In addition to its organization, the interactive nature of the text sets it apart. Readers are encouraged to respond to what they are reading while they are reading it. Case material and verbatim comments from students make the content come alive and "Pause and Reflect About" sections in the margin notes help students relate the content to their own experiences.
Exploring Your Role in Early Childhood Education is written for college students who are relatively new to formal study of the field of early childhood education and is appropriate for courses at both 2- and 4-year programs.
Mary Renck Jalongo is a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she earned the university-wide outstanding professor award and coordinates the Doctoral Program in Curriculum and Instruction. She is co-editor of Springer's Educating the Young Child book series and has written, co-authored, or edited more than 25 books, including Early Childhood Language Arts (6th ed.) and Creative Thinking and Arts-Based Learning (5th ed.) with Pearson, and Major Trends and Issues in Early Childhood Education: Challenges, Controversies, and Insights (2nd ed.). In addition, she has written two books for the NAEYC (Learning to Listen, Listening to Learn; Young Children and Picture Books), edited two for ACEI, and earned various national awards for writing. Since 1995, Dr. Jalongo has served as editor-in-chief of the Early Childhood Education Journal.
Joan Packer Isenberg is Professor of Education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where she has twice received the distinguished faculty award for teaching excellence and also served as an Associate Dean. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in early childhood education from Wheelock College and her doctorate in elementary education from Rutgers University. She has taught preschool-, primary-, and elementary-age children and held administrative postions in both public and private school settings. As a writer, Dr. Isenberg has authored or co-authored 15 book and more than 50 journal articles. She has been a Visiting Scholar for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), where she led higher education initiatives and the reform of advanced master's degrees for practicing teachers, and has served on the NCATE Board of Examiners, as President and in other elected offices of the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE), and in offices of the Metro Area Branch of the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). Her research interests are in teachers' professional development, arts integration, and early childhood curriculum. She was the 2006 NAECTE recipient of the Pearson/Allyn and Bacon Outstanding Early Childhood Teacher Educator Award.
