In this chapter, we discuss professional development and its
relationship to program quality, the preparation of early childhood
teachers, the variety of teacher education experiences and
requirements, and research related to in-service education. Much
of the literature reviewed here draws from the body of research
on teacher development more generally. While the content of
teacher knowledge and the nature of the responsiveness of teachers
to their students distinguishes the preparation required of preschool
teachers, in many respects their professional development
is similar to that of teachers of older children. The principles of
learning discussed in Chapter 5 (engaging and building on existing
understandings, providing a deep foundation of factual
knowledge within a conceptual framework, and stressing metacognition)
must be effectively understood and deployed by all
teachers, and the efforts to teach teachers at all levels must also
incorporate those principles.