Abstract

This bounded case study illuminates the planning, delivery, and evaluation of early childhood professional development sessions conducted by the educational experts with a Zimbabwean non-profit organization in response to a need for professional development for early childhood teachers. Ethnographic and grounded theory methods were used by participant observers to collect and analyze data, including observational notes taken during the planning, delivery, and evaluation of the training as well as professional development materials and exit surveys completed by the participants.  Results include lessons learned by the non-profit organization, participating teachers and headmasters. The teachers and headmasters revealed that the professional development opportunity supported their daily work, made them think of other innovative approaches to teach with limited resources, and enhanced their capacity to create a quality classroom experience for students. For the non-profit organization, developing a curricula that is directed at continuous professional development of early childhood teachers in rural communities was seen as critical in order to bridge the divide between rural and urban preschool centers. These findings may help inform the planning, delivery, and evaluation of professional development conducted in partnership with international collaborators.

Key words: Professional development, early childhood, international collaboration, teacher education, international development.