The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the world’s largest professional membership organization, with nearly 60,000 individual members and 52 Affiliates (https://www.naeyc.org/about-us). The 2024 annual conference was held in Anaheim, CA, spanning five days and attracting over 6,000 participants.
In addition to enjoying the opportunity to connect with other early childhood educators from across the U.S. and around the world, I co-presented with Dr. Beth Van Meeteren, Director of the Iowa Regent’s Center for Early Development. Our session, Playful Learning with Light and Shadow: Materials that Support Young Children’s Independent Inquiry and Engineering Habits of Mind, focused on promoting children’s understanding of light and shadow.
My late doctoral advisor, Dr. Rheta DeVries, conducted extensive research on the relationship between light and shadow and children’s cognitive development. Building on her work, we explored strategies and materials teachers can use to encourage children’s inquiry and understanding in this area. The session was attended by 162 participants, who actively engaged with the materials we provided and participated in meaningful discussions.
This marks our second collaboration, following our first professional presentation together in 2001 at an Iowa statewide reading conference. At the time, she was a first-grade classroom teacher, and I conducted research on how developmentally appropriate children’s computer software, Kid Pix, could support literacy development in her classroom. I am deeply grateful for our long-standing professional and personal relationship.