Join us for a free webinar introducing two new research-based environment rating scales—one for supporting young children’s play (PERS) and one for supporting their creative abilities (CERS). PERS and CERS are designed to be used as extensions to the widely used Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale®, both the third edition (ECERS-3) and the revised edition (ECERS-R).
These two distinct environment rating scales are contained together in a single volume, Play Environment Rating Scale (PERS) & Creative Environment Rating Scale (CERS), which will be published by Teachers College Press on February 28, 2025. Both scales are based on Vygotsky’s cultural-historical approach. They can be used in both preschool and kindergarten classrooms to take a deeper look at specific aspects of quality and to provide guidance for improving conditions to support children's development.
To introduce PERS and CERS to the ERS community, and to explore how to use these new extension scales with ECERS, lead author Igor Shiyan will be joined in conversation by Richard M. Clifford, coauthor of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale and A Guide to Analyzing and Interpreting ECERS-3 Data. They will also be joined by PERS and CERS coauthors Anna Iakshina, Olga Shiyan, and Irina Vorobeva.
This webinar is for professionals in the field of assessment and quality improvement of early childhood education and care, teacher educators, researchers, and all others who use ECERS or are part of the early childhood education and care community.
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About the Panelists
Igor Shiyan, PhD, is a leader of the laboratory of child development and has conducted many studies on the evaluation and development of creative abilities in early years, based on Vygotsky’s approach. He has supervised national and international research in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) quality and contributed greatly to the distribution of ECERS in the post-Soviet countries. He is also a founder of the masters program Assessment and Development of ECEC (Cultural-Historical Approach of Lev Vygotsky).
Richard M. Clifford, PhD, is a senior scientist emeritus at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the author and editor of numerous publications on early education including works on early learning environments, public finance, and public policies affecting young children and their families. His research has had far reaching impact on both policy and practice in the United States and other countries. He is a past president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Dr. Clifford Served as the first Director of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Resources, Division of Child Development while on leave from UNC-CH. He led the creation of the new division and was pivotal in the development and implementation of the NC Smart Start initiative. Later he helped design and implement the NC More at Four prekindergarten program.
Anna Iakshina, PhD, is an educational and developmental psychologist. She conducts research in the cultural-historical approach on play and imagination and in-service trainings for teachers about play support in kindergartens. Previously, she worked as a preschool teacher in the Golden Key program, based on Vygotskian approach.
Olga Shiyan, PhD, is engaged in research on developing creative abilities in early years and adults based on the cultural-historical approach. She is the creator of the Transformations curriculum for preschoolers, which is aimed at developing creative thinking and imagination. She has supervised several studies in ECEC quality.
Irina Vorobeva, PhD, is an associate professor and cocreator of the masters program Assessment and Development of Preschool and School Education (Cultural-Historical Approach of Lev Vygotsky). She has published articles on the assessment and development of ECEC quality, participatory design of public spaces for kids, and professional development of ECEC teachers. Irina also consults parents.
FAQ
The webinar will be followed by a Q&A.
Can’t make this date/time? Please register anyway—you’ll receive a link to the recording of the webinar.
Sponsored by Teachers College Press, publisher of the Environment Rating Scale® Family of Products.
Sorry, but we do not offer professional development certificates for TCP webinars.
ERS® and Environment Rating Scale® are registered trademarks of Teachers College, Columbia University.
