Dr. Joseph Tobin is The Elizabeth Gerrard Hall Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Georgia. Trained at the University of Chicago in anthropology and child development, his research centers on comparative studies of preschools in different countries. Tobin’s books include Preschool in Three Cultures: Japan, China, and the United States (1989); Preschool in Three Cultures Revisited (2009); Children Crossing Borders: Immigrant Parents and Teacher Perspectives on Preschool for Children of Immigrants (2013), and (with Akiko Hayashi) Teaching Embodied: Japanese Preschool Teaching as Cultural Practice (2015). His recent research projects include “Deaf Kindergartens in Three Countries: France, Japan, and the United States” and “The Development of Expertise in Preschool Teachers in Japan, China, and the United States.”
Presentation Title: “Deaf Preschools in Three Countries: France, Japan, and the United States”
Presentation Summary:
“Our research team recently completed an ethnographic study of Deaf early childhood education in three countries. We made videotapes of typical days in Japanese, French, and US signing preschools and then used edited versions of these videos to interview teachers, administrators, parents, and children at schools for the Deaf. I will use video examples to present key findings from our study. A clear finding is that signing programs taught by Deaf teachers are very effective for supporting deaf children’s cognitive and social emotional development. Our study also showed how signing early childhood programs based on principles of Deaf Culture and DeafSpace must contend with national political, social, and bureaucratic constraints and affordances. I will close with a discussion of what Deaf pedagogy can contribute to general education.”
This event will take place at the Ken and Blaire Mossman Building, Room 102, on Thursday, September 6th from 4:00 PM until 5:00 PM, with a reception following immediately afterwards.
The event and reception are both free and open to the public.
Parking is available at the 11th Street Garage for staff and commuters with parking permits: S6, S7, C19, and Motorcycle parking.
Additional parking is available at The White Avenue Parking Garage for staff, non-commuters, and commuters with parking permits: S12, C21, and N4.
Paid public parking is available at the Volunteer Hall Parking Garage for any visitors without permits
Please contact Jordan Murphy if you have any questions regarding this event.