Jordanians Visit U.S.

As part of the Strengthening Early Childhood Education in Jordan project at EIRI, Project Coordinator Vonda Jump hosted three faculty members from the University of Jordan and three faculty members from Petra University in Jordan on a short trip to the United States in June. Dr. Jump first met with the faculty members in December of last year to discuss their needs and expectations for this project.

This trip to the U.S. marked the continuation of a three-year collaboration with Jordanian faculty and the CPD to enhance the undergraduate early childhood curriculum at these universities in Jordan. The group spent 3 days at the Teton Science School in Jackson, Wyoming where they learned more about using hands-on and place-based education to promote learning and critical thinking skills in children.

While in the U.S., they also attended the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Professional Development conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they attended a variety of workshops on best-practices in early childhood.

The Strengthening Early Childhood Education in Jordan project will continue to work with the Jordanian faculty members on related issues, including a Jordanian translation of state-of-the-art early childhood textbooks and a joint early childhood education workshop for undergraduate students next summer in Jordan.