"Importance of Being Playful"

Thursday, October 14 @ 8:30 a.m. 

Elena Bodrova holds a Ph.D. in Developmental and Educational Psychology from the Russian Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, and an M.A. in the same from the Moscow State University. Elena is a Principal Researcher at Midcontinent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) and works with adult learners in a variety of field sites, providing intensive, one-on-one coaching to teachers in their classrooms to establish "model classrooms" that serve as on-site training centers.

 She is the lead author of Scaffolding Early Literacy, a program that combines high standards for developing young children’s cognition, language, and early literacy with professional development for teachers in essential knowledge and tools for effective pedagogy. She is an internationally known expert in cognitive psychology and child development and has been teaching, providing professional development, and conducting research in early childhood education, early literacy, and assessment in the U.S. since 1992.

In addition to her work at McREL, Elena serves as a Research Fellow for the National Institute for Early Education Research and a board member of the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators. She publishes widely, including a chapter in the Handbook of Early Literacy Research, 2nd Ed. (Neuman & Dickinson, Eds.) and a 2004 publication, titled Basics of Assessment: A Primer for Early Childhood Professionals, published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.