I really love opportunities to connect with a lot of people at once. The energy is so palpable at these conferences! I remember an experience I had at the winter, 2012, Cleveland Association of the Education of Young Children’s (CAEYC) Conference where participants were excited to be thinking and talking about something so powerful, but often neglected. Everyone went home empowered to begin the process of nurturing their students’ spiritual development, especially using nature to stimulate wonder and awe.
Recent and upcoming presentations:
STREAMS for Living and Learning
Nature Based Education Summer Institute, University of Maine – Farmington (June, 2017)
My vision for transforming STEM curriculum to better develop whole children, including their need for nature.
Spiritual Development and Literacy
NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) Conference
Washington, DC (November, 2013)
Spiritual Development and Teacher’s Dispositions
NAEYC Conference Washington, DC (November, 2013)
Teachers model spirituality and therefore become a model for a child’s spiritual development. The question explored in this workshop is,” how do teachers reflect this spirituality?”
Looking at Reflection, Nature, Inquiry, and Project Approach through the lenses of The Hundred Languages of Children and the 70 Faces of Torah
NewCaje Conference, Dudley, MA.(July, 2013)
Note: This presentation can be either a lecture or a hands-on workshop, depending on the length of time available.
The Principles for Nurturing Spiritual Development in Young Jewish Children NewCaje Conference, Dudley, MA (July, 2013)
Shared my research and how I extended it to include Buber, Heschel and Senge.
Spiritual Development and Nature
Biosophical Society, Punderson State Park, Cleveland, OH (July, 2013)
I’m also the author of two books: Nurturing Spiritual Development in Children by Understanding Our Own Spirituality, published in December, 2016 by Whole Person Mental Health and Wellness, written in collaboration with my dear friend, author and mental health advocate Ester Leutenberg; and Inspiring Wonder, Awe, and Empathy: Spiritual Development in Young Children, due out in September, 2017 from Redleaf Press.
I am also honored to write for several publications that serve the field.
Articles:
Schein, D. L. (in press). “Practices that Nurture Young Jewish Children’s Spiritual Development,” Special edition of CCAR Journal.
Schein, D. L. (in press). “Research and Reflections on the Spiritual Development of Young Jewish Children.” Special early childhood edition of NJRE.
Wilson, R.A., & Schein, D. (Accepted for publication in Exchange Magazine). “Supporting the Spiritual Development of Young Children.”
Rifkin, M., with Schein, D. (2013).”The Great outdoors: Providing Natural Spaces for Young Children.” Washington DC: NAEYC.
Schein, D. L. (2012). “Early Childhood Educators’ Perceptions of Spiritual Development in Young Children: A Social Constructivist Grounded Theory Study” (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. (Accession Order No. waldenu13144)
Handelman, M., & Schein, D. (2004). “What’s Jewish about Butterflies?” Denver: A.R.E. Publishers.
Schein, D. (2001). “Building home-school connections through surveys.” In Schein, J., & Schiller, J. S. (Eds.), Growing Together (pp.183-187). Denver: A.R.E. Publications.
Schein, D. (2001). “Tu B’Shevat breakfast.” In Schein, J., & Schiller, J. S. (Eds.), Growing Together (pp.191-193). Denver: A.R.E. Publications.