Ruth Piker

Ph.D. in Education , University of Michigan , 2005

  • Early Childhood Care and Education
  • Dual Language and English Language Learners, birth to age 5
  • Influences of Social Interaction in Classroom Contexts
  • Curriculum and Assessment
  • School Readiness
  • Head Start
  • Early Childhood Workforce Development
  • Qualitative Methodologies

 

Department of Social Services

Piker, R.A. & Jewkes, A.M.  (In Press). Early childhood education in the context of educational reform: Possibilities and causes for concern. In E. M. Zamani-Gallaher (Ed.), The Obama Administration and Educational Reform: Toward New 21st Century Schools for the Global Knowledge Economy (chapter).

Piker, R.A. (2013). Understanding influences of play on second language learning: A microethnographic view in one Head Start preschool classroom. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 11(2), 184-200.

Piker, R.A.& Jewkes, A. (2013). Assessing young children’s learning. In Reutzel, D. R. (Ed.), Handbook of Research-Based Practice in Early Childhood Education, chapter 16. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Coots, J. & Piker, R.A. (2012, 2009). Instructor’s Resource Manual: To accompany Lightfoot, Cole, and Cole The Development of Children (7thed.). New York: Worth Publishers.

Piker, R.A., & Andrade, O. (2010). Learning with Others. Connections, Summer, 24-25.

Piker, R.A. & Rex, L.A. (2008). Influences of teachers-child social interactions on English language development in a Head Start classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(2), 187-193.

Piker, R. A. (2006). What does it mean to build conceptual knowledge? In L.A. Rex (Ed.), Discourse of opportunities: How talk in learning situations creates and constrains (pp. 267-295). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press Inc.

Meisels, S. J., & Piker, R. (2001). An analysis of early literacy assessments used for instruction (Tech. Rep.). Ann Arbor, MI: Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA).

Piker, R. A. (2014, March). Early Learning Foundation, Urban Teacher Fellowship: Program Evaluation. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs. Anaheim, CA.

Piker, R. A. (2014, March). Play as a Vehicle for Learning a Second Language and Facilitating Interactional Moves. Paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Applied Linguistics. Portland, OR.

Hansuvadha, N., Piker, R., & Gradin, S. (2013, November). Infusing Early Learning Foundations in Elementary Teacher Preparation. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators. Washington, D. C.

Piker, R. A. & Hansuvadha, N. (2013, October). The Importance of Placing Pre-Service Teachers in Early Learning Classrooms: Developing a Stronger Understanding of a Constructivist Perspective. Poster presented at the annual fall meeting of the California Council on Teacher Education. San Diego, CA.

Hansuvadha, N. & Piker, R. (2012, October). Early Learning Foundation Urban Teacher Fellowship Project: Exploring a Constructivist Foundation in Teacher Preparation. Poster presented at the annual fall meeting of the California Council on Teacher Education. San Diego, CA.

Parsons, S., Gradin, S., Codd, G., Piker, R., Melton, L., & Hansuvadha, N. (2012, March). Leading the Way in Preparing Elementary School Teachers through an Early Learning Foundation. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs. Philadelphia, PA.

Piker, R.A. & Jewkes, A.M. (2011, April). For the Public Good or Children’s Well-Being? The “New” Purpose of Early Care and Education. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. New Orleans, LA.

Piker, R.A., & Andrade, O. (2010, November). English Language and Literacy Development of Dual Language Learners. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Anaheim, CA.

Piker, R.A., Andrade, O., & Banh, L.G. (2010, May). A Case for Bilingual Classrooms in Preparing Dual Language Learners for English-Only Kindergarten Instruction. Poster presentation at the meeting of American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.

Piker, R.A., Banh, L.G., & Andrade, O. (2010, May). Defining “School Readiness” for Dual Language Learners? Paper presented at the annual meeting of American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO

Piker, R.A. & Jewkes, A.M. (2009, April). Preschool at a Crossroads: Where Do We Go From Here?  Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. San Diego, CA

Piker, R.A. & Jewkes, A.M. (2008, November). Preschool at a Crossroads: Where Do We Go From Here? Paper presented in roundtable format at the annual meeting of the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators. Dallas, TX.

Piker, R.A., Dula-Stenkilde, J., Rodriguez, D. & Louis, T. (2008, November). The “How-to’s” of Teaching Advocacy in the Higher Education Classroom. Roundtable presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Dallas, TX

Piker, R.A. & Jewkes, A.M. (2008, June). The conceptualization of childhood according to child development, early care, and education: An historical analysis. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of Head Start’s Ninth National Research Conference. Washington D.C.

Lewis, T. & Piker, R.A. (2008, April). Improving Parent-Teacher Relationships within Latino School Populations. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the California Association for Bilingual Education-CABE Para-Professional and Parent Conference. Pasadena, CA.

Piker, R.A. (2007, November). Spanish-primary children’s social interactions with teachers and peers within a Head Start classroom. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Chicago, IL.

Pattnaik, J. & Piker, R.A. (2007, February). Reinventing the landscape of student and program assessment through Task Stream’s electronic portfolio system. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators. San Diego, CA.

Piker, R.A. & Rex, L.A. (2006, April). The language shift from Spanish to English in a Head Start classroom. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association. San Francisco, CA.

Piker, R. A., & Lubeck, S. (2001, April). The Social Construction of teachers and teaching: Shared discourse and divergent practices in a Head Start program. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Seattle, WA.