CURRICULUM VITAE

Carrie L. Lobman
Assistant Professor
Department of Learning and Teaching
Graduate School of Education
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Education and Qualifications

2002   Ed.D. Teachers College, Columbia University
Specialization: Early Childhood Education
Dissertation title: The Creation of a Playful Environment in the Early Childhood Classroom: A Case Study of a Toddler and a Preschool Classroom

1990   M.S. Hunter College, City University of New York
Specialization: Elementary and Early Childhood Education

1986   B.S. Vassar College
Specialization: Psychology and Child Development

1990   New York State Permanent Teaching Certificate
   Grades N-6
  

Professional Experience

College/University Teaching Experience

September 2001-  present              Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education
                                                              Department of Learning and Teaching
                                                              Graduate School of Education
                                                              Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey

January 1998 - May 2001                 Instructor
                                                              Department of Curriculum and Teaching
                                                              Teachers College, Columbia University
                                                              Responsible for planning and
                                                              teaching of practicum seminar in 
                                                              early childhood education, and a course on the theory and 
                                                              uses of play in early childhood 
                                                              and beyond.
                                                              Supervision of students in early childhood settings.

September 1998-  Instructor in Elementary and Early Childhood Education
May 1999   Queens College, City University of New York
Planned and taught courses on developmental and educational psychology to pre-service and masters students.
    
Research Experience

May 2002-present Design and ongoing implementation of a multi-phase study of the state of early childhood teacher education and professional development in the State of New Jersey

February 2002-May 2003 Design and implement an intervention study to examine the effect of improvisational theatre training on the classroom practices of preschool teachers.

January 2000- Design and implementation of a qualitative case
June 2001 study of the creation of the learning environment in a toddler and a preschool classroom.

September 1998-  Spencer Foundation Research Fellow
May 2001   Department of Curriculum and Teaching
    Teachers College, Columbia University
Design and implementation of qualitative research studies
exploring the issue of continuity of care in early childhood education.

December 1997-  On-staff researcher
May 1999   Performance of a Lifetime
Responsible for the ongoing research and evaluation of a performance/improvisation training and consulting firm.

Educational Program Development and Teaching

September 2001- Educational and Training Consultant
Present Eastside Institute for Short Term Psychotherapy
  Provide advisement and support to the design and implementation
  of an innovative approach to educational and therapeutic services.
  Provide on-site training to educators interested in exploring
  performance as a tool for learning and development.

October 2001- Educational Consultant
Present Board of Cooperative Education Services
  Rockland County, New York
Provide workshops and training to teachers and
administrators on the value of play and improvisation and on the
implementation of a play-based practice.

February 2002- Educational Consultant
Present Metuchen Public Schools
Serve as a curricular advisor to the superintendent
and kindergarten coordinator. Support the coordination
of services between local preschools and the public
school system

September 1999 -  Program Coordinator and Staff Developer
May 2001   CUNY Literacy Enhancement Program
Lead district-wide training workshops in topics ranging from ‘math and the expressive arts’ to ‘reading as performance. Provided on-site staff development and training for teachers and principals implementing a literature based reading program

September 1998 - Co-Leader of the Street Smarts Program for Children with
May 2001 Disabilities
    92nd Street YM-YWHA of New York
Design a curriculum to support developmentally disabled young people to be independent. Teach young people improvisational skills in order to help them travel safely in New York City

September 1999 -  Director, Growing Up Performed Therapeutic Afterschool
June 2000   Eastside Institute for Short Term Psychotherapy
Led and directed a performance based afterschool program designed to support the development of children ages 6-12
Served as the on-site supervisor to the theatrical and therapeutic team

Summers 1997-  Director, Summer Youth Employment Program
1999    Research Foundation of the City University of NY
Co-created a program to support adolescents with low academic scores participating in a summer jobs program  
Directed weekly groups of adolescents in creating and performing in scenes using improvisation

September 1986-  Lead Teacher, First Presbyterian Church Nursery School
June 1998 Designed and implemented a developmentally appropriate curriculum for 3, 4 and 5 year olds. Introduced creative dramatics and improvisation through the use of the children’s own writing. Prepared evaluations of the children applying to elementary schools. Supervised and trained assistant teachers, student teachers and learning-disabled student aides. Worked with the school psychologist to provide support for children and their families. Led parent meetings on separation and curriculum

Honors and Awards

1998-2000   Spencer Research Fellow in Early Childhood Education

Grant Funding
 
2002-2004                    Finding the gaps, creating opportunities: research to inform the implementation of a coordinated system of professional development and teacher preparation. Foundation for Child Development. $193,000.00                    

Publications

Lobman, C. (under review). Improvisation: A postmodern playground for early childhood teachers. Submitted for publication to S. Ryan & S. Grieshaber (Eds.), Putting Postmodern Theories into Practice. New York: JAI Press.
 
Lobman, C. (under review). “The Bugs are Coming!” The Giving and Receiving of Offers as a Lens for Understanding Teacher-Child Interactions. Submitted for publication to Early Childhood Research Quarterly.

Lobman, C. (2003). Putting children first. [review of the book Putting Children First] Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 4 (2), 221-224.

Lobman, C. (2003). What should we create today? Improvisational teaching
in early childhood classrooms. International Journal for Early Years Education, 23 (2), 133-145.

 Lobman, C. (2003). The bugs are coming: Improvisation and early childhood teaching. Young Children,58 (3), 18-23.

Dissertation

The Creation of a Playful Environment in the Early Childhood Classroom: A Case Study of a Toddler and a Preschool Classroom: This in-depth case study of two classrooms at a university based childcare center expands the research on play and play-based classrooms by examining the improvisational nature of playfulness between teachers and children. It examines how and to what extent a playful environment is created and describes the relationship between teacher- and child-directed activities in the playful environment. 

International and National Presentations

 Lobman, C., Ryan, S. & Ackerman, D. (November, 2003). Preparing preschool teachers: Mapping the teacher preparation system in New Jersey. Paper presented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Chicago, Illinois.

 Lobman, C., Feldman, N., Vadum, A. & Weintraub, G. (October, 2003). Using improvisation with adult learners. Paper presented at Performing the World 2. Montauk, NY.

 Lobman, C. (2003, April). Collective activity: A zone of proximal development. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Chicago, Illinois.

 Lobman, C. (2003, April). Improvisation: A resource for professional development. . Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Chicago, Illinois.

 Lobman, C. (2002, November). Improvisation and Creativity.  Paper presented at the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators. New York, New York.

 Lobman, C. (2002, June). Collective activity: A Postmodern zone of proximal development. Paper presented at the International Society for Cultural Research and Activity Theory. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

 Lobman, C. (2002, May). Improvisation and performance: A tool for professional development. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the New Jersey Association for Early Childhood Teacher Education. Piscataway, New Jersey.

 Lobman, C. (2002, April). What shall we create today? Improvisational teaching in early childhood classrooms. Paper presented at the 83rd Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. New Orleans, Louisiana.

 Ryan, S., Genishi, C. & Lobman, C. (2001, October). Power Plays: Multiple readings from popular and school cultures. Paper presented at the annual conference of reconceptualizing early childhood education in research, theory and practice. New York, New York.
  
 Lobman, C. (2001, January). Make a movie of me: Doing observational research on children’s play. Paper presented at the Scandinavian Conference on Family and Children Research. Copenhagen, Denmark

 Feldman, N. & Lobman, C. (2001, April). The Play is the Thing: Assisting Children in the Creation of Life Performances” Paper presented at the Hartman Conference on Children and Their Families. Mystic, Connecticut

Williams, L., Recchia, S., Lobman, C., Brady-Smith, C. (2000, April 22-26). Promoting Continuity in Early Care and Education for Young Children and their Families 81st Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. New Orleans, Louisiana.

Workshops and Trainings

Improvisation: Innovative Tools for Today’s Teachers.
Even the best-prepared teachers have to face the unexpected. Whether it’s behavior management, stressed-out parents, or new curricula, teachers need to think on their feet and respond to curve balls with grace, wit and creativity. That’s where improvisation comes in. Popularized by such TV shows as “Whose Line is it Anyway?” improvisation is a fun, versatile, non-coercive tool that allows teachers to embrace the unexpected and use it to help build a developmental and collaborative learning environment.

• Eastside Institute for Short Term Psychotherapy. New York, New York.
• Edwin Gould Academy
• New York City Board of Education, New Teacher Trainings
• The Association of Teachers in Independent Schools
• Ecole Francaise de Princeton
• Rockland County BOCES Instructional Services
 
 “What shall we create today” Play and improvisation in early childhood classrooms.
This workshop explores ways that early childhood teachers can create environments in which play and improvisation support cognitive growth, social and emotional learning, and just might address those standards too.

• Annual early childhood conference of the Jewish educational services of Bergen County.
• National Institute for Early Education and Research. Princeton, New Jersey.
• The Annual Conference of The Child’s Right To Play: A Global Approach.
• Childcare Resources of Rockland County
• Rockefeller University Children’s School. New York, NY
• The First Presbyterian Church Nursery School. New York, NY

Playing with Children When Children’s Play is Scary
When children play, they are performing their understanding of the world. And when the image of the world is filled with smoke, terror and destruction, so, sometimes, is children’s play.  How do we, as teachers of young children, respond to children’s play, children’s questions and children’s fears, in a way that not only provides them with a sense of safety, but also encourages their continued growth and development? This workshop explores the ways that early childhood teachers can lead and support the play of children, particularly when their play reflects fears, concerns and unknowns.

• Rockland County BOCES Instructional Services
• Jewish Community Center on the Palisades. Palisades, NY

Ready, Set, Play: Creating Literate Players
• The New York State Association for the Education of Young Children, New York, NY.

Review and Editorial Work

2003   Reviewer Early Childhood Research Quarterly

2002 Reviewer of manuscripts, Teachers College Press

2001-present Reviewer of proposals, American Educational Research Association Division K, Teaching and Teacher Education; Early Childhood Care and Education SIG; Critical Issues in Early Childhood Education SIG.

Memberships

1998- present  American Educational Research Association

1987- present  National Association for the Education of Young Children

2001- present  Association for Childhood Education International

2000- present  The American Association for the Child’s Right to Play

2001- present  International Society for Cultural Research and Activity Theory