Profile photo of Dr. Josh Thompson (he/him)

Dr. Josh Thompson (he/him)

Professor Early Childhood Education

Department of Curriculum & Instruction

Office Location: EdSouth 204

Office Hours: By appointment

Phone: 903-886-5537

Email: josh.thompson@tamuc.edu

Professional Vita



Learning about Learning

ThompsonCV 2023 .PDF

My passion is to promote and protect child-like wonder and love of learning through play.

I wonder about you - what makes you curious about me, what makes you wonder about teaching and learning, about children and learners of all ages?

Teaching

Effective teaching can be demonstrated in a number of ways. “Value-added” is one method to enumerate growth, using pre- and post- measures to demonstrate change in the student. On the other hand, research has pointed toward the difference a TEACHER makes in effective teaching. That a teacher CARES turns out to be a significant factor in teaching effectiveness (Goldstein. 2002. Reclaiming Caring in Teaching and Teacher Education. NY: Lang.). I want to be known as a teacher who cares.

Spring 2024

Summer 2024

Fall 2024

Upcoming and Recent Presentations

Proposals

proposal submitted World Forum, April 2024, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

proposal to be submitted Texas Rising Star, April in Arlington; July in Houston; October in Frisco, 2024

proposal to be submitted Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education, February, 2024, Frisco, Texas

Faculty-led Study Abroad

proposed trip to France in July 2025, for cultural and educational activities https://www.tamuc.edu/study-abroad/

Doctoral Students

Research     ORCID iD iconhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5683-6518

Three main activities going on at present, Fall 2023:

Within the community of child language acquisition researchers, it is known that more competent speakers transmit pragmatic competence to language learners; how they do so is still quite a mystery. The complex, interwoven connectedness of diverse elements and their influence on language acquisition remains unzipped; the double, triple, or infinite helix of pragmemes needs to be realized. Following Naomi Baron's (1990) structure of Five Language Functions (affection, control, information, pedagogy, and social exchange), my research examines the effectiveness of this structure to describe pragmemes in the early language learning environment of young children.

Early childhood educators are predominantly female; I am exploring gender differences in the ways men parent and teach. I join other researchers and early childhood practitioners (e.g. www.MenTeach.org, www.StrongFathers.com) in seeking what is necessary to attract, recruit, retain, and promote men in early childhood education.

Publications

Wilson, L. & Thompson, J. (2022). Welcoming Black Dads: Action Steps and Reflections on Becoming Culturally Competent. Young Children, 77(4), 26-34. .PDF

Loewenstein, M, Sturdivant, T.D., & Thompson, J. (2022). Learning through play in teacher education. Young Children, 77(2) pp. 44-50. .PDF

Thompson, J. (2022). Maria Montessori. In V. Geneser (Ed), Scholarly snapshots: The importance of child play as a human right (pp. 19-26). Rowan & Littlefield.

Thompson, J. (2022). Forward. In V. Geneser (Ed.), Scholarly snapshots: The importance of child play as a human right (pp. xi-xii). Rowan & Littlefield.

Thompson, J., Geneser, V., & Walker, K. (2022). Why I teach: A content analysis of eight early childhood teacher vignettes. Early Years: Journal of Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, 43(1), 21-17. PDF

Stanković-Ramirez, Z., & Thompson, J. (2022, Spring).1 A new view of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: What early childhood educators know about waves, individuals, and equity. TEPSA Leader: Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association 35(2), 1-7. www.tepsa.org/publications/tepsa-leader/#

Thompson, J., & Pearce, N. (2022). A Toolbox for Engaging Children in Play and Creativity for Learning across the Domains. Dimensions of Early Childhood, 50(1), 37-43. PDF

Thompson, J., & Stanković-Ramirez. (2021, October). What early childhood educators know about developmentally appropriate practice. Phi Delta Kappan, 103(2), pp. 20-23. https://kappanonline.org/what-early-childhood-educators-know-about-developmentally-appropriate-practice/.

Wilson, L., & Thompson, J. (2021). From breadwinner to nurturer: Changing images of fathers in the media. Journal of Education and Social Justice, 7(1), 73-91. https://www.vul.edu/images/PDF/Journal_of_Education_and_Social_Justice_Fall_2021.PDF

Wilson, L. & Thompson, J. (20220). Critical race theory and African American fatherhood: Countering the mainstream narrative. Journal of African American Males in Education, 12(1), pp. 89-106.

Parks. L., Thompson, J., & Walker, K. (2020). Saying goodbye to Texas Child Care Quarterly: The Quarterly Journal for Caregivers Everywhere: An Interview with Louise Parks. Early Years: Journal of Texas Association for the Education of Young Children.

Thompson, J., & Bourassa, M. (2020). Ten ways a teacher copes, and thrives, during a pandemic. Early Years: Journal of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children 41(2), 21-23. .PDF

Pearce, N., & Thompson, J. (2019). A dynamic duo: A partnership between an early childhood center and a teacher education program (Feature Article, also translated into Spanish: Un dúo dinámico: Una alianza entre el Centro de primera infancia y el programa de educación de docentes, pp. 15-18). Early Years: Journal of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children 40(2), 11-14.

Thompson, J. (2018). Dads in the carpool lane. Early Years: Journal of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children 39(3), 29-30. .PDF

Stanković-Ramirez, Z. & Thompson, J. (2018). Rethinking developmental domains to improve classroom observations. Texas Child Care Quarterly, 42(2), 20-27. Available online https://www.childcarequarterly.com/PDF/fall18_domains.PDF.

Golden, F., Guthery, S. & Thompson, J. (2018). Chapter 10: Improving practice of pre-service teachers through inquiry. In L. A. Sharp, E. Hendrix, & L. M. Juarez (Eds..), Texas Association for Literacy Education Yearbook, Volume 5: Connections in the community: Fostering partnerships through literacy (pp. 84-88). Texas: Texas Association for Literacy Education. Available online www.texasreaders.org/yearbooks.html.

Thompson, J., & Walker, K. (2017). Rich Words for Free. ACEI Early Years Bulletin: Focus on Pre-K & K, 5(1), 1-5. Available online https://issuu.com/acei/docs/eybfall2017.

Wolff, K., Chapman, M., & Thompson, J. (2017). Exploring the Intersections of Social Identity, Popular Culture and Men in Early Childhood Education. In E. A. Janak & L. Sourdot (Eds..), Educating through Popular Culture: “You’re Not Cool Just Because You Teach with Comics” (pp. 265-286). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. PDF

Araujo, J., & Thompson, J. (2016). A Place for Children of Poverty. Early Years: Journal of Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, 37(2), 78.79.

Lee, D., Reid, M. J., & Thompson, J. (2016). Teachers Who Stay. Early Years: Journal of Texas Association for the Education of Young Children 37(2), 74-77.

Thompson, J. (2016). Why I Teach. Early Years: Journal of Texas Association for the Education of Young Children 37(2), 82-83.

Thompson, J., & Walker, K. (2016). One summer day: Play at Parker-Chase. Play, Policy, & Practice CONNECTIONS XVII(1), 26-28.

Hammack, B.J., Foote, M., Garretson, S., & Thompson, J. (2012). Family Literacy Packs: Engaging Teachers, Families, and Young Children in Quality Activities to Promote Partnerships for Learning, in Young Children 67(3) 104-110. PDF

Thompson, J. & Garretson, S. (2011). Encouraging men in their conversations with children, in Perspectives on gender in early childhood education (Tamar Jacobson, Ed.). St. Paul: Redleaf Press.

Thompson, J. & Stryker, A. (2010). Tale of two talents: How two teachers use peer-reflection to better prepare for class. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education.

Thompson, J. (2008). Table talk: Taking dinner conversation into the classroom, In P. Dam & M. T. Coward (Eds..), Current Issues and Best Practice in Bilingual and ESL Education (pp. 54-64). Denton, TX: Federation of North Texas Universities.

Thompson, J. & Leeds, L. (2006). Infant crying: To soothe or not to soothe. Montessori Life: Journal of the American Montessori Society 18(1) 26-31. PDF

Leeds, L. & Thompson, J. (2005). Tears as Tools. Early Years: Journal of Texas Association for the Education of Young Children 27(1) 5-6. PDF

Thompson, J. (2003). Hundred Language Zoo. Dimensions of Early Childhood, 31(1) 13-20. .PDF or DOC

Accepted for publication

Manuscripts submitted to refereed journals


Manuscripts in progress

Effects of systemic racism on students in higher ed and on faculty – collaboration with Mercado-Sierra and Stanković-Ramirez

Montessori Works - Objects in Developmental Planes – expected to submit to Montessori Life by November 2022.

Girls and boys need to talk with men and women: Gendered conversations help children learn more ways that language works – expected to submit to Childcare Exchange by December 2022.

Playing with Grades – with Geneser – expected to submit January 2023.

Exploring waves and cycles of child development – with Stanković-Ramirez – expected to submit by June 2023.  

The Impact of Men on Children's Outcomes: Re-conceptualizing the Roles of Males in Children's Lives, at Home and in Schools

Language acquisition classroom practice

Support scholars contrasting teaching styles

Editor

Consulting Editor, Young Children, and NAEYC Publications, 2022-2025

Brown, D.L., Geneser, V., & Thompson, J. (Eds..). (2012-2016). Early Years: Journal of Texas Association for the Education of Young Children. Austin, Texas: Texas Association for the Education of Young Children.

Vol. 37, No. 2: Special Issue on Pathways of Becoming an Early Childhood Professional

Vol. 37, No. 1: Winter 2016

Vol. 36, No. 3: Fall 2015

Vol. 36, No. 2: Summer 2015

Vol. 36, No. 1: Winter 2015

Vol. 35, No. 4: Fall 2014

Vol. 35, No. 3: Summer 2014

Vol. 35, No. 2: Special Issue on Play

Vol. 35, No. 1: Winter 2014

Vol. 34, No. 3: Winter 2013

Vol. 34, No. 2: Summer 2013

Vol. 34, No. 1: Winter 2013

Vol. 33, No. 3: Fall 2012

Vol. 33, No. 2: Summer 2012 

Recent Presentations

International

Grants & Awards

Education

Associations

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