Farmington Faculty


Dolores Appl, Ph.D.

Associate Professor - Early Childhood Special Education

Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
M.S., Northern Illinois University
B.A.S., University of Minnesota-Duluth

In the Classroom: Engaging Students — Setting High Academic Expectations
Dolores Appl's main classroom goal is to link theory to practice — to simulate the experiences and responsibilities Early Childhood Special Education students will likely find in their future classrooms or in other work environments. She does this by starting with a classroom discussion and presentation of theoretical content then moving toward a guided practice of those theories and finally by having her students apply those classroom theories to actual practice.

Each Early Childhood Special Education student is required to apply course content in practicum settings. For instance, in the classroom Dolores might discuss child development theory and issues. Then at the practicum site, those Early Childhood Special Education students will work with area children and families on activities that focus on the same issues and theories they discussed in class. This process allows Dolores' students to actually see and try out those theories in practice.


Outside the Classroom: Innovation and Excitement — Putting Theory into Practice
A big part of the Early Childhood Special Education program at Farmington involves students working hands-on with children and their families. They do this at the on-site UMF Nursery School/Pre-K program and through a number of inclusive programs for young children and their parents. These programs include pre-school, childcare, and parent-child playgroups.

One playgroup option available to families with younger children is an evening group, based on the Parents Interacting With Infants (PIWI) model. The playgroup practicum allows Early Childhood Special Education students to work alongside Dolores with families and their very young children in informal, semi-structured interactive settings.

The playgroups are organized according to developmental observation topics. An example of a topic is "Container Play," which describes how young children play with items placed inside containers and why they play with containers a certain way at different developmental stages.

In a playgroup session focusing on how children play with containers, the Early Childhood Special Education students will begin by describing to parents the theory they learned in the classroom. They then demonstrate it with the young children as parents interact with their young children during play that features various activities involving containers. At the end of the session, the Early Childhood Special Education students discuss with the childrens' parents the developmental process and issues they just saw in practice.

Here, in the playgroup practicum based on PIWI, the students not only work closely with the young children, but they also work closely with the childrens' parents — a valuable component of the program. It is also this "classroom theory turned into practice" component that makes Farmington's Early Childhood Special Education program stand apart.


A True Academic — Areas of Special Interest
Dolores Appl said she has always been interested in 3- to 5-year-olds and did her dissertation on beginning Early Childhood Special Education preschool teachers.

During her doctoral studies Dolores learned the PIWI model and became more involved with infants, toddlers, and their parents.

She also has a very strong passion in preparing teachers to provide quality programs and services for children of all needs and all abilities. You see, Dolores strongly believes in inclusiveness — the right for all children, with and without disabilities, to participate in quality programs.


Respected in the Field — Noteworthy Accomplishments
Dolores Appl frequently presents at national and international conferences and has a number of publications to her credit, including: "Children's books as a vehicle for teaching teachers ways to help children value differences," (Young Exceptional Children); "What do Pre-Service Teachers see as their roles in promoting positive social environments? I see myself as a facilitator of acceptance," (Journal of Early Childhood Education); "Stories about teaching: Using qualitative data to promote reflective practice," (Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education); First Year Early Childhood Special Education Teachers and Their Assistants: "Teaching Along With Her" (Teaching Exceptional Children); Framework for investigating child find referral, early identification, and eligibility determination practices, (TRACELINES).


Collaborating with Farmington Students on Scholarly Publications
Dolores collaborated with Farmington Early Childhood Special Education graduate student Tobyn Pratt on a professional manuscript (recently published) that explores how childrens' books can be used to help youngsters understand children with special needs — as a way of promoting an inclusive community in classroom settings.

She is currently working with a May 2007 Farmington Early Childhood Special Education graduate, Shannon Brown. The two are conducting research that will result in an upcoming article on father-son interactions.


Outside of Academia — Personal Interests and Activities
Outside of her academic life, Dolores Appl is hard at work renovating her 1860's circa home in Farmington and enjoys cross-country skiing, gardening and other Maine outdoor activities.

She also enjoys following the accomplishments of her young grandson, who lives with his parents in Austin, Texas.

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