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PRORP LECTURE 1 Definition of Professional Development and Personal…
PRORP LECTURE 1
Definition of Professional Development and Personal Growth
Introduction
This module
examines reflecting thinking and practice
from the perspective of
developing early childhood professionals
who are active participants in the process of
exploring and developing their own ‘professional identity’
and expertise as reflective practition
Personal development
What it is
Laura Colker (2008 as cited in Goble & Horm, 2010, p. 88) asserts that in order to be an effective early childhood teacher, personal characteristics need to be identified and developed.
Characteristics are clustered in the social-emotional domain.
Examples
Respect
Perseverance
Creativity,
Willingness to take risks
Authenticity
Pragmatism
Love of learning
Patience
High energy
Flexibility,
Sense of humour.
Passion
Strategies
• Teachers can modify their own style
• Develop new ways of relating to and interacting with children and others
• Talk with other teachers about patience or having a sense of humour
• Keep a personal reflection journal
• Develop healthy outlets for stress
• Enlist the help of a mentor, coach, or role model • Cultivate a growth mind-set
Reflection
Point for Reflection
you engage with the ‘process of becoming’ an effective reflective practitioner, consider these questions:
Why is reflection relevant to me and my practice?
How does it look like?
How do I do it?
What are the benefits?
What is it?
Being reflective
• It is a never-ending learning journey involving personal and professional qualities and attributes.
• These personal and professional qualities and attributes merge as you assume ownership of our thinking processes and actions.
• It involves critically analysing your own practice and looking at what is good and what needs improving.
• It involves being honest about my practice and how and why I do things the way I do.
What is involved in being a reflective practitioner? (Reed & Canning, 2010, pp. 10-11)
Reflection
as a generic term to describe behaviours involving feeling and thinking about thoughts and experiences
Reflective learning
implying a ‘sense of open exploration’ in order to find out how something Is
Reflective thinking
that implies there is a purpose, either consciously or subconsciously
What is involved in being a reflective practitioner? (Reed & Canning, 2010, pp. 10-11)
Reflective writing
as one mode of reflective thinking, expression and representation and stimulus for further reflective thinking
Meta-reflection
which involves making the process of reflection explici
Reflective action
which informs and is informed by the other processes
Points to ponder
How can we as reflective practitioner aspire to be effective change agents within our professional roles and contribute to the process of ensuring positive outcomes for children if we do not understand who we are, why we do what we do and how this is being achieved?
How can we support others within our communities of practice if we do not understand our own learning journey and value the journey experienced by others.
Let us begin our reflection by looking into our learning journey as we develop professionally.
Professional Development
According to the NAEYC defined as
Initial preparation (pre-service)
Learning experiences (in-service) designed to improve the knowledge, skills/behaviours, and attitudes/values of the early childhood workforce
Lilian Katz (1987 as cited in Goble & Horm, 2010, p. 87) identified attributes in the early childhood education field that are inherent in any profession:
• A code of ethics
• A professional organization, district associations, and at least one professional credential)
• A specialized body of knowledge • Standards of practice
• It is essential to identify your personal characteristics first and then take charge and actively seek and complete ongoing professional development.
• It is connected to developmentally appropriate early childhood teaching and children’s development and learning
The Four dimensions of a professionals Educator
Personal
• Character Traits
• Ethical Behaviour
• Civil
• Patient, respectful and helpful
• Intelligent and motivated
• Enthusiastic, honest
• Emotional Qualities
• Love, understand and respect for children and their families.
• Is friendly and sensitive
• Is trustworthy and tolerant
• Is warm and caring.
• Has compassion and empathy
• Mental Health
• Positive outlook regarding the profession and the future
• Some examples of good mental health are
Self-confidence
Self respect
Optimism
Attentiveness
• Physical Health
• Being healthy and fit
• Eating well-balanced meals
Educational
• Knowing the history of the profession and the code of ethics,
• Understanding how children develop and learn
• Keeping up to date on public issues that influence early childhood and the profession.
Professional
Knowing Children
Teaching, assessing & caring for children
Working with parents and families
Reporting children’s progress to parents and others
Collaborating with community partners
Developing a philosophy of education
Engaging in ethical practice
Assuming all the other roles and responsibilities
Seeking continued professional development
Reflecting and thinking on what he/she has done, is doing and will do
Planning
• Stating what children will learn and what children are able to do.
• Selecting developmentally appropriate activities and materials and ones that are based on children’s interests
• Deciding how much time to allocate to an activity.
• Deciding how to assess activities and the things that children have learned.
Assessment
• Assessment is the process of gathering information about children’s behavior and achievement and, on the basis of this data, making decisions about how to meet children’s needs.)
Reporting
• “How is my child doing?”
• Helps you, as a professional, be accountable to the public in fulfilling your role of helping children learn and be successful.
Reflecting, Thinking and Collaborating
• Think before you teach, think while you teach, and think after you teach.
Engaging in Ethical practise
• Ethical Conduct – the exercise of responsible behavior with children, families, colleagues, and community members.
Public
• Advocacy
• Articulation
• Representation
Conclusion
• Early childhood teachers support learning by providing activities and materials that children find engaging.
• Nurturing a child encompasses all aspects of development: social, emotional, cognitive, and physical.
• In every interaction, a teacher should nurture appropriate growth and development.
• In order to fulfil her duties, the teacher needs to grow personally and develop professionally