Reflective Practice in Professional Development of Early Childhood Educators
Based on my personal own observations, Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers usually go through many professional developmental stages. Accordingly, the level of ECE competency for each of these professional developmental stages depends on mastery of teaching techniques, choice of appropriate learning tools, and implementation of effective educational methods or frameworks. Therefore, ECE teachers can progressively move through a cycle of professional developmental stages through a series of self-assessments, which are guided by the principles of proven effective teaching practices endorsed by community of educators or required by educational institutions.
In my view—like any other professional development efforts, ECE teachers can only track their competency improvements through self-assessments, and recognize their effectiveness as educators through timely and constructive feedback. One of the competency self-assessment approaches that ECE teachers can use for professional development and teaching competency is “reflective practice”. Reflective Practice and ECE Reflective Practice is one of the approaches within the areas of ECE professional competency (California Department of Education, 2011, p. …show more content…
99). It is based on a critical understanding of teaching practices, and centered on a continuous process of improving skills, knowledge, and approaches to achieve the best outcomes for children (California Department of Education, 2011, p. 137). ECE teachers who are practitioners of reflective practice can then more effectively use their knowledge of child development theories, enhance their teaching experiences, and improve their abilities to engage children and to plan classroom activities with optimal results (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2010, p. 7).
In essence, reflective practice is a progressive professional development approach based on the principle of on-going self-improvement process through self-assessment or personal evaluation of teaching practices (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2010).
Importance to ECE Professional Development ECE educators who regularly reflect on what they do, why they do it, and how they do what they do can improve greatly and achieve the best outcomes for children (Rice, 2013). Reflective practice also gives professionals the opportunities to critically understand children’s points-of-views, emotional complexities, and to actively influence their behaviors and to pursue more positive lives (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2010). Most importantly, reflective practice offers practitioners in-depth awareness of their own biases, values and beliefs, of which then could lead to advance understanding of vulnerable children (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2010). Benefits to Young Children of Having a Reflective Practitioner as a Teacher As an early childhood professional, teaching young children involves many challenges in the classroom community. It is a complex work that involves classroom activity planning, implementation of the planned activity, interaction with children during planned activity, ongoing observation of interactions during planned activity, documentation of observations made after the planned activity, etc. (Carter, Cividanes, Curtis, & Lebo, 2010). But to become an effective teacher, one must be skilled in the art of reflection. It is through reflection that allows teachers to take a closer look at their own teaching practices and their knowledge of child development and how these affect children’s learning experiences (Rice, 2013). As teachers consider the ages and stages of child development, and children’s individual interests, experiences, and differences in learning; reflection gives teachers the opportunity to meet the needs of each child (Rice, 2013). This includes classroom modifications (i.e. reflection in practice) and adaptations (i.e. reflection on practice). When teachers are reflective, they plan meaningful lessons based on children’s strengths, their weaknesses, and interests. Reflective Practice and Professional Development As an early childhood professional, reflective practice means looking at what we do in the classroom and going through the process of self-assessment, and critical evaluation of our own thoughts and actions for the purpose of personal and professional development. …show more content…
Reflective practice enables teachers to respond to present situations and think about past experiences that will help guide teaching and objective decision-making. A reflective practice also involves objective thinking which then can avoid bias tendencies. Teacher reflections help assess present classroom situations and improve future ones.
In such practice, it is equally important for teachers to examine their own philosophies, values, and beliefs in teaching (Rice, 2013). A reflective teacher is open to changing his or her methods of teaching and taking a closer look at how we define ourselves as educators in supporting children’s learning experiences (Rice,
Based on my personal own observations, Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers usually go through many professional developmental stages. Accordingly, the level of ECE competency for each of these professional developmental stages depends on mastery of teaching techniques, choice of appropriate learning tools, and implementation of effective educational methods or frameworks. Therefore, ECE teachers can progressively move through a cycle of professional developmental stages through a series of self-assessments, which are guided by the principles of proven effective teaching practices endorsed by community of educators or required by educational institutions.
In my view—like any other professional development efforts, ECE teachers can only track their competency improvements through self-assessments, and recognize their effectiveness as educators through timely and constructive feedback. One of the competency self-assessment approaches that ECE teachers can use for professional development and teaching competency is “reflective practice”. Reflective Practice and ECE Reflective Practice is one of the approaches within the areas of ECE professional competency (California Department of Education, 2011, p. …show more content…
99). It is based on a critical understanding of teaching practices, and centered on a continuous process of improving skills, knowledge, and approaches to achieve the best outcomes for children (California Department of Education, 2011, p. 137). ECE teachers who are practitioners of reflective practice can then more effectively use their knowledge of child development theories, enhance their teaching experiences, and improve their abilities to engage children and to plan classroom activities with optimal results (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2010, p. 7).
In essence, reflective practice is a progressive professional development approach based on the principle of on-going self-improvement process through self-assessment or personal evaluation of teaching practices (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2010).
Importance to ECE Professional Development ECE educators who regularly reflect on what they do, why they do it, and how they do what they do can improve greatly and achieve the best outcomes for children (Rice, 2013). Reflective practice also gives professionals the opportunities to critically understand children’s points-of-views, emotional complexities, and to actively influence their behaviors and to pursue more positive lives (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2010). Most importantly, reflective practice offers practitioners in-depth awareness of their own biases, values and beliefs, of which then could lead to advance understanding of vulnerable children (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2010). Benefits to Young Children of Having a Reflective Practitioner as a Teacher As an early childhood professional, teaching young children involves many challenges in the classroom community. It is a complex work that involves classroom activity planning, implementation of the planned activity, interaction with children during planned activity, ongoing observation of interactions during planned activity, documentation of observations made after the planned activity, etc. (Carter, Cividanes, Curtis, & Lebo, 2010). But to become an effective teacher, one must be skilled in the art of reflection. It is through reflection that allows teachers to take a closer look at their own teaching practices and their knowledge of child development and how these affect children’s learning experiences (Rice, 2013). As teachers consider the ages and stages of child development, and children’s individual interests, experiences, and differences in learning; reflection gives teachers the opportunity to meet the needs of each child (Rice, 2013). This includes classroom modifications (i.e. reflection in practice) and adaptations (i.e. reflection on practice). When teachers are reflective, they plan meaningful lessons based on children’s strengths, their weaknesses, and interests. Reflective Practice and Professional Development As an early childhood professional, reflective practice means looking at what we do in the classroom and going through the process of self-assessment, and critical evaluation of our own thoughts and actions for the purpose of personal and professional development. …show more content…
Reflective practice enables teachers to respond to present situations and think about past experiences that will help guide teaching and objective decision-making. A reflective practice also involves objective thinking which then can avoid bias tendencies. Teacher reflections help assess present classroom situations and improve future ones.
In such practice, it is equally important for teachers to examine their own philosophies, values, and beliefs in teaching (Rice, 2013). A reflective teacher is open to changing his or her methods of teaching and taking a closer look at how we define ourselves as educators in supporting children’s learning experiences (Rice,