TCHR5010 Competency and Capability of Preschoolers Report Sample

TCHR5010 Competency and capability of Preschoolers

This Portfolio is comprised of two tasks and should be presented on one Word document.

Task 1: Professional Philosophy (approximately 500 words)

Write your professional philosophy statement for working with Preschool age children. Consider important aspects of pre-schoolers’ learning and development that we have been focusing on in the unit such as:

- Relationships

- Quality

- Diversity and inclusion

- Transition to school

- Supporting pro-social competencies

Task 2: Goals and Critical reflection (approximately 1000 words/200-300 words per goal) Set 4-5 goals that you want to achieve on your forthcoming professional experience with Preschoolers. Critically reflect on these goals, and your philosophy, and identify anticipated challenges you may face achieving your goals and putting your philosophy into practice. How do you intend to overcome these challenges? Analyse according to the set text, and the NQS and EYLF.

Solution

Task 1: Professional Philosophy

Personal Professional Philosophy Statement of Working with Preschool Children

As a dedicated educator, to bring about the growth as well as the development of children who are at the preschool age, my professional philosophy encompasses developing positive nurturing environment that reflect quality education, prioritise relationships, inclusiveness, diversity, and smooth transition of children to school. Moreover, I also have a responsibility to cultivate a sense of pro-social competencies among children.

Early childhood education for MBA assignment expert can become effective with the reflection of strong relationship attributes by educators within the pre-school environment. I believe in creating and sustaining trustworthy and close relationships with children along with their families and colleagues in the pre-school setting (Öngören, 2022). Thus, a supportive atmosphere has been developed within the setting where I can value children’s unique needs, cultural backgrounds and interests.

Quality education is also an essential success and effectiveness measure within the preschool setting. Thus, as an educator, I have decided to offer curricula that are appropriate for the development of each child. These curriculums and activities are capable of stimulating creativity, curiosity, along with critical thinking skills among children. I believe that children can develop a quest for learning through my play-based learning techniques. I have a desire to create holistic development potential within every area of child growth such as social, cognitive, physical and emotional.

To increase positivity within the pre-school setting, I equipped diversity and inclusion as integral competencies of my practice. I encourage children to identify and acknowledge that each culture has its own value and richness which should be respected and celebrated by all. To increase the idea that each of the children is represented and valued within the learning and activity sessions, I utilise the culturally responsive practice of teaching (Martin & Spencer, 2020). I also convey the idea and negative sides of social inequalities through illustrative examples and storytelling to promote unity.

The process of transitioning to school is an essential and memorable stage for preschoolers (Zabeli & Gjelaj, 2020). Thus, I tend to work collaboratively with families and my colleagues to make the process of transition smooth. I also ensure that the process do not lack attention in the provision of care. Additionally, I try to provide various opportunities to the families to explore further. This may help them in choosing the most suitable and effective school setting for their children.

To develop social and emotional intelligence among the pre-schoolers, I promoted supporting pro-social competencies. I have always prioritised encouraging communication, empathy, strategies of problem-solving, and a cooperative attitude through guided practice, intentional modelling, along with positive reinforcement. It also motivated children to build positive connections with others and resolve issues peacefully. Thus, I can state that my professional philosophy in the setting of the preschool contributes to the overall foundational development of children, providing a broader opportunity to foster sophistication among themselves.

Task 2: Goals and Critical reflection

To intensify my future professional experience with Preschoolers, I have decided to focus on the following goals:

• Improvement of social-emotional learning
• Encouraging the development of language and literacy
• Integration of STEAM learning concept
• Empower engagement with families
• Develop inclusive practices

Goal 1: Improvement of Social-emotional Learning

Critical Reflection

The principles and views of NQS (National Quality Standards) and EYLF (Early Years Learning Framework) are aligned to improve social-emotional learning. The overreaching aspect of my first goal is to support the holistic development of children along with their well-being. I think, meeting the intense success level within this goal may bring about several challenges. One of the key challenges is the various types of emotional and social requirements among children at the pre-school stage (Tandzegolskienė-Bielaglovė et al., 2023). These needs may have been characterised by the existence of different family dynamics, cultural backgrounds, along personal differences.

Strategies for overcoming issues

To resolve the issues that are impacting the success of my goal, I have planned to assess the social and emotional requirements of children regularly. I will also be devoted to adjusting the strategies with new issues by depending on the observation principles, reflection and documentation embedded in the Early Years Learning Framework. The effectiveness of social-emotional learning can be intensified through collaboration with families to understand the needs of children prominently.

Goal 2: Encouraging the development of language and literacy

Critical Reflection

The focus on communication in the EYLF has aligned with this goal of encouraging language and literacy development. Additionally, it also promoted the underlying principles of NQS where learning and development of children are supported (Harrison et al., 2020). However, challenges are also associated with this goal as I may struggle to integrate different literary experiences effectively. Those literary experiences may not cater to the personal interests and needs of preschoolers, impacting encouragement and motivation. Another challenging situation may arise from aspects such as varying levels of language proficiency, language barriers, along with cultural differences. Thus, even with the proper application of diverse literary experiences, the learning outcome among preschoolers may vary, which draws attention towards the need for more intense foundational development strategies.

Strategies for Overcoming Issues

The principles of EYLF indicate educators to develop and secure reciprocal and respectful relations with children and diversity. Before arranging the basic learning strategies, educators need to understand the different levels of literacy among children and their families. Therefore, through the continuous practice of implementing integrated, holistic, along with interconnected approaches, these differences can be eliminated as indicated by EYLF.

Goal 3: Integration of STEAM Learning Concept

Critical Reflection

The inquiry-based learning approach, as addressed within EYLF can be aligned with the integration of the STEAM learning approach (Larkin & Lowrie, 2022). Moreover, the learning approach promoted by NQS regarding the emphasis on cognitive and critical thinking skill development can also be projected through the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering Arts and Mathematics learning within preschool settings. I think that I may face issues while smoothly incorporating all the elements of STEAM learning for preschoolers. There is a challenge that children may experience intense pressure at the beginning of this learning process.

Strategies for Overcoming Issues

With the comprehensive understanding provided by the early childhood pedagogy in EYLF, I can deepen my knowledge of STEAM concepts within the preschool setting. I will collaborate with my colleagues and ask for their support from external experts regarding the integration process of STEAM learning.

Goal 4: Empower Engagement with Families

Critical Reflection

The principles of EYLF emphasizing on partnering with families also align with this goal of my future professional experience development with preschoolers (EYLF, 2022). Therefore, the sense of collaborative relationships has also been recognised in the principles of NQS. While achieving the collaborative objectives, I may face issues in building relationships with different families due to linguistic and cultural differences. Differences in cultural backgrounds and linguistic preferences in the expectation of parental involvement along with varying socio-economic factors have the potential to impact the abilities of families to collaborate with the programs launched by the preschool. Additional challenges may be introduced to the conflicting responsibilities and time constraints. These issues could limit the participative motivation among parents in various parental activities in school and cause them to communicate with educators.

Strategies for Overcoming Issues

I will adopt an approach that is culturally responsive to engage families, respecting and valuing the different perspectives and backgrounds of the families of each child. Different families should be offered multiple communication avenues such as digital platforms, multilingual resources, and meetings to accommodate the preferences of families and improve their accessibility as well.
Goal 5: Develop inclusive practices

Critical Reflection

The final goal that I have determined to improve my future professional experience with the preschoolers aligns with the emphasis on equity and diversity as imposed by EYLF and the commitment of NQS to offer equal opportunity for each child (NQS 2024). I have a strong sense that I may go through some challenges during the implementation stage. However, through this practice, I can cater to the various cultural backgrounds and needs of the preschoolers. Unconscious stereotypes, biases in diverse cultures and lacking awareness of different identities and abilities among educators can bring about significant problems to the development of a genuine learning environment, characterised by inclusivity.

Strategies for Overcoming Issues

To eliminate the challenges imposed by the implementation of inclusive practices, I have decided to include continuous professional development which is concentrated on cultural competence, inclusive teaching practices along with anti-bias education. I also think collaborating with colleagues, external professionals and families is also an effective strategy to gain valuable insights as well as support in identifying and eliminating the barriers to inclusion. To ensure that all the children actively participate and thrive in a classroom setting, I will apply universal design principles with differentiated strategies of instruction (Navaitienė & Stasiūnaitienė, 2021). Additionally, continuing with the prior commitments of developing a diverse and welcoming learning environment will also complement the challenge overcoming strategies.

References

EYLF. (2022). The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf
Harrison, L., Hadley, F., Irvine, S., Davis, B., Bartlett, L., Hatzigianni, M., ... & Li, P. (2020). Quality improvement research project. https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-05/apo-nid306640.pdf

Larkin, K., & Lowrie, T. (2022). Pedagogical and Social Perspectives to Teaching STEM in the Early Years. In STEM Education in the Early Years: Thinking About Tomorrow (pp. 21-44). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-19-2810-9_2

Martin, A. D., & Spencer, T. (2020). Children’s literature, culturally responsive teaching, and teacher identity: An action research inquiry in teacher education. Action in Teacher Education, 42(4), 387-404. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01626620.2019.1710728

Navaitienė, J., & Stasiūnaitienė, E. (2021). The goal of the universal learning design is the development of all expert learners. In Improving inclusive education through universal design for learning (pp. 23-57). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/50729/1/978-3-030-80658-3.pdf#page=36

NQS. (2024). National Quality Standard | ACECQA. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/national-quality-standard
Öngören, S. (2022). Preschool Teachers' Practices to Support Children's Social Development. International Journal of Progressive Education, 18(2), 1-17. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1342688

Tandzegolskienė-Bielaglovė, I., Čiučiulkienė, N., & Garbaravičienė, J. (2023, July). INTEGRATED LITERACY METHODS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL–EMOTIONAL SKILLS: PRE-SCHOOL GROUP CONTEXT. In SOCIETY. INTEGRATION. EDUCATION. Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference (Vol. 2, pp. 121-131). https://journals.rta.lv/index.php/SIE/article/view/7162

Zabeli, N., & Gjelaj, M. (2020). Preschool teacher’s awareness, attitudes and challenges towards inclusive early childhood education: A qualitative study. Cogent Education, 7(1), 1791560. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/2331186X.2020.1791560