IN THIS ISSUE:
Specialized Mentoring Program Creates a
Continuous Learning Culture
Professional Learning Communities Help
Teachers Reflect on Learning
Building on Teachers’ Strengths through the Use
of Videotape
Lilian Katz: Reflections
References and Resources
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Lilian Katz: Reflections
Becoming a Student of Your Own Teaching
Among the many attributes professions have in common is a commitment to
continuous learning. Early childhood practitioners, like other professionals,
are urged to develop and maintain a career-long commitment to becoming
increasingly effective in their work with young children and their families, to
keeping up with new knowledge in the field, and to addressing the rapid
cultural shifts in their communities.
Elsewhere in this issue of Inside Gateways, three different approaches to
supporting teachers’ continuous professional growth are described. Here I want
to discuss some points about developing the habit of reflecting on one’s own
practices:
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Take advantage of opportunities to learn about the experiences and the views of
colleagues, and share your reflections on your own experiences with them.
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Accept the likelihood that you and your colleagues will have different opinions
about individual children and their families, and about appropriate practices.
There may be several right ways—as well as wrong ways—to address a problem.
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When faced with a predicament about your work with children, their families,
and with colleagues, develop the habit of asking yourself, “How can I account
for what is happening?” rather than “What can I do or what did I do?” Such a
strategy deepens our understanding of the complexities of our work and usually
results in more patience—a quality high on the list of important attributes for
teachers.
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Remember that no one can begin any job as a veteran. In all professions,
competence grows with experience—experience that is examined and reflected
upon. A new teacher is likely to judge a child’s behavior according to a
baseline of maybe 40 or 50 children of that age. But a teacher with 10 more
years of experience uses a baseline of perhaps 10 times as many children and
can therefore put problematic incidents and events into a larger context.
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Approach children with optimal confidence in the rightness of what you are
doing. That way, children will gain a clear sense of what you want and what you
expect of them. But on the way home, take time to reflect on the events of the
day and to consider other possible strategies to try next time.
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Cultivate your own intellect and nourish the life of your mind. For teachers,
the cultivation of the mind is as important as the cultivation of the
capacities for understanding, compassion, and caring—not less, not more, but
equally, important. In other words, see yourself as a developing professional;
become a student of your own teaching—a career-long student of your own
teaching.
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Do your best to keep up with the informal and formal literature in the field.
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Always assume that the people you work with have the capacities for greatness,
creativity, courage, and insight. Occasionally this assumption will be wrong,
perhaps. But if you always make it, you will be much more likely to uncover,
encourage, strengthen, and support these qualities in them.
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From time to time, undertake an informal self-evaluation process. Ask yourself
questions such as, “What aspects of my work with children and their families
are going well?” “What aspects of my teaching do I want to improve?” “What
aspects of my work do I need some help with?” Periodic reflections on our
practices are a way to develop the habit of reflectivity and to ensure constant
growth and learning.
Gateways to Opportunity Resources that Support Continuous Learning for Teachers
Early care and education professionals will find many resources on the Gateways
to Opportunity Web site to help them pursue additional training and education.
Professional development advisors offer free help on setting career
goals and implementing a professional development plan to reach those goals. A
Higher Education Map will help you locate the state’s colleges and
universities. The
Higher Education Directory has information about the early childhood
degree and certificate programs offered by 2- and 4-year institutions of higher
education in Illinois. Information about
scholarships, wage supplements, and grants is available to help you pay
for additional training and education. The
statewide training calendar lists workshop and conference opportunities
around Illinois. Illinois
and national resource links help you locate organizations and
initiatives that offer training, advocacy and policy information, research, and
support in early care and education.
A sampling of the research and policy reports on the link between child outcomes
and teacher education and training in early care and education programs found
on Gateways is listed below.
Bachelor’s Degrees Are Best: Higher Qualifications for Pre-Kindergarten Teachers
Lead to Better Learning Environments for Children
http://www.trustforearlyed.org/docs/WhitebookFinal.pdf
Can a College Degree Help Preschoolers Learn?
http://nieer.org/resources/factsheets/5.pdf
Meeting Summary:
A Long-Awaited Conversation: Dialogue to Bridge the High-Tech/High-Touch Gap in
Early Childhood Workforce Preparation and Professional Development
http://cecl.nl.edu/ccbtech.pdf
Early Education Quality: Higher Teacher Qualifications for Better Learning
Environments—A Review of the Literature
http://www.iir.berkeley.edu/cscce/pdf/teacher.pdf
Getting Teachers from Here to There: Examining Issues Related to an Early Care
and Education Teacher Policy
http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v7n1/ackerman.html
Impact of Training and Education for Caregivers of Infants and Toddlers
http://www.childcareresearch.org/discover/pdf/RTPC3.pdf
Promoting Quality through Professional Development: A Framework for Evaluation
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/afterschool/resources/issuebrief8.html
Raising Preschool Teacher Qualifications: With a Case Study on How New Jersey’s
Early Childhood Teachers are Getting Four-Year Degrees and Certification under
a Four-Year Deadline
http://www.trustforearlyed.org/docs/NJAbbottBrief.pdf
Reconstructing Teacher Education to Prepare Qualified Preschool Teachers:
Lessons from New Jersey
http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v7n2/lobman.html
The Role of Professional Development in Creating High Quality Preschool
Education
http://www.childtrends.org/Files/RevisedBrookingsPaper110504.pdf
Teacher Preparation and Teacher-Child Interaction in Preschools
http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/2002/kontos02.html
Testing the Whole Teacher Approach to Professional Development: A Study of
Enhancing Early Childhood Teachers’ Technology Proficiency
http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v8n1/chen.html
Who's Caring for the Kids: The Status of the Early Childhood Work Force in
Illinois
http://cecl.nl.edu/research/reports/whos_caring_report.pdf
Who Is the After School Workforce?
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~hfrp/eval/issue32/expert.html
All of the Resource Links on Gateways to Opportunity can be found at:
http://www.ilgateways.com/resources/links.aspx. If you have a resource
link to add, please send it to INCCRRA using our online form.
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