Unit Code :TCHR6004
Unit Title: TCHR6004 Professional Experience In Early Childhood Education I Assignment- Southern Cross University Australia.
Subject: Professional Experience In Early Childhood Education
TCHR6004 Professional Experience In Early Childhood Education I – Southern Cross University Australia.
Guidelines for a Successful Professional Experience
Objectives:
At the completion of this professional experience, preservice teachers will be able to:
1.Analyse the contexts of preschool education and care in Australia focusing on structure, the regulatory environment, philosophy, educational approach, educators’ roles and responsibilities.
2.Identify and evaluate ‘quality’ for preschool education in relation to:
a. relationships with children and families and the wider community
b. diversity
c. educational programs including the Australian Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and Australian state curriculum frameworks, and educational approaches to learning models used in early childhood programs
d. early childhood philosophy, policies and procedures as linked to the regulatory framework.
3.Analyse and demonstrate ethical and professional conduct in their professional experience setting.
4.Plan and implement an appropriate early childhood educational program for children aged 2-5 years through observation, documentation and assessment of children’s learning and development.
5.Identify and apply professional skills to support children’s pro-social development and compentencies.
6.Demonstrate appropriate care routines for young children including health and safety for children and workplace health and safety for staff.
7.Critically reflect on their own and colleagues’ professional skills and approaches towards early childhood education.
A successful professional experience
Be organised
As a preservice teacher the more organised you can be the more effective your professional experience will be. Preservice teachers need to engage in a broad range of preparation tasks prior to commencing their professional experience. One vital task has been the development of the Professional Experience Folder. Preservice teachers should begin their placement with this already well-established and ready to continually update throughout the block.
Being organised requires the co-ordination of all components of a preservice teacher’s life. Develop strategies on how to ensure that work, family and social commitments are managed to ensure focus and necessary time can be devoted to the consuming role of preservice teacher while on professional experience.
TCHR6004 Professional Experience In Early Childhood Education I Assignment- Southern Cross University Australia.
Know your placement site
Preservice teachers are encouraged to take every opportunity to become familiar with the early childhood centre and general community in which they will undertake their placement. This will help to understand the children’s, families’ and staff contexts.
Attendances and absences
Preservice teachers must attend the centre for 30 days. An attendance record should be signed by your mentor teacher/director. A copy should be retained by each party. The original is sent to the university. Preservice teachers must notify their director if they are unable to attend due to illness or an emergency. Any missed days must be recorded and made up as soon as possible after the final day of the scheduled block. The final report should not be submitted until the total number of days is complete.
Time spent at the centre
Preservice teachers often ask how many hours are regarded as constituting a professional experience day in ECEC. While on professional experience, preservice teachers should emulate as closely as possible the hours kept by the mentor teacher. As a guide students should spend a minimum of 7.5 hours at the centre each day. Preservice Teachers should be prepared to be at the centre the whole day if it is a pre-school where children attend for six hours, whereas if at a long day care centre then preservice teachers are encouraged to experience some early and late shifts to observe the full day at the centre over the course of the professional experience. This will also support teaching, planning and evaluation and other issues associated with the placement.
Meal breaks and programming time
It is important for preservice teachers to have breaks during the day (eg. lunch/ tea break). It is recommended that preservice teachers have the following breaks during the day:
1. Lunch. A half hour meal break away from the group of children
2. Morning and Afternoon tea. 10 minutes for each (away from group of children)
TCHR6004 Professional Experience In Early Childhood Education I Assignment- Southern Cross University Australia.
In addition, it is requested that preservice teachers have:
1.Programming time. Half an hour per day (preferably after lunch break) to write up documentation: observations/planning/programming/evaluation and engage in professional discussion with the mentor teacher or other colleagues.
Professional dress:
Whilst on professional experience preservice teachers are to dress professionally and appropriately for working with children in the centre. Particular attention should be paid to complying with Workplace Health and Safety issues (eg: covered shoulders for sun safety, covered shoes for safety). Preservice teachers are required to wear a hat when outdoors. Ask your director about expected protocols, and if you have tattoos then ask about that as well.
Visits prior to professional experience
Preservice teachers are encouraged to visit the centre prior to the official commencement of the professional experience. It is hoped directors will encourage these visits, as it gives preservice teachers more opportunities to observe and get to know the children,as well as become familiar with the centre’s operation. Visit times should be negotiated between the teacher/director and pre service teacher.
TCHR6004 Professional Experience In Early Childhood Education I Assignment- Southern Cross University Australia.
You can do it: Five keys to success
Many schools in Australia have adopted the “You can do it!” framework for successful learning not only academically but also socially and emotionally. This program provides a support framework for preservice teachers in TCHR6004 and has five key factors:
1.Emotional resilience- being able to bounce back from life’s difficulties.
2.Getting along- building effective partnerships with others.
3.Organisation- being organised, on time, prepared for a range of outcomes.
4.Confidence- believing you can do it, having a positive disposition about your ability and potential.
5.Persistence- having a go in the face of difficulty, staying motivated when the going gets tough.
These strategies are useful dispositions for preservice teachers (and teachers) to develop and possess, and also a useful framework for using with teachers.
Formative Assessment of Professional Experience: Your professional
experience folder:
Throughout the period of the professional experience, preservice teachers are required to keep a professional experience folder. The primary focus of the folder should be on documentation. Preservice teachers update the folder daily and make it available to the mentor teacher for reading and comment each day. Mentor teachers should oversee the preservice teachers’ documentation on a daily basis, generally at the start of each day.
TCHR6004 Professional Experience In Early Childhood Education I Assignment- Southern Cross University Australia.
As a guide the folder could contain the following sections:
1.Centre information
2.Documentation (all documentation developed during professional experience)
3.Reflections
Section 1: Centre information- Situational Analysis
Preservice teachers are to observe, document and reflect on the nature of the setting. In the process, the preservice teacher develops a working knowledge of centre wide organisation, and understanding of the context of the ECEC setting. This section should contain copies of the centre’s philosophy, handbook, recent newsletter sample, and policies of interest to you the pre-service teacher. In addition, preservice teachers will need to access and read all centre policies.
Include photos/map of the room arrangement and placement of materials; a copy of the daily routines; and diagrams of the indoor and outdoor areas. Preservice teachers are encouraged to take up as many opportunities as possible to attend staff meetings, committee meetings and any professional development sessions offered by the centre. Preservice teachers should take notes on how these are conducted and add this to your resource section. Finally, preservice teachers must take great care with respect to the confidentiality of centre information.
TCHR6004 Professional Experience In Early Childhood Education I Assignment- Southern Cross University Australia.
Include the following information in your folder:
A. Centre specific in specific information
a) Who is the licensee and owner?
b) Is the centre community-based, linked to a larger church or community sponsor, a private business or company?
c) What are the days and hours of operation?
d) Who are the members of the staff team and what are their respective roles? Who is the Director? The educational leader? and so on.
e) What is the centre philosophy?
f) What are the centre’s policies? Gather an index of all policies
g) What are the centre’s communication processes?
B. Gain knowledge of the centre ‘community’, find out:
a) How many families/children use the centre over a week?
b) Why are these families using the centre (for work related purposes, study, to provide opportunities for their child?
c) What cultural backgrounds are present?
d) Are there any broader community resources/issues that impact on the centre?
C. Consider the broader operational context of childcare services, for example:
a) Awareness of the National Regulations from
b) Familiarity with the National Quality Standards
c) Use the EYLF
D. Get to know the physical environment and the daily routine, for example:
a) Sketch the indoor environment, including the location of any special facilities such as nappy change, bottle preparation, and children’s bathrooms.
b) Sketch the outdoor environment, indicating the connection between indoor and outdoor play areas and storage facilities.
c) Check the available learning resources for children, their storage location and the equipment disinfection procedure.
d) Check the resources available for staff- eg journals? Conferences? Computer? etc
e) Note the procedures for communicating with parents.
f) Note how your mentor teacher/group leader organises the day
g) Become familiar with the mentor teacher’s or group leader’s planning and evaluation processes.
h) Note the way staffing roster is arranged across the whole day, including lunch breaks and the beginning and end of the day (for example, floater staff, mixed age groups), and across the whole week.
i) Check on your mentor teacher’s expectations regarding daily commencement times, rest pauses and planning time, dress code requirements for the centre, and other conduct expectations such as discussion with parents.
Section 2 Documentation:
NB Before you commence any recording of children’s learning and development you must obtain parental consent.
This early childhood professional experience unit will develop your skills throughout the professional experience. This will build on your skills you have been practising of observing, recording, analysing and evaluating, planning and reflecting. You are required to link each child’s development to theory to demonstrate your understanding of child development theory.
A. Develop 2 child profiles
You are required to develop a record of 2 children’s learning and development which will include observing and gathering information on the child, including family background information, and to design learning episodes to enhance learning and development.
Set up a section in your folder for this child. In this Child Profile include:
SECTION A Background information on the child and family
1.Record child’s date of birth, and background information.
2.Record your conversations with the child’s parents. Work on developing close relationships with the child and family.
3. Journal entries of conversations with the child to demonstrate how you get to know and form a relationship with the child.
4.Consult with the staff about the child, and find out as much as you can about the child’s context. In all of your documentation you are required to make use of the Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009) and the NQS, (ACECQA, 2018).
SECTION B Learning and assessment
1.A minimum of 8 observations of each child
2.Design, implement and evaluate a minimum of six learning experiences for the profile children (3 for each child) based on the above records of observation.
3. Analyse the learning of the child with respect to child development theory SECTION C Summary of child’s learning and development over your professional experience
4.Write a 1-2 page summary of the child’s learning, development and interests that you can share with the child and the child’s family. Be sure to consult with your mentor teacher about sharing with the child’s family.
TCHR6004 Professional Experience In Early Childhood Education I Assignment- Southern Cross University Australia.
GUIDANCE for you
Attend to the child’s ideas, fascinations, theories of the world, problem-solving abilities, preferences and interests, ways the child engages others in play, ways the child manages conflict/show distress/seek help, ways the child demonstrates growing independence, express themselves using visual media, use their bodies, and communicate (that’s just a start). Use the EYLF to stimulate thoughts here. Focus on child’s strengths and abilities first, needs and gaps second. This will ensure you do not slip into a ‘deficit approach’.
Choose a child that attends at least three days per week
B. Planning experiences
For the first 2 days observe and record information on the children’s learning and play.
Record individual and small groups’ interests using the jotting template, learning story, photo story, anecdotal record template or journaling. Try to get as much experience as possible in this documentation space. Ask your mentor teacher about how the centr keeps records. There is no one set way, so now is the time to explore what will best suit your philosophy.
From Day 3 – Based on this information and from discussions with your mentor teacher plan and implement 1 learning experience per day for individual, small or large groups of children: That makes 27 detailed plans altogether which includes the six from your child profiles.
Based on your records plan, implement, evaluate and reflect on as a minimum using the pedagogy of play to teaching
a. four language experiences
b. four music experiences
c. four mathematical experiences
d. four science experiences
e. four arts based experiences
Be sure to show these plans to your mentor teacher and discuss them prior to implementing them.
C. Daily Reflective Journal
Prior to commencing your professional experience you need to
a. have written your philosophy on your approach to early childhood education AND
b. identify 4-5 professional development goals that you want to achieve during your professional experience.
Place your Philosophy and Professional development goals at the front of this section.Throughout the professional experience evaluate your goals- are you achieving them?
Every day reflect on your day when working in your setting. Write a brief summary of the day and actively question, challenge and critique something about the day: for example your practice, the children and families, your colleagues’ strategies.
Reflect on what you have learnt about yourself as a teacher, learner, documenter, and the many other roles taken on during the course of ECEC.
Record and reflect on the teaching strategies you have seen that have worked successfully by your mentor teachers and other educators at the centre.
Ethical considerations and dilemmas relating to professional experiences should be highlighted where appropriate. Reflection goes beyond evaluation of worthwhile activities and the assessment of children.
Please note: You do not have to reflect on all of these points each day- but across your professional experience make sure you address each of these in some detail. Your university adviser will discuss these reflections with you.
TCHR6004 Professional Experience In Early Childhood Education I Assignment- Southern Cross University Australia.
Section 3 Take on the role of the educational leader in the room; and shadow the director for one day:
• First if your centre is agreeable then please ask if you are able to shadow the role of the educational leader for five days of your professional experience. This will give you an opportunity to be responsible for the room’s daily organisation. Of course your mentor teacher/ group leader will need to oversee what you do.
• Secondly shadow the director of the centre for at least one day so that you develop practical understanding of this role.
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