Professional Ethics and Reflection in ECEC †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Professional Ethics and Reflection in ECEC. Answer: In each child there is an individuality comparable to non-other. The growth of each child occurs at their individual level of development, and each of them is from a family with varying beliefs and practices. As a teacher of the ECE, I have learned from experience in various schools that it is my duty to appreciate an individual child as a whole and that the curriculum should be aligned based on the needs of the children. As an educator, my Professional Philosophy of Teaching and Learning is built upon five pillars, namely, a high-quality learning curriculum that is holistic, a learning environment that is inclusive, sharing expectations and making joint decisions with the childs family, connecting learning with real-world experiences, and provision of a supportive transition. I believe that high quality and holistic learning curriculum will foster the physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of each child. It is also my conviction that the learning ought to be based on a play because children learn best by doing. Thus, just like Miller (2015) notes that teachers must strike a balance between activities initiated by the teacher and those undertaken by the child. Jean Piaget states that a students efforts come from the student himself instead of being imposed and that his intelligence undertakes authentic work instead of accepting predigested knowledge from outside, it is simply asking that the laws of all intelligence be respected (Heckman et al., 2010). For example, I once devised a play of matching sticks during my first placement after college with the hopes that all the children will be happy with it. During class meetings, some children were not even interested in it while only a third of the classes were excited about it. I had to devise other play activities based on their needs at a particular time by first inquiring from them what they preferred and secondly through observation. This can be achieved through the use and development of appropriate practice approach by designing activities that are appropriate for each child and relevant to the ability, needs, and interests of each child. It is my conviction that a learning environment ought to be inclusive and involve everyone. A teacher should promote inclusivity, where all children are equally regarded with consideration of their cultural background and any special needs. This is very important for it will create confidence in the child that his/her needs are catered for just like at home thus fostering natural learning. Just like Ian states, Not the children of the rich or the powerful only, but of all alike, boys and girls, both noble and ignoble, rich and poor, in all cities and towns, villages and hamlets, should be sent to school (Traversa, 2012). For example, there was an instance in which the girl child from a given family dressed differently based on their religious beliefs and this incited other children to mock at her. Such an incidence made the girl to lose self-esteem, and she was lonely most of the times. But after discouraging that habit and fostering cultural tolerance by encouraging respect for each diverse culture, there was an improvement in the performance of the child, and she even made more friends. The expectations of the teacher and the childs parent should be shared because parents are partners in support of the childs preparation for the next grade through everyday prospects and joint decision making with the institution around policy decisions and program assessment. Cook et al. (2013) assert that the social exchange theory emphasizes on mutual trust that arises between the family and the school program, which also determines the level of commitment and partnership between the school or teacher and the childs family. If the family is not engaged in matters of the child learning, then either the families or educators will gradually lose their sense of trust or commitment. Thus, families can be involved by encouraging them to be participants in the leadership of the school, parent-teacher conferences, participating in school volunteer activities, eliciting information about children from the families either informally or formally. The use of real-world examples and addressing real-world problems as teaching methods in the classroom makes learning about significant issues more expressive to the children, and it can assist to ignite interest in learning. Also, the strategy enables the children to become engaged in learning and to become more cognizant of the choices they make in the community. The Montessori curriculum emphasizes that children educate themselves and are driven to study by living and walking about (Lunenburg, 2011). This instils in the children independence and the exercise of their inherent instincts to explore more about the world around them. I as an educator, I work to ensure that families are well prepared with the resources and skills to care their children as they move into and out of the school, continuous deliberations with the families under the guidance of the specific school policies. To me, this is important because it eases the transitional anxiety of the child to a new place. According to Peters (2010), this can be achieved by the school offering opportunities for the families of the early childhood education and children to visit the school prior. The school can also partner with the local organizations like the daycare centers to establish a child-friendly transitional strategy for the children arriving from the environment of early childhood. I remember when we had over 50% dropouts of children in the early childhood class due to the fear of new environment by the children from the nearby local community daycare center. However, I proposed a strategic transitional plan of partnering with the daycare center with the aim of creating a child-friendly transitional for the students from the daycare in addition to offering supporting transitions to parents; an idea that substantially solved the problem. I believe that the success of early childhood education is dependent on how we envision the child and this will act as a guide on how to offer the better training. With my philosophy of early childhood education which considers significant aspects of education like curriculum, learning environment both teacher and parents expectations, real-world experiences, and provision of a supportive transition, I will be an effective teacher focused on the holistic development of each child that comes into my sphere. References Cook, K. S., Cheshire, C., Rice, E. R., Nakagawa, S. (2013). Social exchange theory. InHandbook of social psychology(pp. 61-88). Springer, Dordrecht. Heckman, J. J., Moon, S. H., Pinto, R., Savelyev, P. A., Yavitz, A. (2010). The rate of return to the HighScope Perry Preschool Program.Journal of public Economics,94(1-2), 114-128. Lunenburg, F. C. (2011). Curriculum models for preschool education: Theories and approaches to learning in the early years.No 1Sam Houston State University. Miller, D. F. (2015).Positive child guidance. Cengage Learning. Peters, S. (2010). Literature review: Transition from early childhood education to school.Report to the Ministry of Education, New Zealand. Traversa, J. (2012). Time Line A Philosophical Perspective on Early Childhood Education. Professional Pracice. Brampton, Ontario, Canada: Sheridan College Institute Of Technology and Advanced Learning.