Continuous Professional Development
Self Assessment Tool & Professional Learning Plan
Self Assessment Tools
1. Reflect on your practice and think broadly about what impacts your work.
Think about your:
• role
• responsibilities
• daily practice
• new experiences
• ongoing concerns or questions
Consider:
• new opportunities
• challenges
• changes in the sector or your work setting
leadership development
Brainstorm and make a list of things that impact your work.
Think about:
Role: Encouraging, Supportive, caring, welcoming, accepting
Responsibilities: taking care of children, helping in furthering children’s developmental stage and ability
Daily practices: looking after children, exploring children’s interests, encouraging children to learn and explore, develop activities for children to further development of skills,
are ECE’s going to get paid for the work which they do? Why isn’t the work that ECE’s do not recognize?
New experiences: dealing with COVID-19 and the restrictions that have been placed, the COVID-19 restrictions that the centre has put in place,
Consider
Challenges: view of some people, people think that ECE’s are “overpaid babysitter” when that is not the case, ECE’s have to fight and show that the work we do is important
Difficult to become a leader in development whenever a child develops differently
Changes in the sector or your work setting: COVID-19 restrictions, materials allowed in the classroom, how a meal is done, and drop off are different.
New opportunities: finding different ways to document observations, bringing technology into the classroom to help with documenting observations
Leadership development: ECE’s have the ability to move into different leaderships role, ECE’s have the ability to take courses to develop their leadership skills further,
2. Think about the role of others in your professional practice. How do you seek, offer and consider feedback from others? What have you learned from others? What do others learn from you?
There are many different roles within the professional practice; it is important to positively seek, offer, and consider others' feedback. I will go about seeking, offering, and considering feedback positively. When seeking advice, I will try to ask a colleague when the time is right, and I will also word the question in which I ask positively. When offering feedback, I will try to offer the feedback to allow the colleague or student to understand how a situation could have been handle better. I will also use positive wording to understand that I am trying to help and make them feel as though what they did was wrong or incorrect. When considered feedback, I will consider that no matter how a colleague offers feedback, they mean it in a way that is to better my relationship with the children or to better handle and situation with a child. I had received feedback from my co-operating when I did placement. My co-operating offered me feedback when I was changing diapers to change them better and more efficiently. I also received positive feedback on how I would handle situations with children because I would get down to the child’s level and look them in the eye when I was talking to them. I enjoyed the feedback that I received because I allowed me to become better as a professional and interact with my colleague.
3. Based on your professional practice and notes above, what additional knowledge, skills or resources do you need to support your strengths, areas for growth, leadership development or professional learning interests?
I believe that additional skills and knowledge can be obtained through continuous professional development. I believe that professional development can help in developing/supporting areas of strengths, areas of growth and leadership development. In ECE, it is important to focus on professional development because this will allow me to develop different skills and have the most up-to-date information on child development. This can help strengthen my areas of weakness and continue to improve my areas of strength. Continuous professional development can also aid in leadership development because it will allow me to be confident in myself and the work that I do. I also believe that additional skills and knowledge comes from experience in the field/
Part 2: Reviewing the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice
Standard I: Caring and Responsive Relationships
☒ I have read Standard I: A – C on pages 8-9 of the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.
Identify your strengths and any areas for growth, leadership development or professional learning interests from Standard I. Reference the specific standards (e.g. Standard I: C.4).
Strengths:
a responsive approach to the holistic child
can engage in meaningful interactions with children
supportive in child development
engages in positive interactions with families & staff members
creating an inclusive, responsive, and diverse environment
respecting privacy policy
Areas of growth:
evaluating and providing resources to families in need
Leadership or professional learning interests:
obtain useful resources in the community
learn to develop an interesting program plan for children
learn how to keep all children engaged
learn new skills to encourage children to grow and develop
Standard II: Curriculum and Pedagogy
☒ I have read Standard II: A – C on pages 10-11 of the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. Identify your strengths and any areas for growth, leadership development or professional learning interests from Standard II. Reference the specific standards (e.g. Standard II: B.3).
Standard III: Safety, Health and Well-Being in the Learning Environment
☒ I have read Standard III: A – C on pages 12-13 of the Code of Ethics and Standards of
Practice.
Identify your strengths and any areas for growth, leadership development or professional learning interests from Standard III. Reference the specific standards (e.g. Standard III: C.8).
strengths
knowledge and understanding of child development
knowledge and understanding in pedagogical documentation
knowledge of other methods of observations
understanding that children learn through play that they engage in
Areas of Growth
bringing different materials into the classroom to connect the indoor and outdoor environments
using different forms of technologies into the classroom to help children develop and to include parents in their child's learning and development
Leadership or Professional Learning Interest
using technology to help in child development
Standard IV: Professionalism and Leadership
☒ I have read Standard IV: A – C on pages 14-15 of the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. Identify your strengths and any areas for growth, leadership development or professional learning interests from Standard IV. Reference the specific standards (e.g. Standard IV: C.7).
Strengths
knowledgeable in current legislation, policies and procedures
understanding my legal obligations to the practice according to the code of ethics and standards of practice
good at collaborating with families and colleagues
Areas of Growth
work on reviewing and accessing current research and transferring that knowledge into my practice
become familiar with different early years programs, service and resources
work on engaging with the professional community
work on using the term ECE
Leadership Development or Professional learning interest
when working at different jobs, a professional learning interest would be seeing if there are any differences in how policies are used or implemented
a professional learning interest would be to understand the reason for each legislation, policies and procedures
Standard V: Professional Boundaries, Dual Relationships and Conflicts of Interest
☒ I have read Standard V: A – C on pages 16-18 of the Code of Ethics and Standards of
Practice. Identify your strengths and any areas for growth, leadership development or professional learning interests from Standard V. Reference the specific standards (e.g. Standard V: C.6).
Strengthens
Professional boundaries with children, families, and staff members
Understands the different types of boundary violations with children, families and staff members
Establish and maintain professional boundaries
Do not use my professional position inappropriately
Ensures when speaking to children, families and staff members in a professional manner
Ensures that the amount and the nature of the information that is provided by families or other staff member is in relation to the professional care of the child
Areas of growth
Learn the extent of a dual relationship and how it might impair professional judgement or lead to the risk of harm to a child
Identify and evaluate potential conflicts of interests
Acknowledge and disclose the nature of the conflict of interest
Leadership development or areas of interest
How to avoid the development of dual relationships with children, families and staff members
Standard VI: Confidentiality, Release of Information and Duty to Report
☒ I have read Standard VI: A – C on pages 19-20 of the Code of Ethics and Standards of practice. Identify your strengths and any areas for growth, leadership development or professional learning interests from Standard VI. Reference the specific standards (e.g. Standard VI: C.2).
Strengthens
Knowledgeable about applicable privacy legislation and obligations related to different types of personal and confidential information
Understand that families may obtain access to or request correction of a record of information about their child
Understand that under the child and family services act, reporting suspected abuse or neglect take precedence over an organization policies and procedures
Comply with privacy legislation
Always obtain consent from the family before recording or photographing a child.
Obtain consent before sharing information about a child
Understanding and comply with the duty to report
Areas of growth
When disclosure is required or allowed by law or ordered by court RECE’S, do not divulge more needed or required information.
Providing families on request with access to records that are maintained by RECE’s in respects to their child
Leadership development or areas of interest
The steps that need to be taken when an ECE has to report suspected abuse
How to tell the difference between markings on a child’s body that is from abuse or just from the child playing and getting a bruise
Part 3: Professional Learning Goals
1. Professional Learning Goals
working on communication skills with children and families
2. Professional Learning Goals
to provide a safe, healthy, welcoming environment for children to learn in
1. Related Standard(s) of Practice
Working on communication skills with children and families can be related to all of the standards of practice. Good communication skills at work allow for good relationships for everyone in the centre to be created. Good communication skills will also help in professionally carrying myself. Communication skills can also help in pedagogical documentation and when observations need to be made.
2. Related Standard(s) of Practice
Providing a safe, healthy and welcoming environment relates to standard 3, "safety, health and well-being in the learning environment," every child has the right to be in an environment that allows for supportive child development. As an ECE, our job is to create an environment to promote and provide a safe, healthy environment for children.
3. Professional Learning Goals
to support all developmental areas
3. Related Standard(s) of Practice
Supporting all developmental areas is related to standard 2 because it is through curriculum and pedagogy that ECE's can further child development. through pedagogical documentation, an ECE has the ability to determine the needs and interest of a child, then through curriculum gives the ECE the ability to support the child's needs and interests
Professional Learning Plan
Professional Learning Goals
Transfer over the three goals from your Self-Assessment Tool.
1. Work on Communication Skills
2. Provide a safe, healthy and welcoming environment
3. Supporting all developmental areas
Professional Learning Activities
List professional learning activities that will support you in realizing each goal.
1. team meeting with educators
2. AECEO workshops
3. ECE workshops
Timelines
Indicate the timelines for engaging in your professional learning activities and when you plan to reach your goals.
1. once a week, this is an ongoing process
2. engage within 1 month of hiring and complete training within 1 month
3. engage within 3 months of hiring and complete training in 1 month
Record of Professional Learning
Professional Learning Goals
working on communication skills with children and families
Description of the Professional Learning Activities
different workshops that can help to ensure that I provide a safe environment for kids. The workshops include workshops on social justice, programming, curriculum and pedagogical narration. ADD MORE DETAIL
Documentation of Participation
have not participated as of yet
Application of Professional learning in my practice
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Professional Learning Goals
Provide a safe, healthy and welcoming environment for children and families
Description of the Professional Learning Activities
different workshops that can help to ensure that I provide a safe environment for kids. The workshops include workshops on social justice, programming, curriculum and pedagogical narration. ADD MORE DETAIL
Documentation of Participation
have not participated as of yet
Application of Professional learning in my practice
I will integrate the information I learned from the workshop by assessing myself every day. I will also use the information to ensure that all the children are represented in the classroom through books and other materials.
Professional Learning Goals
Supporting children in all developmental areas
Description of the Professional Learning Activities
I will attend workshops such as “It's not about easy… It's about following the child.” Workshops like this one will inform me about different ways to support child development. “It's not about easy… It's about following the child,” spoke about the importance of following the lead of the child because the child learns better when there is no added pressure for a child to understand or learning concepts.
Dates of Participation: April 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 ,30, 2020
May 1, 2020
Documentation of Participation
Dates of Participation: April 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 ,30, 2020
May 1, 2020
Application of Professional learning in my practice
I will integrate the information that I learn from the different ECE workshops by changing or adding to how I support child development. For example, when working with children, I will follow their interests that they display; I will ask the child question to expand on their learning.
Documentation of Participation
SMART GOALS
professional goal
I will encourage children's development through planning activities for each of 5 developmental areas. I will do an engaging activity every week.
Proof of Professional Training and Learning Activities
ADHD Awareness Certificate
First Aid & CPR Certificate
Statement of Originality
This portfolio belongs to Mary Katherine Lazzaro. Do not copy without permission. Some of the samples within this portfolio are the property of the organization whose name appears on the document. Permission from each has been granted for the product to be used as documentation of my work.