• Supervisors who utilize opportunities to guide teachers’ decision-making through reflection are engaged in a form of on-the-job mentoring which is an ideal scenario for promoting teacher growth as well as successful program outcomes. This apprenticeship approach is known as reflective supervision. In this discussion, we will apply ideas about ethical leadership, mentoring, and reflective supervision to common early childhood settings in a practical context. Begin by watching the following two-minute video on using reflective supervision as program benefit: Lessons in Leadership: Reflective Supervision (Links to an external site.). After watching this short video and reading Chapter 7, consider a time when you, or someone you know well, took on the duties of managing or leading in an educational or related organization.

  In your initial post,

  • Identify two key skills or competencies (see Table 7.1) that a manager or leaders needs to exhibit in an effective early childhood program and describe why these skills are needed.
  • Discuss a strength that you have observed in a leader who is/was able to help teachers identify and discuss the vision and direction in which an early childhood program should go.
  • Describe two factors that contribute to the success of a person serving as a manager or leader in a school that would also contribute to their ability to serve as a successful mentor to teachers.
  • Answer the following question: What concerns do you have about your ability to fulfill the various roles and responsibilities as a manager who is also a mentor?

    Table 7.1

    Competency Checklist
    Competency	Describe an example of a teacher-leader with children (when acting as a teacher)	Describe an example of a teacher-leader with adults (when acting as a supervisor)
    Listens well, does not interrupt, and respects the pace of the other person
    Is able to wait for others to discover solutions, form own ideas, and reflect
    Asks questions that encourage details
    Is aware of and comfortable with his or her feelings and the emotions of others
    Is responsive to others
    Guides, nurtures, supports, and empathizes
    Integrates emotion and intellect
    Fosters reflection or wondering by others
    Is aware of how others’ reactions affect a process of dialogue and reflection, including sensitivity to bias and cultural context
    Is willing to have consistent and predictable meeting times and places
    Is flexible and available
    Is able to form trusting relationships

TEACHING IN A SPECIALIST AREA (TASKS+ASSIGNMENTS)

TASK 1: THIS IS AN ASSIGNMENT OF APPROXIMATELY 750 WORDS

 

 

The aims and philosophy of education and training in my specialist area –

In this section discuss any specialist aims that are appropriate to your subject area, e.g. encouraging disadvantaged groups to participate in education and training, enabling NEETS to re-join the employment market more effectively, etc.

Describe appropriate vocational standards and legislation, professional bodies that you are required to join as a teacher in this vocational area, any qualifications and experience that you must have, etc. (this is your specialist area – what is required for you to teach in this area? Are there any special requirements e.g training, membership of professional bodies etc)

Describe any philosophical issues, professional values, specialist approaches to teaching and learning that are required, emerging technologies, etc. (write about how embedding functional skills – maths/English/ict has become a norm for teachers and how you incorporate them in your teaching/lesson planning/curriculum design)

Discuss recent reports such as The Leitch Reports and their impact.

 

TASK2: justify the inclusiveness of your own approach

APPROXIMATELY 750 WORDS

 

 

The qualifications and learning programmes in your specialist area and the principles of inclusive learning and teaching, including key curriculum issues in your specialist area.

Identify the key qualifications available / appropriate to your specialist area. Describe the curriculum requirements, knowledge and skills acquisition, performance requirements, delivery methods(e.g. unit, modular, linear, holistic, etc of programmes you offer. Are these programmes target based on curriculum / relating to assessment outcomes syllabus requirements? What are the timescales for achievement? How much freedom do you have to vary your teaching approaches to ensure inclusiveness?, e.g. work-based , workshop based, teaching and assessment methods, specialist resources, etc.

You need to justify the inclusiveness of your own approach to planning sessions and explain how your approach still enables you to meet the curriculum requirements and take advantage of emerging technologies where appropriate. • Lesson plans • Copies of teaching and other learning Materials • Use of ICT • Demonstrate approaches to meet individual needs.(you may use the L/P’s etc that you produced for unit 2/3 – incorporate the above points into the L/P’s e.g how you meet individual needs (ILP, diagnostic, initial assessments etc) how you modify L/P’s for inclusivity i.e through the use of Bloom etc)

 

 

TASK 3: How to use resources for inclusive learning

APPROXIMATELY 750 WORDS

 

How to use resources for inclusive learning, including justifying your own use of resources to meet the needs of your learners, i.e. being inclusive.

You need to provide a detailed explanation of the teaching and learning resources that are used in your specialist area (not just relating this to your own teaching – this is an abstract analysis). E.g. specialist handouts, case studies, equipment, commercial packages, software, etc. Remember to include emerging technologies.

You then must justify the use of resources you use in your own teaching and explain why they are appropriate to your specialist area and ensure that you engage your learners. What access to specialist resources do you have? What would you like to have, etc?

 

TASK 4: JOURNAL ENTRY ON EFFECTIVENESS OF YOUR OWN

 

 

Working with others within your specialist area to develop your own practice and evaluating, improving and updating your own knowledge and skills in your specialist area.

You need to explain the people you liaise with to develop your own practice, e.g. other tutors at prism, social workers, professionals from Aspire-I, etc. Then explain the context and circumstances that you liaise with them, e.g.

Student referral meetings, staff development days, team meetings, network meetings, etc. Don’t forget involvement with EV monitoring, standardisation meetings, Awarding Organisation events, etc.

You then need to review the impact of these events/meetings on your own practice: how have your benefited, what types of things do you now do differently, e.g. teaching methods, use of resources, inclusive practice, etc.

You now need to evaluate the effectiveness of your own practice as a teacher in your specialist area. You need to consider your own knowledge and skills, how effective is your reflective practice (remember that is really important as a teacher!), how do you use feedback from others, etc. You must then review you own strengths and weaknesses, think about the currency of these things and the current and future requirements of your role. Do you have the appropriate qualifications (you can mention that DTLLS is a requirement, QTLS, etc.). You should identify targets and action plans (refer to your ILP and PDP). Are you able to respond effectively to the demands of your current and future role, your students, etc.

Finally, you need to have shown that you have taken and are taking, opportunities to develop yourself and provide examples of how you are doing this and intend to continue this. Your PDP can/should be referred to as evidence so remember in your PDP1 don’t just record what needs to be developed, but also how and when. Don’t overlook development opportunities such as: peer observations, reading professional journals, web research, attending meetings, etc.

For your evidence in this unit, there will be opportunities to cross-reference to other units, e.g. Unit – Continuing personal and professional development, Unit – Wider professional practice, etc.

 

One of the simplest approaches to take is to consider: · what worked well? · why? · what did not work well? · why not? · what will I do the same next time? · what will I do differently next time?

Alternatively, tutors might wish to consider: · what knowledge, skills or abilities are necessary to deliver a specific learning experience. · to what extent do I possess those skills? · what do I need to do to develop or enhance those skills? · how will this affect the way I present that learning experience? · what problems might this entail that I need to anticipate and overcome? (This approach is based loosely on SWOT analysis.)