Reflective Practice: A Method to Improve Teachers’ Well-Being. A Longitudinal Training in Early Childhood Education and Care Centers

Abstract

Various studies focused on educational contexts (0-6 years) point out that early childhood multi-age classrooms provide better learning strategies and socio-emotional competences of children, compared to single-grade classrooms. However, these studies have also shed light on the significant role of teachers. The multi-age classroom in particular is an opportunity for child development, provided that teachers consider problem-solving, flexibility, and co-construction as effective education strategies. Starting from these reflections, this study aimed to verify the efficacy of longitudinal training for the purpose of advancing the perceived well-being of early childhood teachers of multi-age groupings (18-54 months). Eight teachers and one pedagogical coordinator of an Italian Early Childhood Education and Care center took part in the study. All the participants were females. The critical aspect identified by the teachers was the multi-age classroom, which was perceived as making teaching and learning very difficult and ineffective for both themselves and for the children. The training lasted 10 months and implied a methodology focused on observations of some activities and reflective practice in the group that concerned both teachers and the pedagogical coordinator. The training involved the drafting of two types of written protocols: the observational reports of the specific activities observed (20), and the descriptive reports of reflective sessions (6). The content analysis of the reports revealed various and interesting themes regarding the teachers' perceived well-being, in terms of thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. The qualitative and longitudinal analysis of the themes that emerged in these protocols highlighted different processes of change in the teachers' perception, in particular with respect to three specific dimensions of well-being: sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and agency. At the end of the training, the teachers experienced a greater sense of belonging to the group of colleagues, a greater sense of self-efficacy, and an idea of themselves as active and meaningful participants. These results supported different reflections regarding the modalities through which to enhance the perceived well-being of teachers.

Evaluating the Facilitating Attuned Interactions (FAN) approach: Vicarious Trauma, professional Burnout, and reflective practice

“…that child welfare and early childhood professionals can benefit from vital supports such as reflective practice, such as increasing selfefficacy and a sense of belonging (Cigala, Venturelli, & Bassetti, 2019), as well as decrease the impact of exposure to negative work-related stressors and potentially leading to healthier and more resilient outcomes (see Biggart et al, 2017).…”

“…Second, an important area for future research is to examine how reflective practice amidst individual protective factors (e.g., agency, group cohesion, organizational fit, family adaptability, and supervision) can buffer against the effects of vicarious trauma and burnout (e.g., Li, Early, Mahrer, Klaristenfeld, & Gold, 2014;Kulkarni, Bell, & Hartman, 2013;Stevens & Higgins, 2002;Lloyd, King, & Chenoweth, 2002). For example, sense of agency -a strong belief in one's ability to control what happens to them-and intentionally processing experiences with parents and children has emerged as an important protective factor among early childhood educators to prevent burnout (Howard & Johnson, 2004) and promote the positive aspects of workplace well-being (Cigala et al, 2019). These strategies for overcoming stressful experiences at work are reminiscent of the FAN approach to reflective practice and raise questions about how the FAN approach would work when these protective factors are present and if it could develop these protective factors for others (e.g., Stevens & Higgins, 2002).…”

Transformational Leadership’s Influence on Teacher Well-Being in International Schools

“…[4] regarding emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Anderson [3] and Cigala, et al [24] highlight the importance of professional learning communities to promote effective communication and positive relationships amongst staff. As a result, teachers do not feel isolated and can develop collaborative skills that enable them to work toward a shared goal.…”

Water, Waste Material, and Energy as Key Dimensions of Sustainable Management of Early Childhood Eco-Schools: An Environmental Literacy Model Based on Teachers Action-Competencies (ELTAC)

“…Assuming that a kindergarten teacher can provide relevant knowledge about their teaching practice is a daring and controversial hypothesis, especially given that the production of knowledge has been widely held sacred and regarded as a something prohibitive and inaccessible for the ordinary citizen [9]. Scientific movements in the field of psychology and educational sciences have been rigorously and tenaciously claiming the value of another type of professional knowledge and for types of practical theories that are less universal, more localised and functional, linked to the trends of research in the classroom [10], to the role of the teacher as a reflective professional [11,12], and to teaching as an evidence-based professional activity [13]. The logic that surrounds this type of knowledge is based on collaborative epistemological models that require the active participation of all agents of the educational community, and the framework on which it is based is that of participatory action research [14].…”