Towards continuous professional development: Experiencing group reflection to analyse practice

Abstract

Researchers and international organisations recognise that the quality of ECEC services is related to a professional and competent workforce. The latter should be part of a 'competent system' that is capable of linking staff's initial good education to the possibility of constantly reflecting on ideas and practices. Continuous professional development initiatives (CPD) are crucial in this discourse. This article explores possibilities for CPD paths, with a focus on group-reflection methods in which the team/group reflects on its own practice. More specifically, it presents the Wanda method which was developed by VBJK and Artevelde University College in Belgium (Fl.) through a European Social Fund (ESF) project and then adapted to the contexts of four European countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia) within the ISSA (International Step by Step Association) network. In 2016, VBJK was appointed by Unicef to offer a Training of the Trainers (TOT) on CPD in Albania with the possibility of readapting the Wanda method to the Albanian preschool context. The article ends by presenting this Albanian experience in greater detail.

Methodologikal Competence of Pre-School Teachers in the Professional Pedagogical Competence Structure

“…Bila proposes the following goals of methodical work in the preschool education institution: the development of the most rational methods and techniques for teaching, upbringing and development of preschool children; raising the level of the teacher's general didactic and methodological readiness to organize and conduct the educational process; experience exchange between the teaching staff members 12 . L. I. Ilienko defines the principles of methodical work organization, which contribute to the achievement of its key goalthe professional activity improvement 13 . K. L. Krutii reveals the main task of methodical workthe creation of such educational space in the 12 institution, where the creative potential of the teaching staff and every subject in particular would be fully implemented 14 .…”

"Like being pecked to death by a chicken": Resilience and work-family equilibrium in teacher/mothers.

“…Participation in the group could provide further supportive resources by providing opportunities for validation and interpersonal connections, which might also help teachers tap into their resilience so that they could cope more effectively when on their own and without the immediate support of the other group members. Knowledge of this availability of time and space for teachers to share their experiences and frustrations with peers has been shown in other work to provide shared comfort (Bos- Wierda & Barendsen, 2012), while also promoting reflectivity at the individual and team levels (Sharmahd, et al, 2018).…”

“…The benefits of peer supervision have been described for psychotherapists (Clark, 2007;Osofsky, 2009), school counsellors (Agnew, Vaught, Getz, & Fortune, 2000;Benshoff & Paisley, 1996), and early childhood educators (Bove, et al, 2018;DuBois, 2010;Sharmahd, Peeters, & Bushati, 2018). While K -12 teachers do not typically belong to any of these groups, they are similarly engaged in work that requires attunement to others.…”

“…Whatever the specifics, engaging teachers in peer supervision groups could have myriad benefits for teachers, students, and even entire systems. The self-reflection processes sustained and strengthened by such groups may provide teachers with opportunities to reframe their experiences and alter their connections to their work environments by helping them to develop new strategies as well as learn from the experiences of others (Castro, et al, 2010;Fullan, 2007;Kaunisto, et al, 2013;Sharmahd, et al, 2018;Toman, 1996). The next section will explore what this could look like in practice with teachers.…”

“…Comparable kinds of support have been used for continuous professional development by early childhood educators using a face-to-face model (Bove, et al, 2018;Sharmahd, et al, 2018) and for teachers in an online forum (Bos- Wierda & Barendsen, 2012;Wierda & Barendsen, 2011). According to Bos-Wierda and Barendsen, intervision-which they describe as discussion of workplace dilemmas during the training process-is an important part of the Dutch teacher training program as it is assumed to bridge academic and workplace learning.…”