Professionalism In Early Childhood Education Essay
Professionalism is the expertise held by a professional and the ways that individual utilizes his or her knowledge and skills to serve the society (Kultgen, 1988; Nash 1996; Wineberg, 2008). This essay will demonstrate the significance of team membership and collaboration, working through ethical dilemmas, and conflict resolution in early childhood settings in relation with the support from the management, leading to the promotion of professionalism in early childhood education.
The definition of professionalism in regards to early childhood education has evolved with time. Traditionally, professionalism in early childhood education valued knowledge and rationality more than skills and emotions (Manning-Morton, 2006). This might be due to the views of philosophers of earlier times like Locke, who believed that children’s mind were ‘blank slates’ but with new philosophies emerging with time, philosophers like John Dewey and Frobel acknowledged that ‘children learn by doing’ and ‘child and society’ ( Krogh & Slentz, 2001). Today, …show more content…
professionalism in early childhood settings can be associated with ‘care’ ( Kenney, Woosrow, Cherrington, cited in Aitken & Kennedy, 2007), based on the concept of ‘ethics of care’ (Noddings, cited in Feeney & Freeman, 2002), and “the pedagogical power of caring” (Goldstein, cited in Dalli, 2006, p. 10), that promotes empowering and enabling others. A professional teacher must be committed, dedicated, open minded, critical, knowledgeable, responsive, reflective, and passionate about her profession, ethical, reachable, and a life long learner (Oreafrica, 2010; Vossler, Waitere-Ang & Adams, 2005). True professional honours professionalism, strive for excellence, brings out strengths, maintain integrity and practice forgiveness (Anderson, 2006).
There are many practices that contribute to professionalism in early childhood education. One of them is ‘team membership and collaboration’. New Zealand has a multicultural society and Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education [MoE], 1996) is a bicultural document, which guides educators to provide an opportunity to children to “develop and understand the cultural heritages of both partners of Te Tiriti o Waitangi” (p.9). Furthermore, Te Whāriki (MoE, 1996) also acknowledges Bronfenbrenner in The Ecology of Human Development (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard, 1979), which provides an insight of learning environment on children. Given that Te Whāriki (MoE, 1996), also complies with Vygotsky’s socio cultural philosophy, and emphasises the critical role of the society in children’s learning and development (Podmore, 2006), it is very important for early childhood professionals to work as a team and collaborate within the organisation, with parents as well as the society for the creation optimal learning environment for the future generation- children (Bergman, 2000).
A team is formed when a group of people co-operate, collaborate, commit, communicate, and contribute towards achieving a common goal (Rodd, 2006; Convey, 2004). Trust and respect are two cornerstones of an effective team leading to the creation of ‘synergy’, which multiplies the original idea significantly by valuing different ideas and perspectives resulting in great outcomes (Convey, 1989; Lindon, 2012).
An effective teamwork and collaboration between educators, children, parents and community can be observed in learning stories where children’s and parent’s voice are valued, and in the “What next?” section of learning stories educators recognise the dispositions of the child, reflect and plan in order to enhance the child’s learning and development (Podmore, 2006; Carr, 2001; Hanna, 2006). Thus, team work and collaboration plays a crucial role in holistic development of children. Contribution strand of Te Whāriki (MoE, 1996) also acknowledges that collaboration with adults and peers play a vital role in the development of children. Collaboration and consultation with parents is also encouraged in Quality in Action (Ministry of Education [MoE], 1998), as well as Licensing Criteria (Ministry of Education [MoE], 2008). The management forms policies in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Ministry of Education. Hence, the management supports the practice of effective team work and collaboration within early childhood settings. Furthermore, this results in the best service.
Early childhood education is considered as an ethical profession because it serves the future of the world- children (Snook, 2003).
It is considered to be a moral responsibility of early childhood educators to change their role according to the situation for the best interest of children, for instance, facilitators, protectors, guardians, negotiators, advocates, and many more (Rodd, 2006; MacNaughton & Williams, 1999). Given that educators spend quality time with children and play an important role in children’s lives, they are often required to make professional decisions about children. Therefore, educators need to have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the codes of ethics, principles of ethical practice, theories and philosophies related to early childhood education and child development, so that they can take ethical and right decisions for the children whose responsibility have been entrusted upon them (Godfellow,
2003).
As early childhood sector caters the needs of people from diverse cultures and often early childhood educators are also from different cultural backgrounds, therefore there might be differences in beliefs and understanding of people (Alvarado & Cowee, 2002; Feeney, 2012). An early childhood educator might face some problems during the course of her practice. Feeney, Freeman & Pizzolongo (2012) suggests that, it is important consider if the problem involves ethics. If the problem involves ethical responsibilities then it is an ethical dilemma. An ethical dilemma is a situation where a choice has to be made “between two or more competing and ethically correct actions, each of which has some drawbacks” (Katz, cited in Cherrington, 2002). There are personal ethics which comprises of personal moral values and beliefs, professional ethics comprises of critical reflection on moral values and practices carried out in a systematic manner by the members of a profession. The code of ethics of a profession acts as the guiding principles for all the members of that profession (Freeney, 2012). Therefore, it is advisable to consult the code of ethics for guidance in case of any ethical dilemma faced by the members of the profession. Early Childhood Education Code of Ethics for Aotearoa/New Zealand (Early Childhood Code of Ethics National Working Group, 2001), and the Code of Ethics for Registered Teachers (New Zealand Teachers Council, 2004) are the two guiding documents that helps the early childhood educators to enhance high quality professional practice and also work through ethical dilemmas. While the former document consist of professional values in regards to early childhood education, the latter document is based upon the four fundamental principles of Autonomy, Justice, Responsible care, and Truth (Early Childhood Code of Ethics National Working Group, 2001; New Zealand Teachers Council, 2004). The professional practice in early childhood education is underpinned by these two codes of ethics. Furthermore, these codes of ethics help in solving ethical dilemmas. According to 2008 Regulations the management and administration is required to develop and display the centre’s ‘Statement of Philosophy’ which underpins the values and ethics of early childhood education (Ministry of Education, 2013b). ‘The Statement of Philosophy’ prepared by the management plays a crucial role at times when educators go through an ethical dilemma as it guides the educators towards a just decision. Early childhood education sector is based on relationships. Te Whāriki (MoE,1996) also acknowledges the importance of responsive and reciprocal relationships of children with people, places, and things. Therefore, it is important for early childhood professionals to collaborate and cooperate with families, colleagues and professionals from diverse backgrounds, maintain robust relationships, and work together for the holistic development of children. This in turn, results in warm and caring communities.
According to Rodd (2006), communication is the backbone of all relationships because good communication leads to better relationships while bad communication leads to confusion and misunderstandings. Bolton (1996) states that respect, open mindedness, sincerity and sensitivity, are some important characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Conflicts occur due to breakdown of communication and interpersonal relationships. In early childhood sector conflicts might be a result of many issues such as differences in personal beliefs and values, job expectations and demands, resistance to change and leadership styles, and many more (Rodd, 2006). It is important to address and resolve the conflict immediately for the maintenance of high quality of the service. The approach to resolve the conflict determines whether the conflict was healthy or unhealthy. A healthy conflict is constructive as it results in the generation of new ideas and flourishes relationships; whereas an unhealthy conflict is destructive as it demoralises people and deteriorate relationships (Neugebaur, 1998b).
There are a number of ways to resolve the conflict depending on the nature of the individual. Submissive individuals often sacrifice their own personal values and beliefs in order to avoid conflicts, on the other hand aggressive individuals dominate others; it is the assertive individuals who create happy working environment by focusing on the needs of others and acknowledging their personal worth and autonomy (Bolton, 1987). Conflict management is a growth process in which individuals recognise the problem, comprehend, communicate, critically reflect, and evolve with time (Bucher, 2000). Conflict can also be resolve through negotiation between both parties (Kreidler, 1984), or through collaborative problem solving by the team which begins with recognising the problem, exploring and discussing the reasons of the problem, planning a solution, implementing the plan, and reviewing and evaluating the situation after the implementation of the plan (Lindon, 2012; Bolton, 2001).
Conflict can be believed as a danger for relationships. However, some studies contradict this belief. Students of human relationships like Erik Erikson argue that people fail to achieve intimacy because of their “inability to engage in controversy and useful combat” (Bolton, 2001, p. 207). Likewise, Stanley Coopersmith’s research also suggests that some conflict at home is healthy for children as it fosters self- esteem (Bolton, 2001). According to John Dewey (as cited in Bolton, 2001), conflict prevents stagnation, activates interest and curiosity, and foster creativity. An good example of constructive conflict would be when Steve Jobs left his company ‘Apple’ in 1985, he went ahead and created one of the most successful animated company ‘Pixar’, and later Jobs returned to his post as Apple’s CEO (Jobs, 2014). Hence, it proves that constructive conflict fosters growth and creativity.
Organisational culture plays a vital role in conflict resolution. A collaborative management style where the manager empowers the staff and share responsibilities, leads to robust relationships among staff, children, parents and society. It leads to enriched work environment providing better motivation and job satisfaction. Furthermore, this fosters learning and growth of children as well as adults (Power & Roberts, 1999; Ridden, 1992). This collaborative and collective approach can also be seen in Māori concepts of leadership and management ( Mead, et al., 2006).
To conclude, early childhood educators work together as a team with parents, colleagues, and society, and collaborate for the holistic development of children. At times, the educators might have to face ethical dilemmas due to multicultural society and difference in values and beliefs yet the code of ethics of the profession as well as the centre philosophy guides them in taking ethical decisions. Furthermore, conflicts are resolved constructively leading to the creation of enriched and positive environment for adults as well as children. The support from the management enhances the service greatly leading to the optimal learning environment for the future generation- children.
The definition of professionalism in regards to early childhood education has evolved with time. Traditionally, professionalism in early childhood education valued knowledge and rationality more than skills and emotions (Manning-Morton, 2006). This might be due to the views of philosophers of earlier times like Locke, who believed that children’s mind were ‘blank slates’ but with new philosophies emerging with time, philosophers like John Dewey and Frobel acknowledged that ‘children learn by doing’ and ‘child and society’ ( Krogh & Slentz, 2001). Today, …show more content…
professionalism in early childhood settings can be associated with ‘care’ ( Kenney, Woosrow, Cherrington, cited in Aitken & Kennedy, 2007), based on the concept of ‘ethics of care’ (Noddings, cited in Feeney & Freeman, 2002), and “the pedagogical power of caring” (Goldstein, cited in Dalli, 2006, p. 10), that promotes empowering and enabling others. A professional teacher must be committed, dedicated, open minded, critical, knowledgeable, responsive, reflective, and passionate about her profession, ethical, reachable, and a life long learner (Oreafrica, 2010; Vossler, Waitere-Ang & Adams, 2005). True professional honours professionalism, strive for excellence, brings out strengths, maintain integrity and practice forgiveness (Anderson, 2006).
There are many practices that contribute to professionalism in early childhood education. One of them is ‘team membership and collaboration’. New Zealand has a multicultural society and Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education [MoE], 1996) is a bicultural document, which guides educators to provide an opportunity to children to “develop and understand the cultural heritages of both partners of Te Tiriti o Waitangi” (p.9). Furthermore, Te Whāriki (MoE, 1996) also acknowledges Bronfenbrenner in The Ecology of Human Development (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard, 1979), which provides an insight of learning environment on children. Given that Te Whāriki (MoE, 1996), also complies with Vygotsky’s socio cultural philosophy, and emphasises the critical role of the society in children’s learning and development (Podmore, 2006), it is very important for early childhood professionals to work as a team and collaborate within the organisation, with parents as well as the society for the creation optimal learning environment for the future generation- children (Bergman, 2000).
A team is formed when a group of people co-operate, collaborate, commit, communicate, and contribute towards achieving a common goal (Rodd, 2006; Convey, 2004). Trust and respect are two cornerstones of an effective team leading to the creation of ‘synergy’, which multiplies the original idea significantly by valuing different ideas and perspectives resulting in great outcomes (Convey, 1989; Lindon, 2012).
An effective teamwork and collaboration between educators, children, parents and community can be observed in learning stories where children’s and parent’s voice are valued, and in the “What next?” section of learning stories educators recognise the dispositions of the child, reflect and plan in order to enhance the child’s learning and development (Podmore, 2006; Carr, 2001; Hanna, 2006). Thus, team work and collaboration plays a crucial role in holistic development of children. Contribution strand of Te Whāriki (MoE, 1996) also acknowledges that collaboration with adults and peers play a vital role in the development of children. Collaboration and consultation with parents is also encouraged in Quality in Action (Ministry of Education [MoE], 1998), as well as Licensing Criteria (Ministry of Education [MoE], 2008). The management forms policies in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Ministry of Education. Hence, the management supports the practice of effective team work and collaboration within early childhood settings. Furthermore, this results in the best service.
Early childhood education is considered as an ethical profession because it serves the future of the world- children (Snook, 2003).
It is considered to be a moral responsibility of early childhood educators to change their role according to the situation for the best interest of children, for instance, facilitators, protectors, guardians, negotiators, advocates, and many more (Rodd, 2006; MacNaughton & Williams, 1999). Given that educators spend quality time with children and play an important role in children’s lives, they are often required to make professional decisions about children. Therefore, educators need to have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the codes of ethics, principles of ethical practice, theories and philosophies related to early childhood education and child development, so that they can take ethical and right decisions for the children whose responsibility have been entrusted upon them (Godfellow,
2003).
As early childhood sector caters the needs of people from diverse cultures and often early childhood educators are also from different cultural backgrounds, therefore there might be differences in beliefs and understanding of people (Alvarado & Cowee, 2002; Feeney, 2012). An early childhood educator might face some problems during the course of her practice. Feeney, Freeman & Pizzolongo (2012) suggests that, it is important consider if the problem involves ethics. If the problem involves ethical responsibilities then it is an ethical dilemma. An ethical dilemma is a situation where a choice has to be made “between two or more competing and ethically correct actions, each of which has some drawbacks” (Katz, cited in Cherrington, 2002). There are personal ethics which comprises of personal moral values and beliefs, professional ethics comprises of critical reflection on moral values and practices carried out in a systematic manner by the members of a profession. The code of ethics of a profession acts as the guiding principles for all the members of that profession (Freeney, 2012). Therefore, it is advisable to consult the code of ethics for guidance in case of any ethical dilemma faced by the members of the profession. Early Childhood Education Code of Ethics for Aotearoa/New Zealand (Early Childhood Code of Ethics National Working Group, 2001), and the Code of Ethics for Registered Teachers (New Zealand Teachers Council, 2004) are the two guiding documents that helps the early childhood educators to enhance high quality professional practice and also work through ethical dilemmas. While the former document consist of professional values in regards to early childhood education, the latter document is based upon the four fundamental principles of Autonomy, Justice, Responsible care, and Truth (Early Childhood Code of Ethics National Working Group, 2001; New Zealand Teachers Council, 2004). The professional practice in early childhood education is underpinned by these two codes of ethics. Furthermore, these codes of ethics help in solving ethical dilemmas. According to 2008 Regulations the management and administration is required to develop and display the centre’s ‘Statement of Philosophy’ which underpins the values and ethics of early childhood education (Ministry of Education, 2013b). ‘The Statement of Philosophy’ prepared by the management plays a crucial role at times when educators go through an ethical dilemma as it guides the educators towards a just decision. Early childhood education sector is based on relationships. Te Whāriki (MoE,1996) also acknowledges the importance of responsive and reciprocal relationships of children with people, places, and things. Therefore, it is important for early childhood professionals to collaborate and cooperate with families, colleagues and professionals from diverse backgrounds, maintain robust relationships, and work together for the holistic development of children. This in turn, results in warm and caring communities.
According to Rodd (2006), communication is the backbone of all relationships because good communication leads to better relationships while bad communication leads to confusion and misunderstandings. Bolton (1996) states that respect, open mindedness, sincerity and sensitivity, are some important characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Conflicts occur due to breakdown of communication and interpersonal relationships. In early childhood sector conflicts might be a result of many issues such as differences in personal beliefs and values, job expectations and demands, resistance to change and leadership styles, and many more (Rodd, 2006). It is important to address and resolve the conflict immediately for the maintenance of high quality of the service. The approach to resolve the conflict determines whether the conflict was healthy or unhealthy. A healthy conflict is constructive as it results in the generation of new ideas and flourishes relationships; whereas an unhealthy conflict is destructive as it demoralises people and deteriorate relationships (Neugebaur, 1998b).
There are a number of ways to resolve the conflict depending on the nature of the individual. Submissive individuals often sacrifice their own personal values and beliefs in order to avoid conflicts, on the other hand aggressive individuals dominate others; it is the assertive individuals who create happy working environment by focusing on the needs of others and acknowledging their personal worth and autonomy (Bolton, 1987). Conflict management is a growth process in which individuals recognise the problem, comprehend, communicate, critically reflect, and evolve with time (Bucher, 2000). Conflict can also be resolve through negotiation between both parties (Kreidler, 1984), or through collaborative problem solving by the team which begins with recognising the problem, exploring and discussing the reasons of the problem, planning a solution, implementing the plan, and reviewing and evaluating the situation after the implementation of the plan (Lindon, 2012; Bolton, 2001).
Conflict can be believed as a danger for relationships. However, some studies contradict this belief. Students of human relationships like Erik Erikson argue that people fail to achieve intimacy because of their “inability to engage in controversy and useful combat” (Bolton, 2001, p. 207). Likewise, Stanley Coopersmith’s research also suggests that some conflict at home is healthy for children as it fosters self- esteem (Bolton, 2001). According to John Dewey (as cited in Bolton, 2001), conflict prevents stagnation, activates interest and curiosity, and foster creativity. An good example of constructive conflict would be when Steve Jobs left his company ‘Apple’ in 1985, he went ahead and created one of the most successful animated company ‘Pixar’, and later Jobs returned to his post as Apple’s CEO (Jobs, 2014). Hence, it proves that constructive conflict fosters growth and creativity.
Organisational culture plays a vital role in conflict resolution. A collaborative management style where the manager empowers the staff and share responsibilities, leads to robust relationships among staff, children, parents and society. It leads to enriched work environment providing better motivation and job satisfaction. Furthermore, this fosters learning and growth of children as well as adults (Power & Roberts, 1999; Ridden, 1992). This collaborative and collective approach can also be seen in Māori concepts of leadership and management ( Mead, et al., 2006).
To conclude, early childhood educators work together as a team with parents, colleagues, and society, and collaborate for the holistic development of children. At times, the educators might have to face ethical dilemmas due to multicultural society and difference in values and beliefs yet the code of ethics of the profession as well as the centre philosophy guides them in taking ethical decisions. Furthermore, conflicts are resolved constructively leading to the creation of enriched and positive environment for adults as well as children. The support from the management enhances the service greatly leading to the optimal learning environment for the future generation- children.