Hi
I'm also doing the final unit of my level 3 EYE course. Here are my thoughts:
Self reflection and self evaluation are an important part of learning about yourself and your practice. Learning about your strengths and weaknesses as a practitioner are an important way to find out the areas where you can improve and start a discussion with colleagues or managers about how these can be improved whether that is further peer observation - perhaps observing a senior colleague, training courses, reading professional journals or visiting another setting. Self reflection and self evaluation can also help improve the environment or resources. Reflecting on every adult led activity I lead has proven a valuable activity because it has meant that I have analysed the setting layout and, working with colleagues, have changed the layout and how the room is set up. I have also identified that we didn’t have enough of certain resources to run activities successfully. Reading through the previous Ofsted report they said the preschool children should have more activities that they participated in as a group and they should be able to stay at them for longer than observed by the inspectors. While the children are much more engaged now than they were on this observation, children may be put off an activity if they have to wait too long for a turn.
Looking at the theoretical perspectives on reflection in professional development, I noticed that much of the cycle in Gibbs’ reflective cycle was outlined in the “Understanding Children displaying behaviour that challenges” course that I have completed alongside this Level 3 Early Years Educator. Describing what happened and then analysing the feelings involved then evaluating the experience is the first part of the cycle then analysing why it might have happened and then drawing conclusions about what could have changed the way it happened leads to an action plan being drawn up. This is a reflection cycle I tend to use personally, primarily as I had to use it many times during that course that it became second nature to me. However I also find the principles of Kolb’s learning cycle useful. This is how I’ve assessed my activities throughout this course and for the setting. The “concrete experience” could be the adult led part of an activity such as using a ‘shape monster’ for children to feed by finding shapes that have been hidden around an area. The “reflective observation”is how as a practitioner reviews and reflects on the activity. When I reflected on this I realised that it did not challenge the children enough to push their development on. As part of the “abstract conceptualism” I chose to play it a different way with the children having to differentiate between shapes and colours to feed the monster otherwise he spat it out. As the “Active experimentation” I implemented these changes and the children played the game, learning more and interacting with each other more. This game, like most activities, has been played and reflected on and adapted several times.
These two theories can work together. I use them in different areas of my practice.
|