TCHR5009 THEORY TO PRACTICE: EDUCATION AND CARE FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS
Title Assessment Task 1: Professional Philosophy and Critical Reflection
Type Report
Due Date AEDT (Week 3)
Length 1500 words
Rationale
Students will reflect on their learning about theoretical perspectives and practices to develop their own teaching philosophy for teaching infants and toddlers. Students will reflect on this philosophy and how it may translate to practice.
Task Description
This report is comprised of two tasks and should be presented in ONE word document.
Part 1: Professional Philosophy (750 words)
Develop your professional philosophy statement for working with infants and toddlers in an early childhood setting. Consider important aspects of infant and toddler learning, health and safety and development. Consider unit topics such as relationships, quality, attachment, brain development, routines and the physical and human environment. You can also include topics that are of interest to you.
Part 2: Critical Reflection (750 words)
Critically reflect on your philosophy above, and identify 3 anticipated challenges you may face when putting your philosophy into practice. How do you intend to overcome these challenges? Analyse according to the set text, and the National Quality Standard and Early Years Learning Framework (V2.0).
TCHR5009 THEORY TO PRACTICE: EDUCATION AND CARE FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS
Part 1: Professional Philosophy
The first few years of a child’s life are critical since they form the foundation under which these children grow and develop. For infants and toddlers to grow into healthy, holistically developed children, they need to receive consistent quality care from caregivers. My professional philosophy is to build strong relationships with the children under my care, to work closely with each child to understand their unique needs as well as preferences, and also help them to foster meaningful connections with each other as well as with the adults in their lives. This philosophy will be achieved by a comprehensive understanding of various infant learning aspects as well as the factors affecting the quality of care and education that these children receive, including relationships, attachments, brain development, as well as the environments that the children find themselves in among others.
Attachment is a crucial factor that can affect the quality of learning in infants (Kohlhoff et al., 2022). Infants use the adults in their lives as a mirror of who they are. Thus, if an infant has a loving and responsive interaction with caregivers, they are more likely to develop trust not just in these caregivers but also in themselves. However, infants who do not have positive attachments with the adults in their lives are more likely to develop insecure attachments, something that can negatively affect their emotional stability (Arthur et al., 2021). My philosophy would include building trusting relationships with all the children in my care, something that will positively affect their learning, not just as children but even as adults.
It is quite difficult to build strong interactions with the children without helping the children to develop strong and successful relationships with each other and also with the adults in their lives. Children who have strong relationships with others are more likely to do well in their learning, something that hugely contributes to their development and well-being (Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority, n.d.).
Early childhood educators do more than help the infants to establish healthy relationships (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022). They also contribute to the brain development of these children, which is a crucial part of my professional philosophy. As an early childhood educator, I will create an environment where children experience cognitive growth by providing them with stimulating activities and materials that will spark their curiosity and creativity. These age-appropriate activities include building blocks, reading, singing, painting, and memory games among others (Lersilp et al., 2021). These activities will help with visual development, fine motor skills, problem-solving, language, and observation skills among others. It is during these activities that I will be able to observe the toddlers and understand their unique needs and how to help them overcome any learning challenges they might have earlier on.
The environment that children find themselves in plays a huge role in their well-being and development, which is why creating a safe and healthy physical and human environment is crucial to my philosophy (Sims & Hutchins, 2020). As an early childhood caregiver, I have a role in the development of a child’s temperament characteristics. For instance, infants who are regarded as difficult are often seen as such because they do not receive the security and care that they should receive at home. This means that punishing them is not the best way to help with their emotional development. Instead, the caregivers should make adjustments and create an environment that positively influences the infants’ social and emotional development. A good human environment is made up of professionals who have the skills and the knowledge on how to make students from all walks of life feel safe and secure in class, and how to meet the needs of different children (Lersilp et al., 2021). It is also an environment made up of children who have been taught how to treat each other with respect, regardless of one’s background.
I strongly believe that primary caregivers (the parents or guardians) play a huge role in the development of infants. It is my philosophy to work closely with the primary caregivers and involve them in the education of their infants. For instance, infants are heavily affected by constant fights and arguments between their parents. Infants from such families are more likely to isolate themselves in school, become unassertive, or even become aggressive toward other children (Sims & Hutchins, 2020). When the parents learn that their fights can easily disrupt their toddler’s development process, they are more likely to create a safe and secure environment at home and find better ways of resolving their conflicts. Parents who have no time for their children are also more likely to bring up neglected children who end up developing insecure attachments, something that can negatively impact their emotional and social development (Gee & Cohodes, 2021). I will collaborate with the primary caregivers and other important people in the children’s lives to ensure that these children grow holistically.
Part 2: Critical Reflection
It is impossible to implement my philosophy without encountering various challenges. As an early childhood caregiver, I will encounter problems such as difficulties maintaining high-quality interactions, adapting to diverse learning needs as well and managing behavioral issues that emanate from insecure attachments. However, the presence of these challenges does not mean that I should abandon my philosophy. I will use my knowledge from the class and the National Quality Standard and Early Years Learning Framework (v2.0) to overcome these challenges and ensure a successful implementation of my professional philosophy.
Quality interactions are crucial in the holistic development of young children. However, it is easier said than done, especially because the number of available caregivers is quite small compared to the number of infants in their charge. It is quite difficult to promote strong interactions when I have a huge number of children who depend on me. While the education ministry needs to increase the number of ECEC teachers, there is something I can do to ensure that children in my care do not suffer from the failings of adults. According to the fifth standard in NQS, I have a responsibility to create successful relationships with children (“Guide to the National Quality Framework,” 2018). I can do this by making an effort to spend quality time with each child regardless of the numbers. This can also be done by observing and regulating the children’s interactions, using age-appropriate technologies to supplement interactions, and even engaging the families to contribute to the well-being and development of their infants.
Understanding diverse learning styles is quite a challenge in early childhood education. Every child is quite different from the others, which means that it is crucial to implement diverse teaching styles for children with diverse learning styles and needs (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022). Some children learn at a slower pace than others, while others are more interested in some parts of the learning process and not others. Failure to understand the diversity in these learning styles can negatively impact the child’s development. Having strong interactions with children can help understand the learning needs and preferences of the children, which can in turn help in the development of diverse teaching styles. Both NQS and EYLF standards understand that each child is unique, which means that the caregivers must come up with ways of using this uniqueness to promote development (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022). As an educator, I will deal with the challenge of diversity by providing regular assessments to document the child’s process, tailoring my interactions with the children to fit their diverse learning styles, as well as collaborating with other caregivers such as the families to ensure that no child’s learning process is disrupted just because they have a different learning style.
Children are more likely to develop behavioral issues as infants and failure to effectively address these issues will lead to adults who are not holistically developed. Insecure attachments due to issues such as neglect, fear, isolation, lack, and other factors lead to the infants developing various behavioral issues. As a caregiver, I will have to come up with better ways of addressing these problems instead of just branding a child as a difficult challenge or always punishing them when they do the wrong thing. NQS and EYLF provide instructions on how to deal with these behavioral issues. One of the best strategies to use is to come up with positive behavior guidance techniques that can help correct bad behavior (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022). As a caregiver, I will have to use techniques that focus on the social and emotional development of the child instead of punishing them. I will also have to emphasize why the children must treat each other with respect. Since children learn a lot by imitating the adults in their lives, I will have to be a model for good behavior, which means that I have to consistently learn and develop my emotional intelligence, something that will teach the children how to handle various situations (Cunningham et al., 2020). While punishment is not always the way to go, it is also crucial to communicate and let the children know when they have acted wrongly. Honest and open communication not just with the children but also with their families will help find the root cause of the problem instead of just dealing with the issue in a vacuum.
References
Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2021). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (8th ed.). Cengage AU.
Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority. (n.d.). Developmental milestones and the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Standards.
Australian Government Department of Education. (2022). Belonging, being and becoming: The early years framework for Australia. V2.0.
Cunningham, J. E., Hemmeter, M. L., & Kaiser, A. P. (2020). The relation between teachers’ positive behavior support and language support. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 40(3), 131-142. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121420943653
Gee, D. G., & Cohodes, E. M. (2021). Influences of caregiving on development: A sensitive period for biological embedding of predictability and safety cues. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 30(5), 376-383. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214211015673
Guide to the National Quality Framework. (2018). Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-11/Guide-to-the-NQF_0.pdf
Kohlhoff, J., Lieneman, C., Cibralic, S., Traynor, N., & McNeil, C. B. (2022). Attachment-based parenting interventions and evidence of changes in toddler attachment patterns: An overview. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 25(4), 737-753. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-022-00405-4
Lersilp, S., Putthinoi, S., & Chaimaha, N. (2021). Learning environments of preschool children who have different learning styles and sensory behaviors. Child Care in Practice, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2021.2010654
Sims, M., & Hutchins, T. (2020). Program planning for infants and toddlers (3rd ed.). Pademelon Press.
