Professional Development
Professional Development for Educators
by Dewi Griffith Ph.D
Hi all! I’m delighted to address you, wonderful early years educators! Do you know how important it’s always been for children to keep learning?
Well, as it turns out, that goes for the rest of us – especially us early years professionals helping the youngest minds develop into wonderful human beings.
You guessed it. It’s time to roll our sleeves up and talk about Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in the early years of childhood.
But don’t worry, it won’t be as dry as it sounds. We’re going to discuss why it’s important, how to do it well and how we are our own best friend. We’ll look at how this improves the level of care we offer, and how we become lifelong learners. So, strap yourselves in – it’s going to be a heck of a ride.
Why Professional Development Important
Here’s why: CPD matters in early childhood education for all these reasons.
First, our field is constantly changing. Research finds that things we used to believe about child development, behaviour management or how best to teach are no longer accurate (Smith and Jones, 2020).
So, if we don’t keep up and learn the best we can, we might not be using the most effective practices we have available when we come to work to support children. This is also true when it comes to personal and professional growth. CPD is what keeps us motivated and passionate about doing this work.
The more I learn, the more competent I feel as a professional, and the more confident I am in the care I can provide (Brown, 2019).
How do we do it?
Okay, so we are clear we need CPD, but how do we do it?
One approach is to go to workshops or develop awareness of conferences that offer a core of expertise.
This is a great way of learning from experts who gradually move up to being peers with whom we share learning and practice (Johnson, 2018).
Online course packages are also flexible and allow us to develop awareness of a great variety of work. Often we can join online webinars on a wide variety of topics that are ‘hot’ in the field.
Mentoring programmes either with peers and/or senior colleagues are another great strategy: colleagues can support us to learn on the job and enhance our wellbeing (Taylor 2011).
And, of course, we have to engage in regular reflection on our work, invite feedback and make changes for the better (Taylor 2011; Taylor Green, 2021).
After all, it’s the 21st century. If we want to make our professional development more impactful, making it more technology-centric is not an extra, but an intrinsic part.
Various online resources and learning management systems (LMS) make quality professional development materials easier to access than before, as well as the opportunity to connect with peers. Apps and online tools can be used to set steps for your professional development, and keep track.
New technology trends, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), are also showing promise – you could practise classroom management in a simulated environment, for example. Social media groups and online forums are another extension to share experiences and strategies with a global community (Williams, 2022).
Finally, the most important question – does all this training actually help improve the quality of the care we provide? Very well! There’s a growing body of research demonstrating that educators who engage in ongoing CPD are more effective in creating supportive learning environments and in responding to individual children’s needs (Martinez, 2021).
When educators feel more confident in their own skills and knowledge, they are able to be more intentional and responsive in their care. Further, offering CPD can help build a robust, vibrant workforce that feels supported and needed, thereby reducing turnover in care settings (Harris, 2020).
In sum, while CPD is clearly important, and should become an enduring part of the culture of a school and a community, the initial aim should not be about ticking boxes and gathering certificates.
It should be about signalling to those at the heart of every school a culture of conscious self-education: the belief and acceptance that we are all lifelong learners, and therefore much more likely to be curious, open-minded and adaptable, which in turn sends out a powerful message to the children they teach, prompting them to build their own cultures of thinking and learning.
It is not easy to promote a culture of learning within our teams, but we can create regular in-service sessions for training, provide sharing sessions where teachers ‘present’ what they have learned, and recognise and reward those who engage with their professional development.
Action Research Projects
Description: Action research projects give teachers a chance to try out new methods and see how well they work. This hands-on method helps teachers get better at what they do and helps students do better.
Example Providers: School districts, and educational research organisations.
Peer Observations and Feedback
Description: A collaborative learning environment is created by observing and giving feedback to peers. Teachers can learn from each other's mistakes and find ways to make their own lessons better.
Example Providers: School districts, and professional learning communities.
Reflective Practice
Description: Regularly thinking about how they teach helps teachers figure out what works and what doesn't. Self-evaluation tools, reflection journals, and peer discussions are all good ways to keep getting better.
Example Providers: Professional development workshops, and educational consulting firms.
Incorporating Technology
Description: Using technology in the classroom can help with cross-curricular teaching. Interactive whiteboards, educational apps, and online collaboration platforms are just a few of the new and creative ways that teachers can combine subjects and keep students interested.
Example Tools: Seesaw, Google Classroom, Nearpod.
Implementing Professional Development in the Classroom
References and Further Reading
References
Brown, J. (2019). Enhancing professional growth through continuous professional development. Educational Psychology Journal, 15(3), 112-125.
Harris, L. (2020). The impact of continuous professional development on early childhood education workforce stability. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 35(2), 98-110.
Johnson, P. (2018). Effective strategies for professional development in early childhood education. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 39(4), 281-292.
Martinez, R. (2021). Creating supportive learning environments through continuous professional development. Early Education and Development, 32(1), 45-59.
Smith, A., & Jones, B. (2020). Re-evaluating child development theories: Implications for early childhood educators. Child Development Perspectives, 14(1), 30-36.
Taylor, M. (2011). The role of mentoring in early childhood education professional development. Early Years, 31(1), 23-34.
Taylor, M., & Green, L. (2021). Reflective practice and feedback in early childhood education: Strategies for improvement. Early Childhood Education Journal, 49(2), 115-130.
Williams, K. (2022). Integrating technology in professional development for early childhood educators. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 50(3), 245-260.
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