Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE EDU5844

 
TITLE Professional Reflections

 
UM LEVEL 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course

 
MQF LEVEL 7

 
ECTS CREDITS 10

 
DEPARTMENT Faculty of Education

 
DESCRIPTION Reflection is an essential aspect of professional development and practice. This study-unit examines notions of childhood and ideas about early childhood practice embedded in views about professional early childhood education and care practice. Participants are challenged to identify key theories and principles, which inform their practice and vision of early childhood.

By the end of this study-unit, it is expected that students would have become aware of some key issues which they can confidently address in early childhood settings. Such issues include quality, curricula, diversity, inclusion, transitions, meeting children's rights, ethical approaches and integration. In so doing, students will have extended their concepts of professionalism in early childhood, thus boosting their personal and professional confidence.

Competencies/Key transfer skills:

Students will become aware of and develop:
- competence in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of different theories and the implications for practice;
- competence in associating best practice examples to different theoretical approaches;
- skills in reflecting critically on ECEC practices and provisions.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- engage in a critical analysis of the relationship between theory, policy and practice;
- explore what it means to be an earlt childhood professional;
- develop a shared understanding of the terminology used;
- become familiar with European ECEC national policy documents;
- research and document the various roles undertaken by early childhood professional across Europe.

On successful completion of this study-unit students should be able to:
- provide an account of how they have extended their concepts of professionalism in ECEC in contemporary Europe and beyond; thus demonstrating an enriched understanding of children and childhoods;
- analyse critically the principal theoretical influences on early childhood practice in different interpretations of early childhood practice;
- engage with research evidence;
- explain how cultural values and expectations position early childhood services and professionals nationally and internationally;
- describe how early childhood is positioned vis-a-vis later stages in compulsory education in selected countries;
- identify how early childhood provision is influenced by and responds to national policy, parental demand and children's rights;
- evaluate and analyse their development as reflective professionals who have increased their ability to take informed and independent decisions.

Structure:

This study-unit will be covered through lectures, seminars, critical discussions, videos, cultural scripts and through supervised student research.

Work requirements:

Active participation during the lectures and seminars is expected. Also, a minimum of 80% attendance is required of all students for each individual study-unit. This attendance requirement must be fulfilled to be allowed to sit for the exam in each module. Students who have not met the attendance requirements must compensate for their absence to have the right to sit for the exam. Compensation for absence above the maximum limit will be a written assignment which will include the themes and syllabus literature that was covered during the student’s absence.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

• Adams, K. (2008).What’s in a name? Seeking professional status through degree studies within the Scottish early years context. European early childhood research journal, 16(2), 196-209.
• Cameron, C. (2006). Men in the nursery revisited: issues of male workers and professionalism. Contemporary issues in early childhood, 7(1), 68-79.
• Cherrington, S. (2001). Dealing with difficult situations in early childhood education: stories of professional practice. Occasional Paper No. 10. Wellington: Institute for Early Childhood Studies.
• Dahlberg, G. & Moss, P. (2005). What ethics? Ethics and politics in early childhood education. Ch 3, pp. 64-85. London: Routledge.
• Dalli, C. (1993). Are we a profession? The contribution of the national curriculum guidelines and the need for a code of ethics. In Early Childhood Education: Papers presented at the CECUA National Curriculum Conference, October 1993. Wellington: NZEI.
• Dalli, C. & Urban, M. (2008) (Eds). Professionalism in early education and care. Special issue. European early childhood education research journal, 16(2).
• Dalli, C. (2010). Towards the re-emergence of a critical ecology of the early childhood profession in New Zealand. Contemporary issues in early childhood, 11(1), 61-74.
• Dalli, C. & Urban, M. (2010). Towards new understandings of the early years profession: the need for a critical ecology. In C. Dalli & M. Urban (Eds). Professionalism in early childhood education and care. International perspectives (pp. 150-155). London & New York. Routledge.
• Duhn, I. (2010). “The centre is my business”: neo-liberal politics, privatisation and discourses of professionalism in New Zealand. Contemporary issues in early childhood, 11(1), 49-60.
• Fenech, M., Sumsion, J., & Shepherd, W. (2010). Promoting early childhood teacher professionalism in the Australian context. Contemporary issues in early childhood, 11(1), 89-105.
• Fromberg, D.P. (2003). The professional and social status of the early childhood educator. In J.P. Isenberg, & M.R. Jalongo (Eds.), Major trends and issues in early childhood education: Challenges, controversies and insights (2nd ed., pp. 177–192). New York: Teachers College Press.
• Goffman, E. (1959). Performances (Chap 1) in The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Doubleday Anchor Books.
• Hargreaves, L. & Hopper, B. (2006). Early years, low status? Early years teachers’ perceptions of their occupational status. Early Years, 26(2), 171-186.
• Islam, Z. (2010). From ‘marginality’ to ‘mainstream’: a narrative of early childhood professionalism in Bangladesh. Contemporary issues in early childhood, 11(1), 29-38.
• Katz, L. (1985). The nature of professions: Where is early childhood education. Addresss presented at the Early Childhood Organisation Conference in honour of Miss E. Marianne Parry, O.B.E., Bristol Polytechnic, England, September. Printed in Talks with Teachers of Young Children. Pp. 219-235. New Jersey. Ablex Publishing Corp.
• Langford, R. (2010). Critiquing child-centred pedagogy to bring children and early childhood educators into the centre of a democratic pedagogy. Contemporary issues in early childhood, 11(1), 113-127.
• Lloyd, E. & Hallet, E. (2010). Professionalising the ealry childhood workforce in England: work in progress or missed opportunity? Contemporary issues in early childhood, 11(1), 75-88.
• Manning-Morton,J. (2006). The personal is professional:professionalism and the birth to threes practitioner. Contemporary issues in early childhood, 7(1), 42-52.
• Miller, L. & Cable, C. (2008). (Eds). Professionalism in the early years. London: Hodder Education.
• Moss, P. (2006). Structures, understanding and discourses:possibilities for re-envisioning the early childhood worker. Contemporary issues in early childhood, 7(1), 30-41.
• Moss, P. (2008). The democratic and reflective professional: rethinking and reforming the early years workforce. In L. Miller & C. Cable (Eds). Professionalism in the early years. London: Hodder Education .
• Moss, P. (2010). We cannot continue as we are: the educator in an education for survival. Contemporary issues in early childhood, 11(1), 8-19.
• Nsamenang, A. B. (2010). Issues and challenges to professionalisem in Africa’s cultural settings. Contemporary issues in early childhood,11(1), 20-28.
• Oberhuemer, P. (2000). Conceptualising the professional role in early childhood centers: Emerging profiles in four European countries. Early Childhood Research and Practice, 2(2). http://www.ecrp.uiuc.edu/v2n2/oberhuemer.html
• Osgood, J. (2006). Deconstructing professionalism in early childhood education: resisting the regulatory gaze. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 7(1), 5-14.
• Rodd, J. (1997). Learning to develop as early childhood professionals. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 22(1), 1–5.
• Scahill, J. (1993). Meaning construction and habitus. http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/eps/PES-Yearbook/93_docs/SCAHILL.HTM
• Sollars, V., Attard, M., Borg, C. & Craus, B. (2006). Early childhood education & care. A national policy. Floriana: Ministry of Education, Youth & Employment. Available at: http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/upload/Malta/Malta_earlychildhood.pdf
• Sollars. V. (2007). Early education/care and professionalization policies in Malta. Commissioned report for the State Institute of Early Childhood Research. http://www.ifp.bayern.de/imperia/md/content/stmas/ifp/commissioned_report_malta.pdf
• Urban, M. (2008). Dealing with uncertainty: Challenges and possibilities for the early childhood profession. European Early Childhood Research Journal, 16(2), 135-152.
• Urban, M. & Dalli, C. (2008). Editorial : Professionalism in early education and care. Special issue. European early childhood education research journal, 16(2), 131-133.
• van Keulan, A. (2010). The early childhood educator in a critical learning community. Contemporary issues in early childhood, 11(1), 106-112.
• Wong, S. (2007). Looking back and moving forward: Historicising the social construction of early childhood education and care as national work. Contemporary issues in early childhood, 8(2), 144-156.

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES Pre-requisite: Students will be expected to prepare a review of ECEC in their country ahead of the study-unit.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Sonja Kathrina Arndt
Valerie Sollars

 

 
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It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

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