Words: 2550
Statutory training such as first aid, health and safety and safeguarding should be updated regularly due to legislative changes and each setting should know what its continuing professional developments are. According to the Early Years Quality Improvement Support Programmer (2008) “attendance at training should be on average more than one session in three months and have a sustained and continuous impact. Job satisfaction and personal and professional development are some of the motivators behind improving your knowledge and practice, building up self esteem and inference, and the suitability for career progression. Many of the new guidelines, policies and procedures result from enquiries and investigations that have followed tragedies, errors and neglect. It is important to be up to date on current legislation and guidelines surrounding the EYES to ensure effective early learning and positive experiences for children.
Recent cases such as ” Baby P” resulted in “The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report” March 2009 Children’s workforce point 29 Recommendation “Children’s Trusts should ensure that all staff who work with children receive initial training and continuing professional development which enables them to understand normal child development and recognize potential signs of abuse or neglect” A serious case review was commissioned in June 2009 after the arrest of nursery practitioner Vanessa George for the abuse of children in her care and sharing indecent images of the abuse via her mobile phone with other parties.
National recommendations made by the published report in March 2010 included ; 7. 9 The Early Years Foundation Stage should set out specific requirements for child protection training including training which considers both sexual abuse ND the recognition of abuse within the workplace 7. 11 The Early Years Foundation Stage should require all Early Years settings to provide regular 1:1 staff supervision from a trained supervisor 8. 15 All Early Years teams to have regular supervision which always includes a safeguarding element.
Reflective practice is key and a great tool to use as it allows us to assess our performance, monitor and evaluate our practice, this is turn, allows us to improve the quality of the provision and maintain it at all times. David Kola developed a theory known as “The Learning Cycle” or “The Kola Cycle”, which would help develop our practice, suggesting that we must reflect on our experiences in order to evaluate them and apply them to situations and new experiences. Kola D. A. 1984) “Experiential Learning experience as a source of learning and development” Based upon Kola’s idea, Peter Honey and Alan Uniform developed learning styles and identified 4 distinct styles of learning, to learn effectively, the learner should identify their learning style. These being: ACTIVIST -? Activists learn through doing and will usually participate in brainstorming, discussions and enjoy competitions. PRAGMATIST – Pragmatists need to see if the theories can work in the real world and will enjoy problem solving, discussions and experimenting with new ideas.
REFLECTORS – Reflectors learn through observation, collecting information and will enjoy self analysis/evaluation and feedback from others. THEORIST – Theorists need to understand the theory behind the actions and will want statistics, quotes and background information. At Keep Guard Day Nursery, we are committed to ensuring that all staff train to their full potential and ensure that all skills and knowledge are updated regularly. Our policy on development and training states; .
Personal and professional development is essential for maintaining the delivery Of high quality childcare and learning for children in their early years. It underpins all aspects of positive interactions and activities planned for children. All staff are encouraged to contribute during team meetings and offer ideas for change. Strategies, planning and training gaps are identified during these meetings as well as the deliverance of in-house training, relevant to the needs of the setting.
Our policy gives all staff the opportunity to attend external raining courses, share knowledge with each other and develop training plans addressing professional development needs for all the rough performance reviews. Analyses potential barriers to professional development There are several factors which can prevent people from developing professionally, these barriers often come in two forms: Learning defenses Learning obstacles Learning defenses can be personality based, not “liking” the person teaching Or delivering the training, the status of the trainer/teacher, assuming that a younger person does not have all the answers.
At times, the course content ay contradict your personal views, so barriers are put up and you choose to not listen or learn. Also, the content may propose change and if changes are made, the old ethos, “if it’s not broken then why fix it” can often come in to play. Learning styles differ as well as teaching styles, so people who may have had bad experiences in a formal classroom setting, may not perform well in a similar setting for training purposes.
It is important that when delivering training, that all learning styles are catered for AUDITORY – learning through listening, detecting changes in tone, repeating what is heard, participation In concussion VISUAL – association with images, observing and experiencing, using technology KINESTHESIA -? participation, tactile, relaying, experiencing Learning obstacles are “physical” barriers which can usually be overcome; Financial barriers, personally funding the costs of courses in the form of personal money, loans and credit cards, can put people under pressure before the learning has started for themselves and their families, it may be worth checking to see if local government funding is available, or whether your employer is willing to help cover the costs.
Lack of time, due to work or Emily commitments can be a barrier, juggling family life and an existing work load can be tricky and stressful, so people are less likely to want to add the extra strain of training. Child care requirements and responsibilities, many parents may struggle to find adequate childcare to allow them to study either during the day or the evenings. Working parents can feel guilty enough that they have not seen their children throughout the day so may be reluctant to spend their evenings writing assignments and studying. Single parents or parents who work shift patterns may also be juggling the childcare and outings alone so may find it difficult to find the time to study, as well as people with young babies/toddlers who may well still wake in the night will find the whole process exhausting and draining.
Misconceptions – “I’m not clever enough”, “I’m too old to learn” can have a negative effect on people who have the potential to develop, overcoming these barriers will give people the confidence to try a little more and have a go at something new. Location can also be a barrier when developing, if a course or workshop is being held away from the local area, or the person lives in a remote area, they are less keel to attend for reasons such as, they may have no transport (non driver, or a one car family), or the risk of being late to pick up children from school/ nursery/children etc.. Work commitments – in all daycare/childcare settings, ratios must be met at all times, therefore, a member of staff being away for the day to attend training can have a huge impact, is there cover for them ? Are the ratios going to be maintained along with staff holidays and illnesses, this could be a huge barrier. Personal circumstances such as house moves, pregnancy and illnesses can also be potential barriers to velveteen. Long term illness or mental health problems such as depression, causing low self esteem and lack of confidence can deter people from attending training and courses. Mild agoraphobia or anthropomorphic can also affect how and if people choose to train. Learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dysphasia and auditory and visual processing problems can also act as barriers to learning worrying about whether there are any support systems or funding to access for this ?
People who have English as an additional language is another barrier, particularly in the multicultural society e live in. There may be a need for an interpreter and the question of available funding for this arises. All of these can be overcome, choosing the right time to professionally develop is an individual task and cannot be decided by anyone other than the individual involved. Compare the use of different sources and systems of support for professional development There are a number of different ways to support professional development, from first experiences such as inductions and staff shadowing, to appraisals, development plans and supervisions.
In-house training, and training from alleges and training organizations are also ways that can help support your development. Induction An induction will take place at the beginning Of your employment. This gives the employer an opportunity to share with you the settings policies and procedures, layout of the setting, routines and will highlight any future training requirements. Positive outcomes surrounding an induction can be: That the employee can ask any questions and have them answered there and then. They can familiarize themselves with their surrounds nags without the distraction of the children in the setting. One to one with the supervisor/ manager can promote the time and attention a new employee needs to ascertain any initial worries or ideas.
However, with most positives, come negatives and this can also be true during the induction process: New employees can feel over whelmed about their surroundings, job role and responsibilities, leading to them not actively listening to what is being said. They may feel that they cannot ask particular questions due to being new. Being nervous or of a quiet disposition can sometimes lead to panic, forgetting what was said, not remembering the basics. The induction process should be encouraged to be a two way process, and if necessary, carried out over a period of time, this could give both parties involved the opportunity to identify the needs of the employee, for routines to be established and any queries surrounding these to be targeted.
Staff shadowing/mentoring can be a productive way of learning about the settings policies and procedures and how they are implemented on a daily basis. The supervisor mentoring could offer guidance and support and would ensure that any observations, planning and report writing were in line with he settings expectations. In order for this to work, the mentor must be proactive and adhere to the settings work ethos, and most importantly, have the time and the patience to be a mentor, to ensure a positive experience for both involved, After a period of time, a supervision would be completed with the employee, this would then be carried out as best practice every 4-6 weeks.
Staff would have the opportunity to talk about their job roles and expectations, their workloads and any other issues surrounding their day to day tasks. The opportunity to discuss any new ideas or improvements would rise and any future professional development would be identified and targeted. In order for this process to work, both parties should be honest and be prepared to share with each other and if needed with the next level of the management tier. An appraisal system would be in place, giving the employee the opportunity for self assessment, identifying their strengths and weaknesses and allowing them to target future development needs.
Again, this is a two way process involving tiers Of management/supervisor and the employee. An opportunity to discuss how tasks are undertaken, responsibilities and achievements will also be explored during the process. A danger with a “rating appraisal system” can be that the appraiser will rate themselves at a lower expected grade due to low self esteem, being hard on themselves or not wanting to be perceived by their supervisor/manager as “blowing their own trumpet”, or could rate themselves at a higher grade but not be able to provide the evidence to support this. If an appraisal is handled badly, this can lead to low morale for the individual and the rest of the team.
Appraisals should give the employee and the supervisor/manager, an opportunity to work together to aka plans to take the setting and the individuals development forward through setting goals and objectives collectively. In-house training and team meetings can be a great opportunity for team building most settings rarely get the opportunity to spend time together to discuss the day to day problems or successes that occur due to a busy daily routine. Team meetings give people the chance to discuss things such as behavior management, children with additional needs and reports, thus giving them the opportunity to identify specific training needs for the setting or individuals. In-house training can keep costs down for the employer as individual costs can sometimes exceed the cost of an external trainer visiting the setting.
The training can be customized to suit the needs of a specific setting and is usually carried out in the setting around the hours of the staff team, therefore misinterpretation and cascading it to the rest of the team shouldn’t need to happen. Some staff may find attending external training with strangers a little daunting and will possibly listen and learn more in a relaxed setting surrounded by friends and colleagues, having the confidence o participate and contribute. External training can also be beneficial, giving the staff an opportunity to network with other professionals, share ideas and keep up to date with current trends. Measuring the effectiveness of your settings training programs is important, legislation and regulations are changing constantly so we need to ensure that what we are doing is relevant.
If a setting invests in new staff and training, it impacts on not only the individual, but the organization, the children, parents and existing staff, improving performance within the organization, and an understanding of the BYES and its components. Donald Kirkpatrick devised “The Kirkpatrick Model” in the late sass’s and is one of the most well known and used models for measuring the effectiveness of training programs. Explain factors to consider when selecting opportunities and activities for keeping knowledge and practice up to date. There are several things to consider when planning opportunities and activities for training purposes. Is it relevant? Are there any new recommendations or new legislation which could impact on your daily routines, policies and procedures could need amending to be in nine with this.
Core training such as First Aid, Safeguarding, Food Hygiene and Health and Safety need to be updated regularly due to the ever changing environment we live in The document “Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education” (HIM Government, 2006) states: New staff should have safeguarding training as part of the induction process. Staff not having a lead child protection role should receive such training at least every three years. Designated senior persons should have training every two years and, in addition, should attend multi-agency training. Research discovers new things ND trends change so it is important to respond to these changes in a positive manner. What are the skills and strengths of your team?