ARTE Assignment 4 (E-Reflection Journal)

 

Awareness of Early Childhood Issues

 

            This module, Capstone Project, has been especially useful in developing me into becoming a more enlightened early childhood (EC) educator. Previously, I would have rarely done individual readings on the emerging issues within the sector just because as a student, I felt no urgency as I thought going through the course of my diploma would suffice. However, this student-directed module has allowed and given me experiences to research on these issues and with the findings, present a project to benefit a selected preschool – utilising theories and practical knowledge learnt since Year 1. This inquiry-based learning equipped me with relevant industry knowledge that is critical for me to acquire as a beginning EC educator.

            My team members settled on ‘Professional Development’ (PD) as an issue we wanted to inquire for our project. This was selected after understanding that it is a part of the sector that has been heavily emphasised as of late, especially with the recent set-up of the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) Singapore to provide quality training and professional development to the EC educators. My team afterward conducted an interview with a Centre Principal and her teachers –gathering much insight into the sector regarding PD. This collaboration process allowed me to recognise the importance of using community stakeholders as a network and resource and I am now more well-informed than ever. I have learnt the different processes and approached that have been practiced in the preschool and the recommendations made by ECDA. I have come to understand that financial burden has been eased and settled through the investments made by the government. However, the high turnover rate of the sector could be blamed on the attitude of teachers which ultimately, leads back to the inadequacy of quality training programmes for educator.

 

Personal Growth

 

Organisational Skills

At the start, the organisation was messy. Everyone had differing viewpoints and there was no established way to pen down all these perspectives. However, this was bettered through the creation of a team drive on Google Drive. It was further enhanced as we created a table to structure our project. This project made me understand the importance of keeping organised as it eased communication and correspondingly eased the process of going through the project with 4 other team members.

 

Communication Skill

            Working with my team has enhanced my communication skills. My team members mainly consisted of people I have never worked on a project with and therefore seemed daunting at the start. However, this gave me an opportunity to learn, grow, and figure out ways how I can effectively communicate my ideas while still keeping my options open to their differing perspectives. Another factor of this project that has honed my communication skill was when I engaged with community stakeholder such as during the interview done with the Centre Principal. As one out of the two main interviewers, I had to create a series of questions to ask and also improvise the questions in order to gain more understanding from the principal. I have learnt how to set an appropriate tone to establish relationship and also be flexible in the way I asked questions to allow both parties to feel comfortable during the interview.

 

Problem-Solving Skills

            I believe that this project has fine-tuned my problem-solving skills by making me a much more self-directed and resourceful learner. It has improved my digital competence and critical thinking. I have acquired the range of practical skills and abilities necessary to fulfill the complex and multiple roles and responsibilities of an early childhood professional. For example, I am now much more competent in basic website design and have learn various online platforms that allows me to do so. As the presentation of the entire project is through a website, I have to learn how to present findings without manually drawing them out (e.g. creating a timeline using Microsoft Excel). I have also learn how to craft a survey questionnaire that is objective and established diplomacy within parties involved.