Scheme of work
This scheme of work is provided to help you make the most of your planning time. Customise it by adding your own activities/lesson ideas to the ‘Activities’ column.
Guided learning hours (GLH): 60
Number of lessons: 30
Duration of lessons: 2 hours
Lesson / Unit content* / Activities / Resources checklist /1 / Unit introduction to include:
● definition of reflective practices
● explanation of key terms. / ● Teacher presentation (approx. 10 minutes) to introduce the unit: Outline the nature of the learning aims, and inform learners of the number of assignments that they will be expected to complete. Explain the unit assessment – externally set but internally marked – and assessment terms. Explain to learners that this unit is structured to support their development of a Practical Evidence Portfolio (PEP), which is connected to all the other units in the qualification. / Specification
Assignment set by the awarding organisation (see Annexe G of the specification)
Learning aim A: Understand the purpose of reflective practice in relation to working with children and developing own practice
1
(cont.) / What is meant by the term ‘reflective practice’; to include monitoring, evaluating and revising own practice continuously to develop and change own perspectives, behaviours, attitudes and approaches. / ● Teacher presentation: Introduce learning aims and key learning points. What is reflective practice?
● Teacher input: Introduce the PEP. Refer to relevant websites. Refer to student book and professional journals.
● Small group activity: Ask learners to reflect on what experience they have and what experience and skills they think they need. What skills may learners need to improve on in relation to promoting learning and development, e.g. language and communication? Facilitate feedback.
● Individual activity: Read through Practical Evidence Portfolio.
● Whole group activity: Q and A session on Practical Evidence Portfolio. / Journals, e.g. Practical Pre-school, Nursery World, Early Years Educator, Special Children
Interactive whiteboard
ICT/Internet
Practical Evidence Portfolio (PEP).
2 / What is meant by the term ‘reflective practice’; to include monitoring, evaluating and revising own practice continuously to develop and change own perspectives, behaviours, attitudes and approaches. / ● Teacher presentation: Draw the ‘cycle’ of reflective practice on a whiteboard or flipchart to include monitoring, evaluating and revising practice, giving an example of how this works in practice.
● Small group activity: Give learners scenarios such as implementing an art activity with a group of children, taking part in a planning session with staff, holding a meeting with parents, and ask them to discuss what might be involved at each stage of the cycle.
● Whole group discussion: Feedback ideas on what is involved at each stage of the cycle.
● Individual activity: Learners identify an activity they have implemented in placement and use the cycle to show how they monitored and evaluated own practice.
● Small group discussion: Learners discuss how monitoring their own skills and working improves outcomes for children.
● Small group activity: Ask learners to take part in a planning meeting to plan e.g. an outing or an activity for a group of children. Advise learners to monitor their input and the reactions of others towards them/their contribution.
● Individual activity: Learners evaluate own practice identifying what went well and if they could have improved their practice. If time permits, learners could undertake a new planning meeting putting what they have learned into practice and/or feedback their evaluations to the group.
● Small group activity: Learners share their information and as a group discuss ways that this process might change an early years professional’s perspective, behaviour, attitude or approach. / Interactive whiteboard/flip chart
3 / How own and other’s behaviours, beliefs, values, attitudes and approaches affect the ability to reflect effectively and effect change and development. / ● Teacher presentation: On the influence of own and others’ behaviours, beliefs, values, attitudes and approaches.
● Paired discussion: How was I brought up? Has this influenced my attitudes to families and parenting? Do I need to change/reflect on my attitudes?
● Group activity: Learners to discuss the topic: ‘Bringing up children’. Ask learners to express their ideas in a poster showing what they think is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’.
● Paired activity: Learners identify two people who have influenced them, one from family or friends and one from their placement. For each person, identify how their beliefs, values, attitudes and approaches may support own ability to reflect and to effect change in own behaviour/practice and feedback.
● Small group activity: Discuss how an understanding of own attitudes contributes to positive outcomes for children. Facilitate feedback.
● Independent research: Find out about the continuing professional development/training opportunities that staff undertake in their own placement. / Scenarios for learners
Interactive whiteboard
Creative materials
4 / The importance of engaging in continuing professional development and reflective practice to improve own skills, practice and subject knowledge such as English, mathematics, music, history, science, modern foreign languages, art, crafts or cookery. / ● Group discussion: Facilitate discussion about continuous professional development (CPD) – Why is CPD important?
● Small group activity: Learners share knowledge of the training/development opportunities that are available for early years professionals (gathered from independent research).
● Small group activity: Learners identify the personal knowledge and skills that they need to support children in their learning and development.
● Small group activity: Give learners a list of subjects from the content and ask them to identify the value of each subject area in supporting children’s learning and development and feedback.
● Individual activity: Learners grade own subject knowledge and identify ways that they can improve their knowledge further.
5 / Reasons why reflective practice is important when working with children to include ensuring effective early learning experiences for children, extending children’s learning, for personal and professional development, for continuous quality improvement and to enable a shared understanding through collaboration and dialogue between practitioners. / ● Teacher presentation: Recap importance of CPD. Discuss using reflective practice in planning for effective learning experiences.
● Small group activity: Learners share experiences of planning and supporting activities from work placement with their group, e.g. What did the children learn? How did you know that the activity was effective?
● Small group discussion: Using work placement experiences, learners reflect on and discuss how own skills support effective learning for children and how further training may improve outcomes for children. Learners make a list of the skills they have and a list of further training they need. Facilitate feedback.
6 / ● Teacher presentation: Recap importance of reflective practice.
● Independent activity: Learners use own evidence of planning and implementing a learning experience and identify how they planned, e.g. information needed, who they consulted, how they monitored the experience, what they learned and how it helped their own professional development .
● Whole group activity: Each learner presents their information to the whole group.
7 / An understanding about why continuous reflection is important, to include building on progress and checking that changes in practice are having the desired effect. / ● Teacher presentation: Recap on reflective practice to ensure early learning experiences.
● Individual activity: Learners identify three examples of their practice, e.g. supporting care routines, planning implementing activities, working with colleagues.
● Paired activity: Learners discuss their examples and note what they need to progress their skills in carrying them out.
● Paired activity: Research websites that can help them to progress practice.
● Teacher-led discussion: Importance of continuous reflection in building on progress and how to check that changes have been put into place.
8 / The importance of others in supporting own reflection and continual professional development / ● Small group activity: Identify all those who may support own reflection and continuous professional development.
● Teacher input: Lead discussion on ways that the individuals identified can support professional development including ways for learners to seek support.
● Teacher input: Discuss the PEP and the contribution made by others to provide evidence of learners’ competence.
● Individual activity: Learners look through feedback on their PEP and identify two aspects of their practice that they need to improve and who they may need to help them.
● Guest speaker: Nursery manager/key worker to discuss the importance of reflection and continuous professional development and how to approach others in the setting to provide support. / Learners’ individual Practical Evidence Portfolios
Learning aim B: Understand how to develop skills of reflective practice in promoting children’s learning and development
9 / How to use current best practice in relation to promoting children’s learning and development , including the importance of adult/child relationships, playfulness and play opportunities, planning, observation and assessment. / ● Teacher presentation: Introduce learning aim B.
● Teacher presentation: Define best practice – language/questions appropriate to age/stage of development, reflecting back and labelling children’s actions in play. Stimulate discussion around best practice.
● Paired activity: Learners discuss what is meant by ‘playfulness’ and the importance of this approach to children’s learning and development. Ask learners to give examples of this in their own or others’ practice.
● Teacher-led discussion: Lead a practical session in putting together treasure baskets and interest tables.
● Whole group discussion: Facilitate a discussion about age-appropriate play opportunities for building relationships, play opportunities for developing children’s physical development, thinking and language. / ICT/Internet
Websites:
Department for Education:
www.education.gov.uk
Ofsted:
www.ofsted.gov.uk
EYFS (or relevant curriculum guidance)
10 / Relevance of theories and philosophies of children’s learning and development in reflective practice. / ● Small group activity: Each group to research one theory of children’s learning and development. Develop a PowerPoint® presentation illustrating how their own skills in supporting children’s learning and development are influenced by their knowledge of the theory they have researched.
● Whole group activity: Learners to deliver their presentations and have a shared discussion and feedback session. / ICT/Internet
PowerPoint®
11 / How to gain information about promoting children’s learning and development to include reading, television, notes from shadowing others, visiting other settings. / ● Whole group activity: Whole group visit to a setting or arrange exchange visits between learners’ settings.
● Independent research: Learners to shadow an experienced early years worker for one session.
12 / How to gather information in order to engage in continuing professional development and reflective practice to improve own skills, practice and knowledge to include training, websites and using others such as teachers/tutors and supervisors. / ● Teacher presentation: What types of information do learners need to gather? How can they do this?
● Individual tutorials: Discussion about areas for development; evidence from supervisor reports/logbook entries.
● Individual activity: Learners to carry out Internet research for CPD such as the Childcare Act 2006, ‘Common Core of Skills and Knowledge for the Children’s Workforce’, EYFS, National Curriculum, ‘Every Child Matters’ etc.
● Individual/small group activity: Entries or blogs on VLE for peer group support. / Practical Evidence Portfolio
ICT/internet
13 / How to gather information in order to engage in continuing professional development and reflective practice to improve own skills, practice and knowledge to include training, websites and using others such as teachers/tutors and supervisors.
Sources of information to gain awareness of own practice, including observations by others, feedback from colleagues, children and parents, and assessment of children’s outcomes, appraisals. / ● Teacher presentation: On information required in Practical Evidence Portfolio, e.g. use of the evaluations from observations of children and activity plans for evidence of reflective practice, shadowing work colleagues, attendance at staff meetings and curriculum planning meetings, discussions with colleagues about children’s progress, discussions with parents (with permission) appraisals etc.
● Individual activity: Learners identify three examples of practice they have been involved in and complete a table identifying where they gained the information about planning for and promoting children’s learning, how they could have/have gathered information to help them to engage in reflective practice and how this may improve their skills.
● Individual activity: Learners to update their own work Practical Evidence Portfolio, action plan and personal areas for development (sources of evidence include supervisor/tutor reports, children’s progress records, parents’ comments, compliments record).
● Teacher input: Support learners with individual tutorials. / Practical Evidence Portfolio
14 / The skills required to evaluate own practice, including objectivity, open-mindedness and being self-critical without negativity. / ● Teacher presentation: On definition of objectivity, open-mindedness and self-criticism/constructive criticism.
● Individual activity: Show learners a picture of a child with a neutral face sitting at a table with food in front of them. Ask learners to suggest what is happening (everyone will have a different, subjective answer). Facilitate feedback and explain subjectivity.
● Individual activity: Show learners some example feedback from trainees at the end of their placements. Learners to re-write these comments showing how to be reflective, open-minded and deal with any criticism constructively. Use this to introduce individual work reflecting on work placement. Facilitate feedback.
15 / Know how to recognise factors that might affect own practice, including experiences, values and own education.
Develop skills of reflection using different tools of reflection including SWOT analysis, SMART targets, models proposed by others including Schön, Gibbs, Kolb / ● Group activity: Learners to create a mind map on factors that might affect own practice.
● Teacher-led discussion: Learners feedback the factors, ensuring that they have considered the impact of their own experiences, values and own education
● Group activity: Reflect on the list of factors and sort these into strengths and weaknesses, e.g. that learners may have experience with young children in their own family.
● Teacher presentation: Using tools of reflection to aid reflective practice and introduce SWOT analysis giving an example. / ICT/Internet