Following Your Yellow Brick Road to Selfdirected Professional Development

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Following Your Yellow Brick Road to Self-directed
Professional Development

• A Parable for Childcare Professionals

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• Early childhood, in Queensland, is in the midst
  of a major paradigm shift
• Revised Promoting Quality Improvement Quality
  Assurance in Australian Childrens Services
• Proposed prep-school model of education to be
  trialled for three years

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• Traditional views about how children learn
  develop are being challenged
• Social-constructivist perspective is evident in
  Queensland EC documents
• Highlights the importance of the cultural context
  social relationships in the learning
  environment contributions of other children
  adults co-learners

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• A social-constructivist approach to teaching
  means a dramatic change in pedagogy (teaching)
• Childrens own efforts to understand are central
  to the teaching learning process
• Child-directed approach not a teacher-directed
  approach

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• To bring about change in childcare professionals
  thinking, opportunities for self-directed
  professional development need to be created
• How is your professional development planned
  managed?
• Who manages it?

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• There is much we can learn from the childrens
  classic The Wizard of Oz
• We will explore themes for possible directions
  for childcare professionals self-directed
  professional development
• The characters requests furnish a parable for
  childcare professionals

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The first theme Scarecrow his brains
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• Qualifications are symbolic of intellectual
  attainment
• Indicate you value what you can achieve with your
  brains
• Demonstrates a commitment to study

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• Training must be underpinned with theory,
  research and best practice
• grounded in real life educational examples of
  your own practice

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The second themeTinman his heart
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• On-going reflection of your practice demonstrates
  concern for others
• On-going analysis, evaluation to adjust your
  pedagogy in productive ways to benefit of young
  children in your group

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• The use of collaborative team building strategies
  demonstrates concern
• Provides guidance empowers staff to establish
  common goals
• Avenue for choice of professional development
  tasks

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• Coupled with concern is responsibility
• An expectation of integrity sincerity for all
  childcare professionals
• Underpinned by the 10 Quality Areas Principles

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The third theme Lion his courage
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• Being autonomous demonstrates you have the
  courage to be responsible for yourself, your
  self-determination, your independence,
  controlling your own situation
  self-realization.
• Your own locus of control cause or control
  your own behaviour

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• Being courageous means facing professional
  societal challenges
• Ensure your program is culturally-sensitive
  equitable
• Your centre has a clear vision to improve the
  lives of all children

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The concluding themeDorothy home
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• All of you are able to make yourselves homes or
  niches in the childcare industry
• Qualifications testify to brains reflection
  embraces best practice emulating the new
  Scarecrow

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• Care for what is best for young children
  emulating the new Tinman
• Applying knowledge, experience and convictions
  with courage emulating the new Lion

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Are you following your Yellow Brick Road to
Self-directed Professional Development?