improving educational program and practice within approved early childhood education and care...

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Improving Educational Program and

Practice within Approved Early

Childhood Education and Care

Settings Project

CRICOS No. 00213J

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this training, you will be able to:

• Articulate an understanding of the Improving Educational

Program and Practice within Approved Early Childhood

Education and Care Settings Project (Reflective Practice

Project)


What is the Reflective Practice Project?

Why Now?


Project Partnership

• Scope IT support systems

• Produce vignettes for 10 topic areas

• Coordinate pilot trial group

• Trial training options

• Create online learning platform with

support resources

• Create support resources to assist

reflective practice

• Train front-line Children’s Services team members in mentoring, coaching, and critical reflection

• Provide resources for online platform

• Provide content expertise to support vignettes

• Evaluate the Reflective Practices Project

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Reflective Practice Project ScopingProject Scoping:

• DETE funding to deliver learning and development opportunities.

1. Analysis of C&K service results against the National Quality Standards (NQS) highlighted strong need for educator support in the areas of critical reflection.

2. Analysis of C&K’s NQS results against the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) highlighted a number of topic areas that support critical reflection.

3. This information was then mapped to the C&K Learning and Development Framework

Business Context:

• Fit within C&K’s Learning and Development Framework

• Support educators across Queensland including, rural and remote areas

• Enable connection amongst educators

• Build skills in critical reflection, and address areas arising as key issues for educators such as inclusive practice, behaviour guidance, and cultural competence

• Sustain beyond the funding period of December 2015


The Early Years Sector

‘Changes in service demand and delivery are driving

increased demand for certain roles and specific skills.

This is contributing to an ongoing need to invest in workforce

planning and development’.

Ref: Community Services & Health Industry Skills Council Quote: 2015 Environmental scan Summary building a healthy future:


Project Implementation


What is Critical Reflection?

Early Years Learning Standards:

“Reflective practice is a form of ongoing learning that involves engaging

with questions of philosophy, ethics, and practice.

Its intention is to gather information and gain insights that support, inform

and enrich decision making about children’s learning. As professionals,

educators examine what happens in their settings and reflect on what

they might change or develop.”Ref: Guide to the National Quality Standard. October 2011 pg. 44

Building waterfalls:

“..a process of thinking deeply from multiple perspectives about what is

being observed in order to develop understandings.”

Ref: C&K Building waterfalls: a guideline for children’s learning and for teaching in kindergarten pg. 107


Pilot Trial Group Training

Group consisted of:

• 20 Kindergarten and Universal Access services

– Metropolitan

– Regional

• 2 full day face-to-face training sessions

• 2 full day online training sessions


2 Day Regional Training Program - Trial

Day One:

• Defining reflective practice

• Frameworks to support reflective practice

• Introduction to resources

Day Two:

• Educational theory

• Transfer of learning

• Supporting reflective practice


What Did the Project Produce?

• 10 digital vignettes with supporting resources focused on key areas of Educators’

practices that can be used now, and into the future (duration 5-10 minutes).

• Two online, and two face-to-face, training sessions on Reflective Practices were

delivered for the pilot group, consisting of a mix of regional and metropolitan services.

• Six reflective practices training sessions delivered to approximately 85 educators,

across regional Queensland.

• The two day Reflective Practices workshop was mapped to units of competencies with

the C&K College, to provide credit for attendance.

• An evaluation report completed by QUT detailing deliverables achieved and

recommendations for improvement.



• The design, development, and delivery of a ‘Coaching Fundamentals’ course

for roll out across services in 2016 applying a train-the-trainer approach.

• A revised ‘Collaborative Teaching and Learning Journal’ incorporating

reflective practices to be used by all services.

• A new ‘Collaborative Teaching and Learning Journal Companion Guide’ to

accompany the application and use of the Collaborative Teaching and

Learning Journal.

• A set of ‘Reflective Practice Cards’ designed to prompt and support critical

reflection in services.



Information Technology

1. A Windows 365 software upgrade

2. The purchase and configuration of 145 laptops for

delivery in 2016

3. A Wi-Fi upgrade to support streaming of the vignettes

4. Video conferencing hardware and Lync for Business

software was installed


C&K Vignettes


Each Vignette Contains

• 3-5 minute video clip of educators demonstrating practice around each topic (filmed within C&K services)

• 3-5 minutes sound wave of educator discussing their practice and theoretical influences

• 10 minute video clip of QUT content experts

– Important topic knowledge for practice

– Theories pertinent to topic area

• 3-5 minute video clip of QUT content experts commentary on educator practice


Vignette Viewing


Project Evaluation


Project Logic Model


Project Evaluation

Project Inputs

1. Training materials on:

(a) critical reflection,

(b) theories,

(c) coaching and mentoring,

(d) pedagogical and content knowledge, and

2. An online professional development package

consisting of 10 vignettes showcasing a specialised

knowledge or practice


Project Evaluation

Project Outputs

1. Full day face-to-face professional development sessions

between QUT and C&K Children’s Services Managers

2. Two hour face-to-face/online professional development

sessions with Children’s Services Managers

3. Two full day face-to-face professional development

sessions with service staff


Project Evaluation

The conceptual framework for the evaluation was

underpinned by:

• critical reflection,

• professional development, and

• transfer of learning.


Report Findings

There was clear evidence that:

a) participants were satisfied with the professional development experiences provided in the project,

b) the professional development was relevant to their work,

c) the professional development informed their work in new ways,

d) the time spent undertaking the professional development was well spent, and

e) the sessions provided participants with knowledge and skills to support colleagues working with the vignettes.


Report Findings

There was compelling evidence that, as a result of the

project, participants:

a) had a better understanding of their own beliefs and perspectives,

and

b) had changed some of their everyday practices.

Specific gains in critical reflection, as a learned skill, were:

(a) greater self-awareness,

(b) elaboration in thinking differently and appreciating others’

perspectives, and

(c) reconstructing or revising existing understandings and reaching

new conclusions.


Report Findings

There was strong evidence that participants learned about

new theories and saw the value of these theories in helping

them to understand their everyday practice.

Critical theories and post-structuralist theories (included in

the Early Years Learning Framework) were identified as new

to respondents, and the theories the respondents most

wanted to learn more about. These were also the least

accessible to educators.


Report Findings

Of most value to respondents in relation to the coaching and

mentoring they received was the opportunity to connect

directly with others (face-to-face) and to work with the QUT

academics who modelled critical reflection on the vignettes.

Mentoring was found to support participants to extend their

thinking and practice, and participants felt empowered to

make changes in practice due to mentoring support.

A significant number of respondents indicated they would be

better able to mentor others on the vignette topics in future,

in light of the mentoring they received.


Report Findings

Pedagogical and content knowledge within the vignettes and

support materials helped participants to deepen their

understanding of the 10 topic areas:

Literacy physical wellbeing

numeracy emotional resilience

inclusive practices cultural competency

behaviour guidance leadership

information technology modern families


Report Findings

There was clear evidence that the project provided

participants with valuable opportunities:

a) to show leadership,

b) to develop a sense of mission,

c) to enable staff to think and learn in new and

stimulating ways, and

d) to provide an environment conducive to exploring

individual learning needs.


Report Recommendations


Report Recommendations

• 16 recommendations in total:

Organisational level

Service level

Educator/Individual level

• Alignment with C&K Strategic Plan

• Embedding the notion that C&K is a ‘learning organisation’

• Developing a shared language around critical reflection

across the organisation


Where to From Here?

• Build and maintain the IT platform to provide a sustainable delivery mechanism across QLD

• Provide training in reflective practices at all levels across the organisation

• Roll out of coaching fundamentals training across the organisation

• Roll out of reflective practices supporting resources (internal/external)

• Review of professional development offerings to align with reflective practices