Professional Case Study: Early Learning Professionals Gupal and Wendy.

(Dietze, B. & Kashin, D. 2016, p.g 20).

 

Reflection Questions for Self-Learning and Peer Group Activity.

(Katy, Karli, and Sheena)

Deep thinking should help you think critically about professional practice. It will not necessarily produce one right answer or answers that will be the same for everyone pondering the questions.

 Gupal and Wendy, both early learning professionals, work closely together and take great pride in their professional early learning responsibilities. Listening to the child they decided to follow their interest in snails. The excitement of learning about snails was evident on Wednesday when the children found many snails in the school’s garden. Thursday the children were invited to the school library to view books and search on the computer for information about snails. On Friday, meeting together the children and teachers discussed how they were going to learn about snails. Everyone was excited for Monday morning to arrive to continue their snail studies.  

1. Do you think Gupal and Wendy demonstrated ethical behaviour in the course of the morning (Monday) that they spent with the children? If so, in what ways?

Yes.

  • Gupal arrived to work/centre in a professional manner ready to go and equipped with gardening gloves and shovels.
    • Even though Gupal was tried from her busy weekend, a mother of three children, and continuing studies to complete her degree, her focus was on the centre and Karli noted that Gupal’s busy weekend had a low impact as she made time to gather gardening gloves and shovels for the children so they could continue with their snail studies.
  • Wendy had sit up the centre’s environment with a drawing station and a loose part station.
    • The children were fully engaged and busy.
  • Upon arrival, Gupal checked in with Wendy to see how her morning arrival time went.
    • Wendy’s responded that a couple of the children were away sick, along with a couple of children for them to oversee as they were tired – maybe unwell, the only problem she had due to being super busy Wendy could not remember where she placed the filled out attendance form.
  • Gupal and Wendy watched two girls at a safe distance and were please to see a conflict resolved itself.
    • While talking about the attendance form two girls were arguing about shiny rocks
  • How Wendy handled the situation of a missing child, called for help, and remained calm.
    • Wendy noticed Dory was missing. Wendy used her cell phone to call the director of the program and asked for another staff member to join them outside so she could look for Dory.

Staying calm, calling for help, informing staff quickly and quietly of the missing child situation is a positive approach to handling a stressful time.

2. Think about the case study. Were there any instances of questionable practice? If so, describe the instances and why you think they might be questionable. 

  • Misplaced attendance form.
    • During the morning arrivals the only problem Wendy had, due to being super busy, she could not remember where she placed the filled out attendance form. Wendy did communicate this information to Gupal on her arrival when Gupal checked in with her.

An attendance form in my mind is a very important document. Katy, Sheena, and Karli also agreed. It contains details of who has arrived to the centre, who is yet to arrive, who is away –sickness/on holidays, and time of arrivals. I feel when Wendy communicated to Gupal about the misplaced attendance form it was also the right time for Wendy to relocate the form and put it in its proper place. Sheena also expressed the attendance form should have a proper placement. When having a proper placement – e.g. in a binder on a desk, all staff members know where to locate the form when needed.

  •  Gupal told Dory that she would talk to her later.
    • Gupal joined the two girls at the loose parts/block station and noticed Dory had a difficult time sharing with the other children – Dory continued to take rocks and disrupt the creations of other.

I believed it would have been best to help Dory in that moment with sharing cues and guidance, providing her with words to communicate with her peers or to redirect her to another station if that was to be a more positive outcome.

Dory, aged 5 years old, was only given the information “I will talk to you later” from her teacher. Sheena felt this could confuse a 5 year old easily, and expressed why, when, what, how, where, are questions that can start to fill a little ones mind when no explanation or guidance is given. I appreciated Sheena’s comments and felt we were on the same page. Talking to a child later can create a negative impact on a child. When discussing this question with my peer group, we all felt the same. It would have been best to talk to Dory in the moment, support her, and not confuse her.

  • Wendy “motioned” (non verbal) to Gupal that it was time to go out.
    • There was a lot of commotion as all the children were excited to go outside to look at snails.

Showing respectful manners to children and staff are important to me. Motioning (non verbal) to a staff member limits communication, planning, and can course unwanted chaos and lost focus. I sensed Katy was also displeased about Wendy’s motion manner. Sheena thought it was rude and Karli shared there was a lack of communicate between staff and staff, and, staff and children. We all talked about how important it is to give notice of a transition – indoor stations to outdoor play, to limit the commotion.

  • Wendy noticed Dory was missing
    • The staff and children had been outside for half an hour when Wendy noticed Dory was missing. Wendy questioned her self – Did she come outside? Was she still inside? Did she walk off into the busy neighbourhood? Wendy used her cell phone to call the director of the program and asked for another staff member to join them outside so she could look for Dory.

Wendy was quite concerned but tried to remain calm to avoid alarming the other children. Wendy explained the situation to Gupal.

    • Wendy realized at the time Dory was missing it would have been a good time to have the attendance form.
    • The attendance form for the day was still misplaced
  • Gupal remembered were Dory maybe?
    • Gupal had told Dory that she needed to talk to her when she was playing in the loose part/block play station. When another staff member arrived outside to help, Gupal ran inside to find Dory crying in the loose part/block play station. Gupal said, “Why didn’t you some outside?” Dory replied, “You told me you needed to talk to me”. Gupal gave Dory a big hug and told her that she had been worried about her.

I believe and along with Sheena, Katy, and Karli if Gupal had talked to Dory in the moment there would have been a good chance that Dory would have been outside with the rest of the children happily playing.

 

3. How do you think Wendy and Gupal can improve their practice?

–    Well-being: Gupal – There is no shame in letting a staff member know that you have had a super busy and tiring weekend.  When we look after children we acknowledge when they are tried and comfort their needs. It is just important for an educated to have their needs meet in order to responsibly look after others.

–    Asking for help: Wendy – When your work day is busy is it still important to follow through with attendance to completion. Wendy could have asked Gupal to oversee the children while she looked for the attendance form or have Gupal help her to find the form, or ask the children if they have seen the form. Together Wendy and Gupal can establish a proper place for the form, and a system for the form to be with them when outdoors.

–    Support, teach, and guide in the moment: Gupal guiding Dory in the moment of her challenging behaviour at the loose parts/block play station would have created connects for Dory to help her to understand her inappropriate behaviours.

–    Consistency: Planning with staff members and providing the children with a 5 minute warning of an upcoming transition limits chaos and allows the children to know what is happening next. It also allows time for the staff members to prepare, gather equipment, and help the children. Working together as a team and making sure everyone is ready makes for a positive transition. Sheena suggested before the children left the center Gupal and Wendy could have conduct a head count. Katy, Karli and I strongly agreed with Sheena’s suggest. It is the staff member’s responsibilities to know how many children are attending the centre at all times of each day. Especially when transitioning from indoors to outdoors – outdoors to indoors.

– Communicate: Verbal or non verbal communicate is an important key when working with children and their families. More importantly is the receiver understanding what is being communicated. And when chaos is surrounding you and you feel out of control or trying to remain calm, use your voice and take the time to verbally communicate, breathe and reassess the situation. E.g. lots of commotion when the children were leaving the centre to go outdoors, Wendy noticing Dory was missing.

Staff to staff, staff to child – child to staff, staff to family – family to staff, and family to child – child to family is a two way communication conversation. 

4. Do you think Gupal and Wendy should talk to Dory’s parents about the situation that occurred? Why or why not?

Yes.

When the parents arrive to the centre to pick up Dory from that moment on the situation could be announced at any time, either by Dory or another children from the centre at pickup time, or Dory telling her parents about it when having family dinner, or maybe at bedtime Dory is taking about her situation and remembering she was crying while she waiting for the teacher to talk to her. These are a few scenarios of what could happen.

I believe it is the educator’s responsibility to talk to Dory’s parents in private about the situation. As uncomfortable it may be the educator is taking ownership of the situation straight away, being honest and transparent with Dory’s parents and communicating the truth of what happened. Parents can address their concerns with the educator before they leave the centre.

If the parents are in a rush, or a different authorized person comes to pick up Dory, the educator can let them know they will be calling them/parents to talk about Dory’s day at the centre. It is always best to address a situation as soon as possible.

As a manager of the centre it is the manager’s responsibility to follow up with all staff members involved in the incident of Dory going missing. A time to review why and how this situation happened, a time to address and revise the departure procedure and policy from the centre to the outdoors, and a time to learn from mistakes when they happen.

 

Peer Group Discussions.

During our discussion time with each question I felt we were open with our listening to one another, asked each other questions when we did not understand, and on the same page about ethical behaviour, questionable practice, and we all had similar beliefs of how to improve Gupal and Wendy’s day. Each of us brought our own thoughts in from our own educator/parent experiences, Katy noticing the difference from working with 2 children compared to working in a centre, Karli enjoys supplying tools for child to explore with noticed Gupal was invested in providing gardening gloves and shovels for the children, Sheena acknowledging the importance of a 5 minute warning for transition through her own experience with her daughter, and being transparent in communication with uncomfortable situations I believe is to be addressed straight away. Collaborating together, through different lens perspectives helps each of us to grow and gain professional knowledge, skills, and language in our professional journey of Early Childhood Education.