Locally we have a Kindergarten Readiness Forum that is
sponsored by United Way Success by six- Local professionals meet at a round
table once a year to discuss new topics and issues in the early childhood. This community of practice appeals to me
because I want to stay current on topics related to Kindergarten
Readiness. I like being the voice of learning
through play and playing a role in what we think is quality in the early
childhood field.
NAEYC is a Community of Practice that I find
appealing. Their goal of quality and
developmentally appropriate practices is a great collaboration of individuals
that truly understand early childhood and give teachers resources on important everyday
topics. I think being a part of this COP
is an opportunity that I could not pass up and I hope to grow my relationship
with NAEYC and OAYC (The Ohio affiliation)
ODE- The Ohio Department of Education- I would like to be
part of this COP because I plan to develop mentor-ships in the early childhood
field. I recently have gone through the
Ohio RESA program as a preschool teacher in a non-profit organization and the
process was brutal. Finding a mentor and
paying for one was something I do not want to have to do again. I want to
become a preschool mentor through ODE so I can help mentor other preschool
teachers that may be going through the same process. This COP will also be connecting teachers
with resources and developing strategies that are developmentally appropriate
and understanding what academics look like in preschool.
“A growing number of people and organizations in various
sectors are now focusing on communities of practice as a key to improving their
performance.” (Wenger, 2006).
·
Jobs that would peak my interest:
College instructor for a master’s degree in
early childhood with an emphasis in environmental education.
Skills needed- strategies for working with adults,
communication skills, a passion for early childhood, and a willingness to
accept new ideas, and knowledge of environmental practices for early childhood.
·
A consultant for local preschools - teacher
trainings.
Skills needed- prior experience working with preschoolers,
a vast realm of stories from experience, hands on examples, listening skills,
and people skills.
·
A parent consultant - helping them find a
quality preschool
Skills needed- Prior experience working with families and
preschools, administration background a plus, people skills, knowledge of local
preschool programs and understanding of different learning styles. Helping
parents find the preschool that best fits their child.
Resources
Wenger, E. (2006).Communities of practice: A brief
introduction. Retrieved from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/
Hi Tisha,
ReplyDeleteGreat post this week! I also chose my local NAEYC chapter as an important resource. When you mentioned that United Way was doing a lot for children near you, I thought about how many great things they're doing in Minnesota by teaming up with MnAEYC. In recent years they have been funding accreditation facilitation programs for schools that want to become NAEYC accredited. Another program is called Sustaining Quality which continues to support the accredited schools. Right away your college professor job posting caught my eye. I am also passionate about environmental education and helping children to learn through nature. I enjoyed reading your post!
Tisha,
ReplyDeleteThank you for a great post! You mentioned that one of your interests is to become a consultant for local preschools. I was just that for about 7 years prior to my current position. Consultation is highly rewarding, especially in Pennsylvania where we have a QRIS system and programs move through four levels of quality standards. Working with programs and the professionals in them and watching their success (sometimes small steps, one at a time) is for me, much like watching children reach various milestones and accomplishments.
During my time as consultant, I would have loved to work on creating communities of practice for programs with similar goals and interests, but the ways in which our state support system was designed, it was not possible at the time. I even envisioned a way to utilize social media for just that purpose, but again, it was not a priority within the system.
There were, however, learning communities that were created to provide the opportunity for early childhood administrators to gather together to discuss specific topics relating to quality standards, and very often, individuals would gather with the same groups at the learning communities and therefore, create relationships and strong communities of practice.