Personal and Professional Identity of the Early Childhood Education Practitioner
Module Description
This module examines the evolving concept of professional identity in Early Childhood Education (ECE), highlighting its shift from a fixed internal trait to a flexible, socially-mediated construct. It explores how identities are negotiated between personal assertions and societal expectations.
Key Learning Outcomes:
- Identity Dynamics: Participants will learn about the formation and negotiation of identities, understanding how both self-positioning and external assignments (by people, organizations, and media) interact to shape professional identities.
- Reflective Practice: The module emphasizes the importance of reflective practice in ECE. Discussions will focus on reflective teaching styles and traditions and how these practices help shape one’s personal and professional identity.
- Role of Identity in Teaching: Through examples and real-world scenarios, participants will explore how multiple identities can coexist and be managed within the educational context.
- Continuous Identity Development: Participants will engage in activities like journaling and group discussions to continuously develop their identities as ECE practitioners, reflecting on how their pedagogical approaches can influence and be influenced by their identity work.
By the end of this module, participants will have a deeper understanding of how to align their personal and professional identities with their teaching practices, thereby enhancing their effectiveness and adaptability as ECE practitioners.
Entry Requirements
Candidates who apply for this course will possess:
- A full qualification at MQF level 4 in Early Childhood Education and SEC/Ordinary Level passes in Mathematics, English and Maltese.
OR
- 2 Advanced Level passes and 2 Intermediate Level passes including 2 subjects from Mathematics, English, Maltese.
A pass at SEC/Ordinary Level in the subject that is not presented at advanced/intermediate level from the 3 specified above. - In the case of students who do not possess all the formal required academic qualifications, then the RPL process could be applied such that if evidence of equivalent learning, related to the area of study of this programme, is found then the applicant could still be accepted in the course. Such RPL process will subject applicants to an interview held with a board of experts within the field, chosen specifically by IDEA Academy, so as to verify their experiences and prior learning.
IDEA Academy’s RPL policy can be accessed through this link
Furthermore, it will be advised to students at entry point that before going on placements, they will need to be in possession of:
- The POMA (Protection of Minors Application) certificate.
- A first-aid certificate prior to commening placement practice.
- A valid police conduct certificate.
Target Audience
This programme has the following target groups:
- Individuals who are approaching the field of Early Childhood Education.
- Individuals who have been working in the field as a means of capacity building.
- Individuals looking to advance to Kindergarten Educator III role.
Module / Unit Instructions
The proposed structure comprises a blended approach promoting the building of a community of practice via peer-to-peer learning. The structure uses primarily two dimensions of teaching-learning modes:
- Face to Face sessions
Face-to-face sessions include lectures, tutorials, discussions, presentations and workshop activities promoting peer-to-peer learning.
- Online Learning Activities
Online learning activities incorporate tutorials and asynchronous discussions. These may consist of active interaction, participation and contributions in fora discussions, sharing resources and self-reflection exercises. Learners also contribute to the building of the community of practice by providing feedback to their peers as critical friends, enhancing the learner’s critical engagement throughout the study period.
How you’ll be assessed
The course comprises:
- Evening classes for part-time courses.
- Classes held throughout the day for full-time courses.
- Guided learning, presentations, comprising synchronous online discussions, tutorials and/or videos.
- Self-study hours comprising research, reading and assignment work.
Assessment
- The module’s assessment take the form of a reflective journal with multiple entries with a 100% weighting.
- The weighting of this assessment is of 100% and it aims to provide the learner an opportunity to produce evidence of his/her competences aligned to the learning outcomes of this Module.
Module Intake Dates
October 2024
Learning Outcomes
Competences:
At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the responsibility and autonomy to:
- Analyse their perceptions about working in an ECE setting.
- Demonstrate an ability to reflect on other viewpoints of working within an ECE setting.
- Identify that the ECE practitioner’s identity is complex and culturally based.
- Analyse how professional identity is developed over a span of time.
- Be able to reflect on their own past experiences related to teaching or learning.
- Analyse the importance of self-reflection linked to personal and professional identity.
- Investigate ways how to engage in reflective practice as an ECE practitioner.
- Identity how societal and cultural positions and changes affect the identity of the ECE practitioner.
Knowledge:
At the end of the module/unit, the learner will be able to:
- Be familiar with the theory of a sequence of concerns (four stages to approach teaching)
- Learn about the different theories related to personal identity, · Learn about the fundamentals of professional (teacher) identity.
- Understand the main stages of professional identity.
- Understanding the notions of continuously reconstructing themselves and their image of themselves as ECE practitioners.
- Be familiar with the relevance of reflective practice.
- Be familiar with stress triggers and how to respond to them (becoming stress resilient)
- Know the concepts of fixed and growth mindsets and how these affect teacher identity.
- Understand the different ways how ECE practitioners view the world around them.
- Understand varied ways how personal and professional growth may be approached.
- Know the key concepts of collaborative practice within ECE.
- Be familiar with goal-setting and lifelong learning elements.
Skills:
At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the following skills:
- Formulate a critical mindset which allows for reflection on one’s own identity.
- Be able to apply growth mindset techniques while working within the ECE setting.
- Appraise further knowledge of the subject by comparing national and international research on teacher identity.
- Critically apply knowledge and skills to engage in active learning.
- Evaluate and critically provide suggestions of how other ECE practitioners can work on their professional identity.
- Choose several myths about the ECE practitioner and debunk them.
Module-Specific Learner Skills:
At the end of the module/unit the learner will be able to:
- Have a strong command of different strategies which assist ECE practitioners in their daily practice.
- Justify challenges to the profession (e.g. stress, burnout)
- Address such challenges by giving concrete approaches to tackle them.
- Justify the impact of the practitioner on other stakeholders in ECE (community of practice)
- Apply a thorough understanding of dual professionalism.
- Propose ways how to measure personal and professional satisfaction and growth.
- Reflect on how to approach ECE from a deterministic worldview.
Module-Specific Digital Skills and Competences:
At the end of the module/unit, the learner will be able to:
- Carry out academic research on websites (e.g. Google Scholar) or journals (e.g. EBSCO, Taylor & Francis, SAGE, etc)
- Navigate the internet for documents and or guidebooks related to teacher identity in ECE.
- Navigate through the online learning platform to download and upload the research proposal, discussion boards, literature, tutorials etc.
- Use basic Microsoft office (or equivalent) applications in order to write and submit assignments.
- Use different digital tools to work on their professional and personal identity.