Self-Reflection and Dialogue

In her article "Quality Enhancement through Self-Reflecting and Dialogue," which is included in the Exchange Essentials article collection, Evaluating Teacher Performance, Margie Carter observed...

"In most early childhood programs, professional development or in-service training means bringing in an expert to give a presentation on a topic.  While this is useful in many instances, I always stress to directors and teachers, that 'development' involves learning more about oneself, as well as some additional philosophical, theoretical, or subject content pertinent to the field.  Professional development also involves observing and being in dialog with children, families, and colleagues to explore different perspectives and learn from them.  Toward that end, I'm always inventing strategies that will help teachers 'look inside' and feel safe to put out what they discover as an invitation for further reflection....

"With some agreements and ground rules established, people can be encouraged to share stories of their own experiences with early childhood issues, their values, philosophies, hopes, and dreams.  Over time, these can lead to new insights within oneself and stronger relationships with mutual learning.  The goal of this kind of sharing is not group therapy, but rather deepening the understandings of what each of us brings to the challenging work of spending long days with large groups of children so that we can give and get more support, and become more intentional in shaping our time together."

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