Reflective Essay on Working with Children and Professional Work

This reflective essay explores the experiences of a nursery teacher working with children aged 2-3, focusing on their role in early childhood education and development. The essay utilizes the Gibbs Reflective Cycle to analyze the teacher's experiences, covering the application of prior learning, pers...Read More

Reflective essay on working with
children and preparing for professional
work

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
REFLECTION.................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Learning refers to the process of acquiring skills and knowledge. Teacher helps in
learning of children. Reflection describes the experience of the person and what they have
learned from the experience. Nursery refers to the place where teacher take care of young
children that belongs to age group of 2-3 years old (Schön, 2017). Spending the time of children
in nursery helps in overall development. It also supports in development of skills such as social
skills. It can be said that nursery class in school helps to create a significant impact on the growth
and development of the students. The Reflection will outline the reflection of teacher working in
a nursery that helps in preparing the children for professional work. It will also describe the
experience of teacher of working with 2-3 years old children. Further, the reflection will cover
how the preschool educator helps in developing children so that, they can complete professional
work in future.
MAIN BODY
REFLECTION
Graham Gibbs has developed Gibbs Reflective Cycle for providing a structure that help
people to describe their experience. There are various stages of the model. Experience of
preschool teacher who is currently working with nursery students has been described by using
Gibbs Model of Reflection. It will focus on different themes like application of prior learning in
a work environment, enhancing the personal and professional development of children's, relating
the knowledge with work environment etc (Pianpeng, T. and Koraneekij, 2016).
Description
Last month I was appointed as class teacher of nursery class of the school in London. The
nursery is consisted of children from 2-3 years of age. It was my first job of working as an
educator. I have joined the post of teacher in nursery because it will give me an opportunity to
give my contribution in personal and professional development of children that are studying in
nursery standard. The timing of the class was from 10 AM to 1 PM. The job of nursery class
teacher has given me immense pleasure because it helps to nurture the growth and personal
development of the children (Lino, 2016). Teacher plays a major role in overall development of
the nursery children's. Parents of the children also know that preschool teacher plays a significant

role in supporting the children's in resolving early learning problems they face in early stages of
the life.
Feelings
As it was my first job as a nurser teacher, in starting days of the joining I was not very
much comfortable but as days passed I become more comfortable with the children. Working
with children from 2-3 age group was very good experience for me. It has helped me to know
about various stages of growth and professional development of the children's. It is a great task
of the teacher to take care of with children of diverse nature, habits and capabilities. Therefore, it
is essential to adapt with the different needs of the children and providing them assistance
accordingly. I have realized that, some children's are more capable as compared to other
children's.
One of the most important thing I have experienced that, children's should be involved in
group activities. Children's grab things easily while working in a team. My experience of
working with 2-3 years age children is very fruitful because, it has helped me to learn various
things such as a teacher play an important role in dealing with the situations in which children
refuse to follow the regulations and guidelines. As a preschool teacher, I felt that, lot of patience
and practise is required for dealing with children's (Stige, 2017.).
Evaluation
While working with children, I have realized that skills and knowledge of teacher helps
to support personal as well as professional development of children. My skills such as
communication skills have helped me a lot to effectively work with nursery children's. These
skills help me a lot in guiding and directing children's for their professional development. During
this period, I have also conducted different types of activities such as team work, creative art etc.
So that, it will help in promoting future development of children's so that, they will be prepared
for professional work. Some things go well and some things don't (Lindon, 2012).
Initially, I have formed the team of all the children for solving the puzzle. I have divided
the task to individual children's what they have to perform on the basis of their understanding
and skills. I realized that, initially it was very difficult for me to explain the activity to the
children. But my own skills have help me to make them understand. All the children have
actively participated in the activity with full enthusiasm. One of the most important lesson I have
learn is that children's learn easily and early while working in a team and support of teacher is

also essential. In my view, group activities help in development of different types of skills in
children (Satka, M., Kääriäinen, A. and Yliruka, 2016). I thought that, various activities that I
have conducted will help has promoted social skills of children because in group activities
children interacts with each other for solving their problem, it has also helped in developing
skills of team work because in the group activity of solving the puzzle all the children' have
participated as a team. I have experienced that, there are some children are there that take more
time to learn new things for the first time while others learn in less time. I think this approach has
help to lay the basis for personal development of kids for developing a wide range of skills such
as writing and reading skills and help to promote understanding in children themselves. This
experience will help me in my future jobs if I will receive the opportunity to take care of children
(Pollard, A. and Pollard, 2014).
Analysis
During my experience as a preschool teacher, I analysed that, the activities that I have
conducted for the students work well because, the task was divided among the students on the
basis of their own skills and capabilities. There are various theories that have helped me to
understand that, preschool teacher should understand the needs of children's and on the basis of
this they must be given the task. For Example – Freud's Psychosexual theory of development
help me to understand that conflicts and barriers that arises during the initial stages of growth
and development of children's helps to influence their behaviour that further results in
developing young children for performing professional work in the future (Pianpeng, T. and
Koraneekij, 2016). Other than this, Erickson Psychosocial theory of development that focuses
on social interaction and development of children at different stages of life has also helped me to
realize that, the development and growth of children is a continuous process which is continued
throughout the life.
Working with young children of 2-3 years age group help to improve my understanding
that young children are having capabilities of developing their own skills and knowledge. During
the period, I have seen that children's faces various constraints in respect of competencies of
children but these constraints has supported in overall development, improving the understanding
and skills of the children. Further, In my opinion, the environment of the nursery has played a
major role in promoting emotional and cognitive development of children. Preschoolers should
develop the ability to think, communicate and imagine themselves for their future development

(Nisbet, J. and Shucksmith, 2017). While working with the children in nursery I have organized
small games for the children such as providing them different types of books to read,
encouraging games etc. All these type of activities have help to support cognitive development
of children's of 2-3 years of age group. Spending the time with children's has help to develop
better relationship between me and the children's. I Have also analysed that, personal and
professional skills, background of preschool teacher plays an important role in professional
development of the children. My skills and knowledge has help in providing coaching and
training to the children. In my opinion the education of the teacher also create an impact on the
quality of the experience of young children during the initial stage of their learning and
development. The experience of teaching and working with young children of 2-3 years age
group helps to improve my interpersonal characteristics such as view of self, change in the
beliefs regarding education of the children, change in the opinion regarding the work as a teacher
etc (Neumann, 2016).
I have realized that, the early growth of the brain of the children's provides them an
opportunity to influence the physiology of their growth and development. Further, I have
analysed that early child education of the young children's help to develop social skills and
development of the children. All the things have resulted in academic achievement and learning
of child and these are essential for early childhood methods and procedures. I also experienced
that, my approach of providing education and teaching to children have influenced the social
competencies and achievement of the children studying in the nursery (Lynch, D. and Forde,
2016).
In my view, programs that are conducted by me in early childhood of nursery children's
will prepare them for earlier classes in the school. Such as thought processes, structure of
teaching, pattern of educational and social discourse etc. The success of development and growth
of children is also affected by these types of programs and activities help to provide nursery
children's a combination of different patterns of discourse, interaction of children with the
teacher, team work, various mental strategies like memorizing, meta-cognition, reasoning etc
(Gnevek, Savva, L.I. and Saigushev, 2016). The experience of working with young children has
also influenced my skills and learning. It has developed my understanding to understand the
stages of development of child. Preschool learning and skills of children of 2-3 years of age
group should go hand in hand. Example of learning that has enhanced during preschool period

are efforts in the physical world, getting the information regarding the natural world. Example of
skills are identifying the mathematical numbers etc (Bassot, 2015) .
Conclusion
Working with children of the nursery has help me a lot in developing understanding regarding
the different stages of child development. The experience will help me in working in my other
jobs in coming future. It has also improved my skills of teaching and maintaining relationship
with the children such as interpersonal skills and communication skills. I realized that, early
childhood teaching plays a major role in personal and professional development of the children
that will result in growth of child and prepare them for performing future professional work.
Further various theories as I have already explained above has also helped me in gaining
understanding related with the development of children (Domac, Anderson, E.S. and Smith,
2016).
Action plan
If I will receive the opportunity of teaching and working with young children in the future, I will
make improvement in my style of teaching and communicating. Further, I will also conduct
some more activities other than team work such as exercise that help to improve writing skills of
children (Colwell, Pollard, 2015). So that, it will help the children to develop their social skills
and other types of skills.
CONCLUSION
The above Report has outlined the reflection of preschool teacher regarding the experience of
working with children of 2-3 years of age group. It can be concluded that preschool educators
also plays a major role in overall development of the child in initial stages of the life. It is very
essential for the teacher to it is essential to adapt the teaching approach with diverse range of
needs of the children and providing them support accordingly.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals -
Bassot, B., 2015. The reflective practice guide: An interdisciplinary approach to critical
reflection. London : Routledge.
Colwell, J.,Pollard, A., 2015. Readings for reflective teaching in early education, London :
Continuum.
Cottrell, S., 2017. Critical thinking skills: Effective analysis, argument and reflection. Macmillan
International Higher Education.
Domac, S., Anderson, E.S. and Smith, R., 2016. Learning to be interprofessional through the use
of reflective portfolios?. Social Work Education, 35(5), pp.530-546.
Gnevek, O.V., Savva, L.I. and Saigushev, N.Y., 2016. Reflexive Management of the
Professional Formation of Would-Be Teachers. International journal of environmental
and science education, 11(18), pp.13033-13041.
Lindon,J. 2012. Reflective practice and early years professionalism, London: Hodder Education
Lynch, D. and Forde, C., 2016. ‘Moral distress’ and the beginning practitioner: preparing social
work students for ethical and moral challenges in contemporary contexts. Ethics and
Social Welfare, 10(2), pp.94-107.
Neumann, C.B., 2016. Children's quest for love and professional child protection work: the case
of Norway. International Journal of Social Pedagogy, 5(1), pp.104-123.
Nisbet, J. and Shucksmith, J., 2017. Learning strategies. Routledge.
Pianpeng, T. and Koraneekij, P., 2016. Development of a Model of Reflection Using Video
Based on Gibbs's Cycle in Electronic Portfolio to Enhance Level of Reflective Thinking
of Teacher Students. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 6(1), p.26.
Pollard, A. and Pollard, A. eds., 2014. Readings for reflective teaching in schools, London :
Continuum.
Satka, M., Kääriäinen, A. and Yliruka, L., 2016. Teaching social work practice research to
enhance research-minded expertise. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 36(1), pp.84-
101.
Schön, D.A., 2017. The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Routledge.
Stige, B., 2017. Where music helps: Community music therapy in action and reflection.
Routledge.