Description
Activity Time:
2 Hours; Additional Time for Study, Research, and Reflection: 1 Hour
Directions:
Background
Who and what defines professionalism? As emerging leaders in the field, it will be your role to set the standard – the bar – for those who follow in your footsteps. As with children, modeling for each other is a necessity. However, professionalism is often defined differently based on an individual’s personal beliefs and values and/or the expectations of the program in which you work. It is important to find a way as a field to define professionalism for all.
Initial Post
Review the information on professionalism in the following documents:
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)’s Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) Position Statement
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)’s Code of Ethical Conduct
Search for at least one article (published within the last five years) that discusses professionalism in the field.
Incorporating the information from your research, create an original definition of professionalism in the Early Childhood Field. Please do not copy and paste from your resources. Rather, create a definition of your own.
Reply Post
In your reply post, write a reflection on at least two other students’ initial posts and address the following prompt:
Select a post by your colleagues who responded with a definition of professionalism that is different from what you posted.
In your response, discuss why you think their definition does or does not include components that demonstrate professionalism in the field. Think about how professionalism might look different in various programs and roles.
