Final Reflection

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Final Reflection
SEI 516, Spring 2013
Kara St.Hilaire
University of Maine























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Collaboration is a key component of success in the work force, no matter what
you do. In fact, A team approach has been viewed as a factor contributing to quality
services for young children and their families since the outset of early childhood
education. (As cited in Olson, Murphy & Olson, 1998) It is especially important to
collaborate in this field because of the many individuals and professionals that play
crucial roles in the childs development and success. Not only is collaboration
needed in order to give the child comprehensive services, it also functions to
provide early childhood programs with coaching, training, and other resources to
make the program more credible.
Perhaps the most common and important form of collaboration, when used
effectively, is consultation. Consultation is one approach that has been advocated
to achieve such collaboration for the purpose of increasing staff knowledge and
skills anti improving the quality of inclusive early childhood programming. (As
cited in Wesley, Buysse, & Skinner, 2001, p. 112). Through taking this class and
practicum in collaborative consultation, I have first hand experienced the impact
and change that occurs when a team works together in order to achieve a set goal.
The consultation process was an overall positive experience for me in my
workplace, The Childrens Center Augusta. I chose to have my direct supervisor as
my consultee, and for the most part it worked out pretty well, as she had a wealth of
knowledge and ideas to contribute to our TA plan. However, I did feel that having
my supervisor as my consultee hindered me a bit throughout the eight stages of
consultation, as described in chapters three through ten of Consultation in Early
Childhood Settings. (Buysse & Wesley, 2005) Rather than being able to observe, ask
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open-ended questions, and gather information through assessment, stages one
through three were more like a conversation or discussion-like style. Being my
supervisor, I felt almost as though the roles were reversed, and she was the
consultant, and I the consultee. It being my classroom, I did feel like I had more
control throughout stages four through eight. During the Activity Based Intervention
(ABI) project, we set goals together, selected certain strategies, and worked together
to implement and evaluate the childs plan in the classroom. Cohen & Spenciner
(1994) provided an excellent resource for both of us to use when we began
conducting child observations and taking data. For me, it was helpful to visually see
how to properly calculate the different types of results from the data.
The TA plan was a meaningful and rewarding assignment. It felt good to
know I was creating a plan that was specifically focused on making a positive
difference on the program and kids I work with every day. It was beneficial to go
over the programs strengths, needs, and resources. Doing that helped us break
down areas that the Center excelled at, as well as the areas that needed to be
evaluated. For project B, I chose to gather resources for my program; in my case it
was to find cost efficient ways to enhance our playground. My supervisor and I
enjoyed searching for different ideas; it made us realize that there are so many
creative, easy, and cheap ways to enhance the outdoor play area in ways that would
promote childrens imaginations as well as provide learning opportunities.
Knowing I was being a proactive employee of the Childrens Center,
providing resources that would help enhance the quality of our center and
experiences for the children was extremely gratifying, and lead me to think about
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how much change could be implemented if a whole team worked together to find
resources for the better of the program.
Although my experiences with implementing a technical assistance plan
went well, there were a few things I would have done differently. First, when finding
resources to enhance the quality of communication in my program, I wish I had
taken the chance to explore the benefits of coaching on a supervisory and leadership
level. Second, while my supervisors expertise and experience was a huge asset to
the TA plan, had I though it through more I think it would have been beneficial for
me to choose a Behavioral Health Professional (BHP) who serves as a one on one to
children in the classroom to consult with. That way, I could have delivered my
expertise and used it as an opportunity to coach another staff member, giving them
the knowledge and tools necessary to enhance the quality of their services to the
current and future children they work with.
The term coaching was something I had never heard about until taking this
class, and turned into a topic that I really enjoy, and want to become more skilled in
as an early intervention specialist. The neat part about coaching, defined as:
An adult learning strategy in which the coach promotes the learners
(coachees) ability to reflect on his or her actions as a means to determine the
effectiveness of an action or practice and develop a plan for refinement and
use of the action in immediate and future situations. (Rush & Sheldon, 2011)
is that there are different forms you can use in order to assist the varying needs a
program has. For example, there is peer coaching, a confidential process through
which two or more professionals work together to reflect on what they are
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currently doing, refine current skills and build new ones, share new ideas with one
another, or solve problems in the classroom. (As cited in Donegan, Ostrosky, &
Fowler, 2009, p. 10) Expert coaching, individuals with particular areas of
knowledge and skills who have been trained specifically to provide feedback and
support to others. (As cited in Rush & Sheldon, 2011) As well as instructional
coaching, that uses reflective practice strategies-including videotaping classes-
coaches help teachers analyze their teaching and its impact on children coaches
cultivate in teachers the habit of continually assessing what they can do to support
childrens learning. (Skiffington & Washburn 2011)
Another positive experience I gained from this practicum in collaborative
consultation was the group presentation. It was beneficial to be able to meet with a
group of people who all have different ideas or experiences from working in
different agencies, or even different parts of the state of Maine. Especially where I
am still considered to be fresh in the field of early education, meeting with others
with more expertise gives me a chance to gain new knowledge and be reflective on
my practices. Our group project is actually a great example of how collaboration
works: three individuals, who work in separate areas of the state, with different
specialties, job titles, and duties in the field brought together by our ideas, opinions,
interest areas, backgrounds, and knowledge, then using them collaboratively to put
together our presentation to share with other members of our class. For example,
Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) was never something I paid much
attention to, or cared to know more about, but it happened to be a topic that one of
my group members wanted to research and include in our presentation. Because of
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her interest in QRIS, I decided to make myself more knowledgeable as well, leading
me to the discovery of how important this system is, and why programs and
providers should work towards increasing their levels of quality by participating in
their states QRIS. Further researched led me to find that all Quality Rating and
Improvement Systems have some sort of coaching or on site assistance that helps
programs develop and improve. (Tout, Isner, & Zaslow, 2011) I thought it was neat
to see yet again the assistance and range of services that coaching can provide.
From taking this practicum and seminar in collaborative consultation, I have
truly developed a deep understanding as to why programs must put the devotion
into ensuring quality, and that it is affected and influenced by a number of factors
including:
Adoption of state statutes and rules; availability of legal decisions and
interpretations; calls for parent-professional collaboration; innovations from
new research and practice; emphasis on trends such as reform and excellence
in education and human services; growth in consumer empowerment;
increased efforts in interagency coordination and multidisciplinary services;
and greater sophistication in early intervention and preschool programming.
Early childhood programs need an ongoing strategy to maintain and improve
their services within this dynamic context of change. (Trohanis, 1994, p. 311)
A solid early childhood program starts with a foundation of directors, board
members, supportive community and administrative staff to ensure the dynamics of
the program such as finances, maintenance, and operations is running efficiently
and smoothly. These people are responsible for ensuring the program has the tools
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necessary to support their staff members. According to Stephens (2001)
Our programs are only as good as the staff were able to hire, retain, support,
and consistently motivate to high performance the best investment
programs ensure staff are consistently and creatively trained so theyll
continue to be fascinated by their work with children. (p. 27)
Teachers, therapists, aides, ed techs, behavioral health professionals, etc. These
employees are the front line of a childs development. In order to ensure the child is
getting his or her needs met, the adult working with them must be adequately
trained in their role and duties.
This class has not only taught me what a program needs to be successful, but
has given me faith that it is not as complicated as it may seem. Even narrowing it
down specifically to collaboration and consultation in the early childhood setting
opens many doors to new ideas, skills, and success in working with children. I look
forward to embarking on a journey of making this all possible to the community and
program I am a part of.








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References
Buysse, V., & Wesley, W. P. (2005) Consultation in Early Childhood Settings.
Baltimore, Maryland: Paul H Brooks Publishing Company.


Cohen, G. L., & Spenciner, J. L. (1994). Observing the Child and the
Environment. Assessment of Young Children. (95-142) University of
Michigan: Longman.

Donegan, M. M., Ostrosky, M. M., Fowler, S. A. (2000). Peer Coaching:
Teachers Supporting Teachers. Young Exceptional Children, 3 (9) DOI:
10.1177/109625060000300302

Robbins, P. (1991). How to plan and implement a peer
coaching program. Reston, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development

Olson, J., Murphy, C. L., Olson, D. P. (1998) Building Effective Successful Teams:
An Interactive Teaming Model for Inservice Education. Journal of Early
Intervention. 21(4) 339-349

Allen, K. E., Holm, V. A., & Schiefelbusch, R. L. (1978). Early
intervention: A team approach. Balitmore, MD: University
Park.


Rush, D. D., Sheldon, L. M. (2011). The Early Childhood Coaching Handbook.
Baltimore, Maryland: Paul H Brooks Publishing Company.

Ackland, R. (1991). A review of the peer coaching literature.
Journal of staff development, 12(1), 22-27. American
Federation of Teachers (2002). At the Starting line: Early
childhood education programs in the 50 states.
Washington, DC: American Federation of Teachers.
Retrieved from
http://www.aft.org/pdfs/ece/startingline1200.pdf

Skiffington, S., Washburn, S., Elliot, K. (2011) Instructional Coaching: Helping
Preschool Teachers Reach Their Full Potential. Young Children. 66(3)12-
19


Stephens, K. (2001) Creative Staff Training is Key to Quality. Childcare
Information Exchange, 11 (1) 27-30
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Tout, K., Isner, T., Zaslow, M. (2011) Coaching1 for Quality Improvement:
Lessons Learned from Quality Rating and Improvement Systems. Child
Trends. 1-9
Trohanis, P. L. (1994) Planning for Successful Inservice Education for Local
Early Childhood Programs. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education.
14 (3) 311-332


Wesley, P. W., Buysse, V., Skinner, D. (2001). Early Interventionists
Perspectives on Professional Comfort as Consultants. Journal of Early
Intervention, 24 (2) 112-128


Buysse, V., Schulte, A. C., Pierce, P. P., & Terry, D. (1994).
Models and styles of consultation: Preferences of
professionals in early intervention. Journal of Early
Intervention, 18, 302-310
Buysse, V., & Wesley, W. (2001). Models of collaboration for
early intervention: Laying the groundwork. In P. Blasco
(Ed.). Early intervention services for infants, toddlers, and
their families (pp. 258-293). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
File, N., & Kontos, S. (1992). Indirect service delivery through
consultation: Review and implications for early
intervention. Journal of Early Intervention, 16, 22 1-234.
Hanson, M. J., & Widerstrom, A. H. (1993). Consultation and
collaboration: Essentials of integration efforts for young
children. In C. A. Peck, S. L. Odoni, & D. D. Bricker (Eds.),
Integrating young children with disabilities into
community programs: Ecological perspectives on research
and implementation (pp. 149- 168). Baltimore: Paul H.
Brookes.
Palsha, S., & Wesley, P. W. (1998). Improving the quality in
early childhood environments through on-site
consultation. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education,
18, 243-253.









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Practicum Log

January 17 2013 - Met with consultee to explain technical assistance plan. We
chose to gather resources for program for section B, and to develop a plan for
activity based intervention and monitoring progress for section C.
1 hour- Children's Center Augusta

January 19 2013- Went over the programs strengths, needs, and resources with
consultee. Discussed which child would benefit from an activity based intervention.
1 hour- Children's Center Augusta

January 29 2013- Met with consultee and filled out the program info.
1/2 hour- Children's Center Augusta

February 4 2013- Met with Consultee and decided the top two beneficial resources
to gather for the program were finding cost effeciant solutions to enhance or add on
to the playground, and how to increase communication in the center.
2 hours- Children's Center Augusta

February 7 2013- Researched different cost efficient ways to enhance The
Children's Center's playground. 2 hours- Home

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February 12 2013- Discussed "Earthplay" as a resource for program in regards to
enhancing the playground with consultee, and decided to add it to the agenda for
the supervisory meeting.
1 hour- Children's Center Augusta

February 19 2013- Researched different areas in communication and how each
specific aspect could increase communication in the education work place.
(Classroom techniques, co-worker collaboration, technology, etc.)
3 hours- Home

February 22 2013- Brought all communication ideas to consultee, Narrowed down
which resources would be most beneficial to the Children's Center.
1/2 hour- Children's Center Augusta


February 27 2013- Completed resources for program (assignment B) into a word
document addressing the concern and the benefit to each resource.
3 hours- Home


March 4 2013- Reviewed assignment B with consultee.
1/2 hour- Children's Center Augusta

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March 11 2013- Met with consultee to prioritize which goals would be beneficial to
provide an activity based intervention. Chose one goal to narrow in on, plus
discussd reasoning and benefits.
1 1/2 hours- Children's Center Augusta

March 14 2013- Observed child to track and record data for current skill level. 2
1/2 hours- Children's Center Augusta

March 15 2013- Observed child to track and record data for current skill level. 2
1/2 hours- Children's Center Augusta

March 20 2013- Observed child to track and record data for current skill level. 2
1/2 hours- Children's Center Augusta


March 25 2013- Created planning worksheet, classroom activity matrix, and
embedded learning opportunities from building blocks worksheets.
2 hours- Home


March 26 2013- Met with consultee to discuss curriculum modifications for ABI
and assign roles.
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1 hour- Children's Center Augusta


March 27 2013- Observed and documented child in the classroom.
2 1/2 hours- Children's Center Augusta


March 28 2013- Observed and documented child in the classroom.
2 1/2 hours- Children's Center Augusta


March 29 2013- Observed and documented child in the classroom.
2 1/2 hours- Children's Center Augusta


April 3 2013- Observed and documented child in the classroom.
2 1/2 hours- Children's Center Augusta


April 4 2013- Observed and documented child in the classroom.
2 1/2 hours- Children's Center Augusta

April 8 2013- Reviewed results with consultee.
1/2 hour- Childrens Center Augusta
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April 12 2013- Uploaded documents to portfolio. Wrote ABI reflection.
2 hours- Home

May 1 2013- May 2 2013- Wrote final reflection for practicum and seminar in
collaborative consultation.
6 hours Home


TOTAL HOURS: 45 1/2