Week 3 Journal Prompt for ECE
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 21
Hello!
Welcome to week 3! Thank you for subscribing to self-reflection and personal growth! Grab your favourite writing utensil, paper/notebook/or keyboard and find some space to write whatever comes to mind.
Here's your journal prompt for this week:
How are you adapting your teaching to meet diverse learning needs?
Some things to expand (or begin) your reflection from this week: Have a think about your classroom needs. How are they different? How are they the same or similar? What might work for one, may not work for another. As new research and knowledge comes available, what new strategies or tools are you implementing that are different from previous? Are they working?
My Story
I have really dove into the world of somatics, about the nervous system and how the body might store and express emotions, even repressed ones from old trauma. I acquired training certificates in somatic therapy practice and trauma informed care through somatics. It made me think about the challenging behaviours that we are seeing an increase of in classrooms from Infant Care Programs to High Schools, and how the nervous system may be functioning within those children and adolescents.
I have dramatically adapted my teaching style over my 25 years as an ECE. Now, I really work with the prosocial skills (emotion/social skills) and meeting children and families where they are at. Adapting my program to allow for sensory overwhelm and underwhelm, dysregulation strategies, and time in.
Challenging Behaviours in Early Years
I created a 4-hour professional development course that dives deep into the challenging behaviours often seen in child care programs. It begins with communication, the nervous system, and the responses of the nervous system. Then into more depth of where the behaviours may be coming from, looking from a developmental and trauma-lens. Ending with many strategies to arm your tool belt with. As well as looking at the policies of the programming to see if they can support families and community, and what to do if behaviours are more than you can manage.
I have included what I feel is important to know as an ECE (or Education Assistant - as I am one, too!)
You can find this Self-Paced course available here:
A professional development certificate is included at course completion.
About Me
I am an ECE educator for 25 years, with a diploma as an Education Assistant and a degree in Child and Youth Care. I wish to make pro-d for educators by an educator who understands the career journey, the struggles, the successes, the burnout, the love of child development, and so much more.
Your Call to Action
This week I challenge you to create some hands-on play activity, where you can participate alongside the children you work with. It could be something tactile like playdough (and you mindfully engage with it), or a science activity that may involve experimenting with ingredients, or a baking/cooking activity. It could be incorporating new building materials into the play space (such as a basket of sticks from outside, cookie sheets, river rocks, or other loose parts (make sure they do not pose as a choking hazard for your group of children).
Why? Because these types of hands-on activities may meet multi-sensory needs (visual, tactile, kinesthetic, etc.). These things may also be regulating for children, and adults, such as squeezing playdough, or knocking over a tower of blocks, or eating a snack that was hand made.
Feel free to share your reflections with me. You can share to: michelle@atplayprofessionaldevelopment.com
SUMMER JOURNALING:
Week 4 will be released July 20th week as to permit some down time for me and my family!
Best Wishes Educators!
Michelle Bergen Proctor of At Play Professional Development
Thank you for supporting Canadian content!
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