Due to the increased emphasis on the importance of reflective practice in the new ETB Early Learning and Care programmes, the Further Education Support Service (FESS) is delighted to offer online professional development in the area of reflective practice to support early learning and care staff in the implementation and delivery of these new programmes.

This live online session will be facilitated by Carmel Lillis. Carmel is an independent education consultant and personal coach with experience as a teacher, home/school/community coordinator, and school principal. She currently supports the work of school principals, deputy principals, and teachers through facilitated workshops on leadership and coaching. She is a tutor on the Innovative Teaching and Learning Master’s programme in Maynooth University and is committed to lifelong learning.

Overview of the session 
Practicing in a professional capacity in early childhood education settings is a complex and challenging career choice. Each setting is a learning environment not only for the children but for the adults involved.
Adults involved in these learning communities, are professionals who commit to lifelong learning and take every opportunity to deepen their understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

Central to every learning community is the habit of reflection, through which we examine our work, individually and with others, in order to ensure that it is in accordance with both the values/ethics of our organisation and our own values.

Reflective practice requires that we engage in thought processes that make us aware, in a critical way, of our everyday activities ‘with a view to continuously improving and refining practice’ (Síolta, 2017). Developing the skills and dispositions for reflection “requires practice, intellectual engagement and purpose” (Rocco, 2010, p. 313).

This session will give participants an opportunity to learn about the critical importance of reflection as an aid to personal and professional development order to enhance the care and education provision offered in early childhood education settings.