Pedagogical Leadership

Section A:

My image of a child is that this growing individual is very capable, intelligent, competent, creative, curious, and active. Children usually have ambitious desires. They always need recognition of their strengths and rights instead of protection. The child progresses, at first having the needs that adults must meet, and then developing his strengths and interests. I believe that kids deserve the opportunity to receive support as they gradually try to attain their full potential. There are many different descriptions of the child inside each person, and these images direct us as we begin to relate with a child. This theory of concealed childhood within people pushes a person to behave in particular ways; it guides individuals as they speak to, listen to and observe the child. The environment one constructs around them, as well as the children, also reflects their image of the child.

Children are incredibly sensitive, and they can see as well as sense very fast the spirit of what happens in the adult world where they belong. I think children mature as natural researchers, who query their observations, hypothesize solutions, forecast outcomes, experiment, reflect upon, and represent their discoveries. Personal experiences and relationships within their environments make up their collection content. Additionally, children develop as self-motivated learners seeking to comprehend the world wherein they live. Moreover, they learn with the support from adult interaction, sharing their thoughts with peers through multiple languages.

Section B:

I believe that Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory best supports my beliefs and values because its main ideas are relevant to my perception of children. The sociocultural approach emphasizes interdependence of the individual and social processes in knowledge co-construction (Fleer, 2006 pp. 3). Through participation in daily experiences, children develop and learn ways of becoming interdependent with both other children and adults. In addition, children have multiple and reciprocal attachments and actively seek ways of belonging since birth. Moreover, children’s valued contributions support their feeling of belonging, thus, relationships and participation are central to learning. The sociocultural theory describes the awareness of conditions surrounding individuals, as well as how these surroundings together with cultural and social factors specifically affect individual behaviors. Additionally, this theory applies to all sectors in our everyday lives, and elucidates how we relate, communicate, understand and cope with each other.

The post-structuralist theory does not reflect my values and beliefs that children have complex shifting identities, as they progress and participate in various social groups. I also tend to disagree with the post-structuralism idea that children can modify their ways of belonging as they contribute to different groups (Fleer, 2006 pp. 4). The sociocultural theory deems that through the involvement in activities that need communication and cognitive functions, children become drawn into using these functions, which nurture and scaffold them. Post-structuralist theory, on the contrary, is based on the notion of over-determination, even if the conception does not appear plainly in textual presentations (Kumara, 2014, pp. 5).

Section C:

I would prefer to use the child-centered approach, which I could also refer to as a learner-centered curriculum plan. I prefer the child-centered approach because it takes into account the strengths, experiences, interests, and needs of each child. Children would frequently initiate as well as direct experiences, and the educators would provide the support and resources (Arthur et al. 2012, pp. 239).

I would also like to use an integrated curriculum approach and integrate two or more curriculum areas. This approach offers children genuine chances to study and connect across different areas of the curriculum (Arthur et al. 2012, pp. 239). Additionally, the integrated syllabus encourages children to become confident and engaged learners, as well as effective communicators. The curriculum helps children to build learning relations along with a sense of bonding to the broader society.

Section D:

Some of the pedagogies I would use include the focus-child system in which I would observe different children and then plan for every week. I would also employ the educator-determined curriculum which I would prepare in advance, except that it might remain flexible respond to the interests of the children (Arthur et al. 2012, pp. 235). Moreover, I would mostly use non-interventionist teaching strategies, such as facilitation, supporting and modeling. I would also combine small group and individual experiences with some entire group experiences, focusing on assessment and documentation upon whether each child can attain objective. I would use resources reflecting diversity, as well as those open-up novel possibilities for the construction of identity and intentional teaching.

Section E:

My approach to working with families and communities would involve engaging them as allies in the schooling of their children. I would ensure these families and communities receive the support and the opportunities they need in order to become involved. I would also create a school atmosphere that welcomes the parents and gives them confidence to voice and raise their concerns. The parents would be able to appropriately participate in decision-making so as to develop effective partnership. Additionally, I would provide the parents and communities with the training and the relevant information they need in order to become involved in their children’s education. Lastly, I would reach out to the parents and communities with invitations to take part in the learning of their children.

Section F:

In my opinion, transition to school is a time when children and their families must survive changes in their physical setting, expectations, and social interactions. Furthermore, children and their parents have to manage the changes in the structure and type of the learning environments. They have to adjust to their new roles of learners. Additionally, I believe that the transition to school becomes a community responsibility and issue. The broad perspective of these metamorphoses recognizes that there are many contributions to changeover experiences and that the expectations and perception of all of these contributions shape those experiences. These contributions change the ways of the shift programs conceptualization. I think that the transition to school potentially affects later school outcomes or continued learning. To my mind, early school success is connected with active school trajectories with regard to the social competence and academic achievements.

Section G:

Evaluation and critical reflection in educational leadership provide empirical data that shows how the combination and accumulation of strategies and actions eventually result in school improvement. This evaluation also shows how the head-teacher’s leadership directly creates and influences upgrading in the learning and teaching environment, as well as school association. The observation reveals how this educational leadership  indirectly improves the outcome of the students.

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