Assessing professional development

For this assignment, you will assess the ways in which you are progressing on your path of professional development. Use this as an opportunity to consider the ways in which you have already grown and need to continue to grow.
With this in mind:
Download and review the following document: Assessing Your Professional Development
Read and reflect on the 10 professional dispositions.
Rate yourself for each. (Remember, your “score” is not important. What is important is your commitment to becoming a lifelong learner and to deepening your understanding of yourself, your profession, and your professional path.)
Write a paper that addresses the following:
Identify two of your strengths and briefly discuss how each contributes to your growth as an early childhood professional.
Identify two areas in which you would like to develop further, and describe how you plan to grow.
Assignment length: 1 page

Form: A Professional Development Appraisal
As you grow and refine your professionalism in the early childhood field, it is quite helpful to reflect on desired professional dispositions.
There are 10 professional dispositions listed on this page. Each one is a reflection of a slightly different aspect of an accomplished early childhood professional. This is not a complete list. Read through the statements below and reflect on your professional development in order to assess yourself.
In the chart below, indicate “yes” if you believe to have developed a disposition to the fullest; “getting there” if you think you are well on the way towards developing a disposition, and “not yet” if you are just getting started.

PROFESSIONAL DISPOSITION: (check mark )
-YES.  or
-GETTING THERE. or
-NOT YET
1.)I am an active member of the early childhood professional community and am guided by its professional standards and ethical codes.
2.I am proficient in collaborating with others and regularly increase my professional knowledge of the field through the use of diverse resources.
3.I accept the varied responsibilities of my profession.
4.I consistently advocate for children, families, and those who care for children in a variety of positions, and I engage in respectful relationships with all.
5.I comprehend child development and use this knowledge appropriately when working with and on behalf of children and families.
6.I am committed to fostering healthy development in children.
7.In my approach to children and families as well as to issues in the early childhood field, I consistently show respect and empathy, and I am sensitive towards equity and social justice concerns related to children and families.
8.I have committed passion for the early childhood profession and demonstrate  this in all aspects of my work with, and on behalf of, children, families, and the early childhood field.
9. I increase my knowledgebase of the early childhood field through reading professional journals, attending conferences, and networking with other professionals in the field.
10. I appreciate and value human diversity in all its forms, respect the perspectives of others, and strive to be mindful and reflective of my own attitudes regarding diversity.
11. I take care of myself in all developmental domains (physical, cognitive, and psychosocial) so that I can fulfill my professional obligations  from a position of physical, mental, and emotional stability and strength,

Your Appraisal:
8-10 “Yes”: You are fully engaged as a professional.  Think about ways in which you can use your strengths in the service of others: Could you become a more outspoken advocate, mentor, or educator? Ask yourself in what ways can you continue to refine your professionalism and extend your resources. Reflect on how you can keep your passion and continue to grow.

5-7 “Yes”: You are well on your way to becoming a fully engaged early childhood professional. Look at those areas in which you have not given yourself a “YES” answer and reflect on how you can strengthen those professional areas.  Think of ways you can reach out to colleagues and accomplished professionals in the field for support in your continued efforts to grow.

Less than 5 “Yes”: Professional development takes time and dedication. As you grow as an early childhood professional, reach out to others for support, use the many professional resources available to you, and continue to be self-critical, self-reflective, open to change, and always willing to learn.

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