Reflections

Week 1:
I was excited to be starting my placement at a centre that I had never been to before. In my

first few days at the centre I was able to develop an understanding of how the room I am in

runs as well as the relationships of the children within the room. There are not many children

in the room that attend 5 days a week so there are different dynamics within the room on a

day to day basis. The philosophy of the centre seems to be close to my own although the way

in which it is implemented is slightly different to what I would implement as an educator. I

will continue to observe the learning environment and the children and educators to be able to

develop a better understanding of the children and use this knowledge to be able to plan

meaningful experiences for the children throughout my placement.

Week 3:

I have gotten used to the routines within the centre and the room and have been able to start

taking group times and helping with transitions throughout the day. I have been able to

observe the children and plan for them individually as well as ensuring that these experiences

will also be interesting for other children within the room. I have been able to organise

regular meeting times with my mentor teacher and received some really positive feedback as

well as some feedback that has allowed me to critically self-reflect as well as further develop

my skills. I have also been able to use time within these meetings to bounce ideas of my

mentor teacher as well as discuss future work that I will require her input on. I have found a

routine for myself within the centre and in my room and have found myself easily fitting in
with this routine and being able to be as useful as possible within my room without the other

educators needing to tell me what to do.

Week 5:

In my last week of placement, I have been able to reflect on my project as well as the other

experiences that I have implemented throughout my time within the centre. I have been able

to build strong relationships with my focus children as well as other children within the room.

One of the downsides of this placement was that I was not able to form the relationships with

families that I have in the past and through this I was not able to acquire as much information

about the children as I have on my previous placement. I have been able to do group times

within my room and keep the children engaged and responsive as well as being able to

initiate transitions throughout the day and ensure that they run smoothly. I was able to learn

more about programming and the reflective process for this within the centre which has

helped me in my own understanding of the way in which programming benefits the centre.

Overall I have been able to learn a lot from my time within my professional experience

setting and these experiences have allowed me to grow and develop in my skills as an

educator as well as allow me to further reflect on my practices and documentation.