Professional developmentand sustainable change
Example of Professional Learning Communities in Utrecht municipality
(published in: A. Fortunati (ed). (2015) TALE, Tuscan approach learning for early childhood education and care. Activities, results and perspectives. Florence: Intituto degli innocenti.)
Anke van Keulen, Bureau MUTANT, The Netherlands
Today, I have learned a lot about the Tuscan approach and in my view it is a wonderful approach, not just because of the richness, the beauty and the art in the learning environment, we can learn a lot in that from that in the Netherlands.The Tuscan aproach is much richer, in terms of professional competences and it touches all the levels of what we need in early childhood, so my congratulations.
I am very honoured to have been invited in this final conference of the project TALE. Bureau Mutant is a small enterprise in the Netherlands providing training and consultancy on Early Childhood Education and Care.Our Bureau is a member of the ISSA, the International Step by Step Association and a founding member of DECET, the European network on Diversity in Early Childhood services.
When reflecting before coming here in Florence I recognize many issues of my daily practice in the Tuscan approach. , so I would like to share with you an example of my practice about professional development and sustainable change. In Utrecht Municipality MUTANT is executing a project on professional learning communities with primary schools, preschools and early childhood centres. The aim of these networks is to improve the educational quality, the professional cooperation with parents, and in particular to enhance the learning in the teams, in the schools and in the community. In the project a strong connection between the local government, the university and the educational practice in the schools and centres is a crucial factor, a cooperation and relation between all these levels.
The Utrecht Quality Framework for the young child
The quality of early childhood provisions is a key issue in the municipality of Utrecht. It concerns provisions for children in childcare (0-4 years), preschools (2-4 years) and the lower grades of primary school (4-6 years old).
The Utrecht Quality Framework has been developed in collaboration with the University of Utrecht, educational support services and Bureau MUTANT to ensure an integrate quality according to the latest research insights.
The UtrechtQuality Frameworkconsists of three parts:
1) pedagogical / educational quality
2) cooperation with parents
3) mutual, cooperative and continuous learning in teams, organisation, community.
Part3 deals with theteams,theorganisationandthe community.The approach is basedonthe recommendations in theCoRereportandmethodologybook ‘Permanent Learning in Teams': focus on the required competencies oftheprofessionals (continuous learning, questioning attitude) andalearning attitudeat all levelsin the organisation (pedagogical staff, teachers, coordinators, middlemanagersand directors). Focal points are:
-foster aculture of learning,
-encourage that everyone is responsiblefor the learning process,
-set up competentteamcoaches andcounselors,
-facilitate space and timeforreflection inlearning communitiesandlearning teams.
Learning communitieshave been set up ineach districtof the city, therein pedagogical staffandschoolteachers learn together onThe Utrecht Quality Framework. Thelearning communitiesare supported by trainerswho have been trained inthe set up and supportofalearning community.All participatingschools, preschools, childcare centersandlearning communitieshave received the publication 'Permanent Learning in Teams’. There arecurrently18learning communitiesin the city,butthey are extended progressively .
Comittment
Nearly all200elementary schools, preschools and childcare centersin Utrechthave committed themselvestoThe Utrecht Quality Framework. All governing boards have signed and committed themselves to participate in and to implementtheUtrecht Quality Framework. The managementandproject implementationis executed byaproject teamcomprising representatives oftheschool boardsand childcareboards. TheUtrechtMunicipalityplays an important rolein the controland financialsupport.All parties haveput asidetheir mutualconflicts of interests for the best interest of the child and for the common aim to improve quality in the ECCE services. Pedagogical staffandschoolteachershave the opportunityto participate ina learning communityandto transfer theirexperiencesto theirteams, bringing their newknowledge tothe rest of theircolleagues.
So the quality ofthe school orchildcare centeris improvedby practicingpedagogical and educationalprinciples and indicators of quality. In each learning communityperdistrict onecommoneducationalthemehas been chosen which needs improvement.Thecommunitiesmeet 4-6times a year, participants learn from each other byworking inpairs as critical friends, by visiting each otherin a group orclass, by studying relevant textsand by documenting thelearning.
This approach promotes cooperation and understanding between schools and childcare centers; it promotes
-a learning attitude,
-ownership in learning,
-continuous learning in teams and across the organization
-a continuous connection between preschool education and school,
-and the quality of education and care for young children.
What is new in this project in our country is that the improvement of quality is achieved bottom-up, so the educators and the teachers have an important say in this. Also there is a close cooperation between educators and teachers from different schools and centres.
And I will finish with a quote from an educator:
“In a learning community you learn together, it's not just learning from an expert. And so you get connected together, and so there is more cooperation”.
Literature
Urban, M & M. Vandenbroeck (2011). Competence requirements in Early Childhood Education
and Care. A study for the European Commission DG Education. University of East
London, University of Gent, Londen/Gent.
Keulen, A. van & A. del Barrio Saiz (2010). Permanent leren als team. Van zelfreflectie naar
teamreflectie. Amsterdam: Uitgeverij SWP. (Sustainable learning in teams. From self relfection towards teamreflection.
Leseman, P., Keulen, A. van, et al. Utrechts kwaliteitskader voor educatie van het jonge kind 2012/2013. Aanbevelingen voor versterking van professionele competenties voor medewerkers, team en organisatie. (Utrecth Quality Framework. Guidleines to improve the professional competences for practitionars, teams and institutions.
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