Page 6 - LESSION 16.pmd

Management of An Inclusive ECCE Centre

• Ensuring teacher motivation and morale; and

• Providing professional support and guidance to the teacher.
Notes

16.3.2 Monitoring

Monitoring is very important in planning and implementation. Monitoring is about
supervising activities in progress to ensure that they are on course and on schedule
in meeting the objectives. Monitoring is the continuous review of programme
implementation to identify and solve problems so that activities can be implemented
correctly and effectively. It involves regular collection and analysis of information/
data on aspects of the programme’s activities.
Monitoring provides useful information for:

• Analysing the programme;
• Determining whether the inputs are well utilised;
• Identifying problems faced and finding solutions;
• Ensuring all activities are carried out properly and in time;

A critical factor in high quality ECCE settings is ongoing supervision and
monitoring the success of the programme. As children grow and develop or there
is a change in the group of children in the community, the programme needs to be
adapted to match this change. Therefore, ECCE programmes need to monitor
the changing needs of children, their families and communities, as well as new
information they gain through monitoring both the children and the programme.

16.3.3 Mentoring
Very often supervision and mentoring are used synonymously, but they are
different. Mentoring is a partnership of mutual benefits between the mentor
(teacher/caregiver) and children. This is based upon encouragement, constructive
comments, openness, mutual trust, respect and a willingness to share. The role
of a mentor in an ECCE centre is to encourage exploration of ideas, provide
appropriate and timely assistance to children in identifying and solving problems.
The teacher or caregiver who acts as a mentor helps children to broaden their
perspective, always seek and give, and be receptive to feedback.

The following are the functions of the mentor:
• Helps the mentee about a specific issue;
• Coaches the mentee on a particular skill;

• Facilitates the mentee’s growth by sharing resources and networks;
• Challenges the mentee to move beyond his or her comfort zone;

• Creates a safe learning environment for taking risks; and
• Focuses on the mentee’s total development.

120 EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION