Cover page
Contents
TASK 1......................................................................................................................................1
Introduction................................................................................................................................1
Aspects to be included when preparing an operational plan......................................................1
Skills base and resources available for inclusion in the operational plan..................................1
Operational plan for m own area of responsibility.....................................................................2
Risks associated with operational plans and contingency arrangements...................................3
Team members’ responsibilities for identified work activities..................................................4
Responsibilities and smart objectives for the pan with team members.....................................4
Task 2.........................................................................................................................................6
Ways to monitor progress and quality of work..........................................................................6
Monitor and evaluate progress against standards.......................................................................6
Feedbacks to the team members following evaluation..............................................................7
Enable communities of practice to encourage continuous improvement...................................7
Review and amend the work plan following evaluation and feedback......................................7
Communicate work plan changes to team members..................................................................8
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................10
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TASK 1
Introduction
An operational plan refers to the preplanned set of goals and objectives that are expected to
be achieved during a certain period of time as planned. Being a preschool in charge teacher, I
have prepared an operational plan so as to achieve my goals and objectives at the end of each
term and those tasks were divided among the members of my team. Time to time the progress
will be monitored and evaluated and necessary steps will be taken if any gaps were found.
Aspects to be included when preparing an operational plan
Aspects to be included in an operational plan differs based on the purpose and the nature of
the work. Also, deciding on what must be included in an operational plan is very important
prior preparing an operational plan so as to describe what it expects achieve the set goals and
objectives. Here, in teaching the operational plan is something different when compared to
that of a company or any other organization.
I am the in charge class teacher of play group which consists children of age 1.5 years to 2.5
years of age. As I am in charge of the whole class which consists of around 25 students who
are very small, I had to divide my jobs with the assistant teacher of my class. Therefore, my
operational plan consists of the following aspects.
First aspect is the goals and objectives of my work which is very important for an operational
plan. The goals and objectives must be SMART enough to achieve. The goals and objectives
were identified separately as long and short term. Also, the goals must be measurable and
achievable within the allocated time period. To help alleviate procrastination, the instructors
decide to introduce SMART goals and strive to have each team member hold themselves and
all other team members accountable (Lawlor & Hornyak , 2012).
The second aspect is the required resources to achieve the goals. Estimating and [planning
what and how much resources are required so as to make it happen. The resources refers to
the raw materials, machineries, equipment or human resources required to accomplish the
tasks.
Thirdly, assigning the jobs for the members. Listing all the tasks that must done so as to
achieve the objectives and then assigning it among the members is very important. That
makes the achievement very easy and efficient. In my case, I have only one assistant teacher,
and I have assigned her some works and responsibilities which she must do and I will keep in
guiding her monitoring on her work progress.
Fourth, the timeframe that is allocated for each objective. Each and every objectives must be
planned to be achieved within a time period. These are the aspects that are considered in my
operational plan.
Skills base and resources available for inclusion in the operational plan
As I have several objectives to be achieved in my setting, the skills base I have is not enough
as there are only two teachers including me to shoulder the entire plan. Unlike other grades,
the teachers of preschools require a lot of skills. Basically, they must be multi-talented. They
must have the ability to handle each and every behavior of the child, must have the skill to
bear up and overcome all the tantrums and discomforts caused by the child along with the
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skills of crafting, creating, drawing, teaching, guiding, attracting, observing, and monitoring
and so on. According to (Tal, 2010), Classroom management requires several skills and
competencies: good interpersonal relationships with children and their parents and staff.
As far as the skills base is considered, the assistant teacher is much more capable to do all
that is assigned to her and she has got almost all the skills a preschool teacher requires. Also,
I too have enough of experience and skills in this field. Therefore, the skills base completely
at its peak.
Still, the available resources required to achieve the goals are not sufficient. Although, I need
more assistant teachers for my classroom to be able to manage the works that are planned.
Also, the student teacher ratio of a preschool must be 8:1, which means that I need one more
teacher to make it easy for them to achieve my targets by managing the classroom. Therefore,
lack of human resources is one issue that hinders my plan’s achievement. Moreover, the
sufficient raw materials required for the tasks are also not provided by the school
management which is another threat. The available materials and raw materials are not
sufficient to achieve my goals.
Operational plan for m own area of responsibility
As the in charge teacher of the play group of the preschool section of our setting, I have set
some goals and objectives that, must be achieved within a certain period of time and they are
assigned to certain members of my team. The long term goal I expect to achieve through this.
The following plan shows it clearly,
Goals and Timeline Available
Required Assigned
objectives resources
resources member
Enhance 3 to 6 months StoryCDs books, on Assistant
English TV and CDs
listening teacher 1
speaking ability activities, word
games
Being able to End of second Craft supplies, Activity books, Assistant
recognize five term CDs on teacher 1
picture books,
alphabets alphabet
(s,a,t,i,p) DVD players, recognition,
outdoor play
toys.
things,
worksheets
Being able to End of second Counting Dice, number Assistant
recognize term frames, clay, puzzles, activity teacher 2
numbers 1 to 5 craft supplies, books, number
flashcards, mats, building
books blocks,
worksheets
Identifying End of first Crayons, paints, 2D shapes, Assistant
colors and term color pencils, popsicle sticks, teacher 2
2
shapes craft supplies, building blocks,
colored papers, activity books
objects of or worksheets
different shapes,
toys, clay
Bring into End of first - - Teachers, minor
practice basic term staff and parents
manners and
disciplines
Bring into End of first - - Teachers, minor
practice some term staff and parents
basic utterances
and greetings
Risks associated with operational plans and contingency arrangements.
The above operational plan is designed by me as an in charge teacher and I have to monitor
and observe each and every thing and guide and remind them of their duties and make sure
everything is done perfectly as planned. Still, there are some risks related to this. The first
thing is that although the objectives are planned to be achieved within a time frame, there is a
risk of not being able to achieve this as a result of insufficient human resource and materials
available. The works get delayed as the job has to be done only by one teacher and that do not
contribute in the achievement of the planned objectives. Further, I being an in charge teacher
feel difficult to monitor the tasks assigned as I also have to take part and help the assistant
teacher with the tasks.
Apart from that, unavailability of required resources is also a risk as it makes the learning
teaching process ineffective. As the children at their early childhood, they prefer variety in
their learning and that makes them interesting and keen towards learning. When the variety of
resources are missing in a setting, the teaching and guiding cannot be carried out as planned.
Also, that delays and affects the planned work.
Also, when it comes to parents’ contribution in shaping their behaviors and bringing some
discipline into practice, it is difficult for us to make sure that if the child is taught the same
good behaviours that were taught at the school.
Therefore, to overcome these sort of issues in the operational plan, I have come with some
contingency arrangements which is plan B. plan B is designed to overcome the issue of lack
of resources and teaching of good behaviors and manners. A batter alternative for teacher
shortage is that, engaging the students with some interactive activities which could engage
them more interestingly for a long time. That would be easy for the teacher to manage the
class and also to teach them more effectively. Most of all, making them engage in hands on
experience activities will engage them more in a lesson that the traditional teaching method.
That makes it easy for the child to learn.
Also, when certain resources are not available at school, plan B suggest to request it from
parents for which they would be paid by the management. Or else, more creative and
engaging activities will be planned with the available resources. Apart from that, for the issue
of practicing good manners and behaviors, if the parents are not contributing for it, then
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certain programs and meeting for parents will be arranged so as to acknowledge them the
importance of it in their childhood. Therefore, these are the contingency arrangements that
would be done to overs come these risks.
Team members’ responsibilities for identified work activities
As per the operational plan above, one teacher is responsible for language proficiency of the
child whereas the other teacher is responsible for math related works. Yet, as there is only
one assistant teacher who takes care of all, I have the responsibility to assist her in certain
tasks as she cannot handle all alone. Therefore, I have the responsibility to observe and
monitor the works assigned and also to help her.
The assistant teacher has the responsibility to enhance the speaking ability of the children by
letting them listen to such conversations, stories, plays and dialogues. Teaching English to the
students need more innovation concerning to the importance of English itself (Budiana &
Yutanto, 2020). Also, more importance must be paid to the teacher student interaction that is
done daily. Moreover, group activities could be done as planned. Whereas, in alphabet
recognition, within the second term the students must be able to recognize all 5 alphabets and
the third term will be completely a revision based on it.
Apart from that. Number recognition, color recognition and shapes related tasks will also be
carried out by her. Number recognition must also be covered within the second period and
third term is completely a revision term. Whereas, color and shape recognition must be
completed within the first term as it is the basic math.
In case of manners ad discipline goals, the minor staffs also have their duties same as
teachers inside the school. They also must teach them good manners and disciplines as they
mostly connected with the children in their other chores apart from studies. Also, the parents
has a part in shaping their behaviors at home which makes it more practical for them. Parents
who are less responsive to their children may not provide a language rich environment and
may have difficulty managing their children’s behavior (Hancock, et al., 2022).
Responsibilities and smart objectives for the pan with team members
1. Assistant teacher
Smart objectives
Being able to make the children recognize 5 alphabets and 1 to 5 numbers within the
second term.
Being able to teach them good manners, make them practice in their daily lives within
the first term.
Being able to make them recognize colors and shapes within the first term.
Responsibilities
Being able to use all the available resources and make learning more interactive,
active and engaging.
Giving them enough of hands on experience in learning.
Teach them good behaviours and make them practice it.
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Speak to them in English.
Look into their needs.
2. Minor staffs
Smart objectives
Being able to teach them good manners, make them practice in their daily lives within
the first term.
Responsibilities
Making sure that every child is following the rules and obeying them while entering
and going out from school.
Teach them manners when going to the toilet or eating during the interval.
Not being harsh towards the children.
Dealing patiently with the students.
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Task 2
Ways to monitor progress and quality of work
At the end of the term I am solely responsible for the entire results and achievements. Being
an in charge teacher I have to make sure that each and every sub goals are achieved so that, at
the end the main goal could be achieved smoothly without any hassle. Therefore, monitoring
the work is very important as my aim is not only getting work done but also getting quality
work done.
As the first step, a silent observation will be carried out. Each and every team members will
be observed time to time if they are doing their assigned job honestly and are they really into
the job. The teacher will be observed on her way of teaching, how she uses her skills and how
she treat the students and the minor staffs will be observed on how they behave with the
children. As parents are also a part of our operational plan, the students behavior in the
classroom will be observed to see if the students are practicing good things at home.
Secondly, each and every team member will be asked on what steps they have taken to make
their more efficient and quality. For example, the teacher will be asked on what strategies she
has used to enhance their speaking skills. This will be done once in two days to make sure
that they are on track.
Apart from that, they would be supported and motivated time to time so that their
engagement in the work is real and honest. The assistant teacher requires a lot of support as
she cannot handle everything alone. I will assist her and support her in her works.
This is how the quality of work will be monitored on daily basis.
Monitor and evaluate progress against standards
As far as a regular monitoring was done to check if the works assigned are been done as
planned to achieve the goals, the minor staff contribute their part of work as expected. They
make sure that each and every moment in and out of the classroom the students obey the rules
of the school and the classroom. The also teach and remind the students of their
responsibilities and duties.
The assistant teacher also could do most of her works as planned like recognition of colors
and shapes and some numbers. Yet, she could only do up to number 3 and few letters as she
has to do it all alone by herself. She finds it difficult to handle everything together as she has
to pay individualized attention to each and every child. She also employed several strategies
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to make learning more interesting for the students and to make the, actively engage in the
lesson. The National Literacy states that in order to achieve ‘high levels of motivation and
active engagement for pupils’, teachers need task questions which ‘probe pupils’
understanding, cause them to reflect on and refine their work, and extend their ideas (DfEE,
1998).
Feedbacks to the team members following evaluation
Providing feedback is very important as it helps them to be motivated and also to correct
themselves. Also, providing positive feedbacks are also very important as negative
comments. Positive comments motivate them to do more and negative comments helps them
to rectify their mistakes and not to repeat them again.
The minor staffs were praised for their contribution in shaping the children’s behaviors and
manners. There are ample of changes in the behaviors of the students, which makes it easy
for us to handle them. Also, their support makes it easy for us to manage the students as
individual attention cannot be paid if the classroom is not manageable. Apart from that, they
also do some works that is not assigned to them like, helping the assistant teacher in
collecting books, arranging required materials for the other day etc.
The assistant teacher is also given positive feedbacks on her dedication and efforts she takes
daily. Handling everything alone is not easy when it comes to a preschool. Even if she gets
the help from minor staffs and me, she still has got a lot of works to be done alone. Therefore,
although some of her works were not done as per the plan, she makes sure that she employs
variety of strategies and methodologies in teaching to make the children active and engaged
in the lesson rather than the traditional system of teaching. There were enough of
improvements seen in the student’s performances, speaking ability and also in recognition of
numbers, letters, colors and shapes. As far as what is observed, she pays individual attention
to each and every child by roaming in and around each and every groups and guide them on
what to do and how to do. Still, she has to pay attention to some more outdoor play apart
from indoor activities as they learn a lot from it.
Enable communities of practice to encourage continuous improvement
Some strategies and alternatives will be employed so as to enhance the quality of work and
improve the practice to match the planned goals and objectives. In case of minor staffs, they
perform their duties as planned and the outcomes were also gained as expected. Still, they
must be encouraged to always make sure the students never fail to practice this daily.
Apart from that, the jobs assigned to the teacher has to be minimized and more support must
be given to her in her works. Therefore, the minor staffs will be assigned of some duties apart
from already assigned duties. The minor staffs must be asked to support the teacher in her
arranging works, lesson preps, book collecting, managing the class and etc. apart from
teaching and marking books, the minor staffs can share the works of the teacher which would
reduce the work load of the teacher. So that the teacher could properly engage in her works
and achieve her goals. Further, so as to facilitate outdoor play, the minor staffs will also be
assigned as an assistant for the teacher. So that, she would be able to take care of all the
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children and receive their attention in outdoor activities as the minor staffs will take care of
managing them.
Moreover, they must be acknowledged that they can come back to their head or leader in case
of any doubts or helps. They will be guided on what they need to help in.
Review and amend the work plan following evaluation and feedback
After monitoring and evaluating the performance, the gaps were found and that has to be
rectified and filled using some strategies and alternatives. Therefore, the operational plan
requires some amendments to be made so that it can achieve the goals as planned.
Goals and Timeline Available
Required Assigned
objectives resources
resources member
Enhance 3 to 6 months Story CDs books, on Assistant
English TV and CDs
listening teacher 1
speaking ability activities, word
games
Being able to End of second Craft supplies, Activity books, Assistant
recognize five term CDs on teacher 1
picture books,
alphabets alphabet
(s,a,t,i,p) DVD players, recognition,
outdoor play
toys.
things,
worksheets
Being able to End of second Counting Dice, number Assistant
recognize term frames, clay, puzzles, activity teacher 2
numbers 1 to 5 craft supplies, books, number
flashcards, mats, building
books blocks,
worksheets
Identifying End of second Crayons, paints, 2D shapes, Assistant
colors and term color pencils, popsicle sticks, teacher 2
shapes craft supplies, building blocks,
colored papers, activity books
objects of or worksheets
different shapes,
toys, clay
Bring into End of first - - Teachers, minor
practice basic term staff and parents
manners and
disciplines
Bring into End of first - - Teachers, minor
practice some term staff and parents
basic utterances
and greetings
Communicate work plan changes to team members
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The operational plan has undergone few simple changes which were bolded in the above
table. As per the above table, the major change that was done is the transferring some duties
of the teacher to the minor staff to reduce the work load of the teacher so that she can
concentrate on the lesson like efficiently. A discussion will be arranged in the classroom
among the minor staffs, the assistant teacher and me. I will communicate on the changes that
were made in the plan.
The minor staff will be asked to help the teacher during each lesson by managing the
classroom. So that, the teacher do not have to spend her time and energy on managing and
asking students to be attentive. Further, they have to help the teacher to clean the classroom,
arrange the classroom, help in lesson prep the day before, to monitor the children during
crafts activities like cutting and pasting, helping the teacher in outdoor activities etc. Apart
from that, they have to do their already assigned duties as scheduled.
Apart from that, a minor change in the operational plan is also done. That is, the teacher will
be given more time to make the students familiar with colors and shapes more. So that, she
don’t have to stress herself and load the works. This could be a relief for her and reduce her
work load a bit.
These are the amendments that were made to encourage them more on their performances.
Conclusion
Being an in charge teacher I have successfully planned my tasks and divided them
accordingly so as to achieve my target every year using the available raw materials and
human resources. This operational was amended after clear observation on the performance
of the team members and necessary steps were taken to reduce the gaps in the performance so
that it would be easy for us to achieve the target as planned.
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References
Budiana , K. M. & Yutanto, H., 2020. Webinar: a startegy to enhance speaking skill of non-
native English speakers. Journal of English Educators Society, 5(1), pp. 31-37.
DfEE, 1998. The National Numeracy Strategy framework for teahcing mathematics. Suffolk:
DfEE publications .
Hancock, T. B., Kaiser , A. P. & Delaney, E. M., 2022. teaching parents of preschool at high
risk: startegies to supporrt langauge and positive behavior. Topics in early childhood special
education , 22(4), pp. 191-212.
Iyer, Y., 2022. Operational planning: how to make an operational plan. [Online]
[Accessed 5 June 2023].
Lawlor, B. & Hornyak , M. J., 2012. Smart goals: how the application of smart goals can
contribute to achievement of student learning outcomes. Developmnets in business
simulation and experiential learning , Volume 39, pp. 259-267.
Tal, C., 2010. Case studies to deepen understanding and enhance classroom management
skills in preachool teacher training. early childhood educatiopn journal, Volume 38, pp. 143-
152.
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