Role of the Practitioner - Essay Example

Role of the practitioner. Introduction. This paper shows the role of a practitioner to enable a relationship with parents and also in a multi agency context. A practitioner is someone involved in an occupation for instance a teacher or a medical practitioner. A multi agency function is the functions of different organizations who come together to cooperate in solving a specific problem. The multi agencies involved here are all those organizations that enhance the children’s literacy levels. Thus, this paper is dealing with the capability of a teacher to develop literacy levels of children. The paper will focus on how the practitioner is able to develop a great partnership with parents and other multi agencies. There are various factors that are in a position to help children develop their literacy levels. Literacy is the ability of these children to read and write without much difficulty. These practitioners deal with young children of early years in schools. The practitioners should be in a position to develop long lasting partnerships or relationships with the parents and in a multi agency context (Adekola 2007). Roles of the practitioners. One of the roles of the practitioner is to enhance effective interpersonal communication between him and the parents. This is because being made responsible for working in nursery schools involves one taking care of children up to a possible age of five years. The progress the children make in their early school years need to be monitored. For this to happen, then the teacher and the parents have to keep track of the kids. Young children are capable of having difficulties at the initial stages in school. This is because they had not been used to too much load. Learning to gain the required literacy levels can sometimes prove to be a tall order for them especially the young ones not interested in learning at all (Siraj 2000). Thus, the practitioner and the parents have to communicate often on the progress of the children in the nursery school. Therefore, any problem that may arise is detected early and settled. The practitioner should also ensure that there is a conversation between the parents and their children. Parents should create time for their children and not be too busy for them. If parents ensure a communication with their children, then they are able to learn a lot from those conversations. It is evident that children that are known to be sociable communicators will drive their own learning. They will be so eager for their parents to get back from work and explain to them what they have learnt in nursery school that day (Christie 2009). However, those children who are reluctant to ensure communications require a lot of adult interventions. This is because these children could be having problems in learning and gaining the required literacy levels. Thus, it is the role of the practitioner to ensure that parents and children are having adequate conversations. The practitioners should always be involved in the thinking process of the children by helping them in the thinking process (Siraj 2000). This is only possible if they learn the interests of the children and incorporating them in the learning process. Thus, they need to partner with the parents because they know their children better. Both the practitioners and the parent’s adequate involvement in the child’s interests ensure that a great partnership is formed between them thus enhancing the child’s literacy levels. The practitioners should also ensure that the environment the parent brings up their children enhances the children literacy levels. The family setting plays a vital role in what the child learns in the nursery schools. If the parent and the family members ensure that they read stories to their children every time, then the children will learn the importance of the reading culture (Staples 2007). The children will copy their parents. Parents are socializing factors. The behaviors they bring up their kids with since a tender age ensures remains with the children all their lives. Thus, if the parents develop a reading culture in their children, then these children will grow up with them enhancing heir literacy levels. It is one crucial role of these practitioners to ensure that the children are well molded. This will create a close relationship with the parents and also with the kids. The practitioners should have a good knowledge of the curriculum and should also be involved in the development of children. Children develop through various stages in their life. The practitioners should be well aware of what the children can handle in various stages of life. That is why a good masterly of the curriculum is needed. To know the different development stages of the child, then a close relationship between the parent and the practitioners is required. This is because cases of children developing faster than their ages are rampant (Staples 2007). Over indulging the kids with much work load than they can handle is capable of retarding them in some cases. Play is an important factor in the learning and gaining literacy levels of children. Play ensures that children are able to socialize with their peers and relax from their routine reading. The practitioners can incorporate play in the curriculum of the children to ensure that they gain effective literacy skills. This plays should be incorporated with the teacher’s initiated group work. When the children and the teachers are involved in sustained shared thinking, then the children’s thinking is enabled. This is often possible when the practitioners joined the children in the plays. The teachers should also ensure that they are well qualified. When the parents take their children to nursery schools for registration, it is the role of the practitioners to try and establish a foundation from that point. The practitioner can take that opportunity to take any contact information from the parents, in case of any delinquent, they can easily contact them. Most children are nervous or afraid during their first days in school. Some could even cry or create tantrums when their parents are leaving. It is the practitioner’s role to come up with mechanisms of calming the child down. The parents should not have relationship with the practitioners only but also with other people involved in the well being of the child in that nursery school. These people involve the school’s managers, board of governors, other teachers and the whole fraternity of the school. The practitioner should ensure that a great relationship is established between them. This can be achieved by the practitioners and the nursery school’s fraternity creating numerous meetings between the members and the parents. These meetings will ensure that the parents are able to ask questions when need be. They are able to know more about the nursery and find out if they made a good decision choosing it for their children. This is because early childhood years in nursery school molds the child’s behaviors in later years of life. The management should also ensure that it provides the required contact information to the parents so that incase of anything, they could easily contact them. The practitioners should also always encourage the children when they make illogical markings on their books. Initially, the children do not know how to write, thus, they excitedly make marks on their books. It can be difficult to know what the children have written but they should not embarrass them. Instead, they should always encourage them. They should hold meetings with the parents and teach them not to embarrass their children when they make those illogical marks on papers and everywhere in the house. After all, that is a nice gesture of the kids willing to learn. This can be molded in the home setting by modeling or the parents helping tutor the kids. It is important for an excellent relationship between a parent and their children. The practitioner should also ensure that there is a conversation between the parents and their children. This will reduce cases of parents not being there for their kids. Parents should create time for their children and not be too busy for them. If parents ensure a communication with their children, then they are able to learn a lot from those conversations. It is evident that children that are known to be sociable communicators will drive their own learning. They will be so eager for their parents to get back from work and explain to them what they have learnt in school that day. However, those children who are reluctant t ensure communications require a lot of adult interventions. This is because these children could be having problems in learning and gaining the required literacy levels (Fisher 2010). Thus, it is the role of the practitioner to ensure that parents and children are having adequate conversations. The practitioners and parents should also encourage children to play alongside other older siblings. This acts as form of modeling (Cunningham 2004). In the event of this play, then the kids are able to learn a lot from this interaction. Children might be allowed to conduct various activities alongside their elder siblings. Children could be allowed to do some activities alongside their older sibling that enable them to learn adequate literacy levels. For instance, they could emulate their older siblings doing their homework and start making markings on papers provided. This is a good move as the children are being molded to the rightful standards. Not all children come to nursery in their early years having being involved in literacy and productive learning experiences in their homes. This is because not all children come from able homes. Thus, time for play should be allocated to all children regardless of their social status. The play activities should be of all sorts (Taylor 2003). It is difficult to prove whether the play opportunities that the able children are provided with contribute to their ability to gain literacy levels is difficult. However, children greatly benefits form the ability of developing their learning and literacy levels through play. Play ensures that these children to gain the importance of literacy levels even in their older life. Thus, if such activities are not provided at home, then the practitioners should be capable of ensuring that those activities are available in their nursery. The practitioners should encourage play rather than reducing it. The parents should not have relationship with the practitioners only but also with other people involved in the well being of the child in school (Whitehead 2010). These people involve the managers, board of governors, other teachers and the whole fraternity. The practitioner should ensure that a great relationship is established between them. This can be achieved by the practitioners meetings being created where all the involved individuals can meet. These meetings will ensure that the parents are able to ask questions when need be. They are able to know more about the school and find out if they made a good decision choosing that school for their children. The school’s management should also ensure that it provides the required contact information to the teachers so that incase of anything, they could easily contact them. Moreover, for the best development of the kid, then they need a lot of support from the practitioners, the parents and the whole nursery school fraternity. The child is at its initial stages of learning. Thus, a lot of support is necessary be it material support, emotional support or just being there for the children. The practitioner is faced with the hardest role because he or she is the one that teaches the children the simple and the hard concept of literacy. The children join nursery schools with little or even no knowledge on how to hold a pen. All this knowledge is instilled by the practitioners. Though even the parents have a role to play, their collaborative effort with the practitioners should ensure effectiveness in the child’s literacy levels. The practitioner should always keep track of what is happening in the child’s life always giving feed back to parents through diaries. The parents check the progress of the children and also give the required feedback back to the teachers. Therefore, both the parents have enormous roles to play in enhancing the literacy levels of the children from a tender age to older years (Brock 2009). The most important character in the child’s life is the practitioners that the children deal with daily. Though other agencies and institutions might play a helping hand, the one person who cannot miss in a child’s life is the practitioner. All the other relationship established either by the parents or by the kids is enhanced by these practitioners. Conclusion In conclusion therefore, Play is an important factor in the learning and gaining literacy levels of children. Play ensures that children are able to socialize with their peers and relax from their routine reading. The practitioners can incorporate play in the curriculum of the children to ensure that they gain effective literacy skills. This plays should be incorporated with the teacher’s initiated group work. When the children and the teachers are involved in sustained shared thinking, then the children’s thinking is enabled. This is often possible when the practitioners joined the children in the plays. The teachers should also ensure that they are well qualified. It is evident that parents, children and practitioners are important for the development of best learning and literacy levels for the children. It is the role of the practitioners to ensure that the well being of children at nursery level. They should follow the children development stages and ensure that their curriculum is appropriate and befitting for all the children’s stages. They should avoid overloading children with information that they cannot handle. The practitioners should be qualified enough to ensure that what they teach to the kids is appropriate. Play is crucial in development at all children at all stages. Therefore, at all stages the practitioners should ensure that they encourage play between the children. This encourages socialization between the children. In addition, the practitioners should enhance a great relationship between the parents and other individuals in the nursery school. These are the management, other teachers and the fellow nursery school pupils. This is to ensure that the parent is well aware of the well being of the children in that lower level. They should be aware of all the activities that the nursery school undertakes. Thus, if they want their children to continue their education in that nursery school, then they will know what to expect. It is therefore evident that a practitioner has many roles to play in a nursery school setting. These roles can be summarized as follows: nursery roles where the children are nurtured at taught their initial skills. Other practitioners are also involved in play groups where children play and mingle with other children. The practitioners are also involved in child minding mainly taking care of children of all ages when their parents are busy working. This is beneficial for young children below the required age of joining nursery schools. Others are involved in the roles of play worker. This give the children activities to deal with in their after school hours. All this Encompassed with relationships with multi agencies are all roles of the practitioners (Oates 2004). References Christie, J. F., 2009. Play and early literacy development. 3rd Ed. New York: University of New York Press. Brock, A. And Rankin, C. 2009 Communication, Language and Literacy from Birth to Five. London: Sage Buckley, B. 2003 The Children’s Communication Skills- from Birth to Five Years. London: Routledge Falmer. Browne, A. 2006 Developing Language and Literacy 3-8. 2nd edn., London: Sage. Campbell, R. 1996) Literacy in Nursery Education. Staffordshire: Trentham Books. Cunningham - Anderson, U. and Anderson, S. 2004 Growing up with Two Languages: a practical guide.2nd edn., London: Routledge Direct.gov-Early Years http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Preschooldevelopmentandlearning/NurseriesPlaygroupsRe ceptionClasses/DG_171007 Adekola, O. A., 2007. Language, literacy and learning. 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: World Bank. Christie, J. F., 2009. Play and early literacy development. 3rd Ed. New York: University of New York Press. Glynn, T., Wearmouth, J. & Berryman, M., 2006. Supporting students with literacy difficulties. 3rd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Staples, R., 2007. Early Childhood Education. 2rd ed. New York: Green Wood Press. Taylor, R., Collins, V. D. & Ebrary, I., 2003. Literacy leadership. 1st ed. Alexandria, Va: Adventure Work Press. Oates, J. and Grayson, A. 2004 Cognitive and Language Development in Children. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Whitehead, M. 2010 Language and Literacy in the Early Years 0-7. 4th Edn., London: Sage Fisher,R., Myhill, D., Jones, S. and Larkin, S. 2010 Using Talk to Support Writing. London: Sage Siraj- Blatchford, I. and Clarke, P. 2000 Supporting Identity, Diversity and Language in the Early Years. Buckingham: OUP. Read More