Theories and Contemporary Policies of Collaborative Working of the Early Years Workplace - Assignment Example

Professional and Academic Development Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Name Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Course Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Lecture Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Date Critically analyze theories and contemporary policies of collaborative working and practical application within the context of the early year’s workplace. Education in early years of development is on a rapid change due to the recognition of the importance of it effect to young kids and how the education acquired at this stage is transmitted to other levels of education. In educational radar, the early year education forms the foundation therefore it is important to have an effective early childhood education. It is because of this importance that, early childhood education is gaining international recognition through funding, policy frameworks implementation (Powell, 2010). These moves are aimed at improving services and provision of education in both developing and developed countries. The need to understand well the relationship between social relation and cultural diversity in early childhood education has evoked a heated debate among the scholars in this field. In their quest, they are striving to seek practical changes in this form of education setup. Consequently, policies have been implemented called Statutory Framework for the Early foundation Stage. The statute followed after the Act of Parliament (Childcare Act 2006) in which government wanted to know how the education at this stage can be improved. These policies are one that the parent should be aware of the safety of their children that will make them thrive and under which provision. According to this policy, the education providers should enhance protection of the children. This would be in accordance with the Children’s Welfare which in its legal framework provides for the safety and protection of the children while under the care of the education providers. Education without protection is not achievable since from the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs protection and safety of every human being comes second in that protocol (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005). Therefore, the children’s welfare is paramount in the realization of the policy. In addition, it is important to put in place practitioners who are suitable to cater to little ones. Second policy is on practitioners who are given the responsibility of looking and educating children at this tender age. The practitioner should pass all the requirements by CWDC 2009, which requires a practitioner to be; well trained to provide for children, have good communication skills and be knowledge in the subject matter. The suitability Act is under the criminal record bureau disclosures, which calls for practitioners who are of high integrity and character. The teachers or any other person who interact with the children while in school should be a respectable person who does not have any criminal records and who is not a drug user (Bowe, Ball & Gold, 1992). In this regard, education providers should notify all practitioner and people working closely with children to declare to them the certificate of good conduct. Failure to do so can lead to closure of the school or any other penalty as may be prescribed in regulations. Again, any practitioner who is under medication and the drug are believed to affect the performance of the practitioner should be given a probation until the person recovers. The environment on which the children thrive should be welcoming, stimulating safe, and well designed to make learning interesting. The environment should make learner enjoy by playing and make them grow to the fullest, as they realize their potential. Human is a product of environment and it is important to properly install ethics and values in the environment that children interact with. This ethics should install discipline to children as they grow to their full potential. The conduciveness of the environment is determined by the education providers as well as practitioners. It therefore calls for people who are ready to adhere to the codes of conduct in the provision of education to the children. In the aim of achieving the above, the government has promulgated the following programs; that the values acquired in school should be social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL). The values should promote discipline and positive behavior in order to achieve the five social emotional aspects of learning which include; managing feeling, self-awareness, motivation, empathy as well as social skills. The program also calls for development guidance goals for person under the age of 5 years (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005). In the realization of the programs, the much needed debate should on when do education are early childhood education begin and what value should be taught bat this very crucial stage. The values should be set such that the learnt value should reflect in high level education as well as the social level. The practitioner should make sure that they teach values that are worthwhile and satisfactory. Should also analyze and revise the curriculum so as to answer the following critical questions; what ethical values should learners acquire at this level, what politics should affect the learners at this crucial stage and finally, what sort of practices should be put in place so as to adhere to the two earlier questions, all in the aim of helping the early childhood learner acquire the needed skills and values in live. Critically review the current curriculum and practice frameworks, and relate to their impact upon current practice within the early years sector. The current curriculum is built on a rich philosophy governing early childhood education. The curriculum ensures that the main teaching principles are adhered. Therefore, the curriculum calls for education that is child centred rather than the traditional subject centred approach to teaching. The curriculum also requires children learning in early childhood class acquire the following skills after two years of learning (Miller, Dalli & Urban 2011, pp.99). 1. Personal, social, and emotional development. The practitioners should ensure that education taught at this stage helps the children to develop emotionally, personally, and socially. The practitioner and other education providers should therefore create an environment that helps the children attain these very essential developments since they are very fatal in their development process and as they realize their full potential. The environment and the classroom activities should motivate and stimulate the young learners, as they develop to full potential. They additionally should work with the policies implemented by the government as was discussed earlier. 2. Communication, language, and literacy. In the practitioner’s employment process, the education provider should seek to employ teachers who are disciplined and have good communication skills, so as to transfer the same skills to the children. The proficiency of the teacher eventually should translate to the young one as they interact with the teacher in class and in the field most of the times. In this respect the policies implemented are in line with the current early child education curriculum. 3. Mathematical development. The practitioners should be proficient with mathematical skills so as to transfer the same to the children. The books introduced in the curriculum should provide the learners with solution and strategies on how to acquire the much needed skill. The practitioners in this field are also equipped with skills on how to make mathematics interesting so that the learners can like mathematics from their first class (Aubrey 2007, pp.87). In accordance with the policies, the practitioners should apply other cultural activities that will help the learner acquire the skill. Finally, learners should be taught with already familiar things as learning materials and materials that are safe since they are young. The activities should help them develop metacognitive. 4. Knowledge and understanding of the world The activities both in class and in co-curricular activities should make the child understand the world around him and the world we live in so that they can relate socially and emotionally well with others. The practitioner should make sure that children have time to ask questions since they after not familiar with so many things in life. By so doing the learners will explore the world with fear and intimidation. In addition, practitioners are encouraged to use materials that are relatively new to the children so as to evoke the desire to explore the world within the child. However, children should be given a chance to research for themselves and tap their talents as they grow. 5. Physical development The physical education should be geared to help the child to development physically and fulfill their potential in line with the curriculum. Since, education is child centred and holistic the practitioners should make learning interesting and involving physically so that to achieve the required goals as per the guide. 6. Creative development. The education providers and the practitioners should be allowing activities that are creative so as to make learning interesting to not only the learner but also to the teacher. This can be acquired through introduction of materials and books that provide for this creativity. Creativity should also be allowed outside the classroom, where learners are given a chance innovate new activities and ideas with the supervision of the practitioner (Pound & Jones 2008, pp. 78). In these respect, the government has introduced inspection programs to go through pre-school inspecting whether the curriculum is being implemented as prescribed by the current curriculum. In the inspection process, the inspectors use variety of ways so as to come up with a conclusive judgment. The judgments and inspection look to the extent to which the education providers are implementing the early learning goals as provided for by the guide. In the inspection process things like assessment method used, observation activities, physical activities and reviewing the documentary should be in line with the goals and the policy of the curriculum. Evaluate the theory & practice of professional autonomy, rights, obligations and responsibilities, and their implications in your professional practice Providers of ECEC have a tough duty of ensuring children in their early years develop as society expects of them. Their involvement in ECEC means they have a number of duties and obligation to carry out, but these duties and obligation should not lead to them being denied their professional autonomy or other rights accorded to other professionals (Blenkin, Geva & Kelly 1994, pp. 23). Professional autonomy is a term used to refer to the extent which a worker can carry out the duties assigned to them without being supervised, as it is recognized he does not need supervision. In the context of ECEC those responsible for taking care of the young have rights that cannot be infringed in order to enhance the delivery of quality ECEC. A professional in ECEC field is guaranteed certain rights similar to those of other workers in other occupations. Within two months of employment in the ECEC sector the employer is obliged to provide a statement of particulars of employment including the number of hours one is supposed to work every day, whether one has the right to go on holiday, where will you be working (Blenkin, Geva & Kelly 1994, pp. 36). The statement should also include the title of the job and a description of what it entails: the role and the duties to be carried out must be outlined clearly. Any worker is entitled to have a break and pre-school workers should be no exemption, they should at least get a break of more than 30 minutes. Teaching takes place between 9 am to 3.30pm, but for a teacher to properly plan his day they need to report to work earlier. Additional hours for ECECE staff may be taken up by meetings with staff, or consultations with parents. ECEC professionals also have a right not to work on any of the 170 days designated as non-working days in the UK (Miller, Dalli & Urban 2011. pp.101). While not guaranteed by law, a local authority or provider of ECEC may allow its employees to take special leave to attend events like burials or weddings. However in the case of emergency issues involving an ECEC employee they have a right to take some reasonable time off. Under the law a caregiver for children has a number of obligations everyday he spends looking after the young ones. First a professional in the ECEC sector is obligated to ensure the wellbeing of children under his care (Sylva et al 1998, pp. 56). To ensure their safety these children must be supervised closely to avoid harming themselves or other children. Professionals in the ECEC sector must also ensure that the environment of the care centre is safe, free of all hazards that may endanger the lives or the health of the young ones. Professionals in the ECEC sector also have the responsibility of ensuring the child is comfortable during the time spent in their care (Ball 1994, pp.67). Each child should have some time when they can rest and they should ensure they get adequate sleep every day. Secondly to ensure a comfortable environment the professional should ensure the care environment is clean and disinfected regularly (Miller, Dalli& Urban 2011, pp.88). They should also take steps to control infections that might spread at the care centre. A professional in the ECEC sector must have first Aid qualification so they can attend to injured or ill children and assess whether they need further medical assistance. A professional is also able to assess whether a child with a contagious disease should be isolated from the other children and their children should also (P. Sammons et al 2004, pp. 90). ECEC professionals are also responsible for the ensuring that of the children under their care feed on a healthy diet. Educationally a professional is the one responsible for preparing lesson plans that they use to teach kids the basics of education that they will need later in primary school (Miller, Dalli & Urban 2011). A lesson plan for children must include other learning activities held outside the classroom. Another important duty of ECEC professional is to teach children bathroom skills and ensure their needs in this regard are taken care of. For a child to develop properly his/her learning process should involve various parties, these parties include other ECEC professionals and parents. An ECEC professional must keep consulting these stakeholders throughout the child’s development process (Miller Dalli & Urban 2011, pp. 123) The rights of ECEC professionals as granted by statutory sometimes conflict with the duties they have to carry out every day. A ECEC professional must know how far he can allow his/her job interfere with enjoyment of his rights for example while the law allows for break , professionals in the ECEC sector might not be able to enjoy a break as children need constant supervision to ensure they are safe. Assess the significance of leadership and management skills in the context of early year’s settings. Early years of setting comprise all the activities that are related to the development of a young child. Certain individuals play an important role in the development of a child they include preschool teachers, health practitioners as well as parents. These groups of people ought to have both leadership and management skills when dealing with the children in context of early years settings. The significance of both leadership and management skills in the context of early years setting cannot be undervalued since there exists a lot of literature that depicts the important role played by the two in a child development and these skills also play an important role in the determining the success of a child when in other classes with higher academic requirements (Moyles 2006, p. 150). In most early years settings, individuals are the one who manage the operations of those settings and they have a great role in determining the whether the organizations will run smoothly or not. With a smooth learning which is made possible by good leadership and management skills the organization is able to achieve its vision as well as its mission. The eminence of welfare, teaching and knowledge as well as the support offered to early years settings is highly dependent on the skills, attitudes, qualifications and experience of individual running the early years settings that is the child care team. Leadership skills and the management skills ought to be blended into each other so as to achieve the best. It has been noted that where there is effective leadership and management skills children in those setting tends to perform a better as compared to settings with poor leadership skills as well as poor management skills thus the importance of leadership and management skills in early years setting. Proper leadership and management provides the best and often leads to appropriate outcomes for the children in these settings, their parents and practitioners in the different fields which are directly related to the child. Leadership is concerned with the setting of the settings vision as well as the direction the setting will follow and actions to be carried put so as to fulfill the vision and the mission. Management on the other hand deals with the organization and direction that eventually will lead to the realization of settings vision. Although leadership and management in early years setting are a multifaceted notion and its function in value condition is not understood by many individuals. A substantial number of early year’s practitioners, guides and academicians are of the view that the development of leadership and management knowledge and skills as an elective extra to essential and more superior training rather than vital and crucial gears of professional development for value service provision (Pound & Jones 2008, p. 134). With clear and concise information in regard to the professions, individuals working in the early years of settings ought to be well prepared for both leadership and management roles this can be achieved through training; the training offered will assist them in performing their duties and responsibilities effectively. Based on this it is evident that the basic importance of both leadership and management skills must be recognized within the line of work and integrated into initial training and continuance growth of early year’s practitioners (Callan & robins 2008, p. 133). Thus the importance and significant role played by leadership skills and management skills in early years setting is been acknowledged and they have been acknowledged through the development of both leadership and management qualifications. There exists a close connection between leadership, management and the quality of early year’s provision. Leadership and management are perceived as an elective extra in the context of imperative syllabus and other demands, there is a scarcity of professional guidance, professional growth opportunities and paths that promote both management and leadership probability in early year’s practitioners. Thus it is imperative to recognize the fundamental role played by both management and leadership skills in superiority provisions. Early childhood practitioners need to be provided with sufficient instruction on management and leadership skills this will over time prepare the practitioners in the administering and managing of the services within their settings and also provide leadership to teams (Aubrey 2007, p. 120). Leadership as well as management skills requires concise and concrete consideration of families, children and communities under which they operate and effectual leadership and management calls for stylish consideration, knowledge and skills. Thus leadership skills and management skills are important in early years of settings and practitioners in this field need to possess these skills. Bibliography Aubrey, C 2007, Leading and managing in early years, Sage, United States. Ball, C 1994, Start right: The importance of early learning, London: Royal Society of Arts. Blenkin, Geva, M, & Kelly, A. V 1994, Early childhood education: A developmental curriculum. London: Paul Chapman. Bowe, R., Ball, S & Gold, A. (1992) .Reforming Education and Changing Schools. London: Routledge. Callan, S & robins, A. 2008, Managing early year’s settings: supporting and leading teams. Sage publications, United States. Dahlberg, G & Moss, P. (2005). Ethics and Politics in Early Childhood Education. London: Routledge Falmer. Miller, L, Dalli, C & Urban, M 2011, Early Childhood Grows Up: Towards a Critical Ecology of the Profession (International perspectives on early childhood education and development), London: Springer. Moyles, J 2006, Effective leadership and management in the early years, Open University press, United Kingdom. P. Sammons , Sylva, K , Melhuish , E, Siraj-Blatchford , I, Taggart, B , & Elliot, K 2004,Measuring the Impact of Pre-school on Children's Progress Over the Pre-school Period (The effective provision of pre-school education project: technical paper) , London: Institute of Education Publications. Pound, L & Jones, C 2008, Leadership and management in the early years, McGraw-Hill, New Jersey. Powell, S. (2010).Hide and Seek: Values in Early Childhood Education and Care. British Journal of Educational Studies. Vol. 58(2), pp. 213–229. Sylva, K, Melhuish, E, Sammons, P, and Siraj-Blatchford, I 1998, Effective provision of preschool education (EPPE) Project, London: Institute of Education. Read More