Nvq_Lvl3_Teaching_Assistant

[pic] Learners Declaration: I certify that the work submitted in this assignment is my own. Full Name …Gemma Steptoe Address….. Enrolment number…… EA11011400 Unit/Title …. Understanding development and supporting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Please save the Learners Declaration to your PC, add your details, and upload with your completed assessments. Assignment 1 – Understanding development and supporting equality, diversity and inclusion. QUESTION 1 a. Explain the sequence and rate of each aspect of development from birth – 19 years Introduction All the way from birth through to 19 years old, children continually grow, develop and learn, they will do this in their own special ways. A child’s development can be measured in many different ways, such as through their: social, emotional, physical and language skills. Development stages Children’s development can also be measured by their age ranges; Such as: Children aged birth to 12 months - They will cry to communicate their needs such as,( when hungry, tired or need nappy change). - Babies make a coo sound when they are happy. - They will smile at you if you smile at them. - They will lift their arms to be picked up. - They will squeal with delight at things that make them happy. Babies will try to communicate via babbling sounds. Babbling sounds sound tuneful and last longer. Children aged 1 to 2 years old - They use gestures to communicate e.g. pointing to objects that they would like. - Babbling sounds become longer; in between the babbling sounds is the beginning of their first words. - Their first words are either “dada” or “Mumu”. - Will start to walk independently. - They will occasionally wave “bye” to people. Children aged 2 to 4 years old - Will start to form recognisable words. - Temper tantrums start due to frustration and lack of communication (terrible twos). - Their speech is clearer. - Toddlers start to put two words together. - Their range of vocabulary will be around about two hundred words. Children aged 4 to 7 years old - Their speech is more fluent. - They begin to ask questions. - They enjoy communicating with adults/peers - They can cope being with new people( like first time at school). - They will also sort objects into shape, size and colour order. Children aged 7 to 11 years old - They begin to tell jokes (often using gestures while communicating). - Will have verbal arguments. - Are more focused in their ability to do things (such as: hop, skip, jump and wirte letters and words). - Will make friends easily. - Will develop the understanding for rules. Children aged 11 to 13 years old - Enjoy writing stories to show their imagination. - Are persuading/negotiating between adults/peers/friends. - Are less dependent on adults for support. - Can describe complicated situations. - Girls may hit early puberty (at the age of around 12 years old). Children aged 13 to 19 years old - Will use telephone and mobiles to communicate. - Will use the internet for communicating via email. - They can motivate themselves more. - Can concentrate for longer periods of time. b. Explain the difference between sequence of development and rate of development and why the difference is important Introduction We need to now the difference between the sequence and the rate of development, so we can spot anything that could make the child end up with a developmental delay or disorder. Sequence of development The sequence of development refers to the normal sequence in which children learn the various skills that they need in life e.g. rolling over and walking will both occur before learning to run. The sequence also is a baby’s or child’s physical development which may begin with rolling over, then sitting up, crawling, walking, then running. Another may sit up, walk then run missing out rolling over and crawling. Even though elements are missed the development still proceeds in what is viewed as an expected pattern. There is no specific time for these milestones to happen, but any child that lags behind quite a lot from the typical schedule should be seen by an early years specialist to find out what is happening. Rate of development The rate of development means where one child may achieve walking unaided at 10months, but another may accomplish it at 12 months etc. Also the rate of development is the pace at which a child develops at, this is the pace of each sequence what ever the child’s pace, and to cover all areas of development in the sequence. ‘The cephalocaudie principle believes the development moves from the head downwards, this is essential and no child can skip any sequence as they will not fully develop. These principles run through all areas of development, whether it be mental, physical or emotional, no matter what age the child is. If any area is skipped or is slow it can cause a concern, and can lead to a child being given a special recommendation or having to go to see a specialist in that area, that they are having trouble with or having a special need in school. The rates all range from the general to the specific e.g. from moving a hand in any direction to grasping a pencil, to catching a ball, so the variation is to do with the building blocks of development, which is sequential development versus the rate or the speed of which a child develops’. Both of these areas of development are obviously linked in some way, but it is important to identify the difference between the sequence and the rate of development, so you can see where children will need help and may be at risk of having special educational needs in and outside or school. c. Explain how theories of development and frameworks to support development influence current practice Introduction Theories of development influenced current practice into childcare as they show us how to understand children’s developmental process. It can help to us to recognise any problems that arise, whether it is physical, social, language, emotional, or intellectual development. It also shows a reason into the way children behave and how not only internal, but external factors can affect development. Everyone should be looked differently as we all learn at our own speed. Theorists views Here is how three theorists views influenced current practice: Piaget Jean Piaget spent much of his professional life listening to and watching children. Piaget conducted a programme of research where he found that children don’t think like adults. After thousands of interactions with young people, often some barely old enough to talk. Piaget began to suspect that behind their seemingly illogical statements were thought processes that had their own kind of order and their own special logic. Piaget’s theory is based on the idea that the developing child build’s cognitive structures, or ‘mental maps’, for understanding and responding to physical experiences within their environment. Piaget further showed that a child’s cognitive structure increases in complexity along with development, moving from a few natural reflexes such as crying and sucking to highly complex mental activities . Piaget’s theory identifies four developmental stages and the processes by which children process through them. These four stages are: • Sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years old), • Preoperational stage (ages 2 to 7 years old), • Concrete operations ( ages 7 to 11 years old), • Formal operations (beginning at ages 11 to 15 years old). Howard Gardner Howard Gardner stated that there are at least seven modalities, or intelligences, which link to our individual styles. Gardner suggests humans can be: 1. Verbal – linguistic- sensitive to the meaning and order of words, 2. Musical- sensitive to pitch, melody, rhythm and tone, 3. Logical – mathematical – good at handling reasoning and recognising patterns and order, 4. Spatial – perceive the world accurately and try to re-create or transform aspects of the world, 5. Bodily – kinaesthetic – able to use the bodily skilfully and handle objects 6. Interpersonal – understand people and relationships, 7. Intrapersonal – posses access to one’s emotional life as a mean’s to understand one and others. A child will process visually (by sight), auditory (by sound), kinaesthetically (by moving) and tactically (by touch). Vygotsky Vygotsky thought the social cognition learning model states that culture primarily determines individual development. Therefore, a child’s learning development is affected in large and small ways by the culture, including the culture of family environments in which he or she is brought up. 1. Culture makes two sorts of contributions to a child’s intellectual development. - First, through culture children acquire much of their thinking , - Second, the surrounding culture provides a child with the processes or means of their thinking. 2. Cognitive development is where children learn through problem – solving experiences. 3. A person interacting with a child assumes most of the responsibility for guiding the problem solving; gradually though this responsibility transfers to the child. The EYFS overarching aim is to help children achieve the five every child matters outcomes of staying safe, being healthy and achieving and making a positive contribution and achieving economic well being by: • Setting the standards for learning, • Development and care. Young people should experience this when they attend a setting outside of their family home and to make sure no child is left behind. d. Explain how different types of interventions can promote positive outcomes for children and young people where development is not following the expected pattern Introduction Early intervention services are concerned with all the basic and brand new skills that babies typically develop during the first three years of life. Such as: -Physical (reaching, rolling, crawling and walking), -Cognitive (thinking, learning, problem solving), -Communication (talking, listening, understanding), -Social/emotional (playing, feeling secure and happy) Or -Self-help (eating, dressing). Early intervention services are designed to meet the needs of infants and toddlers who have a developmental delay or disability. Sometimes it is known from the moment a child is born that early intervention services will be essential in helping the child grow and to develop. Interventions Monitoring children’s development and making assessments can help lessen the risk of development delays for any child, these can find out which children are at risk of delays and can prevent any child from becoming at risk from development delays. Observations involve collections of information of a child’s behaviour and the development stage that they should be ta for their age. It is important to do observations to find out if any child has development delays and the sooner a development delay is spotted the sooner it can be addressed and interventions can be introduced. Evidence based practice refers to the use of interventions, strategies and supports that have research documenting their effectiveness. Practices that are evidence –based are ones that have been demonstrated as effective within multiple research studies that document similar outcomes. Interventions should start as soon as possible, or when the parents begin to notice their child is not developing as they are meant to, they can voice their concerns, but a common response is “they’ll grow out of it, just wait”., the longer you wait, there will be more difficulties for you and the child may have. Speech and language can help children overcome most of their problems, by helping children gain the ability to use language they can help children gain confidence and self esteem. Children moving forward I have seen this in my setting with children who have had communication and language needs. These children have gained confidence and their language is now at a level that they can interact with other children and not show frustration, this is because they are able to express themselves. SENCO in the educational setting give support to children and families with special needs this person/s is also responsible for identification of special needs. This might include people like teaching assistants or advisers to provide support and train staff. Youth justice – this is based on children with behavioural problems Social workers – are there to help vulnerable children and young people and their families Psychologist – is a professional who helps support children who have learning or behavioural difficulties A specialist nurse – provides support for the family and child especially if that child suffers from medical conditions A psychiatrist – is a doctor who is trained in mental health problems this person works alongside other professionals to help diagnose or support children and young people with mental health problems. Speech and language also have their own referral forms which will be filled in and checked by the SENCO before being passed to the speech and language therapists. e. Analyse the importance of early identification of speech, language and communication delays and disorders and the potential risks to late recognition Introduction It is estimated that 2% off all children born each year will have a disabling condition. Many of these children will have speech and or language delays and disorders that may have a significant effect on personal, social, academic, or vocational life. Although some children will develop normal speech and language skills without treatment by the time they start school. Own opinion It is important to identify those who will not, as many people falsely believe that speech and language treatment should not and cannot begin till a child begins to talk. f. Explain how play and activities are used to support the development of speech, language and communication Introduction The first few years of the child’s life are key to the development of speech, language and communication skills. For this reason it is important to create activities and strategies that give them all the stimulation, positive role modelling and human contact that they need. For a normally developing child learning is easy and creating opportunities for learning is also not difficult. Through play and simple daily interactions and experiences we can help the child acquire new language and skills. Play activities Play activities stimulate children’s brains how to process and react to difficult stimulus children receive through playing. Physical play - involves children to use their bodies, muscles and senses. It also includes activities like: throwing, running, climbing and swinging. Through physical play children develop new skills and find out how their bodies move and work. Physical play along with a nutritious diet all contribute to a healthy development. Physical play is important for developing: - Muscle strength, - Muscle endurance- the ability to repeat actions and increase stamina, - Improve coordination, agility, balance and flexibility, - Gross and fine motor skills e.g. : kicking and catching, - Team work and coordination, - Body awareness and body language. Games There are lots of games you as parents or caregivers can play with your children, these games can indirectly work on speech and language, there are games that you can play in the car, in the park and even going round the supermarket, such as(I spy, what colour car’s can you spot etc.). Toys Playing with toys are also fun and a great way to involve a child in speech, language and communication. The type of toys that are beneficial to the child and they need to be associated with their age, but even the simplest of toys can help to create fun activities and provide lots of situations for learning and developing speech and language, such toys as: picture and word puzzles. Role play Role play is great fun, dressing up and playing different roles can expand the child’s imagination. You don’t even have to dress up to do role play, role play involving different characters will allow you to introduce lots of new related language and to stretch the child’s creative play skills. Role play is great for expanding a child’s imagination and introducing new vocabulary. Outside play Physical play mostly occurs outside and provides children the opportunity to release their energy using vigorous activities and loud voices. Most children naturally develop the ability to walk and run. Children incorporate these skills into sports, games and dance. Playgrounds are perfect places for children to develop mental connections, socialize and develop fine and gross motor skills. Inside play Many children lack indoor physical play because many environments are not conductive to indoor physical play. However, indoor physical play provides a safe, supervised way to incorporate learning. If there is lack of space move furniture, use a hallway or use a covered outdoor area to provide space for guided physical play. g. Evaluate the effect on children and young people of having positive relationships during periods of transition Introduction When working with children and young people, communication is the most important thing to building a positive relationship. Having good communication skills will help to develop better relationships especially with young people. Some students who lack in confidence will find it hard to communicate at all with anyone, so if we come across to any student in a positive and gentle manner, they are more likely to open up to us and talk. We should speak to people in the same way in which way we want to be spoken to. Having a positive relationship Non verbal communication can also help positive relationships, for example; if you feel that a student is coping in lessons without support, then as a teaching you do not need to be next to them all the time, a simple glance or smile for across the classroom will show the student that you are there if they need your help, without you being by their side constantly, this can help to build the students confidence in working by themselves. There are many reasons why positive relationships help like; that if a student has a problem in any lesson with another student then they can come and talk to any teacher or support staff about what is going on and then they can sort the problem out. All young people need support and help to develop better relationships through media, friends, careers and parents as well as a whole range of other people in their life. Effective communication is very important in building a positive relationship with anyone, whether they are a child, young person or an adult, also in a school environment it is good to have relationships with pupils, parents, careers and staff as this will directly help the learning, happiness and welfare of the children. The person we are communicating with needs to feel able to feel at ease and be given the opportunity to communicate back with comfort and confidence. It is important to listen and to use positive body language, to use appropriate facial expressions and to maintain eye contact where appropriate. It is so important that good relationships are developed with pupils, parents, carers and members of staff as this will directly affect the learning, happiness and welfare of the children. QUESTION 2 a. Identify the current legislation and codes of practice relevant to the promotion of equality and valuing of diversity Introduction Pupils their families and backgrounds are all different, children may either live with one or both parents with other family members, relatives or careers. They may speak more than one language when their at home. Each school must produce a range of polices and procedures for ensuring equality, these must take into account the rights of all individuals and groups within the school. When considering the way policies work to ensuring equality and inclusion, we often just think of the teaching that is happening in the classroom. Equality The equality act is the most significant piece of equality legislation to be introduced for many years. It is there to strengthen protection, advance equality and simplify the law, 90% of the act came into force on the 1st October 2010. Also the equality act brings together and significantly adds to and strengthens a number of previous existing pieces of the legislation, including the race of someone and the disability of someone, but one of the key changes t the legislation is to expand the protect characteristics to encompass: Age, Disability, Race, Religion, And Sex. The act also makes explicit the concept of ‘dual discrimination’, where someone may be discriminated against or treated unfairly on the basis of a combination of two of the protected characteristics. The equality bill became the equality act in 2010, when it received royal assent on the 8th April 2010. Valuing Valuing diversity is important as society is diverse, such as: 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 20 children are disabled in someway, 1 in 12 people are from black ethnic backgrounds, 1 in 20 people who have religious belief, belong to a faith community, 1 in 4 people are under 16 years old and 1 in 6 people are over the age of 65 years old, By 2010 only 2% of the UK’s working population will be mostly white, male, able bodied and under the age of 45 years old. It has been proved that by valuing diversity, organisations will bring benefits to the people they work with. The SEN code of practice 2001 needs to be seen in the context of the SEN and the disability act 2001 and the National Curriculum inclusion statement. The latter outlines three principles for inclusion, such as: • Setting suitable learning challenges • Responding to pupils diverse needs • Overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils. This code places a major emphasis on the whole schools responsibility, stating “that all teachers are teachers of pupils with special educational needs”, all staff need to produce evidence that demonstrates progress. It also places great importance on the role and rights of all parents, the code states: that all parents of children with special educational needs should be treated as parents. They should be supported to: 1. Recognise and fulfil their responsibilities as parents and play an active and valued role in their children’s education, 2. Have knowledge of their child’s entitlement within the SEN framework, 3. Make their views known about how their child is educated, 4. Have access to information, advice and support during assessment and any related decision-making processes about special educational provision. b. Explain the importance of promoting rights of all children and young people to participation and equality of access Introduction Children’s rights are the human rights of children with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to the young, including their right to association both their biological parents, human identity, as well as the basic needs for food, universal state-paid education, health care and criminal laws appropriate for the age and development to the child. Children’s rights range from allowing children the capacity for autonomous action to the enforcement of children being physically, mentally and emotionally free from abuse, though what constitutes “abuse” is a matter of debate. “A child is any human being below the age of 18 years of age, unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier” Inclusive practice Inclusive practice is a process of identifying and understanding and breaking down barriers that compromise the children participation in their educational process in their feeling of belonging and in their wellbeing in the school. Inclusion Inclusion is about ensuring that all children with or without disability and no matter their background are able to participate in all education aspects in school. As teaching assistants we have the duty to ensure that at all times we promote inclusion in all school settings. Therefore we should encourage good practice that will help to achieve this main principles of the 1989 children act is that children should be kept informed about what happens to them, and should participate when decisions are made about their future in addition article12 of the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child states ‘that any child or young person have the right to express their views and have then given’. Weight in decisions affecting them in accordance with their age and maturity. c. Analyse the impact of prejudice and discrimination on children and young people Introduction Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed to monoculture, as in global monoculture or in a homogenization of cultures, akin to cultural decay, for example; before Hawaii was conquered by Europeans the culturally diverse Hawaiian culture existed in the world and contributed to the worlds cultural diversity. Now Hawaii has been westernised, the vast majority of its culture has been replaced with western or American. Importance of diversity in work with children and young people The importance of supporting the rights of children and young people is that not all children are the same. They learn at different paces and many need support to help them e.g. one to one teaching, speech therapy, disability problems etc. They all deserve the right to learn and go to the school they choose. Also if you penalise a child because they come from different backgrounds this makes them feel unwanted. Just because they cant speak the local language or come from a different culture doesn’t mean they don’t belong if they attend local schools they soon pick up the language and also gives them a chance to learn about other cultures and helps everyone understand who they are and where they come from. SENCO (Asperger syndrome, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder or ADHA, general learning difficulties etc.), is for children who have a learning disability, if it was not there so many children would be struggling to keep up and some might not even be able to understand at all or they would have all the teachers attention and the rest of the class would not learn nothing new. Some have a physical impairment and if the school isn’t adapted properly to able these children to get to class then they miss out on their education, most of these are easy to solve, sometimes all this needs is doors widening or ramps fitted or even classes being moved downstairs, for things like P.E someone taking the time to play games with them and a disabled toilet. Diversity awareness is important to young people because this age group (roughly 11 to 19 years old) is particularly vulnerable to heightened tensions developing between different cultural and faith groups. d. Evaluate how own attitudes, values and behaviour could impact on work with children and young people Introduction Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership or perceived membership- in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviours towards groups such as; excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. Prejudice and discrimination Prejudice and discrimination can only have negative effects on children and young people, as well as affecting academic progress of children; discrimination can negatively impact their overall health and well-being. When children or young people feel they are being discriminated against they may experience: • loss of self – esteem, • anger, • disempowerment, • confusion, • lack of motivation, • Depression. Children can be affected by it the same way as adults can, for instance; gay or lesbians; children do receive discrimination at school because of their sexuality. Some young people can sometimes be discriminated against, in jobs because of age such as: 16 and 17 year olds who get less pay for doing the same job. Also some parents cab be restrictive with older children sometimes adult children who are well into their 20’s which breaches their human rights by law without keeping it. Discrimination among children has a great impact on their self esteem and self worth. They may suffer from inferiority complex which will bring them low self esteem. They would be aloof of the people around them and often times spend their time alone, afraid of being discriminated and insulted. They sometimes tend to opt from participating to class discussions to commit mistakes or think that their ideas are wrong and again will be another ground for insult and discrimination. e. Explain how to promote anti discriminatory practice in work with children and young people Introduction We all have attitudes, values and behaviours and what we have to do is be aware of them and make sure we don’t pass them onto the young children we work with, we must be aware of and make sure we are not judgemental on the basis of race, gender, religion, ethnicity etc. How own attitude impacts on children All those working in schools have a legal duty to protect the rights of children and young people. It is important that you examine your own attitudes and values critically; to consider how these may impact on the way you work with children. An individual’s background, upbringing and experiences can have an effect on attitudes towards individuals and groups, so it is important to recognise these. Personal prejudices, which may lead to discriminatory practice, can be overcome through developing greater understanding of diverse groups in society, for example; you can overcome them by finding out about their religious beliefs and cultures of the children you work with and by knowing about any special educational needs or disabilities. Do not make assumptions about any children or young people, find out about their backgrounds, interests, abilities and individual needs will all help you to provide a more effective, appropriate and personalised support. What we think influences what we do our beliefs and expectations therefore have a significant influence on the quality of learning of those individuals that we help. Your self awareness is an important factor in getting the best possible achievements from the pupils that we help. It is important that we are honest with ourselves and think about our own attitudes and habits, the best way to do this is to ask yourself. You can show your commitment by treating people equally and valuing the diversity of those you work with. f. Explain how to promote anti discriminatory practice in work with children and young people Introduction Anti-discriminatory practice is the main strategy in combining discrimination. It is action taken to prevent discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, class, disability etc. and takes into account how we behave towards other individuals. All employers in a care setting should promote this practice in the work place as it is key to combining prejudice, in doing so they are trying to eradicate discrimination and promote equality for service users and for staff. How to promote discriminatory practice in work with children The promotion of anti- discriminatory practice should underpin all work in schools, it is not sufficient to have polices in place which makes statements about anti-discriminatory practice or just to pay lip service to it. Schools must demonstrate anti-discriminatory practice, they must also monitor the ways that positive practice impacts on the education and well being of the children and young people. As a member of the school team, you will share responsibility to ensure that anti-discriminatory practice is promoted, you must also recognise when discrimination is happening. There are best practice checklists in all schools, promoting anti-discriminatory practice, these checklists consist of: • Be a good role model – do not pay lip service to anti-discriminatory practice, demonstrate it in everything you do, • Appreciate and promote diversity and individuality of children and young people, • Listen to and involve children and young people in the delivery of services, • Recognise that the child or young person is at the centre of the learning by treating each one as an individual, • Give pupils the confidence and skills to challenge prejudice or racist behaviour of others. Bibliography 1A) Personal experience 30/ 12/11 & Silky steps 29/12/11 B) Personal experience 1/1/12 & Silky steps 1/1/12 C) Home learning college hand book 1 pages 16-20 2/1/12 D) Silky steps 2/1/12 E) Home learning college hand book 1 pages 20-29 3/1/12 F) Silky steps 3/1/12 G) Home learning college hand book 1 pages 42-43 3/1/12 2A) Home learning college hand book 1 page 98 3/1/12 B) Herts direct 6/1/12 oppapers.com 3/1/12 C) Oppapers.com 9/1/12 Silky steps 9/1/12 D) Notes taken on placement 10/1/12 E) Notes taken on placement 11/1/12 Silky steps 11/1/12 F) Home learning college hand book 3 pages 71-72 12/1/12 PLEASE UPLOAD YOUR COMPLETED ASSIGNMENT ONTO THE VLC IN THE ASSIGNMENT 1 SUBMISSION AREA