U1_Diary_Work

One of the Isle of Man’s main focus is to provide a safe and secure environment for children where the families feel safe to leave there child. This encourages parents to feel comfortable with going back to work knowing there child is being well looked after. There are three different types of setting which gives the parents or carers a choice to which best suits them and the child. The types of settings are Statutory, Voluntary and Private. Statutory is a service that has to be provided by law and this is governed by the Department of Education for example primary and high schools. The Children are required by law to start Primary school by the age of 6 but in the Isle of Man children are encouraged to begin there educational journey by the term in which the child is 5. In the Isle of Man school nurseries are available and are also governed by the Department of Education but this is not statutory meaning it is not a legal requirement for the child to attend. Within the school nursery the children are provided with a free part time service and the parents or carers only have to cover the cost of snacks. This is a brilliant opportunity for children to express themselves and for the teachers to really encourage child initiated play. It introduces them to skills such as sharing and socialising. This also encourages children to work as a team, independently and most importantly give them the opportunity to have fun whilst still being in a learning environment. This is ideal for parents who want to go back to work part time or who cant afford to put their child in full day nurseries. Voluntary is a service that is provided mostly through funding by the likes of charity organisations or donations. Different types of Voluntary services include Church playgroups, after school clubs (youth clubs), mums and tots. Parents only have to pay for the snacks provided and maybe a small donation to cover the costs of heating and electricity. This is ideal as a starter for children to encourage them to socialise and get them used to being in a different environment other than home. It can also boost skills such as sharing and encourages play based learning. It is also a great opportunity for the parents to ‘have a breather’ and socialise. Private is a service that is set up either through a business organisation or by a private individual. In the UK this is funded through the government but on the Isle of Man parents are required to pay fees. Private services such as day care nurseries support the working parents and are usually open from 8am-6pm enabling parents to go back to work full time. The private services are closely regulated and have a full inspection once a year. They also will have a ‘spot check’ where the inspector shows up without notice to check the service and environment provided reaches the minimum standards of care. The United Nations have set up a convention which is enforced globally meaning that every country has agreed to obey the same law (The Convention On The Rights Of The Child). The UK have adapted this to every child matters and selected five outcomes which relate to the UNCRC. These five outcomes are being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieve economic well being. This means everybody working together to protect the child. All the articles which are set out by the UNCRC fall into these five outcomes. The recognised principles and values that underpin working with children are incredibly important. As children look up to adults as role models and watch every move we do we have to make sure as practitioners that we are doing our level best to present ourselves in a positive manner at all times. The Principles and values that I feel are the most important are sharing responsibly as this is a life skill and we need this throughout our lives. To always put the child and their needs first as this is the main stage of development for the child so they must feel as sense of well-being. Making sure the child feels and stays safe, healthy, active and achieves as this will have a huge impact in their later life. Equality of opportunity to ensure every child fulfils their potential. Other principles that underpin working with children include respect, honesty, reliability, resilience, trustworthiness, professionalism, sensitive and supportive, always respond positively to diversity among children, stay calm, mature, positive outlook, patient, confident, guiding, fair, hard working, good communicating skills. I agree with Tassoni (2007, page 4) when she stated that ‘A key principle that you should always remember when working with children is that their welfare is paramount’. I also think a key principle is giving the child the freedom to fail. This is such a vital life skill to have as throughout life the child needs to accept we cannot achieve at everything and that failing is a learning experience. The importance of valuing and respecting all children in the setting is crucial. To respect someone you most often value and trust that person first. As we are role models the children see how we act around the setting and if we are not valuing and respecting others this can have a knock on effect and then become learnt behaviour. Each individual has their own strengths and weaknesses and we need to make sure we celebrate their strengths and concentrate on improving their weaknesses. Valuing and respecting the children will boost their confidence and make them feel a sense of belonging. This will also help social and communicating skills as they wont be scared to interact with the key person or other children in the setting. If a child is ignored they will feel unwanted and lonely and this will have impact on their social skills. A child may have something that really interests them to share with you and we need to value this and really listen. Asking questions about what the child is saying can show the child that we are really listening to what they are saying. The setting should be a child centred approach so we should listen to opinions and suggestions that children share and take these on board. Three professional skills that I feel are the most important and will support work with children are behaviour management skills, organizational skills and interpersonal skills. Behaviour management skills are important so we are able to manage any minor or major disruptions that may take place. We also need to make sure that the inappropriate behaviour is not repeated or copied by another child. Children need to be able to understand what they have done wrong for themselves so they are aware their own behaviour is not acceptable. Research, as cited by Bruce (2006 page 353), show that self-discipline is the only kind of discipline worth having if we want behaviour to be lastingly good for the child, and for us as a society. A child learns from others so if they are treated with lots of respect and praised the child is more likely to respect and appreciate others. Whereas if the child is always put down and constantly criticised this will affect their self esteem and they are more likely to be disruptive and ‘look for attention’. We need to make sure that there are clear limits outlined in the setting to avoid any unwanted behaviour. We must have organizational skills in the setting so we are giving the child the best chance of achievement. As we will be responsible for most of the child’s daily schedule or routine we need to make sure this is smooth for them and everything is prepared. If we are disorganised or don’t have the correct resources again we are not giving the child the best opportunity to learn new and different skills. The best way to be organised is always plan ahead and feel confident in the activity we are introducing to the child, because if we don’t know what we are doing then this will have massive impact on the child. Being organised does not just relate to activities it is also just as important to be organised within the setting. Keeping things labelled, neat and tidy and ‘having a place for everything’ makes us feel more relaxed and this will have a positive response on the child. We can then concentrate on the enjoyment of activities with the child rather than running round trying to find everything. If we are wanting to become managers of a nursery in the future this a vital trait that we will need to have as we will be in charge of everything. Interpersonal skills seem to be less of a priority nowadays as we seem to communicate through emails, texting, facebook etc. and very rarely actually have to open our mouths to say anything. This is a very lazy way of communication as we often use slang rather than proper grammar and punctuation. As interpersonal skills do not come naturally we have to make sure we are constantly talking and communicating with the children so they can learn from this. In order for the child to speak openly and communicate it is important to build upon their confidence first. Every child develops differently and we have to respect that some children will be more confident and communicate better than others. If we are not communicating and interacting with the children this can lead to them feeling lonely and frustrated and result in them not wanting to communicate at all. Having good communication skills will lead to having better social skills which is a vital part in all our lives. As well as needing to be able to interact with the children we also need to be able to communicate with the parents and colleagues in a professional way. If we don’t communicate well with the parents this will give them a negative approach towards the setting and how we interact with their children when they are not present. There are three different types of preferred learning styles which support each individuals best way to learn and remember things. These are auditory learner, visual leaner and kinaesthetic learner. Auditory learners learn best through things being told to them e.g. class discussions or auditory tapes. Visual learners learn best through things being shown to them e.g. presentations, hand outs, things written on chalkboards, pictures or diagrams. Kinaesthetic learners learn best through hands on learning settings e.g. having the learning aid available to touch (object), having something to move about. Our learning style is our strength and when we can identify which learning style we respond to best, we can adapt to this and improve the way we learn. In order to study and learn we need to create a safe physical learning environment where we feel relaxed and in a good state of mind. Good lighting, adequate room temperature, good air quality, having breakfast, eating healthy food, good lighting, fresh air, arrangement of furniture, drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep will reduce the stress levels and give us a positive working/learning environment. There are also different types of learning strategies known as CREAM creative, reflective, effective, active, motivated - Cottrell (1999). Creative learners have the self confidence to be able to use their individual styles and apply imagination to their learning. Reflective learners learn through different experiences analysing and evaluating their own performance. Effective learners organise their time, priorities and space to achieve maximum benefit. They also make sure they are in the right state of mind and have all their resources available. This can also co-inside with being organised. Active learners are personally and physically involved in what they are doing. Motivated learners know what they want to achieve and what they want the outcome to be. They maintain commitment in order to reach their desired goals. We need to take on board all of these outcomes to achieve our own goals positively and effectively. To study practically we need to ensure we have good time management skills, evaluate all our work, do plenty of research through books, handouts and websites, reference correctly and use when necessary and have good presentation skills. Having good time management skills is very important as we need to be able to plan our time effectively. We need to be able to work to deadlines and not leave things till the last minute. When we are given an assignment it is important that we start it straight away, whether that’s through research or planning first, so we are giving ourselves the best opportunity in order to reach our full potential. This will then prevent stress or handing in a piece of work we are not happy with. We need to be realistic with ourselves when doing the assignment and know when we work our best. I personally find getting up early and cracking on with it suits me. I feel a great sense of achievement if I set myself certain goals each day and then reach them. I also feel doing little bits and often helps me get through it because I am allowing myself short breaks. The worst thing to do I find is ‘putting it off till tomorrow’ because most of the time something else crops up and it will never get done. Getting it started is the worst part but when that bit is over everything else will just come naturally and flow. It is important for the practitioner to develop and maintain appropriate relationships with parents and other professionals because it creates a more professional environment and healthier atmosphere. Parents are making a big change in their normal routine by bringing their child along to the setting so as practitioners we need to reassure them. We also have to remember that the parents know their child the best so we want to all be on the same side to benefit the child. Parents will be reassured when practitioners make a welcoming approach to their child but at the same time not cutting them out of the equation. Parents will also feel a sense of safety for their child when the practitioner makes an effort with them and gives them parent time not just look at them as someone who needs to drop their child off an pick them up. The child needs to feel safe and secure in the setting and when a good relationship is made between the parents and other professionals the children pick up on this. Young children are very observant and need to see a good social connection between the important adults to them. It is important that the child’s ‘key person’ is introduced to the child and parents early on so a familiar face stands out when the setting still seems new. A friendly approach makes the parents feel a sense of belonging in their child’s setting and if problems arise they will feel confident enough to address them. If a positive relationship was not built and we had a problem with their child that needed to be addressed, like learning difficulties or bad behaviour, they might think we ‘have it in’ for their child and just picking on them. A practitioner or key person must always mention the positives to the parents that way if a problem did arise they would not feel as if we were picking on their child. Working in a multi agency team is beneficial for the child and for the parents. Multi agency is more commonly referred to as integrated services. It provides a service that involves all different professions and agencies working together as a team. The service provided is to support the child and family to improve the way of learning for a better life. This is strongly encouraged if the child has any learning difficulties or any other difficulties that may effect present and future learning. There are many tools used enabling this to happen but the main factor is that everyone works together as a team having the child and families best interest at heart. Other processes involved in integrated working are early intervention, information sharing, common assessment processes and supporting information and communication technology (ICT) tools. In order to provide the best service possible we have to understand what our role is and know when to seek help. We also need to be able to communicate effectively with other agencies, children and parents to initiate necessary action if extra support is needed. Having that support from the multi agency teams can improve children’s behaviour and improve social inclusion. There are four main boundaries and limitations that we need to be fully aware of in our role as practitioners. These are health and safety, managing children’s behaviour, child protection and confidentiality. Health and safety is vital as we need to make sure that the child is safe at all times and that we are never putting them at risk. We need to make sure we are not taking any risks by shutting gates, wiping up sand, no obstacles for the child to fall over, no sharp toys in the nursery, if the child was to put something in their mouth make sure its not going to harm them, wear appropriate clothing when changing nappies, wear disposable gloves when necessary and tie hair back. Managing child’s behaviour is important in and around the setting and we must always make sure we fully understand the settings policies regarding this. At my nursery they have a ’naughty step’ where if the child is misbehaving they have to spend 3 minutes there. In some settings this is not beneficial but I find it really does work. The child is encouraged to understand why they have been sent there and take responsibility for their actions. As the children have a lot of respect for the practitioners they very rarely have to raise their voice so building up that respect is vital. The practitioner must always encourage good behaviour by praising where appropriate and showing that sharing is good. We always need to be a good role model towards the child as they will observe and learn from us. We need to make sure that we are keeping the child safe from abuse. In my setting I have to sign in every morning and wear a badge so other people and parents know I am there as a student and not just a random person. I am not personally allowed to just go up and give a child a hug or a kiss they have to ask for a cuddle or kiss. We have to be extremely careful we are covering our back at all times and that is why I am not allowed to be alone with a child. If I am taking a child to the toilet I have to inform my mentor where I am going and what I am doing. If a child says something that could raise concerns I am to go to my mentor straight away and tell them what I have been told. Also the way children act around peers could also suggest something is not right and I would go straight to my mentor. As there is confidential information passing through the nursery, i must make sure I do not share this with anyone outside of the setting. A child centred approach is essential through learning development. It helps the child to have fun and still be learning at the same time. If it is child centred it means this will help them focus more, enabling them to reach their goals and full potential. It also concentrates on the child’s individual needs which will help them build up confidence and self esteem as they see themselves achieving. We can also identify what the child’s strengths and weaknesses are and we can improve these. This gives the child independence as they are able to choose, make connections and communicate through a range of experiences. In addition gives them freedom whilst still learning without having a structured timetable. I think this a great way for a child to learn as it focuses on both cognitive and emotional development. The child initiates their own learning style by choosing activities which they really enjoy. Learning through play enables the child to be more social and interactive with other peers. Howard Gardner (cited by Smith, 2002, 2008) proved through his research that ‘Children learn in many different ways and no one method is suited for all students in the classroom’ and ‘70% of children learn through kinaesthetic learning‘. What could be more beneficial for a child than being able to play whilst still learning.