...Intentional Teaching and its Importance in Early Childhood Education Introduction: ‘Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.’ — William Butler Yeats Reflected by an early childhood educator, it is evident the response or idea everyone has when you mention to them that you are an early childhood educator; ‘Oh, you get to play with children all day’ or, in a particular tone, ‘You must love kids’. Very limited is the understanding to how important the role of an educator is, more importantly how critical the role of an educator is in the development of a young child. Onlookers will see an educator involved in play with children but will never truly comprehend the purposeful planning that has been implemented nor the intentional teaching employed to inhibit learning. Similar is the thought process and understanding of most parents. The educators have to promote intentional teaching practices and help parents recognize its true purpose and value in supporting children’s learning and development. This essay aims to explain intentional teaching and its relation to early childhood education and care. This essay will also focus on removing or denunciating any confusion amongst educators questioning the need for intentional teaching or that the practice is a formal instruction in a play-based curriculum. Intentional teaching- Definition and its placement in ECE: ‘Intentional teaching: involves educators being deliberate, purposeful and thoughtful...
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...Learning from experience is one of the best modes of learning. This is because one gets to learn from their own mistakes and they can understand how to do things right. Experiential learning has produced the best experts in the world. This is why all education systems require a field experience. Field experience has changed a lot of minds and influenced decision making. Through field experience, people have made significant career decisions courtesy of a critical incident or general knowledge. This essay explores a school experience marred by lack of administration and proper personnel and facilities to handle special needs cases. The experience is a teaching assistant who is in a school that doesn't have steady top-level leadership which is very critical in every institution. Further, it has admitted a student who needs particular attention since he has been diagnosed with Craniosynostosis and has significant complex needs yet it lacks the proper personnel with expertise on how to handle such a case. This situation forces the teaching assistant to step up and take it upon themselves to find ways in which they can help this student. Choosing education as a profession is considered more of a calling...
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...Q. With regard to one of the following topics a) child abuse/child protection and welfare; b) addiction; c) youth work; d) violence; e) foster care/alternative care, discuss the client needs and the role of the social care practitioner in responding to those needs. Introduction The following essay is on Alternative care, Alternative care is known as both residential care and foster care. The discussion will be based on the residential care system in Ireland. Therefore, this essay will firstly begin by outlining the residential care system. It will then go on by discussing the needs of the child within residential care (Share and McElwee, 2005). The analysis continues by identifying and discussing the aspects of working in the residential care system. Finally, it will look at the importance of the social care practitioner within the residential care system and how the practitioner addresses the needs of the children within the care system. The discussion will then be concluded. The needs of young people in Residential Care Throughout society, it is a widely known certainty that young kids pass through the Residential Care system for many troublesome causes. Everyone in society is different to one another, different children have different needs which result from the poor care experience undergone by each child. The setting of Residential Care should, therefore, as much as possible, offer a home atmosphere to these children, that is, a welcoming and warm environment. Article...
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...the difficulty and upset that families face when a child is hospitalised and I will be able to empathize with the families I work with. Due to my sons complex medical condition I have had a lot of experience with placing nasogastric tubes, testing blood sugar levels and administering medications. I also learnt about the signs of low blood sugar and what to do in the event of a hypoglycaemic fit. As well as regular hospital check-ups there were long stays in hospital in which the staff that I came across, especially the nurses were so compassionate, competent and caring and showed such courage and commitment to the families that they cared for even with the long hours and extremely difficult work that they do that it further inspired my passion for nursing as well as helping me to understand the importance of the 6 c’s. When nursing this experience will enable me to appreciate...
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...The effect of child-caregiver interacton on the social-, emotional and cognitive development of children “Lack of caregiver-child interaction has been cited as a risk factor that contributes to loss of developmental potential. On the other hand, positive caregiver-child interactions are said to facilitate social-emotional development (Walker et al., 2011). This is especially true in infancy.” “Lack of caregiver-child interaction has been cited as a risk factor that contributes to loss of developmental potential. On the other hand, positive caregiver-child interactions are said to facilitate social-emotional development (Walker et al., 2011). This is especially true in infancy.” In this essay I wish to discuss the above emphasised statements in the context of normal social behaviour. This essay places specific emphases on three main areas; the role of attachment in child developement, how a lack of caregiver-child interactions affect the infant and the protective factors that could facilitate the child’s social-emotional development. After World War II, it was found that many children who lost their parents presented similar psychological difficulties (Cassidy & Shaver, 1999). Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst John Bowlby wrote a pamphlet on the situation, entitled “Meternal Deprivation”. Out of this work spawned the attachment theory. For the first time people became aware that the close careciver-child attachment, usually mother-child, was very important in the...
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...This essay seeks to critically evaluate my role as a child observer. Drawing on two or more theories of child development, I will look at the main theoretical concept and critically evaluate in relation to my observation. First, I begin a brief description of the child I have observed and the setting in which the observation took place. Next I attempt to show my understanding of normal child development, and aspects that can disrupt ‘normal’ child development. Throughout the essay, I will critically examine and reflect on the process of undertaking my observation. And finally, issues of ethics and anti- oppressive practises will be discussed. The child I have observed was three and half year’s old girl called Sara (not her real name), of African Caribbean background and English is the only language spoken at home. All three observations took place at the day-centre she attends. The day-care centre gave me permission to observe her, but not to interact and interfere with her educational activities. As this was my first observation, I was a bit anxious about how Sara might react about me watching her, and while her parents consented about the observations, Sara did not know that I am here to observe her; it is this scenario that made me uncomfortable. I was particularly more concerned about the ethical issues of not informing Sara about the observation. One element of anti-oppressive practice is to make sure that people’s rights are not violated. Social workers must put children’s...
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...According to HIQA (2013:3), "What prevents people with disabilities from leading fulfilling lives is not lack of ability but other people's low expectations of them". Discuss this statement with reference to people with intellectual disabilities. This essay is based on the discussion of what prevents people with disabilities from leading a fulfilling life is not their lack of ability but other peoples low expectations of them. This essay will firstly define 'HIQA', what the aim of HIQA is and how it is important to those with disabilities. Secondly, the topic will be focusing on the childhood years for those with disabilities, discussing how people with disabilities were treated in society. Following this will be information about the 1900s...
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...The Importance of Love The definition of love is an intense feeling of deep affection. (Google 1) In our lives loving and treating each other right is important for us to grow. As cliché as it sounds love is truly what we all need. It scientifically proven that we need love to succeed in life to a higher level of self transcendence. Therefore, this essay will maintain the idea that love is essential to living a meaningful life where you can succeed. First off, love is something that is usually given to us starting at birth. If we are fortunate our caretaker will do whatever is necessary to get us growing into good people. On the contrary there is people who aren't cared for and they become wards of the state. 61% of foster youth in California was tested and it came back positive for developmental delay. They are 15% less likely to complete high school with their diploma and 24% less likely if the child has a disability of some kind. A lot of foster youth endures suffering and are mistreated when they are placed with families. The statistics alone show that there is a serious lack of care going on and that affects developmental growth. Abuse, extramarital affairs, and weight gain are all top reasons for divorce in America. In the root of all these reasons lies the similarity of mistreatment. A unified partnership has ended due to the lack of love and care because another wanted to be selfish and not consider another's feelings. Simple mistreatment and lack of...
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...ideas in educational practice,” (Henderson, 2004). This high praise begs the question: why is The Lorax so successful at reaching out to the child reader? This essay will indentify the use of certain literary characteristics that Seuss incorporated in The Lorax, which stemmed from successful environmental children’s literature from the late seventeenth century to the twentieth century. It will establish the success of each work due to the theme or agenda it had that reflected the social and environmental issues of its time, and will then establish to what extent Seuss’s The Lorax stands as a strong example for ecocritics and educators alike, of an environmental children’s story and its impact on the child reader. To further understand the position of this paper, it is important to identify the nature of ecocentricism and the development of the interdisciplinary field. Ecocentricism is an ethical practice that “decenters humanity’s importance in nonhuman nature and nature writing and instead explores the complex interrelationships between the human and the nonhuman,” (Buell, 2011). The practice, in the last twenty years, has become a field of inquiry in response to “growing academic concern about the response of literature and literary theory to the global crisis of environmental degradation,” (Sigler, 1994). Using an ecocentric lens, this essay explores the characteristics and social and environmental agendas that children’s literature has had from the early eighteenth century, to...
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...people’s emotional and relationship styles. It relates to how resilient children will become later in life when facing life stressors. In its earliest form, attachment theory concentrated on the dynamics and quality of relationships between children and their parents, but it has since been expanded to cover the lifespan. The clear result seems that early parent-child relationship, and the degree of successful attachment, mediates and influences the course of a person’s development. (Howe, 1995) This essay is based on theories and concepts put forward by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, the two most important people who have influenced the theory of attachment. In this essay I will look at the impact poor attachment has on a person’s development and the reason for choosing to explore this topic, is having developed a keen interest around the influence of poor attachment with my father and the impact it has had on my life in terms of loving, trusting and sexual relationships. Pearce (2009) states that attachment is a term that can be used to describe the dependency relationship a child develops between them and their primary care-givers and progresses throughout the years of their lives. We are not born with attachment but “this special relationship emerges over time and through a series of stages”. Pearce (2009:19) So attachment theory is, essentially, to do with human relationships. Psychologist John Bowlby was the first attachment theorist, describing attachment as “a lasting...
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...caused by different factors, for example, environmental and biological factors. Finding the most effective solution is difficult because childhood obesity increases. (Ahearne-Smith 2008) highlights that childhood obesity could lead to diseases such as cancers and lung disease at a later stage. Body mass index (BMI) is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared, Overweight means being at or above 95 percentile (philipsen et al 2008). Children being overweight is attributed to genes passed from parents to children ( Perusse $ Bouchard, 1999), Children should be prevented from being overweight at an early stage (Barker et al 1997). Prenatal check-up is very important for pregnant women and the baby; early signs of child and mother being overweight can be detected at this stage. Gestational diabetics in pregnant women most likely will make the baby overweight when born (Philipsen et al 2008). Furthermore, Children continue to be overweight after birth, due to...
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...Short Essay on Teenage sof881@gmail.com The life goes through many kind of circumstances, the ages decide how we take these in our life there are three main ages childhood, adolescence and old. Childhood and old has one similarity both needs care and wants attention of loved ones but dissimilarity is that old has got its experienced certification but childhood is beginning of this course. All these ages have their importance in life .among all there is one age which comes betwixt of childhood and adolescence i.e. teenage. It’s very critical and energetic age , it can break all records of prosperity and destruction as well. Actually a person in this age can hardly decide whether he is still a child or he is mature, that is why he thoughts his decisions are right and what he does is right. The sudden departure from childhood and feet proceeding towards adolescence develops restlessness in him. This restlessness can lead him to good as well as bad things depending upon type of friends he has and his breeding which comes only from family. Breeding never goes waste, it shows its reflections one day or other. The person in this usually gets attracted to and shows curiosity towards drugs, sexual relationships, body parts related to sex etc. The abrupt change in body creates chaos in one’s mind The blood flows very fast so there is less tire seen in a person. If one handles it in best way no one in his life can stop him from being successful. But in addition to this the family...
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...There are certain people within our society who believe that we are losing touch with nature. They’ve made it their duty to inform us about the importance of experiencing nature, the negative implications technology has on our view of nature and the quality of life nature can provide. Two noteworthy advocates for the nature movement are authors Richard Louv and Bill McKibben. Their written works A Life of the Senses and From the End of Nature discuss the impact nature has on our lives. In his essay A Life of the Senses, author Richard Louv discusses the importance of experiencing nature and “what happens to the senses of the young when they lose connection with nature” (664). He believes that “children need nature for the healthy development of their senses, and, therefore, for learning and creativity” (664). The importance of nature is that it stimulates curiosity, creativity and a sense of freedom. In Louv’s opinion, lack of “primary experience – that which we can see, feel, taste, hear or smell for ourselves” (672) has had negative implications on our society. He believes that our primary experience of nature is being replaced by secondary, vicarious, often distorted, dual sensory (vision and sound only), one-way experience of television and other electronic media (672). Unfortunately, adults are guilty of not encouraging children to experience nature. Louv writes, “there is a real world, beyond the glass, for children who look, for those whose parents encourage them...
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...EXAMINING SOCIAL WORK VALUES AND MY PERSONAL VALUES AND DEVELOPMENT In my essay I will be looking at what social work and values are. Due to the essay 1500 words constraint I look at the arguments for and against 1 of (Biestek 1961) 7 traditional values and then look at 1 of the new values before looking at a radical social work value. Secondly, I will re-evaluate my personal values and experiences to see how they relate to past and current social work values. Thirdly, I will identify the origin and development of my personal values, and look at the main influences and contributing factors. I will then look at the key areas of my personal values and attitudes that need further development as I progress and acquire new skills and knowledge in my course. I will conclude by highlighting and stressing the importance of values and self-awareness in working towards 'knowing and owning my fears, aspirations and values' (Antony, 1996). Social work is a human profession that promotes social changes, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work (BASW 2001) and values in social work are the principles, beliefs, missions or philosophies of an individual, society or an institution that have been elaborated to...
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...Introduction: Child development involves biological, psychological and emotional changes that take place in human beings from birth to the end of adolescence. Psychological changes comprise motor skills and other psycho-physiological processes such as cognitive development (Levine & Munsch 2010). Cognitive development refers to the construction of a thought process which consist not only reasoning, problem solving and decision making, but also it includes cerebral activities such as thinking and memory (Woolfolk-Hoy & Hoy 2004). From this process child will start to learn to analyze the condition and reasoning, which will advances throughout the childhood till adulthood. This essay will discuss the effect of multiple factors such as environmental and social variable on cognitive development. Essay will also explore the importance of understanding developmental psychology for nursing practice. Environment and social variables have a high influence on cognitive development. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky have done remarkable research and develop their own theories in understanding of cognitive development in children. Even though, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky have varied theory about cognitive development, both theories are equally significant to understand cognitive development of a child. According to Lev Vygotsky’s socio-culture theory of development, child’s cognitive development is greatly influenced by the social interaction and culture(Slavin 1996). Lev Vygotsky believed...
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