In addition to this it is also mandatory to have good punctuality because many people will be relying on you within that setting, For example if you’re not on time and it is your duty to set up for an activity then another member of staff will have to undertake that duty, as a result other members of staff will dub you as being unreliable and incompetent. As well as punctuality it is also imperative that you maintain a good attitude to work whilst in the establishment as this shows a high standard of professionalism.
For example when working In a childcare setting it is important that you try to have a positive outlook and have strong motivation as it is known that children will pick up on others behaviour, so if you’re having a bad day and you’re are moody and not very motivated then the children and even the adults may pick up on that and feel that if the teachers feeling like that maybe I should be to. It is important that as a practitioner that you fully understand and are aware of children’s development.
This is mandatory because if you weren’t aware of a child’s development you may set them activities that aren’t age and stage appropriate, as a result of this children may become frustrated and annoyed that they either cant complete it or that the set activity is to easy and therefore they aren’t being stimulated cognitively which can lead to a lack of progress in relation to cognitive growth. As well as being aware of age and stage appropriate activities it is also important that you fully understand the developmental norms of that particular age as then you can compare them to see whether they are developing at the average rate, lthough bearing in mind not all children develop at the same rate, the developmental norms will just give an indication of where they should be developmentally, many theorists have theories regarding development one of these theorists is Jean Piaget ‘Theorist Jean Piaget suggested that children think differently than adults and proposed a stage theory of cognitive development. He was the first to note that children play an active role in gaining knowledge of the world. According to his theory, children can be thought of as “little scientists” who actively construct their knowledge and understandingof the world’. http://psychology. about. com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/childdevtheory. htm) (Date accessed 23/03/2012) Thus, by recognising what is expected throughout the growth and development stages you then learn how to ascertain any possible red flags that may eventually lead to possible deficits in relation to their development. Another professional practice which is essential when working in a childcare setting is the understanding of a child’s behaviour. This is important because if you don’t understand why a child is doing something you may presume why they are behaving in such a manner.
The Essay on Promote young children physical activity and mivement skills
... other area of development. Emotional development Physical activity helps children to build up confidence and different activities such as colouring, ... adults.It is important that practitioners show positive attitudes towards physical activity.Children also need to understand the benefits ... with them. It is also important to support children who are at different stages and provide emotional support , ...
An example of this may be a child aged 2 has come into nursery and has begun to hit out at the children, if you didn’t understand this type of behaviour you may just presume that he has hit the terrible twos stage and is trying to test his boundaries, but really at home his parents are physically fighting, he has seen it and is therefore trying to emulate that type of unwanted behaviour, this would occur because as role models that child looks up to them and may believe that the way they act is the way he too should act.
This would link into attitudes to work as a child will emulate whatever behaviour he or she is shown from a role model and at a childcare setting the practitioner becomes that role model. Understanding a child’s behaviour is keybecause they are unable to understand the reasons why they behave the way they do, but if a practitioner is able to understand their behaviour they can strive to overcome any issues which are contributing to the behaviour which is being shown.
The Essay on Child Labour Children Labor Work
" Rajesh (name changed) is 13 years old and fled his Biratnagar home about seven years ago for dream city, Kathmandu. And once here, he did what millions of other street urchins do - beg, clean cars and shoes, peddle drugs, and pick rags or even pockets. Kicked and abused (in more ways than one), survival was a race everyday. It seemed like a hellish meeting with life, head on... ." Sounds like ...
In addition to this by understanding the behaviour and trying to deciefer the reasons behind it as a practitioner you are helping them to avoid carrying the behaviour related issues into future life. D3-I have made sure throughout my time at work placement that I have been punctual and aware of my time keeping, this has been shown through my log book which has to be signed every day that I have been present (See appendix 1), In addition to this I have also had my final report passed, one of the criteria within this report is that I must show professional standards of time keeping, I passed this part of my report. See appendix 2 highlighted pink).
Whilst attending my work placement I have made sure that not only my timekeeping is up to a proficient standard but also that my attitude towards my work is that of a professional practitioner.
I am able to distinguish an improvement in relation to my work attitude because on my final report one of the criteria states ‘Demonstrates positive and consistent attitudes and behaviour which shows commitment to the welfare of the child and family this criteria has been passed, therefore shows that I have a positive work attitude which displays a dedication to the wellbeing of both the children I am working with and their families (See appendix 2 highlighted green).
It is important that as a practitioner for the sake and well-being of the child that I am aware of children’s development.
By understanding children’s development not only am I able to provide development specific activities but I am also able to use my knowledge to further my career. I have been becoming aware of children’s development throughout my time at placement. This evidence is documented via my placement monitoring sheet (See appendix 4).
In addition to this I have also been building upon my understanding of children’s behaviour, I have been able to do so through my experience at my work placement.
As part of our coursework for this unit we are obligated to fill out practice evidence records which state a variety of criteria which we must fulfil whilst at placement. One of the criteria relates to behaviour (See appendix 3 highlighted in yellow).
The Essay on Child/ parent relationship in the Little Boy Crying?
The poem, Little Boy Crying, written by Mervyn Morris is mainly about father and sons relationship. Poet shows the two main themes through this relationship; fathers love towards his child and his effort to lead his child into a right world in life. Mervyn Morris explores the child and parents relationship by using second person narration and language techniques such as allusion and emotive words. ...
As you can see via the noted appendix this criteria has been signed out which shows that I am able to understand a child’s behaviour and promote it effectively and calmly, if I didn’t understand a child’s behaviour I wouldn’t be able to respond to it efficiently. D4/D7- When working in a childcare setting effective communication is key between staff, children and families.
Whilst attending my placement I have engaged in a multitude of conversations whether it is between myself and parents or myself and the children. One of the most recent conversations I had was between a parent and I, the conversation was about an upcoming school themed week related to artist Cornelia Baltes. The parent had lost the letter and could not remember when the themed topic started. I then informed her that it started on the week commencing 26th March I also told her a few of the activities that we would be participating in so that she had an idea of what her child would be learning and what knowledge they would be gaining.
I also gave her an additional copy of the letter so that the required information was at hand if she needed to refer to it (See appendix 6).
As a result of the conversation the parent felt like they were well informed about the topic and knew the exact details. Another conversation I recall having with a parent was regarding their child’s progress meeting with their teacher, at the time the teacher was busy so I offered to help.
The parent wanted to know which dates the review sessions were on so I told them that there were two sessions which he they could attend, one on Monday 26th March or Wednesday 28th March, I also told them that the slots were between 3. 20pm and 5. 20pm. I then presented them with the sheet that had the remaining time slots left and asked them which time best suited them, I then filled it in with their child’s name and time they wanted to see the teacher. As additional information for the parent I gave them the letter that had been gave out previously and wrote the time and date they would be seeing their child’s teacher (See appendix7).
As a result of communicating well with the parent they were then able to understand what was happening in relation to the review evening. It is important that when giving out letters to parents who aren’t necessarily of English speaking that you make sure you consider their individual needs. For example in the letter I gave to the parent it stated that if they needed a translator then they had to state that they wanted one beforehand in order to arrange one, by doing this it considers their needs which therefore shows diversity. As well as good communication between parents is it also essential to have good communication with the children.
The Term Paper on Children Parents and Family needs
E1 Explain the needs of families which may require professional support. Families may have a variety of needs, in which they need professional support. Families with a large number of children may not have the required amount of living space, this could mean that children are sharing beds, or parents are not sleeping in a room. Children will lack of sleep are proven to concentrate less and develop ...
On one occasion one of the children asked me what we were going to be doing outside, I told them that when it’s time for plan do review outside the activity will be bikes and playground games. By having this conversation with the child he was then aware of what would be going on. As well as that conversation I also engaged within a second conversation with another child. The child asked when it was time for the pirate day, in order to inform the child I told them that when the pirate face sticker was on Wednesday then that would be pirate day and that they would be able to dress up as a pirate and do pirate related activities.
This again was effective because by having this conversation the child understood when the themed day was taking place. I know that I am good at communicating because I have had my final report passed in relation to the communication criteria (See appendix 2 highlighted orange ).
In my placement they pride themselves on making sure that the parents are well informed and send out regular notices and newsletters (See appendix 9,10,11) These notices make sure that the parents stay up to date with any updates and changes regarding their child’s school life and environment.
D5- When working within a child care establishment it is obligatory that all classified information is kept confidential. This is so that the child is kept safe and free from any harm that may come about them if specific information was given out. Keeping things confidential is important in any work setting but confidentiality is especially key within a childcare setting. In an establishment different pieces of confidential information are kept secure in numerous ways; an example of this would be confidential paperwork.
The Term Paper on Divorced Parents Children Vs Married Parents Children part 1
Divorced parents' children vs. Married parents children Each year, more than 1 million children experience the divorce of their parents. In 1995, less than 60% of US children were living with both biologic parents, almost 25% were living with their mother only, approximately 4% were living with their father only, and the rest were living with step - families, adoptive families, or foster families ...
If this type of paperwork had to be kept in the establishment it should be kept in a lockable filing cabinet that only the setting manager and other appropriate staff can access if need be. As well as paperwork anything that has been told to a teacher or other member of staff privately should be kept between the people who shared the conversation, and therefore should not be disclosed to anyone else, also if any confidential information is stored on a computer it should be password protected and only the correct members of staff should know this password.
All settings abide by the data protection policy which states the following: “The Data Protection Act regulates when and how an individual’s ‘personal data’ may be obtained, held, used, disclosed and generally processed. It applies to computerise processing of personal data and certain paper based files and records. To comply with the law, information must be collected and used fairly, stored securely and not disclosed to any other person unlawfully” (http://www. turn2us. org. uk/confidentiality_privacy/confidentiality_policy. sp x Date accessed 30/03/2012).
All settings will abide by this policy but in addition to this settings will also have their own confidentiality policy which all staff must adhere to (See appendix 12).
Although confidential information shouldn’t be disclosed to anyone outside the setting it is sometimes necessary to do so under certain circumstances. An example of when it is acceptable to disclose confidential information is when a member of staff has concerns about a child in relation to abuse.
The disclosure of this information would be needed to be shown to the child protection officer at the setting; it may also need to be shown to a higher authority such as social services. As a result they may need to see the child’s personal files in order to gain such information like the child’s current address, attendance rating and any accidents that may have been reported regarding the child in question. Another occasion when classified information may need to be shared or viewed is when a change occurs.
The Homework on How important are parents in a child’s life?
Parents How important are parents in a child’s life? In my opinion, parents are extremely important in the raising of a child. Without the presence of a parent, a child will have a very difficult time growing up. There are essential things that a child has to be provided with. Those needs, I classified them into three important categories: Love Love is absolutely necessary in a good parent- ...
For example if a child in the nursery has recently moved house and the parent has told you the new address it is then your duty as a professional in the setting to then refer that information onto another professional in the setting, as a result of doing this they will then be able to tell the admin officer the new information. The professional would also then be able to update the child’s personal profile. “Confidentiality is about trust and loyalty.
All information that you learn is confidential and you must be careful not to discuss it outside the workplace or with anyone who doesn’t have direct involvement. Breaking confidentiality is always serious and in many organisations it is a disciplinary matter that may lead to dismissal. ” (Tassoni, (2002), page226) D6- Although I am still at college I like to know that I am fully prepared for employment after further education. In order to prepare myself for employment I have created a CV which states all my qualifications, interests and key skills (See appendix13).
By having a CV it allows employers to get a quick overview of your professional abilities. Most places will ask for a CV when you apply this is because they like to compare CV’s in order to deciefer who has the best aptitude and capability in relation to the job. As well as having an up to date CV it is also important that you have the right skills to fill out an application form accurately. I have recently been looking at job applications; one of the applications I was looking at was for craven childcare limited (See appendix 14).
When submitting an application form and CV it is a good idea to include a covering letter. This letter states why you are looking for employment, why you would like to work for that company etc (See appendix 15).
When I have completed this course I would like to further my education by applying for a level 3 apprenticeship in child care. The reason I would like to do this is because I would like to further my experience and build upon my knowledge (See appendix 16).
Once I have gained my level 3 child care qualification I would like to become a nursery nurse and in the future either open my own nursery or set up my own nanny business, but if it doesn’t work out in the childcare industry I would like to do a course in entrepreneurship as I am interested in business and making my own money through using my own concepts and knowledge. (See appendix 17).
In addition to this I would also like to do a part time course in catering as I am interested in making food and creating new gastronomic concepts(See appendix 18).
These are my proposed plans for the future I have many plans as I believe it is good to have choices and not have to stay within the same industry because of your limitations. D7- It is important that in a child care setting you don’t discriminate against anyone as this shows bad practice. Many settings will have their own anti-discrimination policy (See appendix 19).
This policy shows that the setting won’t tolerate any discriminating behaviour from or towards staff, children and parents.
I know that I am able to understand and demonstrate why diversity and inclusive practice is important I know this because this is one of my criteria in my final report, I have passed this criteria by not stereotyping or discriminating against children, staff or parents. I have also passed this because I am able to take other peoples cultural specifications into consideration when carrying out tasks and preparing for activities (See appendix 2 highlighted blue).
C1/D7-By having a record of my attendance at placement via my log book it is helping me improve upon my punctuality thus making me more employable, and by having consistent timings it shows that I am reliable and that I can be trusted to come in at a set time in order to carry out established responsibilities. In addition to this by maintaining a professional standard of timekeeping it shows that I am upholding a professional mantra.
By developing my skills in relation to my work attitude it is making me more employable and helps to maintain a professional standard of working. Whilst in my placement in relation to my work attitude I have also learnt that it is important to show diversity and inclusive practice. It is important that whilst working in the setting that you consider everybody’s cultural background, for example when giving out letters it may be necessary to print the letters off in the child’s first language so that they are easier to understand (See appendix 20).
This leaflet was sent out at school in both English and Arabic as a few of the parents don’t speak English. I have learnt that by having a positive work attitude in relation to diversity and inclusive practice that you are more employable because you are more Throughout my time at work placement I have been continually developing my knowledge in relation to my awareness of children’s development. By building upon this knowledge it will help me gain employment in the child care industry.
In addition to this it will also allow me to understand children’s development when working with them which will therefore improve the way I aid them in relation to them developing as a whole. By doing some work and gaining additional experience in relation to working with children I have been able to understand their behaviour better. By having this knowledge it allows me to know the developmental norms of a child in relation to their behaviour.
For example if a 7 year is having a tantrum, because I now have the knowledge I know that that isn’t the correct behaviour for a child of that age, this would also help me if a child wasn’t behaving as the development norms suggest, because of this knowledge I would know that something wasn’t right therefore I would suggest doing an observation on the child in order to highlight any additional red flags that may be present. This would help the child develop as well because by carrying out the observation you can provide activities that will help them develop both physically and in a behavioural sense.
B1-Effective communication is key within a childcare setting especially when communicating with parents and children. When I had a conversation with a parent regarding a school topic I gave them a letter which had the information on although I didn’t give the parents an answer straight away as I wasn’t too sure of the dates by giving them the letter they were able to refer back to the information whenever they needed it, this was effective because the letter was small so they could keep it in their bag and have it to hand; in addition to this it was also effective because the parent knew what was happening and when it was happening.
I also verbally told them a few of the activities they would be doing, this method was effective because they knew exactly what was going to be happening and what their child would be learning and gaining from the experience. Another conversation I had was regarding a child’s review evening. I gave them the letter and explained what was going to be happening in relation to dates and times. This communication was effective because the parent understood fully what time they were meeting with the teacher and what date.
Parents aren’t the only people you need to communicate well with it is also important that you effectively communicate with children as sometimes if you don’t give them enough information they become irritated because they don’t understand. When I had a conversation with a child regarding outside activities I verbally told then what e would be doing. By giving them a simple but well informed answer the child was able to understand what would be going on and therefore wasn’t frustrated because they didn’t understand. Another conversation I had with a child was regarding pirate day.
The child couldn’t understand when this special day was taking place so I verbally told him. By telling the child orally when this special day was happening he was able to distinguish how many days were left until the event. As well as understanding by telling him verbally instead of giving him a letter or leaflet he was able to remember the information. I asked the child a few hours later if he could remember when the pirate day was and he was able to tell me exactly when it was, this shows that my communication was effective.
B2-The reason keeping certain things confidential is because there is a small minority of people out there are intent on abducting or hurting children that it is for their sake that there information is kept safe. It is also important if there are authorities involved in the family, for example if the father isn’t allowed to see the child because of a court order then it is important that no information about the child or there family is isclosed to that person otherwise there could be severe consequences not only for the person who disclosed the information but also for the family who as a result of someone’s carelessness could be in danger from the father would be breeching his court order regulations. Another example is if a child had a fight with a child in the setting they wouldn’t be able to tell their parents who he had a fight with as that parent may then have an argument with the other child’s parent this can then lead to confrontation. It is also important to keep information confident upon request from parents as it helps to build up trust between you and parents.
It is important to keep things confidential as it can lead to problems outside the establishment. For example if a member of staff disposed of a child’s contact details in a bin, someone could pick it up see where they live and possibly cause harm to the family. This would show that you lack professional responsibilities, it would also show that you have not considered the child’s welfare but also shown disregard for any data protection policies. It is important to keep things confidential as it can lead to problems outside the establishment.
For example if a member of staff disposed of a child’s contact details in a bin, someone could pick it up see where they live and possibly cause harm to the family. This would show that you lack professional responsibilities, it would also show that you have not considered the child’s welfare but also shown disregard for any data protection policies. In addition to this, if confidential information relating to the child or carers health was disclosed to anybody who didn’t have the authority to view it may lead to the family getting treated differently by others including their child’s peers.
For example if a child had a skin irritation such as eczema and some of the other children found out because the practitioner left some confidential information regarding the child’s illness on the table then this may lead to a situation where the child becomes isolated from the other children because they know they have something wrong with them so don’t want to catch it. As a result of this the child may not want to participate in any group activities which can eventually lead to a decrease in that child’s developmental rate.
So as a result of leaving this information lying about the practitioner may cause damage to the child regarding their developmental norms. A1-When preparing for employment there are many elements which may influence your decision as where to apply. For example when applying for a job within a childcare setting is good practice to do some research on the establishment. This research will aid your decision in whether to apply to that establishment. An example of research you may do is you may is you may look up the establishments Ofsted report.
By doing this you will have an indication at how well the establishment is doing in relation to performance and staffing, this may influence your decision because if the establishment has a poor Ofsted report you may become weary as to what the establishment can offer you and vice versa as the school may have a really good Ofsted report which may sway you to want to work there as you would know that they are a good child care establishment. As well as research having a good CV is also key. This is important because your CV sells your capabilities and professionalism; it also gives the employer a quick overview of what your abilities are.
So by having a good CV you are showing the employer that you are professional and keen to work. If your CV is accurate and a good standard and you go to apply for a job against someone else who has a below standard CV then the likelihood is that you will be offered the job because the employer will have a quick glance at both the CV’s and simply compare them so it’s always good to have an accurate CV. Just like the CV it is also important to have good application form filling skills, because an employer can tell how suitable you are just by looking at your application form.
In addition to this it is also important that you fully prepare for the interview section of job preparation, it is important that you are prepared for the interview as like a CV an interview is an allocated time for you to sell yourself and show why you are right for the job. By being prepared for an interview and responding well during the interview you are maximising your chances at getting the job. It is important that you know your personal skills and qualities as well as this will aid you during your job search, by knowing what you are capable off you are able to apply for jobs which require you to draw upon those skills and qualities.
In addition to this it is important that when preparing for employment that you consider Your attitudes ‘Successful, smart workers are ones who both hold and exude positive values and attitudes related to their work experiences. They enjoy learning and working. ’ (Gerber (2000) Page 4 A*- When I first started college I wasn’t 100% sure of my capabilities but throughout my time at college and placement I have learnt a variety of new skills and improved upon any underlying knowledge. I have improved upon the four aspects of professional practice; these include time keeping and attitudes to work.
I have learnt that as a practitioner it is important to continually review and evaluate progress in the establishment. For example when we did our assignments we evaluated each other’s work by using a peer assessment form (See appendix 21).
The peer assessment sheet is filled out by members of the class in order to give feedback about my assignment, by using this sheet I have upgraded many assignments to a higher grade, if I didn’t use this sheet then I wouldn’t of had the knowledge that i needed to improve upon my work.
It is important that when I was given feedback that not only did I build upon the positives that that I had received in my feedback but also improve upon the noted weaknesses. In addition to this it is also important that I reflect regularly upon both my strengths and weaknesses as by doing this I will have a clear picture of what I need to do in order to change things. An example of this would be on my last assignment my tutor gave me a feedback form which contained both negatives and positives, so in order to gain a better grade I took on board these weaknesses and applied them to my work.
As well as taking on board and improving upon my weaknesses throughout my time at college whilst working on assignments I have made sure that I take on the positives in order to maintain them and keep a high level of work. In addition to this more formal type of feedback there are also many forms of informal feedback. An example of this is throughout my course my tutor has frequently told me how I can improve or rectify upon my work, this feedback like the peer assessment form allows me to improve upon my grade and strive to be the best that I can be.
As well as receiving feedback via my peer assessment form and from my tutor I have also been given feedback from my placement supervisor, when I was at placement my supervisor would sit down with me every Tuesday and evaluate my progress and tell me which areas I need to improve upon, in addition to these weekly feedback sessions she would also give me general feedback throughout the day which would help me perform better and become more professional in my work.
By following up and applying this feedback within the setting it has had a positive effect especially upon the children and their development, this is because by taking on board and applying this feedback I am able to improve activities that I have been carrying out with the children thus leading to them becoming more focused because they are enjoying the activity which eventually will lead to an increase in their development. Although most of my feedback has come from adults, whilst I have been doing my work placement I have received much feedback from the children themselves.
This feedback can come from a multitude of ways. For example when I was doing an activity with a small group of children they were all engaged in the activity and showed great concentration, by showing this I felt I had planned the activity well. Sometimes feedback isn’t even necessary many a time I have completed an activity without feedback because I have assessed the activity and the pros and cons and have decided whether that the activity went well or not based on my own personal judgement of the situation.
Throughout my time at college I have learnt to continuously use SWOT analysis to reflect upon my own professional development. Below is my personal SWOT analysis. Strengths- I believe I have many strengths these include communication, being a good leader and conveying my ideas simply and concisely. Weaknesses- On the other hand I also have many weaknesses which I need to improve upon. These weaknesses include punctuality, thinking before I speak and sometimes I can be too strong willed which can often come across as argumentative.
These weaknesses can be improved and I will strive to improve them as they will help improve my state of professionalism. Opportunities-During my time at college I have had many opportunities to build upon my professional practice, for example I have been doing work placement at a school which has helped me build upon existing knowledge, in addition to this this course was also an opportunity because if I hadn’t of done this I wouldn’t of been able to go to placement and gain knowledge.
Threats- There are many threats than may affect my future career. For example if I didn’t have a placement which is required in order to complete my course I may not finish on time therefore not gaining the qualification I need to be able to do want I want to do after I leave college. Another thing that may be a threat is my behaviour, if I act in an inconsiderate and violent manner therefore resulting arrest it would go on my record and may end up permanently on my CRB thus leading to myself becoming unemployable.
