Zoey's Blog

ICT Conference at Warwick

2010-03-03T08:08:00.000-08:00

Well I really enjoyed this conference today, got some good ideas for the essay I have to do for Brian and also really inspired to complete my blogg more often after seeing the children's bloggs. I would like to put all my thoughts on the blogg but sometimes just too busy and I would love more comments.

Cameron and Sure Start

2010-01-30T15:56:00.000-08:00

I am very disappointed by Cameron's suggestion about using Sure Start as a way of providing specific help to dysfunctional and deprived families. No1, how will he define dysfunctional and what exactly is a deprived family. No2. How does he intend on getting these families through the doors of the Sure Start buildings, which will no longer looked upon as centres of the community, but stigmatised family areas; where the people who can't cope go to? and No 3. why does he want to stop the communities that have developed within these centres from forming, because, as a result of these centres, a lot of the private parent and toddler groups have gone, in the search of better quality resources.

I understand that he is pointing out the obvious that the people who need extra resources, whatever that is, are not getting the support they need. However, this problem does not stem from the grassroots of society through centres like Sure Start, but it comes from the inequalities of the whole of our system in society, and when I talk about inequalities, I don't just mean monetary. I mean that unfortunately, England is a deprived society when it comes to children, because, policies don't really consider families and even in general society does not think about the needs of children. We still foster Victorian attitudes and I believe in order for society to change it requires an overhaul of how we consider success, in this I agree with Illich.

So Mr Cameron, your policies already show up who you are. Please do not further deprive the communities of England by withdrawing a resource that is necessary to every family with young children, because Sure Start has helped me and at times it has been a saving grace, its been great to know that I could go somewhere, feel welcomed, not feel stigmatised, get the support I needed and just this knowledge alone helped me in ways that cannot be measured. No, keep Sure Start if anything, give them more resources to continue a great service. I suggest a more radical way forward, how about help families with young children, offering them more financial support, that's right I said it, not cuts. Support people by giving them help.

Even as a Christian, I believe your tax breaks for the married couples is unfair to people who are not married, because there are families who have children and the parents are not married. Also, the money that will be going to the richer people is money that will be wasted, when it could be spent on those "dysfunctional, deprived families" What do you think?

Piaget's Conservation in pre-operational stage

2010-01-15T03:51:00.000-08:00

Cameron's Plan for Sure Start

2010-01-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

Cameron sets out plans for new Sure Start

By Catherine Gaunt, Nursery World, 11 January 2010

Sure Start children's centres would move away from providing universal services for all parents with young children and focus on the most disadvantaged and 'dysfunctional' families, under Conservative party plans for 'a new generation' of Sure Start centres.

Conservative leader David Cameron said that the new model of Sure Start would focus on early intervention, with staff paid partly by results.
Speaking at the launch of an inquiry by think-tank Demos on ‘character', Mr Cameron reiterated the Tories' commitment to Sure Start but said it had lost its focus.
He said, ‘There is little accountability in how Sure Start money is spent, so the funding doesn't necessarily follow the support programmes that work. There's not enough diversity of provision, because the voluntary sector and other community organisations have been crowded out.
‘The people who need it most – disadvantaged and dysfunctional families – are not getting enough of the benefit.'
Mr Cameron said that research from the National Academy for Parenting Practitioners and others had identified what worked, and that independent organisations with a proven track record in parenting interventions, like Lifeline and 4Children and Homestart, would be invited to run children's centres.
‘They will then be paid – at least in part – according to the results they achieve. Of course many things we regard as success are hard to measure, such as a child's level of happiness and comfort. But as the family nurse partnership has suggested, there are some tangible measurements we can apply – for example, improvements in school readiness and infant mortality.'
He said that if the Tories were in power a new Early Years Support Team would be set up within the Department for Children, Schools and Families, with responsibility for designing these contracts.
He added, ‘The funding for this work will be through a dedicated Early Years Support Budget, building on the existing dedicated funding for Sure Start by incorporating the many streams of funding directed at early years support that are currently dispersed through Whitehall.'
Mr Cameron likened the Conservatives' ambition for Sure Start to the success of the Academy schools programme, in that centres would be independent and operate outside local government and funded directly by central government.
Commenting on the proposals, Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, welcomed plans to bring together early years funding and increase accountability, but said Sure Start should remain universal.
‘One of the great advantages of children's centres is that they do not stigmatise families because they are available to all, something that families tell us is very important,' she said.
‘Too narrow a focus on deprived families may jeopardise this, and we would urge Mr Cameron to maintain a universal approach.
'While a focus on results and outcomes is positive, international evidence has shown that the real gains from early years investment are not fully realised until those children reach maturity. This must be taken into account.'
Mr Cameron also said that the Conservatives would shortly be publishing their own family green paper on policies to make Britain more family-friendly.
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Can you catch your breath!?! It's late I need to sleep. Cameron is going backwards Will comment on this in the near future.

Curriculum killing creativity - according to Sir Ken Robinson

2009-12-08T16:09:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Pete told me about this Sir Ken Robinson who spoke at TED about how the curriculum is killing creativity. Loved this!! Hope this will WOW you too. This is my update about the curriculum - its all work, however its formed.

Types of play

2009-11-05T02:28:00.000-08:00

I'm on a roll

Child Observation - Wiltshire College

Montessori Philosophy

2009-11-05T02:08:00.000-08:00

Feeling absolutely exhausted today. So taking the time to review what I've learned and trying hard to fill in the large gaps on knowledge, as I wasn't on the course last year. I am going to try to put a youtube video on about Montessori.

2009-10-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

Hi again. I have about a million books, and I've been printing off loads of info for my lit review, most of it isn't relevant however, I haven't really got a clue what I really doing when it comes to the lit review and its really difficult to know in my head how a lit review all fits in when it comes to research and doing studies. So I think I'll youtube it again. Hopefully, this week I'll try to organise myself, tidy up my notes and maybe even read them again. Just really busy. I think its time to do a to do list and really I just got to get down and dirty with all that reading. :@/

I was really impressed with Lynn's comments, I did work really hard on that work and thank God for my lovely hubby who always proof reads for me. I would love to be able to redesign the National Curriculum, obviously, I would need full control from the government to do an excellent job.

Need sleep now.

2009-10-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

So this is my contribution ...

21^st Century Education

This short document will consider how the education of the future might look. In order to make better decisions for the future we are able to use reflexive skills by considering history and other cultures. After listening to Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of RSA, on Teachers TV, I felt more drawn to the idea that the National Curriculum should be a tool that is manipulated towards each individual child, where children are allowed to emerge in their own time and allowed to learn through their own interests. There should be a holistic approach to learning and more classrooms without walls where society becomes more accommodating and involved in children. In our ever developing technological world, children and their parents should be encouraged to embrace the tools of ICT.

The National Curriculum is a basis where standards are set in order that children receive a basic foundation of education. The QCA state that the National Curriculum should be available to every child regardless of their social background, culture, gender or ability. I would suggest that the National Curriculum is a structure that looks to meet society’s needs and values; however the way it is set up does not fully meet the needs of the individual.

It is important for us to stand on the shoulders of giants and build on the aspect of theories that accommodate for individual learners. The National Curriculum of the future should remain flexible and resourced adequately, especially with highly trained practitioners. Practitioners, including teachers, early years’ practitioners, parents and society need to be caring, know how to observe the interests of children and use these as starting points to build on. Their approach should be holistic, giving space for children to play and be free to be themselves.

Society has a big role to play in the future of our children’s education, as it can open more doors to learning for children of all ages, this will help children learn through interaction and apply content into context, which will ultimately encourage life-long learning. For example, a student on The Big Debate on Teachers TV explained how, through a project, they were asked to set up a market stall and sell things, he describe how he appreciated having to learn different aspects of the market and it made learning more interesting. This type of experience couldn’t be achieved without the help of society. If children are expected to integrate into society, attaining the levels that industry expects of them at the end of compulsory education, it is up to industry not just to prescribe but to be a part of their education from an early age. In relation to careers, children may have a better concrete understanding of the type of work they enjoy.

Learning by topic would be beneficial because all the National Curriculum subjects can be covered in a holistic way allowing for different types of learners to be accommodated. Also, children should be allowed to learn without the stress of reaching assessment targets, personal goals can be achieved according to the learning style and interest of the child.

I would suggest a National Curriculum for the 21^st century to be one that allows for true personal growth, because only by letting go will we gain people of the future who can use their imagination and inspiration to take us further into the future. Society in general needs to nurture our developing young, because it is through care and the passing on of knowledge through experience that children can learn.

http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/aims/index.aspx accessed 12/10/09

http://teachers.t.v./video/31411

Fitting it all in

2009-10-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

I am struggling a little bit because there just so much to do. I have to keep with up with learning how to observe children, book in time to do those observations, start reading up for the lit reviews, write up about my ideal national curriculum, need and run a household of five children including fitting in time for other members of family. PHEW!!! Let me catch my breath. All all I want to do it rest.

How is everyone else doing?

2009-10-07T04:33:00.000-07:00

hello my name is naomi's blog

7 year old child starved to death

2009-10-05T05:38:00.000-07:00

7 year old girl from Birmingham starved to death due to demonic possession

My very first try at doing a link in my blog

End of Week One

2009-10-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

I am overwhelmed with all the stuff I need to learn. However, I am making progress, I just need to find out exactly what all the deadlines are for each subject, and I need to find out what exactly I need to brush up on. For the moment I'm not feeling like this thing is impossible, just a major challenge.

Help just moved across to Early Childhood Studies

2009-09-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

Yep, I've just moved across to study Early Childhood Studies, Year 2 and feeling very vulnerable because I don't have all the knowledge that others in the group picked up. However, I'm gonna look at this as a challenge that I'm going to enjoy and I've had a look at some of the other blogs to get an idea about others' experience. I'm anxious but looking forward to it and looking forward to learn how to use my computer properly, like using blogs, by the way, this is my first ever blog. So, here's to change!