Principles Underpinning the Role of the Practitioner Essay

The principles underpinning the role of the practitioner working with children Section 1 – Maintaining professional relationships in the multi-professional team E1: Describe the responsibility of the practitioner in professional relationships: â€Å"Professional,† means engaging in a given activity as a source of livelihood. It also means being an expert and having or showing great skill. Practitioners are more likely to develop good relationships with colleagues and children if they are able to demonstrate professional standards. â€Å"Professional practice is the skills that will be required of you to develop in order to work effectively with children. These include understanding your role and responsibilities, the ability to establish and maintain good relationships with children and colleagues, and communication skills.† (Tassoni P, 2007:10) Being reliable means that staff and children begin to rely on you, for example practitioners may plan activities or mee tings and expect you to be there to assist or supervise children. Reliable means doing what is expected of you and this can include working as a team helping each other and being on time and honest. It can also include being hard working and consistent as this shows your enthusiasm towards the job role. It is important to be reliable because children can get attached to you and start counting on you to be there. Punctuality is crucial in all jobs but especially when supervising children. It is important to be on time consistently which shows you are dedicated to your job. A good example of this is a parent may not be able to leave for work until you arrive in the setting, or a setting may not be able to open if the right ratio of staff is present. Flexibility is essential as practitioners should have the ability to meet new ideas and initiatives with openness. They should be able to adapt to different teachers approaches and be flexible about the hours that they work or tasks that are given to them. For example, a practitioner can help with a Year 3 display if they are always working with reception. This shows that they can be helpful as well as outgoing. Being a good listener is highly important when being a practitioner. Using eye contact and lowering yourself down to the child’s level will make them feel as if you are talking to them and not at them which will not intimidate them. Practitioners should be supportive and non-judgmental. Good examples include repeating back what the child has said to show you are listening, commenting and asking further questions using body language; practitioners should not interrupt or change the subject. â€Å"You need to show children and young people that you are interested in what they have to say. By looking (not staring) at a child or young person, you show them that they have your full attention. Sometimes, during a conversation, they may look away or down and this may be a sign that what they are about to say may be uncomfortable or difficult for them.† (Tassoni P, 2007:139) (356 words) E3: Explain the value of a multi-professional approach when working with children and parents: Multi-professional working requires people from different professions and agencies to work together towards meeting the needs of the child. There are a very large number of organisations that support children and their families that may be involved in multi-agency working. In order to work effectively with other agencies, it is important to have an understanding of what they do and how they support one another. â€Å"†¦professionals can share knowledge about the family’s needs with each other so that parents do not have to be asked the dame questions over and over again. It also means that professionals are aware of each other’s role in supporting the family and so conflicting advice or timings of appointments can be minimised.† (Tassoni P, 2007:11) The benefits of a multi-professional approach include ensuring that children get extra support for example a learning mentor or speech therapist. The child is safer when they are looked after by a team of professionals because they can share all their concerns and expertise to support the child. This approach also boosts children’s confidence within the setting and promotes a holistic approach. It increases independence because children are given strategies from a variety of professionals who want the best outcome for the child. The value of a multi-professional approach ensures that the 5 outcomes of Every Child Matters (stay safe, be healthy, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic wellbeing) are being met because everyone is working together to share information and skills. This information will minimise the risk of error or neglect of the child. The fact that many professionals are involved means that judgements made about children are informed, thorough and objective. For example if a child is frustrated and has a low concentration span, this can then be analysed by a educational psychologist and further action can be taken from then. A multi-professional approach also supports parents. For example a dietician can advise parents on the recommended intake for their child (5 a day). If a child is diabetic, they can help to design a healthy food plan to help the child manage their glucose levels. He/she can also link the child’s diet with sports activities and advise parents on the benefits. â€Å"There are many benefits for children and families when this type of approach is used as support, advice and childcare can be tailored to ensure some continuity. In practice, this may mean that parents may be able to leave their children in a nursery while in the same building or nearby they attend a parenting class or take a younger baby to the health clinic.† (Tassoni P, 2007:11) (314 words) Section 2 – Developing reflective practice E4: Describe the benefits of developing reflective practice within the setting: Reflective practice is paying crucial attention to the practical values and theories which inform everyday actions, by examining practice reflectively and positively. Reflective practice can also mean understanding knowledge of something positively. One of the benefits of reflective practice is allowing schools to develop self awareness, a critical skill in order for a setting to thrive and move forward. For example, if practitioners are only aware of school policies and not current legislations, children are at risk and practitioners are not doing the best they can to further their knowledge. â€Å"An important part of the reflective cycle is how you review your practice. It is important that the process of reflection is viewed as positive process, rather than problems being seen as barriers to success.† (Tassoni P, 2007:229) Practitioners need to be aware of current legislations in order to follow them to improve their setting and be aware of fresh initiatives, for example considering children’s opinions which will make them feel valued and confident to learn. Lessons will be interesting and children are less likely to lose concentration. Reflective practice creates and effective staff team as observations are carried out to improve on expert advice. There are opportunities for personal and professional development and job satisfaction. This benefits children because activities and practice is evaluated to meet the children’s needs and support learning. It also benefits the setting as there is higher quality provision because weaknesses, strengths, activities and resources are addressed which ultimately is of benefit to the children. Lastly, reflective practice improves the reputation of the setting because it could lead to a higher Ofsted report. A good reputation benefits the practice because parents have confidence in the setting and this motivates their children to learn. Children will feel the urge to come to school and work hard, therefore resulting in higher grades and children achieving more which will maintain the good reputation of the setting. (280 words) D1: Explain the importance of reflective practice for improving your own performance: As a practitioner, reflective practice is extremely important as you can look back on a situation and make improvements. You can also check to see if you are following the correct procedures. This allows the practitioner to grow and reach higher potential, in other words make continuous progression when reviewing situations. Reflective practice benefits the practitioner because he/she can validate and challenge existing approaches and methods of working. Reflective practice would help me to find out my strengths and weaknesses and to adapt into new situations that may occur. For example, when handling a situation where a new member of staff joins the team, reflective practice would help me to find out if I have helped them to settle in, in order to build a good relationship. I would have to think back and ask myself if I briefed them about what to do in the setting. This would help improve relationships with children and staff. Reflective practice would also help me to identify my training needs. For example, if a child had got lost on a school trip, I would have to think about if I followed the correct procedures or if I need to further my knowledge in safeguarding to build up my own learning, performance, confidence and job satisfaction. Reflective practice keeps me up to date with trends and initiatives, which are good for job promotions and job interviews. For example, if activities are repetitive or uninteresting, being reflective would encourage me to research and find out about new trends to keep the class intrigued and provide stimulating activities. Furthermore, reflective practice shows a commitment to wanting to do my best and reach my full potential. It is important that I reflect back on how I carried out a job and how I can do better, resulting in becoming more aware of what I am doing and how to become a better practitioner. â€Å"Through self-reflection, it becomes possible to think about how to repeat something that has worked well or how to improve ready for next time. Through reflect it is also possible to improve your interpersonal skills. For example, you might think about how you responded or communicated in a situation and then be able to consider ways in which you might have been more effective.† (Tassoni P, 2007:349) D2 Discuss two strategies for improving your own learning and performance Two areas, in which I would like to improve my own learning and performance are using my own initiative and working as a team. I can achieve these goals by using two strategies which are SMART targets and peer observation. â€Å"†¦it is important that any goals you set are SMART.† (Tassoni P, 2007:231) SMART targets are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time scaled. Using this strategy will allow me to draw up an action plan. The problem I tried to solve was maintaining a child’s attention throughout the required session time. Whilst I was carrying out work experience, I was allocated a maths group on a regular basis to try aid their learning and improving their mathematical abilities. The problem I encountered with this was trying to keep their attention so that I could communicate with them and so the tasks could be completed effectively. One of the children had been identified as having ADHD and therefore had particular difficulties in maintaining concentration and was often distracted. Other factors which affected this problem were distractions in the classroom and the complexity of the tasks that had to be carried out. I have decided that my own observations about how effective the solution was and how much work the children successfully did as week as well as the response I received from them. I decided to research into the effects of ADHD particularly children in a school environment and used various information sources (this will be attached as evidence). I decided on three options that I thought had realistic chance of success. The first was to arrange the classroom to minimise distractions for the child with ADHD and also those with difficulty concentrating, the advantages of doing this would be this would lower the disruption methods, however there are some disadvantages for example it may cause unnecessary d isruption to other pupils. The second solution that I considered was to include a variety of activities in each lesson by alternating physical and sitting down activities that appeal to different learning styles and would require careful and detailed planning to accommodate all three learning styles and each activity would need to be adapted to the requirements of each individual. Ensuring the classroom rules are kept clear rules are kept clear and simple and having a set discipline routine. If there continued or excessive misbehaviour and send them to my supervisor. Some of the advantages of this solution were that it would ensure that children are clearly understand the rules and repetition of the discipline system would emphasise the rules and therefore the children would begin pick up on them. However the disadvantages were that disciplining those with children with behavioural problems may have a negative effect and the discipline may seem harsh and could cause more problems. From the three solutions I have chosen to implement in my time during work experience is the second solution as I think this could be an effective method at maintaining a child’s concentration particularly a child with ADHD I have chosen to implement is solution 2 and this means I have to ensure that the teacher will have to be consulted and she will then provide the outline of the tasks to be carried out with the maths group. The teacher I was working with included different activities within the lessons such as discussions, quizzes, videos, drawing and some movement with the activities. I have decided to check if the problem had been solved using my own observations and to a certain extent the problem was solved and saw a gradual increase in their concentration levels and motivation to learn however it was difficult to implement the solution with limited time and resources. When working with the child with ADHD he was often distracted by other people around him and also other pupils found it difficult maintaining their concentration levels therefore it may have been effective to incorporate all three solutions together as this would have created a better and more stable working environment for all the pupils and would have benefitted their learning. It would have set out a clear and systematic discipline routine whilst maximising the use of different activities to achieve the child’s potential. â€Å"Peer observation is an effective way of gaining feedback about your practice with children.† (Tassoni P, 2007:230) Peer observation can improve my own learning and performance as it will enable a colleague to focus on my strengths and weaknesses when I am working with children. It is important that peer observations are objective and detailed, providing an opportunity to celebrate and recognise the things that I do well. This will improve my ability to work as a team by communicating and receiving positive feedback about my performance. This can be in meetings, or between me and my supervisor. If feedback is given to me in a positive way, this will improve my performance as I will feel confident, as well as being able to gain information that will help me reflect upon my own practice. â€Å"It can be difficult not to be defensive and take feedback personally, but if you focus on improving your own performance this will become easier with time.† (Tassoni P, 2007:231) Section 3 – The principles underpinning the role of the practitioner E5: Summarise the main principles that underpin work with children There are many main principles that underpin work with children. Some of these include the following: The welfare of the child is paramount. This is stated by the Children’s Act 1989 and links in with the EYFS. This means the wellbeing of the child is the first and most important aspect of practitioners’ work. A child should always be valued and practitioners should ensure the child is safe and happy to protect them from abuse, harm and neglect. Celebrating diversity and individuality are also important. This means that children are individuals in their own right and need to be listened to and respected. Their cultural needs need to be met, for example, children should opt to celebrate their own or other cultural festivals such as Diwali, instead of just Christmas. Equal opportunities and inclusive practice are actively promoted. This is about recognising and celebrating difference and not about treating everyone the same, for example, setting up an activity that everyone can do regardless of their skin colour or race. Confidentiality is respected at all times except when child protection is an issue. All practitioners have a responsibility to maintain confidentiality at all times. This means that any information passed to the practitioner should only be passed on, on a need to know basis. (214 words) C1: Analyse how the main principles that underpin work with children can support the practitioner’s practice in the setting: Knowing the importance of the main principles that underpin work with children means that the practitioner can set out creating an appropriate environment. This means the environment is safe, healthy and enjoyable as the welfare of the child is paramount. The practitioner should act upon this principle by making the child their first priority. They should carry out daily risk assessments and follow policies and procedures to ensure this happens. Practitioners should act upon the EYFS because Every Child Matters. For example, practitioners can promote healthy eating (snack time) for being healthy, and when carrying out activities, all children should participate and enjoy what they are doing. Activities should be carried out to meet all children’s needs and practitioners should maintain commitment to children’s emotional wellbeing. Practitioners should also make sure children’s health and wellbeing is being actively promoted. They can do this by making sure children have pastoral care which includes health, social and moral education, behaviour management and emotional support of children. Practitioners need to act upon this by educating children about healthy eating, for example promoting healthy eating posters around school and encouraging parents to take part in cookery lessons, as well as encouraging their child to eat healthily at home and encouraging parents to provide healthy meals. It is important for children to also have good amounts of physical/outdoor play and exercise. Practitioners should make sure individuality; inclusive practice and diversity are celebrated. They can do this by getting parents involved. An example can involve having an international day where children can bring in food from their countries and dress according to their culture. This links in with Knowledge and Understanding of the World (KUW), from the EYFS six areas of learning. â€Å"Recognising diversity is about understanding that children come from a variety of backgrounds and family structures, and that this is reflected in many ways including the languages they speak their culture, beliefs and even care needs. While the core needs of children are the same (love, affection, stimulation and physical care), recognising diversity means responding positively to the differences and valuing all people, not just the children and families you feel closest to.† (Tassoni P, 2007:7) An example of inclusive practice is for example having reasonable adjustments such as a wide range of visual aids for children with learning disabilities. Equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice are actively promoted. Practitioners should make sure of this by mixing boys and girls together. For example, girls should play football with boys, or boys should paint with girls. Practitioners should avoid stereotyping by valuing process and not just the end product, for example, valuing a child for trying their best with a drawing, even though it may not be the best drawing within the class. Persona dolls should also be used for anti-bullying practice to show everyone is different. Some people may be disabled or have a different skin colour. Confidentiality is respected at all times except when child protection is an issue. Practitioners should ensure records are stored away safely and are only accessible to whom it may concern, for example the child’s parents or key worker. They should keep information on a need to know basis and respect the child as an individual. Parents should be informed about who the information is being shared with. (476 words) E6: Explain the importance of valuing children’s interests and experiences: There are many reasons why valuing a child’s interests and experiences are important. The first one being, the interests of a child should always come first and activities should be based upon the child’s interests. This is because if children enjoy the activity, they will do well and can achieve their full potential. It will be meaningful and this allows children to develop their confidence and self-esteem. A good example of this is when doing maths; children could learn to count using something that interests them for example cars, cubes, pencils and so on. â€Å"A child centred practice should be maintained throughout the child’s education. It is all about keeping the interests and wellbeing of children and young adults as the main focus of the practice used.† (Bruce and Meggitt, 2007). This approach promotes the child to give freedom to think, experience, question and search for answers. Children learn easily and retain information more effectively because they are participating in decisions about their learning and are able to develop to their full potential. It is stimulating for both the practitioner and child, and research shows children respond better and concentrate longer when they are engaged in something which interests them. The Early Years is based on this principle with a heavily play based and child centred curriculum. By involving children and showing them respect for their ideas and capabilities, will help them grow in confidence and self-esteem. This will also help to build a positive relationship with practitioners, for example, using a child’s idea in practitioners planning. Practitioners should include all children in activities and put all work up on display to make them feel valued. They should give the children free choice of activities, in other words let them do what interests them. It is important that practitioners should feedback to parents about their child’s interests and if possible, find out about what the child’s interests were in previous settings.