Promotion of Equal Opportunities - Essay Example

Running Head: promotion of equal opportunities Critically analyse the role of the early years' professional in relation to promotion of equal opportunities, anti oppressive practice, parent partnerships [Writer's Name] [Institution's Name] Critically analyse the role of the early years' professional in relation to promotion of equal opportunities, anti oppressive practice, parent partnerships 1- The impact that policy and legislation has had on the role of the early years professional. Particular reference should be made to every child matters and the children's act 2004. Primary school teachers have always taught children who represent a wide range of abilities, achievements and experiences. However it is only in recent years we have begun to witness increased compassion and understanding emerging towards children's individual needs. This new outlook began to surface with The 1978 Warnock Report; it stated that children should not be labelled by their handicap. It introduced the term 'special educational needs' and 'specific learning difficulties'. It stated that the vast majority of children benefit from mainstream education, but children with specific learning difficulties had a specific problem that had to be treated in an individual way. Specific learning difficulty means that there are particular learning difficulties, which affect certain cognitive skills such as memory, sequencing or perception, rather than a general learning difficulty that affects most aspects of learning. Specific Learning Difficulties may include Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, and ADHD etc. Current perspectives are geared towards fostering primary school teachers' confidence. It is essential that all primary school teachers are effective in their ability to manage a diverse range of abilities and needs within the primary classroom. Success in this area is particularly prosperous in schools where staff works together in unison, adopting a team approach. It is vital to have a designated person within a school, which teachers are able to approach for support and advice when they encounter diversity in the classroom for which they feel they are not adequately prepared. Although there is a range of in-service training available, which fosters professional development, primary school teachers only usually receive training in the area they have curriculum responsibility for. Therefore the majority of teacher's may be inadequately prepared for the vast range of learning diversity encountered within the primary classroom. To assess the suitability of current perspectives, it is important to define the term 'Special Educational Needs'. This is a very difficult area to define. Warnock (1982) states that 'the concept of 'special need' carries a fake objectivity. For one of the main, indeed almost overwhelming, difficulties is to decide whose needs are special, and what 'special' means'. Firstly it is important to note that when Warnock introduced the term 'special educational needs', it was envisaged that this was something that the child may have at certain times, and in some areas more than others. It was never meant to be a way of attaching a label to a child, more a recognition that a child may need additional support in some areas. Nerveless, although it was introduced with good intentions, the tendency can often be to label children rather than needs. Special needs terminology is in debate because of reasons such as this. Solity (1991) has argued that the term 'special educational needs', 'actively encourages discriminatory practices', of which separate seating arrangements, being withdrawn from lessons in the mainstream classroom and being given token work are just some common practices. Recently we have encountered current debates, which argue for and against integration. There is a push towards all children being educated in mainstream schools. However whether this is good or bad depends on a variety of factors, for example, resources available, school ethos and staff training. It is important to also recognise that special educational needs cover a mass of diversity, which is unable to be simply determined by a generalised statement. Special needs can be minor, moderate or severe and can be categorised into various areas of need. A range of needs children experience, include some of the following: - Autism, Aspergers Syndrome, visual/hearing impaired, emotional difficulties, behavioural difficulties, dyslexia, dyspraxia, speech and language difficulties and ADHD. These needs are all very different and as a result it is vital that they are catered for appropriately, so as to emphasise maximum progression for each individual child. Differentiated work is just one way of ensuring individual needs are catered for in the primary classroom. Children are able to access the same work as others within the class but it is likely that their outcomes will be geared towards individual target areas rather than being expected to meet the objectives within the classroom. Individual targets are often established through an I.E.P. (Individual Educational Plan). I.E.P's often focus on the Childs strengths and areas for improvement. The areas for improvement will become target areas for the child and will be under constant review. An I.E.P will also outline what level of support is to be administered. 2- The role of the early years professional in encouraging equal opportunities and anti oppressive practice within a multi agency team. If a primary school teacher has concerns over a child, initially she will begin to track his/her progress. If the child continues to underachieve an I.E.P, which focuses on the needs of the child is drawn up, often in consultation with the school SENCO. If problems persist, outside agencies are usually involved and an evaluation of the Childs needs and future educational provision are drawn up. The process is completed when a Statement of Special Educational Needs is issued. The school should then adhere to the provisions outlined in the Statement. Statements are drawn up in the hope that with extra support in target areas the child may eventually aspire to a somewhat similar position as that of their peers. Statements are reviewed annually and a child only has a statement for as long as it is thought needed. Often a child will receive one to one, or small group support alongside their peers. This is often beneficial and enables the child to become more confident and secure in its learning. Other ways of supporting the child may be through the level of work expected, as well as additional resources. Computers are often an excellent way of encouraging children to learn and increase their confidence, as well as aiding the development of new technological skills. Various needs, as already mentioned are often explained by a general consensus of opinion, experience, fact or research. However definitions should not be seen as static and each child should always be treated as an individual. This is true of their needs also. It is vital to acknowledge that the experiences of one child could and will very often be very different to the experiences of another. I will now move on to explore the needs and difficulties experienced by the dyslexic learner and how these impact the daily life and organisation of the primary classroom. In addition I will attempt to explore what it feels like to be dyslexic. Finally examining some suggested teaching approaches, the reality of provision available and current research and testing. Dyslexia is a complex learning need, which seriously impacts the learner's ability to progress within the primary classroom. Teachers can become frustrated, as the child is often exceptionally bright and his/her inability to produce work of a similar standard can often lead to assumptions about the child being lazy and disruptive. Dyslexia affects up to 10% of the population, 4% of those severely. People are born with dyslexia and the condition stays with them throughout their life. Dyslexia is also known to affect around 4 times as many boys as girls. It is known to run in families and is thought to be caused by an abnormal chromosome. Neurological work on dyslexic brains shows differences, a reorganization, misplaced neurons and extra neurons in the right hemisphere. To generalise, it is often a difficulty, which is associated with organisation, memory and words. Some students studying at The Dyslexia Centre in Santa Rosa, California wrote short pieces to try and promote awareness, which aim to show how the dyslexic experiences the world. One student tried to highlight the talents of the dyslexic learner and wrote 'Excellent in art, music, drama, sports, carpentry, mechanics, and electronics, dyslexics can brainstorm their way out of anything. Dyslexics are creative and bright, giving others the impression that they should just try harder'! Another student illustrated the difficulties experienced in literacy. And although they focus specifically on the problems experienced with reading, it is possible to see how these difficulties would impact all other areas of the curriculum, which rely on the use of some form of literacy skills. The student wrote, 'Dyslexia causes the omission of words; letters in words; or not "seeing" a word; addition of words; transpositions (switching) of letter order; repetitions of words or sentences; reading and rereading; practicing what you're to read and still making embarrassing mistakes; reading worse under pressure; not remembering what you read; reversals of word order; reversals of letters; reversals of words; stumbling over words; sounding out a word and then not recognizing it in another sentence; confusion over the author's meaning or purpose; "rewriting" the author's words; feeling that you're dumb; total frustration because you can't understand what you're reading. You feel that something is wrong with you'. The sheer scale of difficulties experienced by the dyslexic learner can however be minimised if steps are taken to both recognise the learners needs and foster an environment which provides a secure base for the development of new skills. Within the primary classroom there are a variety of approaches, which can make the life of the dyslexic learner a little easier. Simple strategies such as providing handouts, using different fonts, different colour paper and a multi sensory learning approach, all lead to the learner feeling more able to cope and learn alongside peers within the primary classroom. Progress within the class will depend on the teachers' ability to recognise that there is a problem, and also his/her ability to ensure strategies are in place which maximise the Childs potential. Help and advice is freely available. But general guidelines to primary teachers seem to suggest the following as possible determiners that the child may be dyslexic. It would appear slow language and written processing skills, poor concentration, forgetfulness, difficulty in processing instructions and poor organisational skills are all things to look out for. Some suggested strategies to employ in the classroom are to make sure that he dyslexic child sits near to the teacher. This enables the teacher to observe and help him/her, and encourage him/her to ask for help when required. Constant over learning is also stressed as being essential to ensure new concepts/learning are revisited and processed into the Childs long-term memory. As well as successful strategies, there are also some things to avoid which will do nothing for the dyslexic learner who is already low in confidence. It is vital that the Childs work is never compared with that of their peers and as a result criticised. It is also suggested that the learner should not be forced to read out loud in class until they are confident enough to do so. Probably the most successful approach to learning is where a child learns through more than one of the senses (multi sensory learning). The majority of teaching in schools is done either by sight or hearing. A dyslexic child may experience difficulties with either or both of these senses. The child's vision may well be affected by difficulties with tracking, visual processing or seeing words, which become fuzzy or move around. The child's hearing may be satisfactory on a hearing test, but auditory memory or auditory processing may be weak. The answer appears to be to involve the use of more of the child's senses, especially the use of touch and movement. This will give the child's brain tactile and kinetic memories to hang on to, as well as the visual and auditory ones. The dyslexic learner also learns better in a one to one or small group situation. In addition they can benefit from new programmes of learning reading and writing, 'Alpha to Omega' is often seen as a definitive approach to teaching dyslexics and is endorsed by many teachers. Dyslexic learners can also benefit from learning approaches, which foster curiosity and enable the learner to use their creative skills. There are many more suggestions for teaching dyslexics but sadly these approaches, which would accelerate learning for the vast majority of learners, are not always employed. The Dyslexia Institute is investing in training courses for specialist teachers who should be available to work with dyslexic learners in the near future. One problem appears to lie with the Local Education Authorities who often choose to sweep dyslexia under the carpet. Indeed a lot of Authorities do not even recognise dyslexia as a need, which impinges learning and validates a Statement being issued. We can only hope that this problem will remedy itself in the future. Recent legislation in The House of Lords has put increased pressure on LEA's and schools to take the problem seriously. A new ruling will have enormous implications for primary school teachers in that it demands that they have a personal duty of care to their pupils and not just a responsibility to answer to or advise the local education authority. A duty of care means just that. Basically it points out that teachers are now to be held accountable for their advice and actions, this may include failing to recognise a pupil's dyslexia and preventing them receiving appropriate teaching. Teachers may feel that this is yet another pressure they could well do without and one which may have serious implications for those who are unfamiliar with aspects of dyslexia. However it would seem that this step is long over due and vital in order to bring the rights and needs of individual children to the forefront of educational debate. Bibliography Auger, J (1981) This book doesn't make sense. Bath Educational Publishers. Davis, R (1994) The Gift of Dyslexia. Souvenir Press, London. Hornsby, B (1984) Overcoming Dyslexia. Vermilion, London. http://www.dyslexiacenter.com/reference.htm http://www.dyslexia-teacher.com/ Gross, J (1993) Special Educational Needs in the Primary School. Open University Press, Buckingham. Read More