Management in early years Essay Example for Free

Management in early years Essay For the purpose of this work I will focus my attention on management and leadership skills, that any good early years practitioner should possess in order to organise/hold the event of parents evening. Working in partnership with parents Constructive working relationships between teachers and parents can enhance adults knowledge and understanding of children and children’s learning opportunities, and so contribute to children’s learning and wellbeing at home and in the setting. Children who see their parents working closely together with their teachers â€Å"gain a sense of continuity and of being cared for† and experience a â€Å"trusting and secure environment in which they can learn and grow† (Whalley the Pen Green Centre Team, 2001). Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological model of human development offers a theoretical rationale for teachers and parents working in close collaboration. Inclusion†¦.. Purpose and outcome Early childhood practitioners are often reluctant to see themselves as leaders and managers. However, all those who work with young children and their families, whatever their level of experience and competence, have to undertake both of these roles on a daily basis. Parents evening is the perfect example of these two roles â€Å"played† by the same person. This is one of the best opportunities I have as practitioner in building relations with the parents. Why? Because if the parents are in agreement with my methods of practice/teaching, I’ve brought learning home. Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (Siraj-Blatchford, Sylva, Muttock, Gilden, Bell, 2002), found that children’s cognitive attainment benefited when parents were involved in children’s learning activities at home. Again the reformed EYFS(2012) has set out to raise the bar of just how influential parents’ role is in their child’s learning and development. Effective leaders will respond to this by reviewing their setting’s work with families to ensure strong engagement. The above ideas has been the foundation of organizing my first parents evening at my new setting. Although the event took place in September( next one due in June), the time coincide with the new EYFS coming into place and myself starting my new job at University of Warwick Nursery about the same time. Although I am a confident person, the likes of starting a new job, new EYFS coming into place, key children/families( of whom 4 out of 5had English as a second language, with very little or no knowledge of what EYFS is or how the nurseries are operating in UK), made me a bit anxious. I had to find a strategy which allowed me to be efficient, sounded knowledgeable and be professional. Having the liberty from the setting manger to conduct my parents evening, into whatever manner suits me and the families involved, the key for me at that particular time was called ORGANIZED. Before holding meeting with parents, any practitioner would consider what purpose it will serve and what will be the most effective method of achieving your goals. Good communication must have a clear purpose. †¢give information †¢consult †¢generate ideas †¢gather information †¢educate/help Parent and key worker meetings Early years settings tend to organise parent and key worker meetings on a regular basis and in a more structured way. Again, the timing of these meetings will depend on the parents daily routines and commitments, and the staff team will have to be flexible when arranging them. I have tried to be responsive to the needs of all individuals when arranging the timing for meetings. Because of the issue of confidentiality and because for most of the families English is a second language, I decided to have meetings with each family, rather than a group meeting. A little office was made available for the times booked and had a presentation running in the background ( appeals to all learning styles) for extra visual information; the main purpose was it introduce the EYFS, areas of learning, activities(see if any disagreement towards celebrations, messy play,etc) and how can be extended at home. See appendix Again, careful thought needs was given to †¢objectives (why) †¢audience (who) †¢content (what) †¢timing (when) environment (where). From my experience, these meetings offer an opportunity for the practitioner and parents to gather information, share their observations and to consider the implications of these in terms of planning for the childs learning. They are conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect and practitioners should act as genuine listeners, responding to what they hear from the parent and not allowing discussions to be driven by a pre-set agenda based on what has been observed in the nursery. I am trying to use a business technique called the praise praise sandwich. Start with something positive about the child, ask parents of any weak points/areas for improvement , we discuss around this and get an agreement of how together we can help the child move forward and generally improve. Finally I summarise our agreement, and finish with a reminder of their positive. Although we are gathering lots of written and recorded evidence for the child`s learning, is right to say that in Early Years , 50% of the information is mentally recorded by the key worker; and this extra information I found to be really appreciated by parents/families as a prove of knowing/understanding that particular child. During individual meetings with parents, time is set aside for looking at the implications of observations from home and nursery. Planning together for childrens learning will result in a more holistic approach, an enhanced curriculum and continuity for the children. There are opportunities to look at the childs learning journeys and to talk about appropriate provision and support for the childs developmental stage. Where a pattern of behaviour or personal learning interest has been identified, the key worker and parent are discussing experiences that could be offered at home and in the nursery in the hope that they would engage the child and further extend learning. We also share with the parents information about the Foundation Stage curriculum and about young children as learners. explain how the setting plans and assesses a childs learning within the six areas of learning discuss the importance of the learning process emphasise the importance of child-initiated learning talk about schemas discus appropriate expectations and contexts for learning. It is common sense that practitioners should have confidence in their presentation skills and their knowledge of child development and early learning. When English is a second language Parents evening is also an excellent time for the child’s key person to discuss the child’s level and understanding of English, the use of their home language at nursery and the use of English at home. During this time the key person may have some questions on how the child is progressing at home. These can be important as if the child is using little or no English at the setting it is harder to know their level of development. I believe that good relationships with parents helps to aid our knowledge of the child and so provide them with the best possible care and education. To support inclusion and make each child feel valued, I initiated a little project. In the classroom we have got a board on which we have a data base of common words used in all the languages our children are speaking at home. We asked the parents for any words that they feel the child and key person may need while at nursery. This gives the key person some simple understanding and being more aware if the child is asking for something or trying to explain something. This also helps the key person to build a relationship with the child. It has proven to be a success and now it has been extended to all the classrooms. In the United Kingdom, the Pen Green Centre for Under Fives and their Families is well known for its work in involving families in children’s learning, as well as for parents being supported themselves. Pen Green tries to follow a process: whereby all the important adults in a child’s life give each other feedback on what seems to be centrally important to the child, and how and what they are learning in the home and in the nursery (Whalley and the Pen Green Centre Team, 2001). In this way, children are offered a challenging and stimulating environment in both settings that draws on each party’s understanding and scrutiny. Conclusion I believe that I have used my management skills to the best of my abilities and knowledge and it would only be honest to say that, ideas shared with my community of learners (our students group from college) have been put into practice; parents feedback is encouraging . All of them admitted to recognize their own child`s personality, routines, likes/dislikes from everything I have said about each individua. Maybe next time I should try to manage my time a

Economy of the Netherlands :: essays research papers

The Netherlands has been a trading nation for centuries due to its open economy and outlook. The Dutch are seasoned travellers. They are proficient in languages and skilled in negotiating trade agreements and implementing projects against the odds. As an open economy, the Netherlands is susceptible to international developments, notably in recent years the global recession – which has been exacerbated by falling share prices, the attacks of 11 September 2001, the war in Iraq and the outbreak of SARS. Nevertheless, the Netherlands was the world’s eighth largest exporter of goods and services in 2003. Its workforce numbered 7.5 million, three-quarters of whom worked in the service sector. Per capita gross domestic product (GDP) was â‚ ¬27,900. The unemployment rate was 5.3%. And growth was strongest in the public sector, education and health care.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traversed by the rivers Rhine, Maas and Scheldt as they meander towards the North Sea, the Netherlands is a hub of transport and distribution: a natural gateway to Europe and centre for multinational enterprise. Its advantages include an advanced infrastructure both for transport and telecommunications. Many Asian and North American imports to Europe are transhipped at Rotterdam or Amsterdam, the country’s two transport centres. The seaport of Rotterdam is the largest in the world, transhipping tens of millions of tonnes of goods per year. And Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is the fourth largest airport in Europe for both passenger and goods traffic. Dutch transport companies are clustered around the two main import and export centres: Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and the seaport of Rotterdam. The best-known transport companies are Nedlloyd, Frans Maas and Smit International. The world’s oldest national airline, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, had to merge with French airline Air France in 2003.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many Dutch companies operate globally. The Netherlands' three largest international trading companies are Ahold, SHV Holdings and Hagemeyer. Many manufacturers, such as Unilever Philips, Akzo Nobel and Shell, also do a great deal of trade. Dredging is a Dutch specialty and companies such as Boskalis, HAM and Ballast Nedam have larger foreign operations than domestic ones. And KPN Nederland is a major player in international telecommunications, working with many non-Dutch companies. Dutch manufacturers too have a global outlook. They export goods worldwide, maintain subsidiaries in many countries and often join forces with foreign partners. The main manufacturing industries are chemicals, food processing, metalworking and the refining of gas and oil. The printing and electronic engineering industries are also world-class. Dutch

Informative Speech Caffeine Essay

Caffeine Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the history of caffeine, how the body processes caffeine, and possible side effects of excessive caffeine consumption. Central Idea: Caffeine has been around for centuries and has been used for it energizing effects on the body . Introduction I. It’s the night before your chemistry exam and you decide to learn three weeks worth of material in one night. II. When 1:30 comes around and you can feel your eyes starting to get heavy, what do you grab to give you that extra energy to keep going? Is it coffee? Is it a Red Bull? III. Why do these types of drinks help us keep our eyes open long enough to get through that last chapter on combustion reactions? IV. The answer is caffeine. V. As college students, most of us consume caffeine every single day, so today I am going to share with you the history of caffeine, how the body processes caffeine, and possible side effects from excessive caffeine consumption. (Transition: Before I get into the many affects of caffeine on the body, lets go back in time to see where caffeine came from.) Body I. The appreciation of caffeinated beverages dates back tens of thousands of years. a. What is caffeine anyway? i. Caffeine is a naturally occurring substance that forms as an end product of nitrogen metabolism in plants. ii. It is found in more than 60 different plants species around the world, including coffee beans, tea leaves, and coco beans. b. The wild coffee bean plant originated in Ethiopia and according to Reginald Smith, author of the book A History of Coffee, cultivation of caffeine containing food and beverages from the coffee bean may have begun as early as AD575.† c. Centuries passed before coffee would reach Europe by the 17th century, but then spread uncontrollably to all parts of the world, including America. d. Coffee was brought to America in the mid 1600s. i. At this time, most Americans still preferred to drink tea, another caffeinated beverage, even though coffee houses were being built all over the country. ii. Coffee did not become America’s favorite beverage until the Boston Tea Party, when Americans revolted against Britain’s heavy tax on tea. (Transition: Now that you know where coffee came from, lets look at how the body processes it.) II. How does that morning cup of coffee wake you up and give you that added energy to get the day started? a. Well, caffeine is known to boost the effects of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, and serotonin. i. For example, dopamine is a neurotransmitter known to affect concentration. ii. Dopamine is also responsible for signaling your brain when it is time to go to bed, but when caffeine is introduced to the body, this signal is blocked. b. Caffeine also causes your body to release more adrenaline, which causes faster heart beat, more blood being pumped to muscles and organs in y our body, and adrenaline tells your liver to release sugar into the blood stream. c. When caffeine is in the blood stream, it encourages the release of more calcium ions, which in turn causes muscle to contract faster. d. The professor of nutrition at Tufts University, Susan Roberts, says that, â€Å"Research studies broadly document favorable changes such as increases in metabolic rate, increased fat oxidation, and a perception of increased physical and mental energy.† i. With all of these energy-boosting effects, it’s easy to see why we love caffeine so much. ii. Even though caffeine can make us feel invincible, consuming too much can have negative effects on our health. (Transition: Lets take a look at how much caffeine we should be consuming and what could happen if we consume too much.) III. Many people don’t know, but there are negative side effects of the overuse of caffeine. a. According to the article â€Å"Selected Health and Behavioral Effects Related to the Use of Caffeine† published in the Journal of Community Health, â€Å"Over 80% of adults consume caffeine daily in the form of coffee, tea, or soft drinks.† i. Since we consume caffeine daily, the amount we consume is important. ii. J.J Barone, author of â€Å"Caffeine Consumption†, which was published in the book Food and Chemical Toxicology, states that people should only consume 5 oz. of ground roast coffee, 5 oz. of tea, and 6 oz. of cola only a daily basis. iii. For a lot of people, this is not enough caffeine to feel the energizing  side effects, which leads to overconsumption. b. The many side effects of the overconsumption of caffeine include insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, dizziness, nausea, fast heartbeat, and muscle tremors. i. Caffeine interferes with your body’s internal signal that it is time for bed. So, caffeine causes sleep loss and decrease in quality of sleep, which in turn contributes most of the negative side effects. ii. These negative side effects can easily be stopped when the person returns to a normal routine. Conclusion I. Today we have learned where caffeine originated, how it affects the body, and side effects of overconsumption of caffeine. II. Next time you grab a cup of coffee, weather it be to wake up in the morning or so you can pull an all-nighter, thank the Ethiopians, I know I will. III. Thank you for listening.

Genius Quotes of Galileo Galilei

Italian inventor and astronomer, Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy on February 15, 1564, and died on January 8, 1642. Galileo has been called the Father of the Scientific Revolution. The scientific revolution refers to a period of time (roughly from 1500 to 1700) of great advancement in the sciences that challenged the traditional beliefs about mankinds place and relationship with the universe held by religious orders. On God Scriptures To understand the quotes of Galileo Galilei concerning God and religion we have to understand the times Galileo lived in, an age of transition between religious belief and scientific reason. Galileo received his higher education at a Jesuit monastery beginning at the age of eleven, religious orders provided one of the few sources of advanced education at that time. The Jesuits priests made a great impression on the young Galileo, so much so that at the age of seventeen he announced to his father that he wanted to become a Jesuit. His father immediately removed Galileo from the monastery, not wanting his son to pursue the unprofitable career of becoming a monk. Religion and science were both intertwined and at odds during Galileos lifetime, the late 16th century and early 17th century. For example, a serious discussion among academics at that time, was about the size and shape of hell as depicted in the poem Dantes Inferno. Galileo gave a well-received lecture on the topic, including his scientific opinion about how tall Lucifer was. As a result, Galileo was given a position at the University of Pisa based on favorable reviews of his talk. Galileo Galilei remained a profoundly religious man through his lifetime, he found no conflict with his spiritual beliefs and his studies of science. However, the church did find conflict and Galileo had to answer to charges of heresy in church court more than once. At the age of sixty-eight, Galileo Galilei was tried for heresy for supporting the science that the earth rotated around the sun, the Copernican model of the solar system. The Catholic church supported the geocentric model of the solar system, where the sun and the rest of the planets all rotate around a central non-moving earth. Fearing torture at the hands of the church inquisitors, Galileo made a public confession that he had been wrong to have said that the Earth moves around the Sun. After making his false confession, Galileo quietly mumbled the truth: And yet, it moves. With the battle between science and church that occurred during Galileos lifetime in mind, consider the following quotes from Galileo Galilei about God and the scriptures The Bible shows the way to go to heaven, not the way the heavens go.I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.It is surely harmful to souls to make it a heresy to believe what is proved.It vexes me when they would constrain science by the authority of the Scriptures, and yet do not consider themselves bound to answer reason and experiment.I think that in the discussion of natural problems we ought to begin not with the Scriptures, but with experiments, and demonstrations.By denying scientific principles, one may maintain any paradox.Mathematics is the language with which God has written the universe.What ever the course of our lives, we should receive them as the highest gift from the hand of God, in which equally reposed the power to do nothing whatever for us. Indeed, we should accept misfortune not only in thanks but in infinite gratitude to Providence, which by such means detaches us from an excessive love for Earthly things and elevates our minds to the celestial and divine. On Astronomy Galileo Galileis contributions to the science of astronomy included; supporting Copernicuss view that the Sun was the center of the solar system, not the Earth, and advancing the use of the newly-invented telescope by observing sun spots, proving that the Moon had mountains and craters, discovering the four moons of Jupiter, and proving that Venus goes through phases. The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.The Milky Way is nothing else but a mass of innumerable stars planted together in clusters. The Study of Science Galileos scientific achievements include inventing: an improved telescope, a horse-powered pump to raise water, and a water thermometer. Facts which at first seem improbable will, even on scant explanation, drop the cloak which has hidden them and stand  forth in naked and simple beauty.In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.Where the senses fail us, reason must step in.Nature is relentless and unchangeable, and it is indifferent as to whether its hidden reasons and actions are understandable to man or not. With Regards to Philosophy I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldnt learn something from him.We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves.Passion is the genesis of genius.There are those who reason well, but they are greatly outnumbered by those who reason badly.