Introduction:
Foundation Phase Education is described as teaching children from reception through to the third grade, basic reading, writing, literacy and improving thinking skills, as well as developing the child’s holistic growth which includes affective, physical, cognitive and motor developments. This job description includes planning and executing lessons, writing tests and examinations, marking, being part of cultural and sports activities etc. (Career Planet, 2016).
Purpose and key functions:
According to Career Planet (2016), the purpose and key functions of foundation phase teaching is to plan and execute lessons, co-ordinate activities, keep students interested, speak to parents or guardians about their development and difficulties
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However, having all of these qualities does not make you a remarkable foundation phase teacher, similarly having only a few of these characteristics does not mean that you will be a horrific foundation phase teacher either. These qualities simply help foundation phase teachers with this career option because they can benefit this age group of children’s learning. Nonetheless, referring to ‘Perspectives in Education’, (Sosibo, 2014) states, “A lack of clarity on the definition of standards for FP teachers has detrimental effects on their classroom practices as they function in diverse educational environments.” This quotation reinforces the idea that if teachers do not have certain characteristics, they will not have a positive effect of the development of the leaners in the classroom which is unfavourable for the future …show more content…
Laddsworth Primary staff ensures that each class has no more than 25 children per class, this allows for each child to get as much attention as they need by the staff members. Laddsworth Primary not only focuses on academic development but they also encourage leaners to be culturally, physically and socially equipped. Laddsworth Primary School has adopted their “Aim High” motto and has certainly lives up to it. Secondly, The Wykeham Collegiate is known for aim to prepare the girls who leave this school to be prepared for the challenges of the real world. “The girls at The Wykeham Collegiate are encouraged to believe in themselves and to value their own abilities. The broad, holistic curriculum provides opportunities for every girl to discover and develop her own talents.” (The Wykeham Collegiate, 2016) This school encourages pupils to develop their own talents from Poppets (grade RR) throughout their secondary education, which allows them to be socially, physically and intellectually equipped for the real world. Lastly, Sunnylea Pre-Primary encourages every child who attends this institute to give of their best, so when they leave this school they shall be: affectively developed, independently disciplined and well behaved, have respect for themselves and others, become independent thinkers and build strong foundations for future education, (Sunnylea,
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) was implemented in England in 2008 and applies to all children aged 0-5. This new curriculum combined existing government ideas regarding the care of under 5s including the 'Every Child Matters' (ECM) policy: children's services have to respond to 5 outcomes for all children from birth to 18: being healthy, being protected from harm and neglect, being enabled to enjoy and achieve, making a positive contribution to society, and contributing to economic well-being. The statutory EYFS document stated a need for a 'coherent and flexible approach to care and learning' (DfES - Department for Education and Skills 2007; cited in Palaiologou, 2010, p.11 ), and ensures a quality experience for children regardless of the pre-school setting. EYFS and its direct predecessors were introduced based on the realisation that quality of teaching and management of schools play a central role in children's quality of learning, not socio-economic and educational background, as was previously thought. Pre-school education was seen as a method of helping children 'break the cycle of deprivation' (Baldock, 2009, p.20). However, research by Potter immediately prior to the inception of the EYFS concluded that due to 'insufficiently rigorous conceptual underpinnings, particularly in the area of language and communicatio...
Palaiologou, I., 2013. The Early Years Foundation Stage: Theory and Practice. 2nd ed. London: Sage.
When working with children it is vital we have a good understanding of the principles and values such as United Nations Children’s Rights Convention. The Foundation Phase curriculum promotes equality of opportunity and values, and celebrates diversity.’ (Foundation Phase revised curriculum, 2015) whereas the UNCRC focuses on the rights of the child, these rights underpins everything that practitioners do in the setting. Alternatively the Foundation Phase is a framework that is used to plan for children’s play and learning but gives us many opportunities to celebrate diversity and promote an inclusive and equal setting.
The Early Years Foundation Stage looks at six areas: Personal, social and emotional development, Communication, language and literacy, Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy, Knowledge and understanding of the world, Physical development and Creative development. Children are assessed at the end of their reception year and the teacher completes and early years profile which consists of thirteen different scales that link to the early learning goals from the areas of learning.
Early childhood education, although constantly evolving, was actually established and practiced as early on as the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. The foundation that early childhood education is based upon is to instill in children the skills needed to succeed later on in life, while making sure young children enjoy their time in schooling. Throughout chapter 3 in the textbook Who Am I in the Lives of Children, the reader is capable of evaluating just how greatly the methods for teaching today’s youth have evolved and changed for the better.
Early childhood education is a very important step during a child’s educational career. This is the level where the entire framework is laid. The four major areas of development are further defined ...
This essay will attempt to clarify why it is significant that early years practitioners retain knowledge of the historical and philosophical influences on early years policies. It will look at many pioneers, their philosophy and how their ideas have developed, it will look at how their work, historical influences and events of the past have shaped the early years foundation stage (EYFS). It will then detail why it is important for practitioners to learn about the contribution of the pioneers and history influences to improve their practice when working in an early years setting the penultimate section will then talk about the term practitioner and then will finish with a conclusion.
In this lesson, all three dimensions of the Quality Teaching Framework [QTF] are used to ensure pedagogy that promotes intellectual quality, a quality learning environment and ensures the significance of their work is known to students (NSW Department of Education and Training [DET], 2003). To guide my practice in meeting the needs of the students within this class, I have focused on substandards 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 3.1, 3.5, 4.1, 4.3, and 5.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL], 2011).
What separates a good teacher from a great Teacher? “First and foremost a teacher must love working with children. No matter how well you teach, there is always room for Improvement ” (Killen,2009.p.100) .In this Essay I hope to show some of the key attributes, that I consider essential to becoming an effective early childhood teacher. Those key aspects are communication, building lasting relationships, engaging students effectively in the learning process, and encouraging and appreciating diversity in the classroom.
An effective teacher will excite, inspire and motivate students to be active in their learning, investigate new areas of knowledge and make connections to future learning (Whitton et al 2010). When a teacher is successful, their students are motivated, mutually respectful and ready to build on their knowledge and solve real-world problems. To be a teacher of value, one must have many skills and qualities to cater for a diversity of learners and their individual development; this includes many personal traits that are noticed students.
I will be addressing these points from my own experience and views as a secondary school teacher.
The forth characteristics identified in this article is pragmatism, the willingness to make compromise. In Laura’s (Colker) surveys she found that participants felt was that to be an effective teacher you must understand that sometimes you have to settle for small goals that help you work towards a larger end goal.
Robert-Holmes, G. (2011). It’s the bread and butter of our practice’: experiencing the Early Years Foundation Stage, International Journal, 20(1), pp. 30-42.
Many schools have different frameworks which outline what makes for effective teaching and learning in a classroom, these follow quite closely with the teacher’s standards.
In recent years, the cliché image of a teacher has come under attach. Research has shown that teachers often work in an isolated setting in which they are considered experts in their specific area; however they often lack the support and equipment needed to do their jobs effectively. As a result, to the inadequate working environment new teachers often leave the profession within the first five years. These conditions often exist because the educational system fails to prepare our teachers with the proper tools and experience needed to do their job well (U.S. Department of Education, 2010).