Evaluation of how Market-Based Policies deal with Global Environmental Essay

Evaluation of how Market-Based Policies deal with Global Environmental Problems - Essay Example According to the paper findings most policy makers are advocating for the reduction of regulations in an effort to make sure that the market fully protects the environment. One of the main market instruments or policies is the discharge fee system, which considers a tax or fee on the generated pollution. This method is effective in a situation whereby the costs of reducing pollution is equal to the amount of charges paid. As the report stresses the instrument is beneficial in guaranteeing substantial savings on the costs incurred to control pollution as compared to other instruments such as the Command and Control that forces companies to reduce their rate of pollution at the same rate or use similar equipment. The tax or discharge programs have been in use in an effort to reduce the production of toxic chemicals and enhance sound mechanisms of dealing with solid wastes through charging people based on the garbage they discard. There is a downside to adopting the discharge fee instrument in curbing environmental problems. This is a conventional method that has been proposed by various economists since they are not necessarily concerned with the level or rate of pollution but are focused on determining its impacts. This approach has numerous limitations, considering that calculating of the costs incurred as a result of the negative impacts of pollution is a strenuous task. This means that choosing the suitable level of tax can be tedious and complex.

Prosperity of Australia Essay Example for Free

Prosperity of Australia Essay Presently there are about 3. 6 million people who are living on less than $A400 per week. Around two million Australians are living in poor conditions with only one earning person in a single family. Nearly 700,000 children growing in families where none of both the parents have a full time job. Among the poorest only 20 per cent of population hold government service. The Democrats are debating on the issue of poverty in Australia, with a concrete fact that over the past decades there has been a continuous economic growth in Australia despite of which the poor were worst effected and the prosperity of Australia has not reached the poor. This has been further supported by Government by reducing the incomes of many single parents and of disabled people, which has contributed to the growth of higher poverty. Living in poverty is a struggle and affects families in physical and mental health. It can even be stated here that ‘healthy families make a healthy society’ and societies make a state and healthy states make a healthy nation. The importance and significance of healthy families is much larger and plays a pivotal role in making a happier and prosperous nation. There are segregations about class living and style such as ‘middle class’ ‘upper middle class’, ‘luxurious class’ and last, not least ‘poor class’ which receive a minute attention in all aspects of health care, nutrition and in efforting to make both ends meet which is a great responsibility of governments to provide food and shelter as a basic need for living. The pestilence of poverty is tiresome and requires a great amount of effort and hard work from the end of governments to create job opportunities, encouraging new small and big industries, encouraging basic education and providing some discounted facilities for further advancement in education, creating new and innovative career and job opportunities or self-employment schemes by providing small amount of financial loans from banks to make a living for poor. As a matter of fact, how much ever new jobs are created either in government, public or private sector, many people are still left not having a seat for job which means that public bodies cannot create jobs till the number of zero and it is for the unemployed to seek and find an area of source through which income can be generated on one side and on the other side, make a happy family. In this regard, computer technology offers a multiplex opportunities and with basic knowledge of computer, unemployed can offer services of various kinds and can make a living by setting SOHO (Small office Home office) Such as this, there are many other professional methods to reduce poverty line and introduce better standards of living among poor people, viz., computer technical jobs, software jobs, application jobs and other electronic communication jobs and even industrial and public sector labor jobs can be advantageous to create job opportunities wherein with minimum education, jobs can be suitably found which would at least enable most of the family members to stay in jobs and endeavor to grow further for hike in salaries. However, these are not as easy as stated and it requires more efforts, job and employment schemes from Governments in the interest and prestige of nation. Otherwise, this would further deteriorate the standards of living of children, elderly and ageing couple, single parented families, young people and students and migrants. According to the survey conducted in the year 2001, there are 100,000 people who are homeless and looking for home assistance. Poverty rate in cities is 10. 5 per cent and it is 12 per cent in other states and territories. It is also to be noted that 6 out of 10 poor Australians are living in capital cities which concludes a fact that both regional areas along with cities have to be equally assisted in development of strategies to remove poverty. In March 2004, there were stringent efforts by Senate Community Affairs Committee has issued a report on poverty and financial hardship which stated that â€Å"â€Å"These key findings presented below serve to illustrate a compelling case that Australia will face a crisis of poverty and disadvantage in the coming years. They carry with them the implication that Australians are increasingly at risk of falling into poverty and indeed more so now than at anytime during the post-war era. What is most disturbing however is the common theme that while poverty is becoming more entrenched and more intractable, the Commonwealth is increasingly abrogating its responsibility to tackle this great indignity inflicted on the Australian people. † The Senate Committee further recommended 95 strategies to be implemented in Australia. Some of the important recommendations are viz. , development of a strategy for providing national jobs, focusing on school education, work and training and how to advance in education without deviating from work, research on skills, wages, where the shortage exists, the reasons for low-pay jobs, the problem of casual workers and job insecurity, a guaranteed work experience of six months for those who were without employment for a period of two years, provision of employment security and social security to casual workers by strengthening work environments and poverty proof wage system which has an economic measuring scale for adequate and satisfied living.

Debate on Free Will Vs Determinism

Debate on Free Will Vs Determinism The debate over free will and determinism has been going on for centuries from the time of great thinkers like Thomas Hobbes and Isaac Newton and therefore these debates have been the part of political and economic theories. Centuries back, majority adopted the notion of determinism and destiny which never allowed individuals to think out of the box. It restricted the individuals then to their resources and their philosophy permitted them to want for more. If it was not for free will then a person born disabled would give up all the hopes in life and would not find cure to make his life better, populations would accept oppression and ignore the fact of a revolution. Along with this, law and justice could not be enforced as the judgements would be made on destiny. Although determination is deeply rooted from centuries asit dictates the life of disabled people like Tatyana McFadden and luck plays its part as it did for Justin Bieber, however free will is the ideology of modern world be cause it has given birth to the concept of accountability, struggle, hard work, courage, planning, and therefore effecting norms of social responsibility and renaissance. Free will is making decisions based on desires and then being accountable for the fact that whether it is a bad or good decision. The theory of free will suggests that the individual makes decisions according to his preferences and is responsible for it, i.e. the individual is rational and is not bounded by any external factors and what he chooses is best for him. Doctor Herald Shipman portrays this theory as he first chose to be a doctor and then later used his profession to be a murderer. After witnessing his mother’s sufferings from lung cancer Shipman motivated himself to be a doctor. After graduating as a doctor in 1970, Shipman changed his priorities and chose to kill his patients. He was sent to a rehab when it was found that he is addicted to a painkiller which he used to obtain from his patient’s prescriptions and suffered constant blackouts due to it. However, after two years he was declared fit and got his license reissued. After getting a second chance Shipm an never changed his priorities and ended up killing 250 of his patients intentionally. When proven guilty, Shipman was jailed where he chose to commit suicide. Hence individuals like Shipman chose what they seek are best for them and are held completely responsible for it. Along with this free will has its cons too and it can lead an individual to ignore all the limits and end up in bad acts. It all depends on the personal responsible that how he treats it. Free will can be devastating for a person as in the case of Malcolm X who indulged in larceny, drugs and prostitution before he found the purpose of his life. Malcolm X had a turbulent early life, his house was burnt down. His father died when Malcolm was six years old and his mother suffered emotional breakdown and was sent to rehab. Malcolm had to live in an orphanage for few years. Later he got to know gangsters, thieves, pimps and drug dealers. He ended up being a drug addict and adopted burglary as means of earning; some biographies even say that sometimes he had sex with other men to earn money. He was arrested for burglary at the age of twenty and was imprisoned for seven years. Malcolm X is a great example of free will in itself however he chose activities which disintegrated his life. Furthermore free will impacts the decision making power of an individual as it governs one’s aptitude to struggle, recognize their abilities and ponder over how to make use of them. It empowers one to motivate them and not give up in life. For example Oprah Winfrey had to face harsh realities very early in her life but she never thought of giving up and ended up being an inspirational figure for women all over the world. Winfrey suffered from sexual harassment in her childhood and all the tensions forced her to run from her house in her teen age. However she chose a better life for herself and with her free will and spirit she made decisions which helped her improving her life. Her willpower can be seen from the fact that after such a disappointing childhood Oprah never gave up and sought way in education; winning scholarship at a university. She recognized her abilities as a motivational speaker and joined a radio station at the age of seventeen and later she hosted The Oprah Winfrey show and became the voice of thousands of people. This reflects that her passion and commitment with her work and will to not give up made her one of the most influential personalities in the world. On the contrary, the concept of predestined has a major part as some characteristics are determined by birth and they structure one’s future, i.e. whether that individual gives up or fight hard against the odds. Tatyana McFadden is a great example of the later as she was born with a paralyzed lower part of body but still ended up being gold medallist in Paralympics. When her mother got to know of her daughter’s disability she abandoned her and McFadden lived in an orphanage for six years. McFadden however was optimistic and had to walk on her hands because she was not able to afford a wheelchair. She never got discouraged by her illness and after her adoption she took part in many sports like gymnastics and wheelchair basketball. At the age of eight she won two medals in Athens and since then McFadden hasn’t looked back and went on going to win sixteen medals, including nine gold medals in her career. Hence it can be implicated that free will is the answer to hur dles set by what is determined at the start of one’s life and how that individual wants to go along the life. Along with this destiny determines success for some and over shadow the free will, the very pattern worked for Justin Bieber as his career began through cyber fame. Destiny determined Justin Bieber to be where he is today, it casted away his free will. Bieber’s career started when he uploaded his music videos on You Tube to show his friends and family. He was lucky when Ushers agency contacted him and signed him up for Hollywood. It’s destiny that can change people’s lives in seconds and can ruin it at the same time. There are so many talented people who upload videos on You Tube but all do not have the luck to be famous. Free will does not only direct the life of an individual but thrives the success of many great nations and teams. From all the success stories of independence, fights, revolutions and renaissance it can be seen that it is the will of the people constituting that notion and uniting themselves to bring success. Manchester United is a living model of such teams who combat what is determined for them. On the sixth of February 1958, United’s squad was returning to The UK when their plane crashed at Munich Airport after it was refuelled and out of forty four passengers, twenty one died instantly and many of the team members died later. Nonetheless, United never gave up and the depleted team went on Semi Finals of the European cup the same year. The staff and players together supported each other and were eager to regain their status as champions. This willingness to succeed and not to give up resulted in United becoming the English Champions nineteen times and the European Champions thrice since then. This verifies that free will can lead to hard work and can overturn the routes laid by what is predestined and of that what is to come in future. Free will and determinism are two concepts which are very much different from each other but also related at the same time. Stephen Hawking, an active member at Cambridge University is quoted as saying â€Å"I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.† Apart from this, success stories of Winfrey, McFadden and Manchester United reflect how individuals are masters of their own ships and they never let the circumstances, determinism or destiny take over them. These people choose their own destiny and outcomes. It is true that determinism exists but if the concept of free will is eliminated then the models of social responsibility, accountability, law and justice, morality, hard work and planning will all fail and life will have no meaning. Therefore it can be concluded that free will navigates the life of individuals as it allows them to tress pass determinism.

Restricting the Production, Distribution, and Sale of Pornography in Ca

Many women have been mistreated at one point or another in their lives.   This form of abuse assumes many forms and is not always visible to the naked eye.   One of these such hardships that women of the 20th century have had to face is the struggle for equality.   In Canada, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms affords women full equality before and under law and equal protection and benefit of the law.1   But yet, this society openly contributions to the production, sale, and distribution of pornography which implies that women are second class citizens.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Destroying these stereotypes which portray women as slaves, objects, toys, and mindless, sex-driven beings must be accomplished in order for women to attain true equality.   The censorship of pornography is not in violation of the Freedom of Expression guaranteed in section 2 (b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms since pornography drastically compromises a woman's right to equal treatment as was pro ven by the R v. Butler ruling of 1992, it makes those portrayed in pornography subject to acts of violence, and it corrupts the moral fiber of society. During the 1960's and 70's, North America saw the rise of a counterculture movement which instigated societal change.   During this time period, the Women's Liberation movement was able to establish females as being equal to males in virtually every aspect.   It is this movement that educated society about the role of women in society being equal to the role of man.   Many people however, now consider that women's liberation has been achieved;   but this is far from the case.   Despite being officially recognised as contributing members of society (achieved in 1982 with the final draft of the Constitution Act), as section 28 of... ... 11 Ibid.   Pg. 793 12 Ibid.   Pg. 793 13 Ibid.   Pg.   793 14 Baird, Robert M. and Stuart E Rosenbaum.   Pornography - Private Right or Public Menace.   Pg. 51 15 Ibid.   Pg. 52 16 Ibid.   Pg. 52 17 Kaihla, Paul.   Sex and the Law.   MacLean's.   Pg. 31 18 Statistics obtained from Angus Reid Website.   See Works Cited List 19 Ibid. 20 Orr, Lisa.   Censorship:   Opposing Viewpoints   Pg. 186 21 Ibid.   Pg. 191 22 Ellen Harris, Lesley.   Highlights of Bill C-128 - Child Pornography 23 Kaihla, Paul.   Sex and the Law.   MacLean's.   Pg. 32 24 Ibid.   Pg. 32 25 Ibid.   Pg. 33 26 Ibid.   Pg. 33 27 Baird, Robert M. and Stuart E Rosenbaum.   Pornography - Private Right or Public Menace   Pg. 52 28 Ibid.   Pg. 52 29 Canadian Government Report.   Report of the Special Committee on Pornography and Prostitution. 30 Ibid.    Restricting the Production, Distribution, and Sale of Pornography in Ca Many women have been mistreated at one point or another in their lives.   This form of abuse assumes many forms and is not always visible to the naked eye.   One of these such hardships that women of the 20th century have had to face is the struggle for equality.   In Canada, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms affords women full equality before and under law and equal protection and benefit of the law.1   But yet, this society openly contributions to the production, sale, and distribution of pornography which implies that women are second class citizens.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Destroying these stereotypes which portray women as slaves, objects, toys, and mindless, sex-driven beings must be accomplished in order for women to attain true equality.   The censorship of pornography is not in violation of the Freedom of Expression guaranteed in section 2 (b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms since pornography drastically compromises a woman's right to equal treatment as was pro ven by the R v. Butler ruling of 1992, it makes those portrayed in pornography subject to acts of violence, and it corrupts the moral fiber of society. During the 1960's and 70's, North America saw the rise of a counterculture movement which instigated societal change.   During this time period, the Women's Liberation movement was able to establish females as being equal to males in virtually every aspect.   It is this movement that educated society about the role of women in society being equal to the role of man.   Many people however, now consider that women's liberation has been achieved;   but this is far from the case.   Despite being officially recognised as contributing members of society (achieved in 1982 with the final draft of the Constitution Act), as section 28 of... ... 11 Ibid.   Pg. 793 12 Ibid.   Pg. 793 13 Ibid.   Pg.   793 14 Baird, Robert M. and Stuart E Rosenbaum.   Pornography - Private Right or Public Menace.   Pg. 51 15 Ibid.   Pg. 52 16 Ibid.   Pg. 52 17 Kaihla, Paul.   Sex and the Law.   MacLean's.   Pg. 31 18 Statistics obtained from Angus Reid Website.   See Works Cited List 19 Ibid. 20 Orr, Lisa.   Censorship:   Opposing Viewpoints   Pg. 186 21 Ibid.   Pg. 191 22 Ellen Harris, Lesley.   Highlights of Bill C-128 - Child Pornography 23 Kaihla, Paul.   Sex and the Law.   MacLean's.   Pg. 32 24 Ibid.   Pg. 32 25 Ibid.   Pg. 33 26 Ibid.   Pg. 33 27 Baird, Robert M. and Stuart E Rosenbaum.   Pornography - Private Right or Public Menace   Pg. 52 28 Ibid.   Pg. 52 29 Canadian Government Report.   Report of the Special Committee on Pornography and Prostitution. 30 Ibid.   

Airframe by Michael Crichton Essay

Michael Crichton’s 1996 literary work takes its audience into a flight adventure of suspense with a dash of humor. As the title suggests, Crichton’s audience might deduce a frame which could be found in the air. In more accurate terms, speculate about the structure of a plane. As the audience read’s it, this deduction is further strengthened with the illustration of a plane â€Å"accident† that results to an investigation on the quality on a Norton Aircraft-manufactured N-22, followed by media frenzy. For some, the event of an airplane accident which eventually results to tedious and cumbersome investigation is quite uninteresting and dull. However, readers of this book are still compelled to continuously read it because of the twists, thought-provoking exploration of a plane’s structure, high tension issues and jitters. Moreover, Michael Crichton’s style and themes informs and teaches several factual issues and concerns to its audience while entertaining them. By looking into the history and flight events, it can be said that Michael Crichton’s accounted problems in his book indeed portray real-life scenarios. Michael Crichton’s novel starts at the Transpacific Airlines flight 545, said to be a Hong Kong based transportation. In addition to this, it was also illustrated that the plane, as mentioned before, a Norton Aircraft-manufactured N-22, that is expected to arrive at Denver. However, severe turbulences occur at the California Coastline, resulting to an emergency landing at the Los Angeles airport. From the pilot’s report on the status inside the plane, there were already several injured passengers and two dead passengers. The dilemma rises from the fact, as the book states, that the plain’s history never showed or experienced poor safety record or performance. In addition to this, the pilot who was maneuvering the plane was highly trained, which takes the possibilities of human error out of the question. As such, the story tediously proceeds and revolves around the investigation regarding this â€Å"anomaly† on the plane’s condition or on the question of its safety records, and generally about how the whole incident happened. In this novel, the aircraft manufacturers in this novel responded in a way that imitates what â€Å"real† aircraft manufacturers would show or usually do after such accidents. There are cases where manufacturers are held liable or not liable to certain accidents by the jury. If the jury was impressed with the overall save rate, the manufacturer is not considered liable, resulting to the acknowledgment of the whole design utility being optimized for the majority to the detriment of a few. On the contrary, if the jury would inspect the high-speed aspects of risk in contrasts to the high-speed save rate, the manufacturer can be considered liable. As such, it is â€Å"factual† or logical that manufacturers would react in ways that Crichton describes it. On the other hand, the actions or events which follow the media hype on the airplane accident seem exaggerated, though again, convincingly true. Several scenes or illustrations regarding the media generally show that they tend to scrutinize whatever links they find regarding a certain topic which could boost their ratings. In addition to this, there is generally a persistence of the media crowd to grab whatever fact they could get a hold on to, and sometimes create stories to build or form the bits of information that they have into a persuasive story, which can either be true or partly-true. In his accounts of both the airplane problems, media and manufacturer investigations there are convincing facts which are laid to the audience by the author. In addition this are critical observations which shows Crichton’s style and manufactured tensions that keeps his readers stuck on the book, without boring their selves (just like what I felt). Crichton is like giving an ice cream, with a sprinkle of reality and fiction, mounted on a cone, coated with information and served in a plate garnished with humor that definitely keeps its audience from wanting more. References Crichton, Michael. (1996). Airframe. Alfred Knopf Publishers.

President’s Narrative Report (Infinite Minds Club)

Under the supervision of the club moderator, Mr. Fhelmar I. Rondillas, the club has indulged herself to many activities that allow development and collaboration among the members and the officers. Infinite Minds Club eventually became a wholesome environment for everyone with the help of the different activities. The club has engaged into series of activities/programs. First, it was held last June __ 2012. Students were obliged to have different clubs with their own choice. As expected of what the club has to offer, a number of students outgrew as they gathered to the club’s assigned place. Our club organization included the elections of officers. Last June __ 2012, we had the induction of officers together with the officers of the different organizations. Second, July __ 2012, we had our club meeting. Third, August __ 2012, we had our Environmental Rehabilitation/Mangrove Planting and revisit at Valderama, Sta. Felomina, Iligan City. The said event was participated by some other clubs. The annual MASCI quiz bee also commenced at this month. Fourth, we had witnessed the launching of the Math and Science month. As one of the sponsors of the month, we had been into series of activities. We also had the 3rd Mother Ignacia Invitational Quiz Show together with the (sir, katung science club gali? Hahaha), Math teachers, and Science teachers and with the support of the administration. We also had the annual MASCI fair that was held at the Old chapel. A lot math related and science related were exhibited and posted. Works from the different students of the different year levels were presented. Lastly, October 2012, we had a club meeting. The meeting opened its way for the possibilities of the upcoming Indigay. This school year, we did sponsored masses. Those were the activities that my club underwent and accomplished. With everybody’s support and cooperation, everything was made possible.

Contex and Principles for Early Year Learning Essay

Question: An explanation of the legal status and principle of the relevant Early Years Framework and why the early year frameworks emphasise a personal and individual approach to learning and development 1. 1 The statutory framework for the EYFS sets out the legal requirements relating to learning and development and the legal requirements relating to welfare. The EYFS framework has statutory force by virtue of Section 44 of the Childcare Act 2006. The EYFS is a central part of the ten year childcare strategy Choice for parents, the best start for children and the landmark Childcare Act 2006. This Act, which regulates the childcare in England, formalise the important strategic role local authorities play, through a set of duties. These duties require authorities to †¢ work with their NHS and Jobcentre Plus partners to improve the outcomes of all children up to five years of age and reduce inequalities between them †¢ secure sufficient childcare for working parents †¢ provide a parental information service †¢ provide information, advice and training for childcare providers. The act also lays out registration and inspection arrangements, providing for an integrated education and care framework for the Early Years and general childcare registers. The sufficiency, information and outcomes duties came into effect on 1 April 2008 and the remaining provisions came into effect from September 2008. The revised, simpler framework for the EYFS was published on 27 March 2012, for implementation from 1 September 2012. This is an integral part of the Government’s wider vision for families in the foundation years. It demonstrates our commitment to freeing professionals from bureaucracy to focus on supporting children. Together with a more flexible, free early education entitlement and new streamlined inspection arrangements, this is a step towards a lighter touch regulatory regime. The Government will continue to seek to reduce burdens and remove unnecessary regulation and paperwork, which undermine professionals’ ability to protect children and promote their development. The new EYFS framework makes a number of improvements: †¢ Reducing bureaucracy for professionals, simplifying the statutory assessment of children’s development at age five. †¢ Simplifying the learning and development requirements by reducing the number of early learning goals from 69 to 17. †¢ Stronger emphasis on the three prime areas which are most essential for children’s healthy development. These three areas are: communication and language; physical; and personal, social and emotional development. †¢ For parents, a new progress check at age two on their child’s development. This links with the Healthy Child review carried out by health visitors, so that children get any additional support they need before they start school. †¢ Strengthening partnerships between professionals and parents, ensuring that the new framework uses clear language. The Early Years Register (EYR) and the General Childcare Register (GCR) provide a regulatory framework for childcare under the act. Ofsted regulates the two registers – the EYR for people caring for children aged from birth to 31 August after their fifth birthday and the GCR for childcare over this age. The GCR has two parts: the compulsory part (for providers of childcare for children aged five to seven) and a voluntary part (for providers of childcare for children aged eight and over or childcare that is exempt from registering on a compulsory basis). The EYFS has replaced three precedent frameworks: Curriculum Guidance for Foundation Stage, the Birth to Three Matters frameworks, and the National Standards for Under 8s Day-care and Childminding. The EYFS is given legal force through an Order and Regulations made under the Act. From September 2008 it will be mandatory for all schools and early years providers in Ofsted registered settings attended by young children – that is children from birth to the end of the academic year in which a child has their fifth birthday. All early years providers are required to meet the EYFS requirements. From September 2008 it is the legal responsibility of these providers to ensure that their provision meets the learning and development requirements, and complies with the welfare regulations. The Early Years Foundation Stage 2012 (EYFS) sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life. Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right. Good parenting and high quality early learning together provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up. The EYFS seeks to provide: †¢ quality and consistency in all early years settings, so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind; †¢ a secure foundation through learning and development opportunities which are planned around the needs and interests of each individual child and are assessed and reviewed regularly; †¢ partnership working between practitioners and with parents and/or carers; †¢ equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring that every child is included and supported. The EYFS specifies requirements for learning and development and for safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. The learning and development requirements cover: †¢ the areas of learning and development which must shape activities and experiences (educational programmes) for children in all early years settings; †¢ the early learning goals that providers must help children work towards (the knowledge, skills and understanding children should have at the end of the academic year in which they turn five); and †¢ assessment arrangements for measuring progress (and requirements for reporting to parents and/or carers). The safeguarding and welfare requirements cover the steps that providers must take to keep children safe and promote their welfare. Four guiding principles should shape practice in early years settings. These are: †¢ every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured; †¢ children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships; †¢ children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers; and †¢ children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities. The aim of the EYFS is to help young children achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes of staying safe, being healthy, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution, and achieving economic well-being by: 1. setting the standards for the learning, development and care, ensuring that every child makes progress and that no child gets left behind. Parents, providers should deliver individualised learning, development and care that enhances the development of the children in their care and gives those children the best possible start in life. Every child should be supported individually to make progress at their own pace and children who need extra support to fulfil their potential should receive special consideration. All providers have an equally important role to play in children’s early years experiences and they have to ensure that the provision they deliver is both appropriate to children’ needs and complementary to the education and care provided in child’s other settings. 2. providing for equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice and ensuring that every child is included and not disadvantaged because of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties or disabilities, gender or ability. Practitioners should focus on each child’s individual learning, development and care needs by: removing or helping to overcome barriers for children, being alert to the early signs of needs that could lead to later difficulties and responding quickly and appropriately, stretching and challenging children because all of them should have the opportunity to experience an enjoyable programme of learning and development. 3. creating the framework for partnership working between parents and professionals, and between all the settings that the child attends. Working with children means working in partnership with a lot of people, for this reason is important that practitioners ensure continuity and coherence by sharing relevant information with each other and with parents. Parents and families are central to a child’s well-being and learning’s needs. For this reason practitioners should support this important relationship by sharing information and offering support for extending learning in the home. 4. improving quality and consistency in the early years sector through a universal set of standards which apply to all settings and providing the basis for the inspection and regulation regime. 5. laying a secure foundation for future learning through learning and development that is planned around the individual needs and interests of the child, and informed by the use of ongoing observational assessment. It is important to their future success that children’ earliest experience help to build a secure foundation for learning throughout their school years and beyond. Practitioners must sensitive to the individual development of each child to ensure that activities they undertake are suitable for the stage that they have reached. Children need to be stretched, but not pushed beyond their capabilities, so that they can continue enjoy learning. Practitioners must observe assessment planning for each child’s continuing development through play-based activities, and respond quickly to children’s learning and development needs. There are a lot of important aspects on the early years’ provision in the EYFS framework. These principles are: 1. There should be a variety of provision for children under five in any locality. 2. All groups should operate in safe, healthy premises and should register with the local social services department. 3. Groups should be of manageable size and have a high adult to child ratio. 4. Groups should comply with al employment legislation and pay adequate salaries and expenses to volunteers. 5. Staff should be trained and experienced, and with volunteers and parents, should be given the opportunity to further their learning. 6. Groups should have opening times that reflect the needs of parents and children. 7. Groups should have clear policies and procedures for admission and attendance of children 8. Groups should consider children’s dietary needs to ensure that any food or drink provided is appropriate, acceptable and nutritious. In the provision of any refreshment, groups should respect individual, cultural, religious and medical requirements. 9. Groups should have appropriate and adequate insurance cover. 10. Parents are the main educators of their children and should be involved in all aspects of the group including management. 11. Groups should have sound management procedures. 12. Groups should be recognised by, and have contact with, other local providers of education and care for young children. 13. Groups should provide for children and adults with disabilities and learning difficulties including â€Å"children in need† as defined by the Children Act 1989. 14. Groups should be well organised, with carefully planned activities. 15. Groups should provide good quality educational equipment and play activities appropriate ages and stages of development. 16. The quality in any group is ultimately dependent upon the skills, attitudes and commitment of adults, and groups should build upon these. 17. There should be equal opportunities, in all aspects of the group’s work, for adults and children. All children in England between ages 5 and 16 must receive a full-time education. For children under age 5, publicly-funded nurseries and pre-schools are available for a limited number of hours each week. After the age of 16, students can attend sixth form colleges or other further education institutions. There are different types of child settings but all of them should follow The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 that sets out two main duties for childcare providers: †¢ not to treat a disabled child ‘less favourably’ †¢ to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for disabled children Registered day nurseries Children are normally admitted from age 18 months to 3? years. They usually have fixed opening times and are usually open all day and during the school holidays to meet the needs of working parents. They may also offer before and after school childcare and holiday care for school aged children. Local authority nursery schools and nursery classes They are funded by the local authority. Children can start a nursery school or nursery class attached to a primary school from the age of three. Some nursery places are for a half-day (either a morning or an afternoon), others are for the whole school day. Pre-schools and Playgroups Pre-schools and playgroups provide care, play and learning opportunities for children aged two to five years. They usually offer half day sessions, term time only, although some may offer extended hours. Primary school Primary schools are for children aged from four or five until the age of 11. Secondary school Secondary schools are for children aged 11, until the age of 16 but often also include sixth form centres or colleges which have pupils until the age of 18. Special schools Special schools educate children or young people aged 5 and upwards almost always with statements of special educational need. Childminders Provide care, play and learning opportunities within the childminders own home. They may be able to work flexible hours and periods. Will often take or collect children from playgroup or school. Can care for a maximum of six children under 8 years of age, depending on the play space available, but no more than three under 5 years of age and not normally more than one under 12 months Question: An explanation of how national and local guidance materials are used in setting 1. 2 UK’s current provision to work with early years children has been influenced by many different theories. FRIEDRICH FROEBEL (1782-1852) Froebel founded his first kindergarten in 1840. He believed in outdoor and indoor play and invented finger play, songs and rhymes. He valued symbolic behaviour through play: this is where children understand that they can make one thing stand for – or symbolise – something else – for example, a yoghurt pot can symbolise a cup of tea. He felt that children were able to learn at their highest level through imaginative play. He was also well known for encouraging block play which he called gift – encouraging children to understand a variety of mathematical concepts and relationship through play with various wooden blocks. His theory start with the concept that humans are creative beings, for this reason true education must help children to understand their true nature as creative beings. Froebel believed that play is the engine that drives true learning. Play is not idle behaviour. It is a biological imperative to discover how things work. It is happy work, but definitely purposeful. Froebel sought to harness this impulse and focus the child’s play energy on specific activities designed to lead them to create meaning from this experience. In his opinion children can only learn what they are ready to learn. Each child is unique and develops according to their own schedule. Nothing can be more wasteful or frustrating than to try to force a child to march to a different beat. Froebel works with each child’s own rhythm but makes it purposeful and guides the child toward the group. Froebel recognized that you cannot control the child so he controlled everything else. A prepared environment provides the teacher with the proper tools and gives children the experiences that the teacher feels are most beneficial, leading the child’s mind to the subject at hand. It feels less structured or forced, but it is actually extremely efficient. After his death the idea of his child-centred kindergarten became popular in both Germany and the rest of Europe. MARIA MONTESSORI (1870-1952) Maria Montessori was a doctor in poor areas of Rome in the early twentieth century. During this time she observed children’s development and saw them as active learners. She did not believe in imaginative play but she felt that children needed to experience concepts such as shape, size and order through structured play. She also felt that, at different stages of their development, children are particularly receptive to certain area of learning and that the adult must guide them through these. Montessori believed that children would become independent learners if they worked on their own. She did not encourage sequence of exercises often using specifically designed didactic (instructional) materials. (Penny Tassoni, 368)These are materials that involve sensory experiences and are self-correcting. Montessori materials are designed to be aesthetically pleasing, yet sturdy and were developed by Maria Montessori to help children develop organization. Montessori believed that the environment should be prepared by matching the child to the corresponding didactic material. The environment should be comfortable for children (e. g. , child-sized chairs that are lightweight). The environment should be homelike, so child can learn practical life issues. For example, there should be a place for children to practice proper self-help skills, such as hand washing. Since Montessori believed beauty helped with concentration, the setting is aesthetically pleasing. The â€Å"Montessori method† consists in a carefully developed set of materials which create the proper environment for children at each stage of their development. In this environment and with the guidance of trained teachers, they can develop their intellects and acquire all the skills and content of human civilization. Over sixty years of experience with children around the world proved Dr. Montessori’s theory that children can learn to read, write and calculate as easily and naturally as they learn to walk and talk. Her methods are still popular in Montessori schools around the world. The High/Scope approach The High/Scope Approach has roots in constructivist theory. Constructivists believe that we learn by mentally and physically interacting with the environment and with others. Although errors may be made during these interactions, they are considered just another part of the learning process. Although both Constructivism and the Montessori Method involve learning by doing, there are significant differences. In Montessori, for instance, the didactic, self-correcting materials are specifically designed to help prevent errors. Children learn by repetition, instead of by trial and error. The role of pretend play is also different in the two methods. In High/Scope, children’s creative exploration is encouraged, and this sometimes leads to pretend play, while in Montessori, â€Å"practical life work† that relates to the real world is stressed. Although Constructivism is a theory of learning, as opposed to a theory of teaching, High/Scope has exemplified an approach of teaching that supports Constructivist beliefs. Thus, children learn through active involvement with people, materials, events, and ideas. What Are High/Scope’s Main Components? Social †¢ One of the fundamental points in the High/Scope approach is that children are encouraged to be active in their learning through supportive adult interactions. †¢ The High/Scope approach includes times for various grouping experiences in the classroom. There are specific periods in each day for small group times, large group times, and for children to play independently in learning centres throughout the classroom. †¢ Children are encouraged to share their thinking with teachers and peers. †¢ Social interactions in the classroom community are encouraged. Teachers facilitate work on problem resolution with children as conflicts arise. †¢ When a child talks, the teachers listen and ask open-ended questions; they seek to ask questions that encourage children to express their thoughts and be creative rather than a â€Å"closed† question that would elicit more of a yes/no or simplistic answer. †¢ Each day the High/Scope teacher observes and records what the children are doing. During the year, teachers complete a High/Scope Child Observation Record from the daily observations they have collected. Curriculum †¢ â€Å"Key experiences† were designed specifically for this approach. The following is a brief summary of key experiences taken from Kostelnik, Soderman, & Whiren (1999, p. 32). The key experiences for preschool children are: -Creative representation -Classification -Language and literacy -Seriation -Initiative and social relation -Number -Movement -Space -Music -Time †¢ â€Å"Plan-do-review† is another major component of the High/Scope framework. Children are encouraged to: 1) plan the area, materials, and methods they are going to work with; 2) do, actually carry out their plan; and 3) review, articulate with the class-room community what they actually did during work time. The review time helps children bring closure to their work and link their actual work to their plan. †¢ Cleanup time is a natural part of plan-do-review. Children are given a sense of control by cleaning up. Representative labels help children return materials to appropriate places (Roopnarine & Johnson, 1993). †¢ The High/Scope classroom has a consistent routine. The purpose of the resulting predictability is to help children understand what will happen next and encourage them to have more control in their classroom. Environmental Set-Up †¢ The High/Scope ® classroom is a materials-rich learning environment. Usually, the locations for classroom materials are labelled to help children learn organizational skills. †¢ Materials are set-up so that they are easily accessible at a child’s level. This helps facilitate children’s active exploration. †¢ Teachers set up the classroom areas purposefully for children to explore and build social relationships, often with well-defined areas for different activities. Reggio Emilia Approach Reggio Emilia is a small town of northern Italy. The approach has become so popular in the early childhood field because it offers many unique curriculum ideas, because of the strong infrastructure for the Reggio schools, and because of the attention to co-construction. What Are the Reggio Emilia Approach’s Main Components? Social †¢ Cooperation and collaboration are terms that stress the value of revisiting social learning. First, children must become members of a community that is working together (cooperation). Once there is a foundation of trust between the children and adults, constructive conflict may be helpful in gaining new insights (collaboration). †¢ Co-construction refers to the fact that the meaning of an experience often is built in a social context. †¢ An atelierista is a teacher who has a special training that supports the curriculum development of the children and other faculty members. There is an atelierista in each of the Reggio Emilia pre-primary schools. †¢ Pedagogistas are built in as part of the carefully planned support system of the Reggio Emilia schools. The word pedagogista is difficult to translate into English. They are educational consultants that strive to implement the philosophy of the system and advocate for seeing children as the competent and capable people they are. They also make critical connections between families, schools, and community. Curriculum †¢ One of the special features of the Reggio Emilia approach is called â€Å"documentation. † Documentation is a sophisticated approach to purposefully using the environment to explain the history of projects and the school community. It does not simply refer to the beautiful classroom artwork commonly found throughout schools following Reggio Emilia Approach. And, even though it often incorporates concrete examples of both the processes and products that are part of a child’s education, it is more than just that. It is a fundamental way of building connections. Documentation is discussed in more detail in the next section that describes the uniqueness of the Reggio Emilia Approach. †¢ Co-construction increases the level of knowledge being developed. This occurs when active learning happens in conjunction with working with others (e. g.having opportunities for work to be discussed, questioned, and explored). Having to explain ideas to someone else clarifies these ideas. In addition, conflicts and questions facilitate more connections and extensions. There is an opportunity to bring in different expertise. Thus, to facilitate co-construction, teachers need to â€Å"aggressively listen† and foster collaboration between all the members of the community whenever possible. Real learning takes place when they check, evaluate, and then possibly add to each other’s work. †¢ Long-term projects are studies that encompass the explorations of teachers and children. †¢ Flowcharts are an organized system of recording curriculum planning and assessment based on ongoing collaboration and careful review. †¢ Portfolios are a collection of a child’s work that demonstrates the child’s efforts, progress, and achievements over time. Environmental Set-Up †¢ In Reggio Emilia, the environment is similar to that found in Montessori schools. However, the environmental set-up as a â€Å"third teacher† has been enhanced and extended in the Reggio Emilia approach. †¢ Like Montessori, it is believed beauty helps with concentration; the setting is aesthetically pleasing. †¢ Reggio Emilia schools create homelike environments. In Reggio, the homelike atmosphere is designed to help make children feel comfortable and learn practical life issues. †¢ Each child is provided a place to keep her own belongings. †¢ Documentation is a major part of the environmental set-up. Documentation illustrates both the process and the product. In documentation, the child is seen as an individual but also in relation to a group, with various possibilities for the individual. Question: An explanation of how different approaches to work with children in early years have affected current provision. 1. 3 Early years frameworks emphasize a personal and individual approach to learning and development because every child is unique and they develop and learn in different ways and at different rates, for this reason all areas of learning and development are equally important and inter-connected. Another reason is that experiences during the early years strongly influence a child’s future development. This means that the care and education that babies and young children receive to support their growth, development and learning must be of high quality and appropriate to their individual needs. Therefore, all practitioners should look carefully at the children in their care, consider their needs, their interests, and their stage of development and use all this information to help plan a challenging and enjoyable experience across all the areas of learning and development. In fact EYFS’s aim is to reflect the rich and personalised experience that many parents give their children at home. Like parents, providers should deliver individualised learning, development and care that enhances the development of the children in their care and gives those children the best possible start in life. Every child should be supported individually to make progress at their own pace and children who need extra support to fulfil their potential should receive special consideration. All providers have an equally important role to play in children’s early years experiences and they have to ensure that the provision they deliver is both appropriate to children’ needs. Question: An explanation of the Partnership model of working with carers 3. 1 Working with children means have a lot of responsibilities and one of the main ones is to have a positive partnership within the child setting’s staff and parents/carers. For this reason every child setting has its own policy to regulate relations between carers and carers and families. Positive partnership calls for: †¢ mutual respect and trust †¢ a recognition of equality between parents and professionals †¢ awareness of cultural and ethnic diversity †¢ partners to share information and skills. This means that good communication is essential to working with children, young people, families and carers. It helps build trust, and encourages them to seek advice and use services. It is key to establishing and maintaining relationships, and is an active process that involves listening, questioning, understanding and responding. †¢ an acknowledgement and sharing of feelings †¢ all parties to play a role in the decision making process. Question: A review of the Potential barriers to participation for carers, and an explanations of how these barriers may be overcome 3. 2 Barriers to partnership working There are many potential barriers to establishing a working partnership with parents, which can apply to both parties. Here are some of them: Time and availability. †¢ Finding a mutually convenient time and venue to meet †¢ Other demands from family and work †¢ Access and transport for some parents Language, culture and religion Cultural and/or religious attitudes towards disability †¢ Language barriers (there are no words for Down’s syndrome in Punjabi or Urdu) †¢ What is culturally acceptable Parents own education †¢ Negative feelings towards school and authority †¢ Feelings of inadequacy †¢ Fear of being judged Communication †¢ Poor communication channels (e. g. through the child only) †¢ Poor information sharing (what does go on in school? ) †¢ Automatic use of jargon. †¢ Shyness †¢ Lack of confidence School and staff †¢ Personal relationships between teacher and parent †¢ Limited facilities for meeting with parents †¢ Lack of empathy with the role of parent †¢ Lack of staff skills and confidence †¢ Access to relevant information †¢ An unwelcoming environment Parent and school †¢ Who to talk to? †¢ Lack of acceptance or awareness of child’s difficulties †¢ The value placed on education †¢ Young people not wanting parents involved †¢ Lack of information around transition periods (from one school to the next) †¢ Disinterest/lack of clear responsibility. †¢ Lack of consensus between parents Previous experience †¢ Negative previous experience †¢ Feelings of being judged †¢ Lack of action or follow up †¢ Being patronised Some ideas for overcoming barriers Communication †¢ Use regular newsletters to improve information flow †¢ Have a central information point e. g. regularly updated notice board †¢ Have a central contact point †¢ Exploit technology – web sites, email, blogs, text messaging †¢ Provide up to date information and a jargon buster †¢ Create regular meeting slots †¢ Create opportunities for informal as well as formal contact e.g. parents assemblies, social events. †¢ Collect parents views e. g. suggestion box, parent forum, parents’ spokesperson †¢ Involve parents in school activities †¢ Use home/school books and diaries †¢ Use email or phone if there is sensitivity about keeping a written record School and staff †¢ Develop staff skills in communication and listening †¢ Increase availability of staff and head teacher e. g. regular meeting slots, surgery times for 1-1 meetings †¢ Improve the range of activities in which parents can participate †¢ Make direct personal contact with parents †¢ Provide creche.