destination degree!

I have reached my destination.....

2011-06-29T15:13:00.002+01:00

Well after four years I have today found out that I have achieved a BA with first class honours. I've not been very good at updating this blog in the last year...and this will be my last entry. If you stumble upon this blog as you begin your university journey.... Then I am living proof that with hard work and dedication you really can reach for the stars. Good luck......and goodbye xx

oops.....

2011-03-24T10:15:00.002Z

Been ages since I looked in on here! Ok - update.... it is possible to be offered a PGCE place at Warwick and a salary funded GTP place at Newman...I did! Very happy to report that I will begin a GTP in September 2011....if I manage to get a 2:2 on the degree! Happy Days!

The final year is rather busy though....I've finished my dissertation..which is a load off; but still have a 3000 word essay to complete before I can get into revsion for the three FINAL exams! Wow...FINALS....loving the sound of that!

Graduation is 21st July at 3pm.....it seems my 'destination' is within my sights...Yey!

PGCE place

2010-11-04T10:30:00.002Z

After three years of waiting, I finally had my PGCE interview yesterday at Warwick. It was a really stressful experience....! The day was split into two; the morning consisted of a presentation about the course and then a maths test and English test. The maths test was fine...nothing harder than year 6 numeracy...the English test was tough though. We were given an article to read and then had to write a critical response....did we agree or disagree and why?...in 45 minutes! I found this hard as we had no idea what the article would be about. Then we all had to go for lunch and reconvene at 1.30pm when they would tell us who got through to the afternoon. This was the longest hour of my life....it was awful.
At 1.20 we headed over to fond out our fate...to be met at the door by a group of people who were there in the morning...they told us...the list has been read out already.....and they sadly informed us that they themselves were unsuccessful......
So off we went - inside the meeting place.....and I discovered I had been selected to go through. Well I could have hooped for joy...was so relieved...I was taken in a group of 4 up to do a group task then have an individual interview. after this I went outside and discovered that only two people from Warwick had made it through to the afternoon....most of the original group of the morning had not......this included my friends, with whom I had spent the morning....enter in a right mixed bag of emotions!!!!
As it stands now I am waiting for their decision - I should hear in two weeks....

Also, the closing date for the GTP application is tomorrow...so I should hear if I am invited to interview/test stage there too next week.

Exciting (though stressful!) times!

Psychoanalytical Perspectives

2010-11-02T12:45:00.001Z

Reading the work of Carl Jung is an interesting experience and not one you can have half heartedly: it’s a bit like reading original Piaget...heavy stuff! However, once in the ‘zone’ as it were; if you are even half interested in psychology, I suggest you’ll enjoy what he has to say. Like Sigmund Freud.. (yes I know the mention of his name is enough to make you log off immediately...but stick with me on this..) ...Jung was interested in the unconscious part of our psychic selves. However, where Freud felt the unconscious was a collection of lost memories and experiences, Jung argued they this was a rather restricted explanation. He split the unconscious into two: the personal unconscious (which was along the same lines as Freud’s thoughts) and the collective unconscious. This is the interesting bit: see, according to Jung, us (as in the entire human race) have an innate, instinctual collective unconscious which is there..inside us...all of us...at birth! Kind of how we have evolved with certain physical characteristics (arms/legs/brain/head etc) we have also evolved with a certain inner psyche – which is common to human kind everywhere in the world. Isn’t that amazing? Ok..so you may be confused...so I’ll explain further
Jung coined the phrase ‘Archetype’ which he said was the collective unconscious in us all. Archetypes aren’t physical things..and they remain hidden in the unconscious as shapeless and colourless – they are just there...in a big archetypal ocean. So how do we know they are there? Well...we know they are there when they appear in the conscious - they can be experienced as, for example: an image and an emotion (eg: extreme fear/fearful experience/death). Jung would argue that primary fears are innate in all children and these have remained unchanged regardless of time or space. As the archetype of, for example, death, appears into the conscious: it will take shape and be coloured in depending on the experience and society of where it appears. So the archetype of death appearing in a 7 year old in Britain will be very different than the archetype of death appearing in a 7 year old in parts of Africa....The key point here is that the Archetypes themselves don’t change: it’s how they manifest that does. Hence, when societies undergo changes (such as views of childhood and children.) the manifestation of the archetype will change according to acceptable norms of the society....do you get what I mean?

Finally....

2010-07-27T18:07:00.003+01:00

I have confirmation of my year three module grades..... delighted to blog that I got four firsts and one 2:1.

Really can't wait for final year now.......

and so to the final year....

2010-07-14T09:18:00.003+01:00

Here I am....at the end of the third and about to begin the final year! It’s strange – but I am in fact faced with paradoxical feelings of surprise by just how quickly these past three years have flown, contrasted with not remembering what life was like prior to modules, assessments, reading, reading and more reading!
I really enjoyed the third year....very different from the first two. At Warwick, you become anonymous really.....the core modules are in the Lecture Theatre and you blend in as one of 100 or so students. To illustrate, I attended (and was characteristically verbal in!) weekly core lectures since January, with a lecturer who has now been allocated as my dissertation supervisor. At our first meeting...I was greeted with the words... “and you are...?” I told him my name...but doubt very much that he will remember it!!!
However, poised at final year... I am now turning my attention to ITT applications. I am very lucky to have secured a provisional GTP place at an Infant School....subject to TDA funding. Yesterday, I had to deliver a whole class literacy session to year one’s – whilst being observed by the head and class teacher. I had planned my delivery, incorporated ICT (of course!) and then delivered, (what I was told at the feedback afterwards) a very good “pacey session”. I have never planned and delivered a whole session – from intro to plenary....and I loved it. The children really enjoyed it too..which was evident in the work they produced in the session. The next stage is to apply to Newman’s Uni in September...I will also apply for PGCE at Warwick in case I don’t get a funded place through Newman’s...but my preferred route is GTP....I am so desperate to get into the classroom and teach.
On a more current note...I am immersed in reading for my dissertation. I am doing a case study which will look at school council at infant school level and young children’s understanding and ability to participate. It is so interesting......and thankfully, as it is quite a contemporary subject base, there is lots of current literature available. Taking back what I said earlier about my supervisor not remembering my name.....I have a feeling that by the end of the year he will not be wondering who I am...more he’ll be hiding behind the drinks machines in the cafe when he sees me in the vicinity!!
Well – this time next year I will have graduated, with know what ITT I am doing in September....yes..that light at the end of the tunnel is definitely starting to shine a bit brighter!
Good Luck to all newbies....and to the others who move on through the programme. Work hard...read loads....ask questions.....and success is there for the taking!

BOOK SALE

2010-06-29T20:05:00.003+01:00

BOOKS FOR SALE - if you are interested in any please email me jeanette@thesnapes.co.uk - books sold on a first come first served basis....

These are the books which I found very useful during the level one (years 1&2) and level two (year 3) part of the BA(hons) Early Childhood Studies.
All these are available to view on AMAZON.CO.UK : as far as I could see most are selling for more than £5.00 each (2nd Hand). All books are well used but in very good condition. Some may have highlighted bits and notes inside...but you never know these may be helpful to you!!

All books £5.00 EACH

LEVEL 1 & 2 books

• Childhood Studies: An Introduction by Dominic Wyse (Paperback - 12 Nov 2003)

• An Introduction to Early Childhood Studies by Dr Trisha Maynard and Professor Nigel Thomas

• Early Childhood Studies: An Introduction to Children's Worlds and Children's Lives by Jenny Willan, Rod Parker-Rees, and Jan Savage (Paperback - 16 Aug 2004)

• An Introduction to Early Childhood: A Multidisciplinary Approach by Dr Tim Waller (Paperback - 8 July 2005)

LEVEL 2 BOOKS - £5.00 EACH -

Option module specialist books:

• Desirable Literacies: Approaches to Language and Literacy in the Early Years by Dr Jackie Marsh and Dr Elaine Hallet (Paperback - 29 April 1999)

• Children and Number: Difficulties in Learning Mathematics by Martin Hughes (Paperback - 26 Jun 1986)

OTHER BOOKS WHICH ARE A BIT MORE EXPENSIVE: - £10 EACH

• The Development of Mathematical Skills (Studies in Developmental Psychology) by Chris Donlan (Paperback - 2 Mar 2000)

I bought this new for £20.99 – very useful book if you intend to do development of mathematics in the early years as an option module – (highly recommended module) – book is in great condition – hence £10 price tag.

• Children's Numbers (Developmental Psychology) by Catherine Sophian (Paperback - Sep 1996)

This is a FANTASTIC book if you do the module I mentioned before. It’s as rare as rocking horse poo (no joke – check out amazon.uk and see!) – I managed to get hold of one on ebay and it cost me £17....I was the envy of the class!!! Sophian is a brilliant easy to follow writer that makes a difficult concept make perfect sense....because of the price I paid and how rare this book is ....the charge for this one is £10.

And finally.........................................

• Doing Your Early Years Research Project: A Step by Step Guide by Guy Roberts-Holmes (Paperback - 18 Mar 2005) – Core for Level 2 module at warwick....a boring but essential read....I bought it new and it cost me £16.00 – still in great condition - on sale now for £7

book sale.....

2010-06-18T13:56:00.001+01:00

having a big book clear out...will be good for newbie first years, 2nd years and even the 3rd years.......

details to follow here next week....keep watching...you may bag a bargain :-)

time out....

2010-06-10T22:52:00.002+01:00

from revision to post on this blog...actually, I'm procrastinating again...I arrived at the lap top to do some more revision...and have spent the last half an hour avoiding my note pages......finding myself here at my blog I was surprised to see it's been ages since I posted anything.......so here's an update.....

Have sat one exam and have three more to go. The Development of Mathematics in the Early Years was my option module and was the hardest module that I have studied this year. However, it was the most interesting for me. I liked it because it was nice to be in class with only 10 people...a nice change from the lecture theatre. Also, the subject was fascinating....loved learning about how children develop mathematical cognition....and investigating the idea that we have innate mathematical abilities. It was a tough subject to write about in the assignment....because it was hard to put into words...but I scored another first...so I was very happy. My other favourite module has been Children and Family in National and International Context; again very interesting subject and most of the lectures were delivered really well, two lecturers in particular were excellent. Loved really scrutinizing the social construction of childhood - Loved deconstructing issues such as child labour, child soldiers and UNCRC - looking at them in a different 'global' context - thus expanding and broadening my mind and opinions.....very interesting and thought provoking. A great module.....if I was going to do a masters (which I am NOT!) - I'd do it in this area!

I am amazed that I'm here about to approach the FINAL year! this time next year I'll be graduating.....!!!
I know there is still a year to go.....but I've enjoyed the last year and have learned so much...I have maintained the success of my marks so far and feel very able to cope with level 3...in fact, I'm looking forward to doing the dissertation...I know what I am going to do it on and it's going to be so interesting to do (info to follow soon!)...

Procrastinating over now......I think I'll go to bed now!

ACADEMIC REFERENCING

2010-03-20T11:25:00.002Z

HERE IS MY THREE STEP EASY FOLLOW GUIDE TO ACADEMIC REFERENCING:

THREE STEPS TO REFERENCING

STEP ONE :
DIRECT QUOTES: WORD FOR WORD TEXT TAKEN FROM SOURCES
If you take a direct quote from some text then you reference after the quote like this:

research from UNICEF revealing; “90% of the world’s wealth [is] owned by 10% of the world’s population” (Prout, 2005 p18)

The reference is the authors surname, a comma, followed by the year of publish, followed by the page number.

If the direct quote is sourced online then you reference like this:

there are key differences that give modern globalisation a “peculiar force” (Smith and Doyle, 2002, cited online).

If there is a page number (for example in a government report...then you should include this too as before.

GOOD PRACTICE TIP: Don’t lift huge quotes – better to put they key ideas in your own words...then attribute to whose ideas they are in reference.

STEP TWO:
NON QUOTE REFERENCING: INFORMATION FROM SOURCES WHERE YOU’VE USED THE IDEAS IN YOUR OWN WORDS:

This should be used much more than the direct quote. When you read information about a subject then use that info in your essay, you must say where you got the info from. You reference this like this:

This western transformation into what is seen as the modern view of childhood long preceded the process of globalisation (Stearns, 2005).

In the original text, Stearns is discussing the concept that the way we perceive children and childhood today is a notion that came long before any notions of globalisation. Notice that words have been completely changed; but they still mean the same and therefore are still Stearns ideas....so we must attribute this to him with the reference. This is done as before: the Surname is used, followed by the date of publication. Same rules as above apply if it’s sourced online.

STEP THREE :
THE REFERENCE PAGE

The reference page is a list of all the references that you have actually cited in your essay. It is listed in alphabetical order and can be in different styles, however - Warwick Uni use the style of Harvard referencing.

Using the examples above to start: this is how they would appear in a reference page:

Stearnes, P.N. (2005) conclusion from: “Change, Globalisation and Childhood” Journal of Social History 2005; 38; 4: 1041- 1046 accessed online on 3rd January 2010 from: http://0muse.jhu.edu.pugwash.lib.warwick.ac.uk/journals/journal_of_social_history/v038/38.4 stearns02.pdf

Smith, M. K. and Doyle M. (2002) 'Globalization' accessed online on 12th December 2009 from the encyclopaedia of informal education; www.infed.org/biblio/globalization.htm.

Prout, A. (2005) The Future of Childhood; Towards the interdisciplinary study of children, Oxon: RoutledgeFalmer.

REMENBER THERE ARE PROBABLY THREE SOURCES YOU ARE MOST LIKELY TO REFERENCE – YOU MUST LEARN HOW TO DISTINGUISH THEM SO YOU GET THEM RIGHT ON YOUR REFERENCE PAGE:

1. A JOURNAL: (LOOK AT THE EXAMPLE REFERENCE LIST above)

Stearnes (2005) is a journal. You always begin with the Surname, a comma and the initials (if there are more than two authors just put the first surname and the words “et al”.
This is followed by the name of the journal article, in inverted commas. Followed by the name of the journal, (Journal of Social History )the date of publish, (2005) the volume number (4) and the pages of the article you are citing: (1041-1046). All this info is available on the article and you can usually just copy and paste it. This bit is presented in bold and italics. Then you write the words :accessed online on [the date you accessed it] from: then put the web link to the journal. If you have accessed the journal from the library, you can miss the last bit off.

2. A TEXT BOOK

Again, the surname of the author comes first, followed by a comma and the initials (if there are more than two authors just put the first surname and the words “et al”.
Date of publish, in brackets next, followed by the title of the book – in bold and italics The Future of Childhood; Towards the interdisciplinary study of children,. Followed by place it was published Oxon: and publishing company RoutledgeFalmer.

3. A GENERAL (BUT ALWAYS CREDIBLE) INTERNET WEB SITE

Usually, you can find who the page is written by and when it was written (as in the example above) – so you just reference the Surname etc as before. However, if it’s a report from (for example: UNICEF – then you use this as the ‘name’ and follow it by the date of the report. Then you just put the title of the report or article and state the words: accessed online on [date you found it] from: web address.

SUB-SAHARAN GENDER INEQUALITY AND HIV/AIDS

2010-01-27T21:39:00.004Z

I recently read an article (ONE) themed very like an essay I wrote in the second year of study. I thought I'd publish my take on my blog to share with those interested..............

In 2004, the joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS, (UNAIDS) declared HIV as; “the most globalized epidemic in history.” (cited online) Latest figures from UNAIDS report that although the global percentage of people living with HIV has stabilised since 2000; “Sub-Saharan Africa remains most heavily affected by HIV, accounting for 67% of all people living with HIV and for 72% of AIDS deaths in 2007.” (UNAIDS, 2008, cited online) This statistical evidence suggests that, despite the optimism inspired by news of global HIV/AIDS stabilisation since the millennium year, the obvious concentration of a high percentage of cases across Sub-Saharan Africa continues to cause serious human devastation.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss a number of issues surrounding the Sub-Saharan HIV/AIDS pandemic, particularly its effect on African women. First and foremost there is clarification of a definition of HIV/AIDS and a reflection on the noticeable variations of its global prevalence, treatment and ultimate outcomes. This is followed by an evaluation of possible impacts of the pandemic from the cultural perspective of gender inequality across Sub-Saharan Africa. Remaining within the context of gender inequality, the focus shifts towards exploring the notion of African females, by and large, living in a climate of culturally accepted social oppression, which is contributory to increasing their vulnerability to the HIV virus.

HIV/AIDS, is classified by the World Health Organisation [WHO] as “a global pandemic.” (WHO, 2008 cited online) hence it is a condition that has spread across the world. However, closer analysis of the statistical evidence demonstrates a disproportionate extent to the epidemic across Sub-Saharan Africa. Accordingly, in order to appreciate the magnitude of the consequences caused by HIV/AIDS across highly affected African nations, it is valuable at the onset to establish, what HIV/AIDS is; how it is transmitted and consider its global prevalence per se.
Statistics produced by WHO and UNAIDS estimated that globally: “33.2 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2007.” (WHO, 2008 cited online) Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for two thirds of the global numbers, consequently, this may indicate an evident linkage between HIV prevalence and the underlining social and economic problems ubiquitous across the developing world.
Furthermore, this situation is perhaps further exacerbated by the notion that the African HIV/AIDS concern varies from country to country; “The continent’s experience with the disease is diverse.” (Patterson,2006 p6) This diversity adds further dimension to the discourse as it demonstrates how individual life prospects of those affected by HIV/AIDS, will fluctuate across African nations. Therefore, chances of survival are more likely to be influenced by factors that are beyond personal control, for instance: gender inequality; poverty; access to education, availability/affordability of healthcare services and national political stability. Consequently in such a precarious climate, this perhaps clarifies possible reasons why, for many, both personal and family health remains at great risk.
Based on this evidence, it can be suggested that the continued prevalence of the pandemic and the apparent lack of success in the provision of a sustainable solution is, perhaps a consequence of the impact of these variable social factors. Moreover, this highlights the underlying fact that there exists a contrast between the medical knowledge concerning implications of how HIV/AIDS attacks the human species, [which will be similar across the globe,] with the bearing of socio-cultural diversity, in terms of varying healthcare systems, cultural norms, preventative measures and political stability, all of which will create an imbalance life chances and ultimately impact on socially vulnerable groups.
HIV, stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, the British National Health Service describes it as: “a sexually transmitted virus that attacks the body's immune system.” (NHS, cited online), subsequently, the NHS goes on to describe Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome [AIDS] “a term that is used to describe the latter stages of HIV, when the immune system has stopped working.” Hence, the susceptibility in the immune system towards the latter stages of HIV, which can take as long as eight years after becoming HIV positive to manifest itself, creates a serious vulnerability in the body too many diseases and infections.
Medical research documents that the HIV virus proliferates through the exchange of bodily fluids, for instance, blood and semen. Most commonly this occurs through sexual intercourse, this includes oral and anal sex. Additionally, other instances where the HIV virus can be transmitted include: sharing infected intravenous needles and, in pregnant women, where the virus may pass across the placenta to the unborn foetus. HIV is terminal. There is no vaccine available to prevent becoming infected, however, given access to available medication, most HIV positive people will manage to live relatively normal lives. (NHS, 2008, cited online).
It is worthwhile to consider this medical information in the context of the previously mentioned diversities of Sub-Saharan Africa. This analysis will display a paradox between HIV/AIDS prevention programmes and universally available treatments, which are known and practiced in the industrialised, western world, against a HIV/AIDS ridden Africa, where there exists a widespread inconsistency in the implementation of prevention programs and availability of treatment. Evidence suggests that these inconsistencies appear to vary depending on diverse cultural, social, political and economic barriers. Arguably, it is these ‘barriers’ that continue to hinder the control of the epidemic.
The discourse thus far suggesting that the issue of HIV/AIDS across Sub-Saharan Africa is diverse between countries, causes the theme at the heart of this paper to re-emerge, since it is the close link to HIV/AIDS and cultural issues, such as women’s status and the dominant role of African men in relationships, (Hunter, 2003) that may contribute to the continuing seriousness of the pandemic.
The notion that the effect of AIDS on the African population depends on: “who the individuals are, their place in society, and the resources that they, their households, communities and societies have available.” (Barnett & Whiteside 2002 p182) is particularly applicable for African women. Arguably, due to widespread cultural gender inequality, women in Africa are often forced to “bear the brunt of HIV/AIDS” (Patterson, 2006 p8). This burden is illustrated in the rising cases of women carrying [and dying from] the HIV/AIDS themselves and/or from being the main care givers to others who have the virus. Indeed, one might argue that, the lack of social status for women as such, is the fundamental concern in the HIV/AIDS pandemic, because, ‘equality’ is a basic human right and is the foundation underpinning all of the articles documented in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, (cited online) so, by denying this right to women will inevitably place them in a highly vulnerable position, particularly in terms of sexual health.
Hence this examination of gender discrimination accentuates two crucial concerns: primarily, how gender inequality is an identified contributor to the issue of HIV/AIDS in Africa, (Patterson, 2006) and secondly, how dangerous this remains for both women and the effected countries in general.
Conversely, it is inappropriate to assume that it is possible to easily adjust the cultural norms within the societies that accept gender inequality as reasonable. In sociological terms, the culture of a society will be the guiding force behind how members of that society think and feel. These shared cultural guidelines shape the individual attitudes and beliefs of its people and are known as ‘cultural norms.’ (Haralambos & Holborn, 2000) Since the cultural norms equate to unwritten ‘rules,’ they are transmitted and reinforced through primary and secondary socialisation and are largely accepted across the society. Hence, this exemplifies the challenge of adjusting the cultural norm which exists across many Sub-Saharan societies, where a lower status for women is accepted, regardless of the fact this inequality significantly contributes to the HIV Aids pandemic. This challenge is discussed in a short documentary film which was produced to address the inequality of girl’s access to education in Ghana. (Integrated Social Development Centre, 2007) The narrator explores the concept of changing cultural norms and suggests that there must remain “a delicate balance of keeping cultural identity when fostering gender equality.” (ISDOEC, 2007) In other words, a society may regard gender status as a normal element of their cultural identity, which complicates any adjustment to the deep-seated norm. Furthermore, this implies even if success in changing such norms is possible, such a mass scale paradigm shift will take time and so delay any impact such changes may have on the HIV pandemic.
Across Sub-Saharan Africa, gender inequality continues to be experienced by girls and women. (UNAIDS, 2008) This inequality, as an accepted cultural norm, effectively strips females of any rights to have any say in their own destiny. From birth, girls are perceived as potential wives and mothers, a role they practice during childhood as many are comparable to domestic slaves. (Patterson, 2006) When they marry, women become the property of their husbands, which is an identified reason of the logic behind birth families being more likely to invest in a boy’s education over that of a girl’s, since the girl will be ‘given away’ to a husband, and so will not provide economically for her birth family. (ISDOEC, 2007) In terms of HIV/AIDS awareness, this can cause catastrophic consequences for girls, since education may be the only source of information on protection from the virus. (Squire, 2007) Consequently, it could be concluded that, if access to schooling is denied or intermittent so will the knowledge on HIV prevention/protection.
The discrimination for females in many HIV/AIDS affected countries is a lifelong reality. Traditionally, African women marry at an early age, and male dominance within the relationship is accepted as normal; as one African woman in “Faces of Aids” explains: [when referring to rampant promiscuity of African married men] “most women in Africa are totally dependent on their husbands.....if your husband has decided to say this or do this, you will not say anything to stop him” (Saha, 2007)
A useful example of such dependence is evident through a woman’s right to ownership of possessions within the marital home. These are always regarded as the property of the husband. (Saha, 2007) This highlights an inequitable and frightening prospect for the many women who are widowed because of HIV/AIDS, since upon the death of a husband many African cultures accept that the marital property and possessions belong to the deceased husband’s family. Consequently, it is not unusual for widows and their children to become evicted at the hand of their husband’s family. (Saha, 2007) Based on this reality, it is clear that a culture, riddled with HIV/AIDS that empowers men in such a way, creates a scenario that exposes women to serious exploitation with devastating consequences. Faced with such desperation to secure the most basic of needs, women of Africa find themselves victim to the ultimate control of male dominance. Arguably, this continuing, accepted oppression can be regarded as a form of secondary socialisation, a consequence of which continuously lowers a woman’s self esteem, reinforcing the norm that she is worthless. Therefore even if she is physically, mentally or sexually abused by her husband, it is tolerated since, as one African women straightforwardly concludes: “there is no choice..”(Saha, 2007).
Conclusion
This paper demonstrates that despite the fact that the HIV/AIDS pandemic is a global reality, statistically Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most heavily affected area in the world. Closer analysis of the social, economic and political diversity across the African continent denotes that the HIV/AIDS problem cannot be either viewed or treated universally. In particular, discourse concerning cultural norms identified gender inequality as a major contributor in the continued prevalence of the virus, especially amongst women.
Evidence in this paper suggests that the disjointed access to regular and consistent schooling for girls may further a spiral of devastating consequences for females as they grow up in a HIV ridden environment. This is apparent not only in terms of how an imbalance of access to school between boys and girls may reinforce gender difference from an early age, but also, depravation of continued access to an educational environment may inadvertently deprive females of a vital and necessary source of knowledge surrounding protection of and prevention from HIV/AIDS. This fact further supported by recent analysis by the Global Campaign for Education, who suggest that a complete primary education for all children could greatly reduce the cases of HIV in young adults. (UNIADS/UNFPA/UNIFEM, 2008 cited online)
Furthermore, the culturally accepted oppression of African women in general, exemplifies the powerless situation endured by women. Arguably this severely affects their capacity to embrace such civil liberties as: freedom of sexual choice, personal healthcare and acquisition of protection [and knowledge] from the deadly virus.
Finally based on the information outlined in this paper, it can be concluded that the diversity of cultures which is rife across Africa, particularly the acceptance of gender inequality, significantly contributes to the issue of HIV/AIDS, making it a complex problem cannot be confined to programmes of treatment that may be effective in the industrialised world. Essentially, there needs to be realisation within African culture that the key to harnessing control over HIV/AIDS remains in the realm of an inclusive society.

BY Jeanette Snape

REFERENCES
Barnett T. & Whiteside A. (2006) AIDS in the Twenty First Century: Disease and Globalisation. New York, Palgave Macmillon
Cotton Anne (2007) An Uncommon Hero Educating Girls in Africa; video accessed online on 21st January 2009 from: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_CCqI8KuZGc
Hunter S. (2003) Black Death: AIDS in Africa. New York, Palgave Macmillon
Integrated Social Development Centre (ISDOEC)(2007), Cultural Barriers to girls education part 1 & 2; video accessed online on 21st January 2009 from: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qHpx2qRso
National Health Service Online (2008) HIV/AIDS information, accessed online on 18th January 2009 from:
Patterson, A.S. (2006) The Politics of Aids in Africa, London, Lynne Rienner Publishers
Saha T. (2007) Faces of Aids; a Vanderbilt University Video, accessed online on 19th January 2009 from: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mZaOpEztJzE
UNAIDS (2004) Report on the Global AIDS epidemic accessed online on 19th January 2009 from: http://www.unaids.org/bangkok2004/gar2004_html/GAR2004_07_en.htm
UNAIDS (2008) Report on the Global Aids epidemic accessed online in 19th January 2009 from:http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/HIVData/GlobalReport/2008/2008_Global_report.asp
UNFPA (2008) Women and HIV/AIDS: confronting the crisis. Accessed online on 28th December 2008 from: http://www.unfpa.org/hiv/women/report/html
World Bank (2009) Country Information: Africa accessed online on 20th January 2009 from: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICA.html
World Health Organisation (2008) Towards Universal Access Report, accessed online in 15th January 2009 from: http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/towards_universal_access_report_2008.pdf

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Barnett T. & Whiteside A. ( 2006) AIDS in the Twenty First Century: Disease and Globalisation. New York, Palgave Macmillon
Cotton Anne (2007) An Uncommon Hero Educating Girls in Africa; video accessed online on 21st January 2009 from: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_CCqI8KuZGc
Hunter S. (2003) Black Death: AIDS in Africa. New York, Palgave Macmillon
Integrated Social Development Centre (ISDOEC)(2007), Cultural Barriers to girls education part 1 & 2; video accessed online on 21st January 2009 from: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qHpx2qRso
Kauffman K..D. & Lindauer D.L. (2004) AIDS and South Africa, The Social Expression of a Pandemic. New York, Palgrave Macmillan
Lieten G.K. (2008) Children Structure and Agency. Realities across the Developing World. London, Routledge
Lodge T. (2003) Politics in South Africa: From Mandela to Mbeki. Bloomington: Indiana University Press
National Health Service Online (2008) HIV/AIDS information, accessed online on 18th January 2009 from:
Patterson, A.S. (2006) The Politics of AIDS in Africa, London, Lynne Rienner Publishers
Saha T. (2007) Faces of Aids; a Vanderbilt University Video, accessed online on 19th January 2009 from: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mZaOpEztJzE
Squire, C. (2007) HIV in South Africa, London, Routledge
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) accessed online on 21st January 2009 from: http://un.org/Overview/rights.html
UNAIDS (2004) Report on the Global AIDS epidemic accessed online on 19th January 2009 from: http://www.unaids.org/bangkok2004/gar2004_html/GAR2004_07_en.htm
UNAIDS (2008) Report on the Global Aids epidemic accessed online in 19th January 2009 from:http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/HIVData/GlobalReport/2008/2008_Global_report.asp
UNFPA (2008) Women and HIV/AIDS: confronting the crisis. Accessed online on 28th December 2008 from: http://www.unfpa.org/hiv/women/report/html
Wanyeki L.M. (2003) Women and Land in Africa:Culture, Religion and Realizing Women’s Rights, London, Zed Books
World Health Organisation (2008) Towards Universal Access Report, accessed online in 15th January 2009 from:http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/towards_universal_access_report_2008.pdf
World Bank (2009) Country Information: Africa accessed online on 20th January 2009 from: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICA.html

Electronic Submission

2010-01-05T14:15:00.004Z

when you get around to doing this at Warwick...here are some tips:
1) there's a proforma marking sheet that you have to attach to the front of your essay...so put it on before you start (as a title page in Word so your headings won't show)
2) in your header, which will appear on every page of your essay - only write your heading.
3) your footer will require your student id and page numbers.
4) save the FINAL essay as the module number (for instance IE2B6) and your student id....not the essay title (not allowed!)

At NWHC I used a different format to the above - always included a reference and bibliography page and never wrote in the first person.....
At Warwick - they require the above format for e-submission, don't want a bibliography (only references) and don't seem to mind if you use the 1st person....(although I can't bring myself to write in this way having trained myself in the 3rd).

There you go - now you know...Happy Days!

Empirical Research

2009-12-22T17:09:00.004Z

just before the children broke up for Christmas, I went into my chosen school to conduct my empirical research. Broadly, the subject is 'gender'- specifically I am interested in if young children conform to unwritten gender norms - and if this changes between the ages of 4 and 7. My sample group was 4 year olds from reception and 7 year olds from year 2. I designed a computer game whereby various toys appeared on the screen and each child selected whether they thought 'boys' would like to play with it, "girls" would like to play with it or "both boys and girls" would like to play with it. As an extension, the children were periodically questioned about the choices they made and their responses recorded (ethically of course!) Several things I learned.....firstly....collection of this data took ages...much longer than I thought....I interviewed 30 reception children and 20 year 2 children and I had to spend a whole day and a half in school. Needless to say, I was sick of the computer game by the end of it!!! Secondly, I was amazed at the patterns which emerged from the research and how, whilst the children's responses in terms of were similar, they differed between the year groups - in other words the four year olds, whilst producing similar responses to each other, consistantly answered differently to the 7 year olds! The patterns were too obvious to be coincidence....it was so interesting. I haven't yet analysed....as it's now been placed into the 'B' drawer as the Globalisation essay as now gone into the 'A'drawer....but I am looking forward to making sense of these findings...not that I discovered anything new...but it does reaffirm the idea of children "doing" gender.....!

Situated Cognition

2009-11-09T15:20:00.000Z

I wrote an essay last year which was looking at the EYFS and National Curriculum – the theme that emerged was pedagogy and learning within the constraints of such frameworks. I remember at the time referring to children learning by watching and referenced Bandura as a relevant theorist...however, upon reflection, what perhaps may have been more appropriate to refer to was the learning theory of situated cognition. Derived from an anthropological perspective, Leve & Weger studied learning in the context of different cultures. Many of these cultures, they found, developed learning through an expert being watched by a novice – not unlike an apprentice. The knowledge is known as ‘situated’ – in that it is gained from a location and source and is specialised. They found that there were many tribal rituals across the world being passed from generation to generation in this way. The ‘community of practice’ was where groups come together with experts and novices and skills are shared and practiced together.
For me, two issues come up from this – it can be seen how constructivist theory (Piaget) and even more so - social constructivist theory (Vygotsky/Bruner) link into situated cognition. The learner remains at the centre where they construct knowledge but also I can see a link to connectivism theory (which isn’t always clear from the traditional constructivism view. Look at the foundation of situated cognition – particularly ‘community of practice’ - the group come together with experts and novices to skill share – that’s connectivism isn’t it? The difference is perhaps the location of the groups may be, thanks to technology, located anywhere – outside the ‘little boxes’ of old.

Piaget revisited....

2009-11-02T19:19:00.003Z

Interested primarily in genetic epistemology, [the philosophy of how humans gain and develop knowledge] Piaget’s work on mathematical development stemmed more from a wider interest in logic than a desire to discover how children are numerate. However, we know that key to Piaget's theory is that children think differently to adults. This is [in Piaget terms] because they simply haven’t yet had the range of experiences needed to think in an adult way.
This, I believe, is a key point that is of great use if you need to get your head around the constructivism theory on schema's.......
Piaget contended that human thoughts are organised into schemas, which are built upon and retrieved as cognitive development progresses. The child remains very much at the centre of this process, an active learner, constructing knowledge as they constantly revisit what they already know as they experience more and more of their world.
In mathematical terms, it’s easy to see how schema is important, as the child builds on basic numerical concepts; also the idea that logic develops from concrete to abstract is key in mathematical understanding.
The critics of Piaget [eg.Donaldson, Borke, Bruner] question the validity of many of his experiments because they felt that the children didn’t understand what it was they were being asked. The questions simply did not make ‘human sense.’ Further experiments were developed so that children could contextualise what was being asked and the success rate was much higher with children much younger than Piaget had written.....more children could internalise knowledge [central to cognitive development according to Piaget] when they understood the scenario of what was being asked...by way of example – Egocentric or not – being able to decentre from personal viewpoint - the mountains test vrs the cross, villain and the policeman test. (see Donaldson, 1979).
Piaget has become like a very comfortable old friend during the last couple of years and I still find his work interesting and the work of the people who looked deeper into his work and disputed its validity. One cannot deny his [continuing] influence in many international education systems. Piaget and his impact on mathematical teaching was the serving of the day – an [albeit very] ‘pro-piagian’ video and a slightly less bias power point, made two hours pass in a blink..... enjoyable stuff.

Innate Numerosity....

2009-10-12T18:37:00.001+01:00

The idea that human infants and even birds and animals possess an innate numerical ability is fascinating. Even my ‘inner-cynic’ cannot deny the research carried out on varying animals and birds is pretty amazing; though one could almost write this off as an accomplishment of training rather than any deeper numerical understanding. However, I cannot explain how, without any training, the Serengeti Lions, will only attack their prey if they are not out numbered. Hence, whilst I’m not suggesting the lion has the ability to ‘count’ his prey – the judgement based on ‘how many’ shows there is a numerical competence present....and, more importantly, it’s present without any human training. (Similar studies show, birds are aware when an egg is removed from their nests.) Karen Wynn conducted a study in 1992 into the innate numerosity of human infants, as young as three months (though further studies have looked at infants who are just days old!). Some of these experiments were recorded on video and it is quite an intriguing watch. The findings are based on the notion that young babies are less likely to look at something for a long time - if it is something that they expect to see (technically called the ‘gaze duration’). So, researchers show the babies a scenario that has both a possible outcome (what one might expect) and an impossible outcome (what one wouldn't expect.) They take a box, and the baby watches as they put Mickey Mouse into the box. Then, using a screen, they cover MM up – and show the babies another MM entering the box. Then they take down the screen. The possible scenario of course is to see two MM’s behind the screen since 1+1=2 and when the babies saw 2 MM's – they looked away/lost interest.....when the babies were shown the ‘impossible outcome’ – one MM behind the screen (even though two were put in) – they stared intently at the box (the baby on the video even had a frown on his face!) The odd and slightly confusing issue here, is - how do they know? surely the babies aren’t actually thinking - at least not in terms of 'language' thinking....and they can't draw on experience/learned behaviour......so you have to ask (and the researchers did) it is that they just naturally know it’s simply not right? This is what these reasearchers were saying, concluding that we must assume that there exists a deeper cognitive ability present even at birth.
Interesting isn't it? and I am now really wondering how much babies/young children actually do know already and how much of the current EY curriculum actually accounts for this innate knowledge?

and so to warwick....

2009-10-05T13:47:00.002+01:00

I left WIE this morning feeling very happy indeed. The group for my option module is really small (only 9 people, with 1 absent), the module leader was very nice and appears to be very helpful in terms of her availability (had heard horror stories about this!) and, when the essay titles and tasks were flicked up on screen, I was pretty confident that I would [with knowledge acquired in Y1+2] be able to have a go at them now (and they aren't due til march!) In fact - I'd argue that at face value - they appear easier than what we have been presented with in year 2!Both myself and Anne-Marie were impressed by the fact the whole course is online (similar to moodle - but easier to navigate) - I have come home and been able to look at leisure at the tasks and reading needed for the entire module. So impressed was I, that I went to the other modules on my timetable as to get a headstart on what might be expected......only to find blank pages on most!!! Almost not surprised by this...I will keep looking in to see when [or if!] anything ever gets posted!
Feels good to be getting on with it at long last and I must say I do feel prepared....was inwardly smiling when we were told we had some mathematical tasks to do with some children - the tasks were pretty much Piaget's experiments.....many of which I did during my Child Development Project last year!
So..on the whole....feeling very very happy and glad to be in the 2nd half of the game!

An intro to Warwick

2009-10-02T13:16:00.003+01:00

If you are a first year reading this...well done you found my blog! it was nice to meet you all this morning and I hope that I left some useful positive vibes for you to adopt on your journey! I hope you follow and interact with my blog and join me on facebook - which I forgot to mention is listed under my long name - Jeanette Snape!
The much anticipated return to Warwick arrived yesterday...and we had an 'induction.' Not worthy of reporting here.....except they had changed the TimeTable for the current term, meaning that they re scheduled a lecture that we thought would be on a Monday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon - which was a pain (not to mention a surprise) for some who have to work on a Tuesday!
Anyway - my 'option' module, worth 30 cats, is The development of Numeracy in the Early Years, and that's my very first lecture on Monday morning.......let's see what that will bring...:-)

Placement

2009-09-15T19:37:00.002+01:00

Today was my first day of my weekly [self arranged] placement at an Infant school. For the next academic year, I will spend every Tuesday in school, watching, learning and having a go at practicing teaching skills. My placement begins with Autumn Term in Reception, Spring Term in Year 1 and then Summer term in year 2.
There is something about being in a classroom that makes me feel so at home. I love the buzz of the busyness and bustle of the day. I have missed this so much. I came home feeling quite down that I am unable to be in this role yet....I miss working sooooo much. However, the placement gives me a 'fix' of where I want to be and also enables me to to take my skills of working with children a step further - particularly in the assessment and recording the progress of the children.
Reception was an interesting place to be....and for the first time in two years I'm beginning to wonder, which age group I'll be the best at teaching?

No more science!

2009-08-28T12:44:00.002+01:00

the postman was the bearer of good news today as I received my science results....got a B on paper 1 physics and a [bloody] A on paper 2!!!! overall science grade was a B....which I am really pleased with as I only needed a C. I am so relieved that I don't have to endure those awful Tuesday nights anymore.....and can concentrate on the degree 100%.

Happy Days!!!!

End of Part Two...........

2009-07-09T23:33:00.003+01:00

The results are out and it's official...the second year is over. I am very pleased with my results through both years.......scoring only firsts and whilst I am still amazed at my success, I approach Warwick with anticipation of the first essay mark of year 3....I wonder what I'll get there?
I was delighted with the last essay I produced for Policy and Practice - BM (not the easiest to please) gave me a whopping 96% - and added a comment that it was 'publishable!' - very flattering - since the only thing I have ever had published was a problem in "Just Seventeen" when I was 14!!! (although, when questioned where I might publish it - he couldn't answer.....but the thought was there!)
I have learned so much over the past two years....as apprehensive as I am about my future marks at Warwick - I leave year 2 with much confidence in my abilities and remain highly focused on my goal. I extend many thanks to all the lecturers - especially Lin for her support and ability to listen as well as hear!
I know I am prone to a moan.....and I apologise for sometimes liking the sound of my own voice too much..... [not always a good thing!]......but thankfully, I'm not easy to offend and give you all permission to tell me to shut up!
I am off to Florida for my Jollies with the fam......and my blog will continue in October 2009......hope you'll continue to look in [and interact] sometime......! tootles :-)

Exam Reflection part three!

2009-06-19T12:01:00.001+01:00

Not much to say here except.... Get the flags out NO MORE science!! In a confidence encompassing moment I sat the higher papers.....but now only two things matter..... Firstly I get at least a C and secondly I don't have to endure those dreadful lessons on a Tuesday evening any more!!!!! Yey!!! one more thing........ one of the questions was actually about ROCKET science..would you believe....and incase you're wondering.....yes I guessed that one :-)

Sent from Jen's iPhone

lins experiment...

2009-06-15T14:29:00.004+01:00

in a moments break from science I took a look at Lins posterous blog http://linarmstrong.posterous.com/ and read with interest her last posting, which obviously refers to the course I am on, so by default, I guess I am one of the 'women' returning to education types that she mentions in the blog...although I don't think I [personally] fit into the category of the woman returning to education because of "a bad experience the first time around," nor do I think this is so for several of the people I have met on this course of study...although it may be the case for some? My school/FE experience wasn't a wholly negative one at all....in fact, I was going to go to uni at the 'usual' time - after FE - and was going to do a business studies degree....but then...at the last minute - I decided to go to America for a year...and that's what I did. I returned and headed straight to work....in HR, and never gave higher education a thought...I certainly didn't feel deprived/undervalued/undereducated because I hadn't gone to uni - in fact - some of that 'All American' confidence' I experienced had rubbed off on me and I was happy with the choice I had made about heading to the States...and the priceless experience I had gained there...[even if this had been at the expense of a university degree and my first chance at higher education.]
Long-story-short - I find myself on a degree course now because I have to be. I want to teach. To teach one needs a degree. Simple as that! I chose 2+2 because I thought it would be a steady way to get back into academic mode. I truly believe that I have the ability needed now to teach - with or without this degree.....only, legally, I'm not allowed to! HE remains for me - [as I have maintained all along] - a stepping stone towards a change of career [one I think is perfect for my skill set] for me.....I have nothing to prove by returning to ed, and I'm not fulfilling something I feel I missed out on years ago......that's just not my story at all.
I like the idea of connectivity and using technology to help us as learners - but I think this is only a big deal to us because of our age and the fact we are digital converts....I watch my children - even the youngest who is 8, logging on and googling a word in her spelling list because she is unsure of the meaning, I see my older two, emailing their homework to their email account at school, discussing history topics on school forums and connecting with their friends via MSN, and facebook - they do this naturally and without support from me.....it's really no big deal to them and why should it be? It's their language. They are digital natives. It is I, as the adult learner who is learning this as a new language.....and, if I really want to progress - I have to embrace this - I have to move with it.....or I feel I'll be left behind......but again.....it's just another stepping stone for me...like the degree - something I have to do.....no one showed me - I just immersed myself in it and then I think I began to evolve with it....and soon - I have become relatively digitally literate and wonder how I ever lived life pre-digital!
The only problem I have come across is that whilst the theory of digital networking is great (and it does work - look at the history forum at my sons secondary school - 100+ 14 year olds discussing who killed franz ferdinand - what great learning potential!) - my networking - via blogs/FB etc gets 2 - 4 comments/discussions max....I often feel like I'm discussing on my own....apart from a couple of regular fellow bloggers...who actually reads my muses? therefore, I feel as if my networking becomes more of a place of 'reflection'....a nice diary of things I've been up to on the degree....interesting..but only really to me! The actual 'learning' from networking for me is maximised only when there is interaction. I loved discussions in class - you learn loads from this; and I loved discussions on my blog.. but in reality, the latter didn't happen very often at all.
I wager that adult learners of the future, connectivity/networking digitally will just be something they do.....and it will be approached it as my children approac it now.....without even a blink of an eye.....

EXAM REFLECTION...part two

2009-06-11T16:37:00.002+01:00

No gasps this time.....just sighs (of relief) from me anyway. No big surprises on the question sheet for me and I answered the two questions I felt I would be stronger at: Identity and education in the developing world.
I wrote for almost the entire 2 hours [thought my arm would drop off] and didn't have time to check over my work in any detail....however, whilst question 2 wasn't perhaps the best grammatically correct piece of work I've ever written, I think I got my point across.....[hope so anyway!]
There was a great feeling of relief after the exam and I spent the rest of the day on a high....I was a bit overexcited about Take That though.....which was a fab end to the day :-)
Today has been really strange...I'm so used to revising and reading I felt as if I had nothing to do (except clean my neglected house??) - I felt physically and mentally drained and actually returned to bed for an hour....though not sure if that's end of exam syndrome or too much singing at Take That syndrome? Prob a bit of both?
Of course, revision for me is not over with a physics exam on Friday 19th June....so I'm back at it tomorrow (can't face it today)
I can't wait to get the results in July so that I can relax and enjoy the summer. I do start my school placement on Tuesday 23rd June, which will last the rest of this academic year and the whole of the next one........I'm really looking forward to getting into school again - this time as a teaching student......{albeit a rather old one!!!}....Next year they are allowing me to do a term in each year group (Yr, Y1 & Y2) - but not sure where they'll pop me for the few weeks left of this summer term....I don't care to be honest...as long as no one asks me to revise anything!!!!
One last thing.....I've booked an overnight at Whittlebury Hall Spa on 25th/26th June....I'm going to buy a mindless chic-lit book and have two day's of pure heaven relaxation...with my mum.......priceless!

Blogging via my iPhone!

2009-06-09T13:52:00.000+01:00

Brill..... Now I can update my blog whenever wherever! Viva
connectivism !!!!

Sent from Jen's iPhone

Exam Reflection...part one....

2009-06-04T14:39:00.003+01:00

There was a gasp in the room...... no seriously...there was.
We had just read the "compulsory question" which incidentally, I had no idea there was going to be until 24 hours before..(I thought it would be 2 in each section choose one from each like last year!) and of course, compulsory means that you have to answer it.
I had revised and knew all about poverty issues and child rights issues. Then as a back up I had looked at changes for children and families over the past 60 years. So there was a heart attack moment (hence the gasp!) when I read the compulsory question......the gist of it was The Welfare State in the 21st Century and social justice/material needs...blah blah blah! my first thought was....OMG....I have not revised this at all. So.....(trying to stay calm) I just delved into my memory banks as best I could...so..fingers crossed it was good enough. Judging by the comments from my peers post exam...they felt generally the same....even those who knew about the compulsory question (how did I miss that?) - I (and others) cant recall the Welfare State as being an issue to revise.....which made me feel a little better.....as I was wondering how on earth I could have missed something sooooo damn vital (twice!)
I chose Children's rights as my next question and feel that I did well on that one... and to be fair...I could have quite happily answered the poverty question too......
Anyway.....that's policy and practice over with now.....and just cultural context left (apart from my physics exam of course). Last year I found Lin's exam to be the hardest by a mile....and whilst I did score a first...it was a toughie...so I'm a bit concerned that there might be another toughie on the cards. There's no compulsory question on Lin's (I've checked) so that's better....
I do see light...but am not out of the woods yet...roll on next Wednesday (at about 11.30am!)

Moving to the '+2' bit of the 2+2......

2009-05-17T22:04:00.004+01:00

As I left NWHC last Thursday I thought.... Blimey.. that's it here ( exams aside of course!) and so this heralds the half way point of this journey. In sports, the half way is used to stop and reflect on the first half - mistakes can be checked, good points highlighted so that perhaps the second half can be embraced with an injection of enthusiasm that may have escaped during the first half? Using this analogy, I thought it would be good to reflect on my learning experience so far......
When we started....I joined a class of people so big, the classroom lacked enough chairs to accommodate us all...two academic years later and the group has reduced in size by [at least] 50% ... leaving just 10...maybe 11? It's hard to say as a turnout of 5 usually the norm lately. Of course, some of the people who have dropped out have done so for very good reasons....when you're older, life sometimes happens like that...but I do think back to those early days and remember those hopeful faces... Each one declaring their aspirations for joining the same road as I had....I expected a few would go.... But if I'm honest, not as many as have! I wonder where did their aspirations go? Have they been replaced? Put on hold? Abandoned? and how come mine are still intact?
My goal exists beyond this degree. I find myself focusing not on me with a cap and gown....but me in a teaching role. The cap and gown is just a stepping stone that I have to pass over to get where I am going. On the plus side - I am genuinely amazed by how much I have learned on this course of study and how the experience has broadened my mind.... I write better, can spell better and read faster; I've loved the presentations and exploring the notion of classrooms without walls....something I plan to look at for my dissertation and hopefully incorporate into my future role as a teacher. On the negative side I haven't liked being in an FE college..I think this is mostly down to my age.....Warwick campus has a more diverse selection of 'older' folk wandering around...so I prefer being there!
On the whole though,I think I've done OK - certainly better than I thought I would......I've also redone maths and almost finished science....it'll be nice just to focus on the degree next year.

There's just enough time to complete my revision for the end of the 2nd year - get the exams done and then await the whistle to bring on the third year..... important 2nd half because I have to score a goal to get through to the all important FINAL!

EATING DISORDER LINKS

2009-05-06T14:54:00.003+01:00

Second Years the links on childhood eating disorders I found useful/interesting are as follows: -
http://www.eatingdisorderexpert.co.uk/KidsAndEatingDisorders.html

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfoforall/mentalhealthandgrowingup/24eatingdisordersinyoung.aspx
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6498345.stm

http://www.disordered-eating.co.uk/eating-disorders-news/eating-disorders-statistics-children.html

http://www.evelinakids.nhs.uk/families/features/illnesses/coping_childs-eating-disorder.html

you should be able to click and go!

Miffed. Annoyed. But most of all...let down!

2009-05-06T12:54:00.007+01:00

Now that my anger of yet another occurrence of turning up for nothing had subsided, I must say I feel a little let down and disappointed that I have had to write an email to Lorraine Thompson to voice my concerns about the second year of this degree.
My biggest issue is the turning up only to be sent home again...it's such a waste of time. It has happened many times this year...I think this is mostly due to the fact the entire structure of CT sessions relies on student presentations......which is all well and good if everyone turns up for their scheduled slot. Not everyone does. Of course, us faithfuls [who don't know whether folk will turn up or not until we get there] trot loyally into to college only to wait around thumb twiddling only to be sent home. TRES Annoying! Several of Brian's sessions in 2009 have relied on the same concept too....so consequently, more sessions were missed as the excuses of no-shows rolled in (after, I might add, some of us turned up!!!)
To coin a phrase - I guess the straw that broke the camels back happened on Tuesday this week, as I (and six others) turned up (as we had the week before) for BM's session. 9.30am came and went - and I took myself off up to the CS staff room to see where Mr M was. I was told that he was to be off sick all week. Feeling a bit miffed no one had told us that his session was cancelled, I enquired as to CT's whereabouts - "Holiday" I was told. After explaining that I was not best pleased that no one had told us not to come in, the lady in the staffroom went off to find Lin. I returned to my disgruntled peers.
As we were packing to leave, Lin shows up with Lorraine Thompson. Totally apologetic and sympathetic to our grievance, we are advised to email Lorraine, as clearly this is not acceptable. Lucky for us, Lin did come down as we discover that we are not in the next day (as we were expecting to be) - otherwise, I (and others) would have turned up again!
As I made clear in my email to Lorraine - whilst I wholly realise that a degree involves a substantial amount of self study, I would expect this to be entwined with seminars, group discussion and module guidance from the lecturers. Relying on student presentations and allowing people not to deliver on time has, in my opinion, been an unproductive and inefficient process of learning.
If we are expected to self study at home.......please let us know BEFORE we turn up to class!
I am so disappointed that I have had to spend time thinking and dealing with this issue - to be honest - I don't need (or want) the hassle. I have far bigger fish to fry at the moment......however, I am not a moan behind close doors type and feel things are better voiced, dealt with and improved....if not for us...but for future 2+2 learners.

Miracles do happen!

2009-04-17T23:06:00.002+01:00

..... No really they do! I am happy to log on my weBLOG that I passed all of my science modules!!!!! Not only that I actually got 40/40 for the biology paper..... An A* no less!!!!! I only sat the lower chemistry and got Cs for them!!! Which was brilliant as I was proper worried that I would have to resit the lot! Only got physics to do now and having passed chemistry I am feeling a little more confident! Roll on june when I can put this dreadful subject behind me...... My sympathy to any potential teaching student that has to endure this course.......but have hope.... If I can pass it..... It really can't be that hard ( unless the candles my mum organised for me worked!)

Real life MATRIX!

2009-03-27T11:12:00.001Z

I have been inspired by the last few contextual studies lectures concerning the social construction of our lives. The realisation that the world in which we belong is shaped by a continuing legacy of human intervention which is a result of centuries of changing opinions, pressures, powers and dominance has been (and still is) a huge concept to get my head around.
I mean – take the idea that even the fundamental identity of our gender, is socially constructed to mean how we understand it today....It's like – you just have to question then how real that understanding is! So - does my son really like the ‘male activities’ he engages in because I [and his society] has simply taught him to like those things? Is he really who he is – or is he who I have created and shaped based on the fact he happened to be born a biological male? Even if I had brought him up without influencing his gender identity – would that be enough – as soon as he was exposed to the world – gender socialisation is rife!
Then in an epiphany type moment I thought – it’s like the Matrix [great movie with hottie Keanu Reeves in] – a constructed world that is confined to the boundaries created by socialisation.......OK so, the Matrix was of course way more far-fetched – but the concept behind it is actually very real! Everything you see, the way you behave, what you wear, what you like/dislike – it’s all down to social construction......[in the film – the computer constructed the world!] The power of this socialisation process is massive and impacts on the very nature of who you are!
I have been reading about Charles Cooley [looking glass self] – very interesting; the idea that a person's self identity grows out of society's interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others – you shape who you are depending on how others see you! How weird is that???? I mean, I thought I was who I was because I’m me (if you know what I mean) – but according to Cooley, I see myself largely based on how others see me...and this has changed and will continue to change throughout my life! .......dead interesting stuff!
Well that’s my muse for this morning...I was actually in the middle of Brian’s essay when I started to write this- so I’d better get back to that! Am interested to hear what anyone else thinks about this subject.......

TYPICAL!

2009-03-19T11:25:00.004Z

You know what - I have always tried to maintain a good attendance on this course and I was blooming gutted that I couldn't make it in to hear the speakers yesterday! I keep thinking of all those times I have turned up to class for nothing....[when presentations weren't ready or people didn't turn up..] ..and then - on a day which I really did not want to miss, with my questions prepared - I find myself too ill to drag myself out of bed! TYPICAL! I am hoping someone will fill me in with what went on.... or else Warwick for me will have to be one big surprise !!!

By the way - apart from my throat feeling like I've been chewing nettles...I am on the mend today.....and have even found the inclination to continue with Brian's task....

Coursework Update

2009-02-21T08:20:00.002Z

I am so pleased to have finished the Country Project I just had to tell my blog!
I found this to be the toughest piece of work to put together so far......there was just so much information, it was a challenge to focused on the theme I had chosen. But, I worked my boots off this week and managed to get it finished...am happy with the end result - so I am patting myself well and truly on the back!
Aside from exam revision, I have 'only' BM essay and CT presentation and Child Devel Project left to work on now...so these are moving to drawer 'B' and Science revision is moving up to drawer 'A' - where it will reside exclusively for the next two weeks!!
Today is Saturday - I am going out with my daughters and I'm going to enjoy my mind NOT wandering to the educational development of the Solomon Islands!!!

UN Documents at your fingertips!

2009-02-17T20:08:00.002Z

Just wanted to share a very useful link should you be looking for United Nations documents. This takes you to the education section - but there are links from here to other useful UN stuff such as Human Rights and sustainable development.

http://www.un-documents.net/k-000233.htm

a moan about science....

2009-02-08T20:58:00.004Z

One of the things in my past that I could kick myself for is the fact that when I was 16 I took 'O' level physics.....didn't try my best and scored only a grade 'D'. Can't say I was fussed at the time - I hadn't enjoyed the lessons, delivered if I recall by a dodgy teacher who looked like Eric Morcambe and wore a jacket with leather elbow patches! - if only I'd worked a bit harder in those lessons and scraped a 'C'.......
Because of the rules from high....I have to have GCSE science at grade 'C' or above to get on any ITT course.....consequently, I am half way through a GCSE science course at City College and it is HORRIBLE!
The lectures are terrible. Delivered by a lecturer (nice enough bloke - not the best teacher I've ever had!) who is clearly only interested in teaching to the exam....the 'knowledge' is transmitted in such a way - we might as well be writing on slates!!!! it's not about understanding science...it's about remembering scientific facts facts facts.
This is an absolute nightmare for me as I have not been in a chemistry or biology class since I dropped them in my options at school! OK- so, Biology, to a certain extent, I find not too bad...but Chemistry....AHHHHH - it's like a foreign language!!!! To make matters worse we have module exams on both of these in March! I am spending much precious time (which I'd rather be spending on the degree) trying to memorise this useless rubbish...none of which is at all interesting to me or relevant to teach 5 - 7 year olds! I think this is what annoys me the most....anyone who knows me will know that I HATE TIME WASTING - it really annoys me....and learning this stuff to get the grade - which then I know I'll forget and never use again.
I am really really really really worried that I might mess this up........I'm even wondering what other job I'll be good at other than Infant school teaching :-((((((...I've not had that thought since I started the degree until now...it's tragic!

the religious pondering continues......

2009-02-06T14:56:00.003Z

Yes Brian, I actually think that your historical comments, in a way, illustrates my point - religions, and the rules followed within them, are interpreted and acted upon by humans...hence are socially constructed and the many centuries of historical wars/crusades/jihads are really, when the chips are down, based largely upon various human reflections of how to defend the 'true' faith (which ever one that is!) So communities are indeed formed to encourage secular society - good contemporary example is the catholic and Protestant communities in my mum's hometown Derry, N.Ireland. Even in 21st century 'peaceful' Derry it's openly secular - British flags fly in the loyalist areas, Irish flags fly in the Nationalist areas....schools, pubs and even streets and areas are either catholic or Protestant.
OK so it's not openly like that in England, where multiculturalism and ethnicity is 'accepted.' If we pop this in the context of our schools and curriculum - where these different communities meet to [supposedly?] receive a broad and balanced curriculum for all - I just wonder if it is possible to meet everyones needs, when your own socialisation may have taught something else? If it is possible - it's going to be blooming hard!
I am still unable to see the difference between spirituality and religion....but will try to keep an open mind!

thinking about religion.......

2009-02-05T16:16:00.001Z

IMAGINE THERE’S NO HEAVEN, IT’S EASY IF YOU TRY, NO HELL BELOW US...ABOVE US ONLY SKY.....
Actually, given my roots, it isn’t easy to imagine this at all – but I am going to ponder the question - Are Religious beliefs just a form of constructed socialisation?
Well given that many religions are based on ancient doctrine, then interpreted by ‘societies’ and taught to the masses through socialisation.....you could simply conclude that it is! Since societies and their norms change over time...you could also say, religion too has to be flexible..if as an institution, it wants to keep alliance with the people. [There are so many example of this happening in the Christian faith over the past century – for example : accepting homosexuals, women priests, Roman Catholic married priests , relaxing of Friday fasting rules...and I could go on and on. ] But doesn't it all illustrates the point that religious beliefs are constructed and then ‘taught’ through socialisation?
Of course, you might argue that most religions simply have to be followed with a blind faith. Since God....[whichever one you follow,] is not a physical being. We find Him where we are told to look for him. ....and we can even find Him within ourselves.....through our good deeds, our kindness and our self control. So you could say that this presents another reason why Religion in society has a place....it keeps many people following ‘rules’ and conforming. Yes, religion is a handy thing to weave into the fabric of society...for what worse punishment can there be than eternal damnation??? – this fits in with an interesting part of the paper we were given concerning classical theories of religion. Many people follow a religion because it offers an escape from death. Hope from a hopeless situation. This, they argue, explains why the 50+ age group ‘practice’ more than the’ immortal’ youth. So even if in your teenage years you turn away from your faith.....when you realise your own mortality – there’s a good chance you’ll hit the church again. Especially if that all important early socialisation is in place.
If religion is a social construction then the influence of religion on society is immeasurable....and not really accounted for......especially when there exists a huge mixed bag of faiths, as this may create an imbalance of social norms. You only have to look at our multi ethnic society, so many religions, and cultures co-existing. Yet, isn’t it true that we really, we remain ignorant to each other’s belief’s .....and largely ignore the impact that this has on society. Public attention is given only when a religion is blamed for an atrocity – then the dormant ignorance is spurred into group condemnation. I really think that this is down to the fact we are so ignorant to the ethnic reality of our world.....and shows that popping Diwalii, Eed or the Passover into the curriculum for a week or two isn’t doing much to help the issue!

The future of education.....

2009-02-02T13:55:00.003Z

I am finding myself more and more interested in the education of tomorrow - the concept of classrooms without walls, personalised learning and technological progression, both excites and confuses me. On that note, I happened to come across this video [link below] - it's a really interesting look at education of future....though, I have to say the American school featured reminds me of a hippy commune!!!!
of course...no-one can know really what the future holds, but I really think we are beginning to catch a glimpse of the possibilities.
Finally, a great quote from this vid is ...."the future must start with getting away from the past.." - Amen to that!!!!!!
Check it out - http://www.teachers.tv/video/31224

Proud as punch!

2009-01-29T17:43:00.004Z

I just have to say how delighted I am following the powerpoint training. It looks as if my informal session - that turned into a proper training session - really inspired some folks to embrace technology and attempt to utilise it to their advantage! This is great news on two levels, firstly because, I am confident that using technology; for example, blogger and incorporating a bit of 'wow' into PP's, is a step in the right direction for the digital learner....and secondly, it is a pretty cool feeling for me to have successfully delivered a [albeit simple] lecture and prompted such great feedback....so thanks to all who came, who saw and who took something away :-)

update..

2009-01-27T15:05:00.002Z

I thought I had better look in on my blog as I haven't posted for ages...but to be honest there hasn't been much going on.....apart from essay writing...and who wants to read about that???
Lectures have been pretty non-existent - which creates a double edged sword....on one hand, it's good because I have managed to complete the Stress essay and HIV essay and produce a good powerpoint. However, on the other...I have wasted several mornings travelling into college only to discover that I wasted my time in doing so....I must admit, I do get infuriated by this...as 'turning up' requires military style planning..to get everyone in my fam and myself delivered on time! Self study is definitely the name of the game this year.....well as far as I'm concerned anyway!
I'm now working on my country report, that has been placed on the back burner whilst the other essays took priority. I am also writing up my January observation of my child study....so am busy enough. Will post again when I have something more interesting to report......

CLASS VIDEO

2009-01-19T17:55:00.000Z

leaning theorists/theory mindmap

2009-01-07T19:02:00.002Z

The Cabinet - Jan '09

2009-01-06T20:11:00.003Z

I can never remember who the minister for....whatever is - a fog decends and I can't recall who does what....so, to help me with this - I've sorted a list of current people who run our country....it might help you too - hence I've popped it on my blogski! if you want a word doc. of these just give me a shout.

The Cabinet – as at January 2009
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Rt Hon David Miliband MP
Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor Rt Hon Jack Straw MP
Secretary of State for the Home Department Rt Hon Jacqui Smith MP
Secretary of State for Health Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP
Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Rt Hon Lord Mandelson
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP
Secretary of State for International Development Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP
Secretary of State for Defence Rt Hon John Hutton MP
Leader of the House of Commons, Lord Privy Seal and Minister for Women and Equalities Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP
Secretary of State for Transport Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP
Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Rt Hon Ed Balls MP
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Rt Hon Edward Miliband MP
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Rt Hon James Purnell MP
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Rt Hon Shaun Woodward MP *
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council Rt Hon Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP
Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills Rt Hon John Denham MP
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP
Secretary of State for Wales Rt Hon Paul Murphy MP
Secretary of State for Scotland Rt Hon Jim Murphy MP

Also attend Cabinet meetings:
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip Rt Hon Nicholas Brown MP
Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP
Minister of State for Housing Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP
Minister for Employment and London Rt Hon Tony McNulty MP
Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN Rt Hon Lord Malloch-Brown KCMG
Minister for Science Rt Hon Lord Drayson
Minister for the Olympics and Paymaster General Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP
Attorney General Rt Hon Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC
Minister of State for Europe Rt Hon Caroline Flint MP
Minister for Children, Young People and Families Rt Hon Beverley Hughes MP

Department for Children, Schools and Families

Secretary of State Rt Hon Ed Balls MP
Ministers of State
Minister of State (Children, Young People and Families);
Minister for the North West Rt Hon Beverley Hughes MP
Minister of State (Schools and Learners) Rt Hon Jim Knight MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Children, Young People and Families) Baroness Morgan of Drefelin
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Schools and Learners) Sarah McCarthy-Fry MP

NEW YEAR POST

2009-01-01T23:53:00.004Z

I've been meaning to get a post on here all day today and I'll just about make it on the 1st Jan date if I'm quick.

Well, Christmas is over, New Year is here and I've spent a lot of today doing coursework! that sounds very sad for New Years Day I know - but I had already interviewed my old lady for the school days presentation last week and so have been editing and messing about with my presentation - so not really too hard to take. However - CT's essay is lurking at the back of my mind so I plan to hit the uni library early next week to collate info for that one - I also have a book to collect for the Aids essay that should be returned by then.

That's my NY update. I have had such a great Christmas with my terrific family and friends...I feel so blessed to be in the situation that I am - able to strive towards my ambition in such a hostile economic climate, with such tremendous support from all the people that matter most to me! I feel really uplifted and optimistic about this year....it's the year we move to Warwick...which takes me means closer to my goal.....(oh bugger - just remembered one big downer though - science is lurking too....NOT GOOD - several Hail Mary's and burning candles from the Irish rellies needed for that!)

for the record...

2008-12-18T14:57:00.002Z

"It's Christmas time...there's no need to be afraid...." unless, of course, you are a second year degree student with loads of work to do over Christmas! I had planned to get lots done this week pre the children being off school, but have spent much of the week either joining a queue, in a queue or leaving a queue (to join another queue!)..so, progress on workload has all but halted!

However, I have been able to read now and again and I must say that I am impressed by Sir Jim Rose's intrim report into the restructure of the National Curriculum. I really believe that adding 'areas of leaning' into the lower keystages is a positive move that will allow teachers more flexibility, it will promote creativity (an area I think is essential for children to develop) and will be great to aid transition from EYFS to KS1. The proposal suggests implementation in 2011 - which, if all goes to plan, I will be in school 'living the dream' - I really hope I get to start my new career, with a modern, fresh, exciting, 21st century curriculum, that allows young children to develop a life long love for learning - so they can shine as learners and I as their teacher!
SEE YOU ALL IN 2009!!!! (2 more years to go!)

Women & HIV/AIDS mind map: Education Paper

2008-12-08T11:30:00.002Z

Analysis of recent educational research.....

2008-12-06T20:34:00.003Z

This article was published in The TES on 5 December, 2008......
the headline read " Preschool learning holds the key to children's success in later life"
A vast 3-11 research project involving 3,000 children underpins the Government’s huge expansion of early education
Nothing in life is certain apart from death, taxes … and the link between your mother’s educational achievement and yours.
This parental link has long been one of the central pillars of educational research.
But last week, a vast government-supported research project reported that the learning activities of toddlers with mothers from all social classes had a similar effect - degree or not.
The Effective Preschool and Primary Education 3-11 project also found that children who went to preschool did better than those who did not - and that the quality of those preschools mattered.
This major research exercise underpins the Government’s huge expansion of early education. The team has followed the same 3,000 children and discovered that both these effects - the quality of the early home learning environment and attending a high quality preschool - have a significant impact on children’s English and maths results at 11.
Professor Iram Siraj-Blatchford, of the Institute of Education at London University and one of the five principal investigators, said: “Normally every study shows a mother’s educational level is one of the biggest predictors on children’s achievement. Having a degree has the highest impact.
“We have found that by age 11, the effect of early learning at home is similar to this.”
In one sense, the message is simple: the better the home learning environment, preschool and primary school, the better results they will get. But complications come when you start asking what is “better”, how much difference each factor makes and how they interact.
The home learning environment was measured by rating how often parents carried out seven activities with their children: being read to; going to the library; playing with numbers; painting and drawing; being taught letters; being taught numbers; and singing songs.
The researchers also observed what happened as the children got older, and they reached two important conclusions. One was that the home learning environment was not very strongly linked to mothers’ qualifications or with social class: there were disadvantaged homes that did lots of these activities and wealthy homes that were poor at them. They also found that the home learning environment did not have anything like as noticeable an impact on older children: it was what happened at and before the age of three that mattered.
Gender is also a factor that has a simple and well-known effect, but which becomes complicated as it is unpicked.
At age five, girls do better at reading than boys simply because they are girls. But by age 10, boys have mostly caught up, and there are many other factors than gender, such as the home learning environment, that have a greater influence. But that is not the end of the story because the early home learning environment is linked to gender.
The study found that boys were more than twice as likely to have a poor home learning environment than girls.
Attending high quality preschool is one way to close such gaps. Such early education is particularly good for boys, children with special educational needs and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Professor Siraj-Blatchford said: “Our finding was that preschool does matter. There have been lots of studies in the past that found by the age of eight the effect of preschool had washed out.
“Our model finds that the effect of low-quality preschool does almost wash out completely, but medium and high-quality preschool still have an impact.”
The team, based at Oxford, Nottingham and London universities, found that at primary schools things such as having a plenary session were important, although it is not clear whether this was because it gave children a chance to partake in the lesson or whether it was a proxy for a more effective school.
Among the most interesting findings was that the children who enjoyed primary schools most were not those who did best.
Children’s enjoyment of school related to how well they behaved, but did not necessarily correlate with their academic achievement.
Enjoyment, however, did seem to be linked to children’s perception that their headteacher was interested in children and made sure everyone behaved.
The factor which seemed to have more effect on children’s progress both academically and socially was not enjoyment, but feeling safe at school and supported by staff.
The project, which is now following the children through to age 14, has discovered some critical messages.
Working with parents before children start at school can have huge payoffs; it is not preschool education per se but preschool education that is of a high quality that is important.
The research also rams home the conclusion that primary schools are incredibly powerful in helping children. Professor Siraj-Blatchford said: “Primary schools can turn around the educational trajectory of children.”
There maybe indeed be precious few certainties in life, but knowing that your destiny is not set out at birth is an uncertainty worth having.
www.dcsf.gov.uk/research
SUPPORT OF PARENTS IS CRUCIAL
What parents do is more important than who they are, when it comes to children’s education.
A new report from the Department for Children, Schools and Families has drawn together the latest evidence on the impact of parents who get involved with supporting their children at home.
It reveals that parental involvement has a significant effect throughout a child’s school life; and this is clear even taking into account background factors such as class and family size.
The Effective PreSchool and Primary Education 3-11 project research, which was published last week, has found a positive impact from activities such as playing with letters and numbers, emphasising the alphabet, reading with the child, teaching songs and nursery rhymes, painting and drawing and visiting the library.
The research, which is funded by the DCSF and based at Oxford, London and Nottingham universities, also found parents are more likely to read and teach nursery rhymes to girls than to boys, which may account for some of the gender gap.
Another study, by Kathryn Duckworth at London University’s Institute of Education, found parental behaviour has more impact than school quality on pupils’ attainment at key stage 2.
Fathers had a critical role, with research showing that their interest and involvement leads to better outcomes for both sons and daughters.

Education today and tomorrow......

2008-12-01T10:05:00.001Z

Looking in my crystal ball......

2008-11-30T21:49:00.002Z

I can see an economic fog of doom and gloom across the UK........
I can see........mothers being forced to cut short their maternity leave as they have to contribute to the family income.....
I can see........families, unhappy and stressed by financial worries; unable to cope, parents separate and, when they can afford it, they divorce!.......
I can see........more children being affected by child abuse as frustrations are taken out on them.
I can see........children unable to take advantage of extended school activities, and school trips are reduced as less families can afford the 'voluntary contribution' needed to ensure they run.
I can see........older children and young adults unable to find employment or enjoy the option of attending higher education.
I can see....... More substance (drugs and alcohol) misuse within the family.

Putting my crystal ball to one side for a moment.....and recalling a recently published story in the media - apparently, the recent pledges made by government to improve flexible working conditions for families in terms of shorter hours, work from home opportunities, (in favour of the employee with children) are now being reviewed (by the Business Secretary – Lord Mandleson) due to the strain on the economic downturn on the employer. This is bound to have an impact on working mothers.

There ends my mystic meg style predictions...... lets hope mine are as rubbish as her lottery ones always were! ;-)

My understanding of UK Welfare State

2008-11-25T22:27:00.002Z

Last year I read with interest about the origins of our Welfare State system. I extended this reading by summarising my understanding in a piece of writing. I rediscovered this work and think it may be of interest to 2nd years as it was a good refresher for me. Note these are notes from my first year folder written by me.....perhaps Brian could comment on their accuracy if he ever gets around to reading this post.....

The Welfare State is a strong and necessary feature of this country. Generations were born into a country where healthcare, education and social services are so much a normal part of every day life that they are almost taken for granted. The flip side of this coin is that the services provided by the welfare state are costly to the working taxpayer and distribution is based largely on the government in power at the time policy – which according to the opposition – is always wrong!
Arguably, contemporary governments have a problematic task; managing a state welfare system that was introduced in a very different social climate. Originally, the welfare state promised care for its people “from the cradle to the grave” and was based largely on recommendations made by William Beveridge to Winston Churchill, during the 2nd World War. Beveridge proposed that in order for the country to recover from the effects of war; the government had a responsibility to address what he called “5 giant evils” of man. These were: Squalor, Idleness, Disease, ignorance and want; in other words, what people need to prosper, and so be economically useful for the good of the country, is good housing, employment, good healthcare, an education and poverty free. Attlee’s post war labour government adopted these recommendations and introduced free services of health and social services at the point of need and primary and secondary education (to the age of 15 – Education Act 1944) and a program to build new council houses for rent. Hence, they provided much needed optimism for a deflated war torn nation. Of course by the shear scale of the Welfare State, it’s not surprising that it’s successful operation would need to be constantly reviewed an adapted to the changing needs of the nation. Seven decades later, Welfare state reform is ongoing and topical.
A notable difference that has had a key impact on welfare state are; demographic changes. When the welfare state was introduced the typical working life for a man was 50 years, then 3 – 5 years in retirement before death. In contrast, the working life now is 30 – 35 years and retirement could feasibly be the same! Better welfare provision then creates a paradigm, since long term, people will live longer but them living longer creates a further burden on the state through elderly care and payment on pensions. Furthermore, as the country has become richer and it’s people more wealthy, it creates an imbalance of social cohesion and values amongst the population. When the welfare state was introduced following the 2 world wars; there was a strong sense of solidarity among the people, who had fought for the same cause, suffered loss together and endured real hardship. Typically after war, there is a strong sense of nationality and citizenship. On this basis, taking money from taxes and redistributing to the obvious benefit of the majority; was accepted – since everyone felt as if they shared the rewards. In contrast, in a more contemporary society, built on multi-cultures, and diverse individual values that are not universally shared, there is a sense of resentment between the taxpayer toward the benefit claimer, as they question “why should I fund them?” This evidence suggests that welfare state operates best in homogeneous societies; with intensely shared values as opposed to a more individualistic society, where people feel less towards their fellow citizens. Hence again, there is evidence of a conflict of interests since the country is seen to promote a multicultural and diverse society, which will effect the moral universal standards on which a large welfare state relies.
It could be interpreted that recent suggestions of compulsory citizenship classes in schools which may appear like a random attempt by the government to integrate a wealth of cultures Britishness, may actually be an attempt at reconstructing the lost universal values of the past. In fact, evidence suggests that the current government has adopted the stance that early intervention is the key to the future economic wellbeing of this country. Children since 1944 have a compulsory right to free education to the age of, at first 15, currently 16 and soon to be 18. It is evident that since 1997, Labour has placed education high on it’s political agenda, with a particular focus on early years. Educational Action Zones and Sure Start are clear examples of the government targeting deprived areas for improvement. This is evidence of a long term investment which it could be said that the government foresees as a way to ease the stress of the Welfare State in the future. The promotion of the Every Child Matters agenda, entitles every child to economic wellbeing and the government has pledged to eradicate child poverty by 2020. The plan for now is to get parents out to work by supplying affordable quality childcare which enhances the cared for child’s education. The vision for the future is that these children enter adulthood having received a better education, improving their skill base and prospects; they will have been primary socialised by working parents; hence will have learned that ‘adults work’ and so – they themselves will want to work. Also, since more people will be working and well aware that they are likely to live well beyond their retirement age, they will be able to afford to invest in their own pensions and have the security that their working children will look after them in their old age.
Of course, this plan all very optimistic and with any long term government vision of reform it must be viewed as an ongoing process; which is perhaps why the government has commissioned the EPPE study. The fact remains that, whilst no one can argue that society has transformed beyond recognition since 1945, Beveridge’s 5 Giant Evils are still fundamental to the prosperity of the countries economy.

"Baby Boomer parents raising a Smug Generation"

2008-11-20T18:16:00.004Z

...or so it was reported today in several newspapers - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3485888/Baby-Boomer-parents-are-breeding-a-Smug-Generation.html Several pieces of research claims that children of the 50's and 60's (so called 'Baby Boomers') are engulfing their children with too much confidence....making them arrogant and full of misguided self worth. The research suggests that children's expectations of achievement are high but their ability to work hard towards success is low - basically - they expect it on a plate. In a nutshell, youth of today are far more narcissistic than their parents were....because of the way they are being brought up.
Intrigued by this report I delved a little deeper....so let's clear a few thing up at the onset.....First of all: the research is based on America's youth..... not the UK's; and furthermore...this isn't new stuff either; the research to which they are referring is in a book called "Generation Me" by an American Professor based in San Diego University....the book came out in 2006! My guess (and it's only an assumption) is that this is getting 'press space' because of the recent 'wild' reports that are fuelling peoples perception on the uk's youth. .....(a bit of the popular media saying......"I know!....Let's blame the parents now...and here's some research to prove it" (at face value many won't realise that it's evidence gathered from a completely different culture 2 years ago!))
A further report in defence of the suggestions documented in the 'Generation Me' book was published in the New York Times in January 2008: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/17/fashion/17narcissism.html?pagewanted=1&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Organizations/M/Michigan%20State%20University&_r=1
Here, different 'wise' professors suggest that actually todays youth are no more 'narcissistic' than 30 years ago........ funnily enough - this bit didn't make it to our papers......

I'm not saying it's invalid research here - but I don't think it officially confirms the image the article was written to reflect. It's always a good idea to check the research that the press use as their 'specialist knowledge back up.'

Now...... as parents, whilst myself and David adore our children, we both are great belivers that it is vital that they develop personal drive and determination to achieve success.......whilst we transmit this to them as frequently as we praise their achievements......we also realise that this drive and determination is a quality that has to come from them..... and it's something they are only likely to gain only when they are faced with failure......the lesson is that we can't always win and that's ok - we hope our children know that we'll love them anyway...and that they have the drive and determination to get up, apply a bit of effort and have another go!

TE WHARIKI Mind Map

2008-11-17T14:53:00.002Z

HIGH SCOPE MIND MAP

2008-11-17T14:37:00.002Z

nina simone

2008-11-17T12:26:00.001Z

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nCodBBnUYRE

I meant to pop this link on last week and forgot. It's the song I wish I knew how it feels to be free. Enjoy!

world aids day

2008-11-16T21:23:00.002Z

Whilst lins 'aids' essay has yet to make it to my 'A' drawer yet - I happened to read somewhere that December 1st is 'world aids day. If you put these words into google up will pop an array info - and notably lots about Aids in the developing world. Just thought I'd share that with the 2nd years.

CHILD'S VOICE?

2008-11-13T16:44:00.005Z

The touching story of Hannah Jones, the 13 year old who has 'won' the right to refuse a potentially life saving operation, is heralding national cheers from pro-children's rights advocates! This mature and truly brave young lady has voiced her right of choice and the powers that be have listened....at least that's what we are led to believe by the media.
Yet, I question if this would have been the case had Hannah's [very supportive] mother disagreed with her daughter's wishes. Would Hannah's voice have been heard had her mother felt that she should have the op?
My gut reaction is that the answer would be no.....Hannah's voice, may have been listened to but as the medical guidelines called 'Gillick Competence' has a [get-out] clause that states their (the sick child's) decision can be overruled by “those with parental responsibility, if treating doctors believe that withholding consent may be detrimental to the patients well being”(MPS, 2008). Hence, are we hearing Hannah's voice only because her mum is willing to support her decision?

OPINION - Why the term THIRD World isn't a useful one

2008-11-11T21:10:00.001Z

Why the term ‘third world’ isn’t a useful one.
Like many phrases in language, they are used without any thought of their origins and what they actually mean either in ‘real terms’ or the image that the term may create. The term third world is one of these phrases; and these are my thoughts as to why it’s not a very useful one!
Wide reading on this subject settles only the fact that the genesis of the term ‘third world’ isn’t exactly clear. However, there seems to a link toward a need to define the world into categories. A theory suggests that the first world consisting of the western industrialised world, the second being the Soviet Bloc and the third, being every one else. The term is also believed to have been invented by a French demographer called Sauvy in 1952, used to signify the commoners against the aristocracy. In any case, the descriptive phrase ‘The third World’ was used everywhere and the notion of its origin became lost in a given understanding of what it actually means. Even with the end of the cold war and the notion of second world ceased, third world continued to be used to describe all those countries that are economically poorer.
Sauvy’s ‘Third world’ invokes a very ‘narrow image’ in the western world and interpretation of the what/where scenario reflects this. Primarily, the term suggest a hierarchy of importance – in the west – being first suggests ‘winner’ - placed higher on the podium above ‘third’ – who is always the ‘runner up!’ Third never beats first, no matter how fast they run/swim/drive..whatever! So, do we perceive immediately that the ‘third world’ will conceptually never be as developed as the west no matter how hard they try?
Furthermore, the notion of where the actual third world is misleading too. The image created here is to divide the earth – North rich. South poor. This concept fails to recognise that Australia and New Zealand are very much globally south! And that in fact, there are pockets of people in the poorer nations that aren’t poor and people in the richer nations that certainly aren’t rich! This sweeping statement distorts the image of where the poorer nations are located and creates a generalisation of their needs!
I also sense a loss of identity by grouping ‘poorer’ and less industrialised economies under such a broad heading. Since the third world constitutes ¾ of the world, it’s almost preposterous to group these nations together and by doing so, it wipes out their history, culture and individualism. Each country will have different needs and be at different phases of development; by calling all of them ‘the third world’ we are almost putting all their needs in the same pot – where the reality is that countries all over the world will have different needs.

my mini kohlberg experiment

2008-11-10T16:55:00.002Z

Having fun with Kohlbergs theory - check it out!

everybody

2008-11-10T09:42:00.004Z

click on this link to watch the 'everybody' video mentioned on the 'learning curve' programme (3/11)

they said this was to be shown before HSM3 - I don't remember it at all.....maybe I was asleep already at that point!!!!

FREEDOM IF SIR JIM CUTS CLUTTER FROM PRIMARY CURRICULUM!

2008-11-07T23:48:00.003Z

This is an article printed in this weeks TES talking about the imminent Primary Review update (the government one by Sir Jim Rose) - thought it may be of interest....... The actual TES paper also had an analysis about this that's worth a look - but I can't find it on the website.....so you'll have to get a copy (dated 7/11) to read it....

Staff hope the primary curriculum review will allow them to adapt and evolve lessons as they see fit
Sir Jim Rose’s interim report on his review of the primary curriculum will be published in a few days.
It represents the biggest overhaul of the primary curriculum for years.
If Sir Jim gets it right, then the long-awaited report could leave teachers with considerably more freedom to adapt and evolve the curriculum. For example, among the many significant changes will be a curriculum which has an explicit set of skills but subjects will still be central to the curriculum.
Areas of learning trailed as a replacement for traditional subjects may make an appearance in the earlier years, but are not expected to replace subjects altogether.
The roots of the review, which was commissioned at the beginning of this year, lie in two long-standing issues: children leaving primary school without the expected level in English and maths and the pending introduction of another subject - modern foreign languages - into the primary curriculum.
But with the publication of the Children’s Plan last year, it has acquired more issues: concerns about children in Year 1 being faced with a formal curriculum too soon, concern around children’s emotional literacy and a desire for a more flexible start to school.
While Sir Jim must “cut the clutter” to provide more room for the 3Rs, there are also signs that he will try to avoid the type of top-down revolution prompted by the introduction of the national literacy and national numeracy strategies.
Modern foreign languages are already being taught in 84 per cent of primary schools so finding time to teach an extra subject has largely been done. In contrast, English and maths teaching takes up about half of the curriculum time. Sir Jim has said it is not quantity, but quality, that needs to be addressed.
Certainly it seems likely though that the new curriculum will be less prescriptive. Sir Jim has recognised the need to tackle the clutter - the constant flow of advice, guidance, strategies and initiatives. This can be seen as a direct response to complaints from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
“Previous attempts at dealing with manageability have focused on slimming down the curriculum. This has not necessarily increased the proportion of schools that say the curriculum is manageable,” the QCA said in its response to the review. It pointed out that the “crowded and cluttered” curriculum is partly due to the additional requirements which accrue over time such as community cohesion, healthy lifestyles, financial capability and culture.
But will Sir Jim be able to recommend a change in the way the national curriculum is set up, monitored and reviewed?
The key question is whether he thinks it possible to review the curriculum as a whole rather than in stages in the future. For example, he told a Commons select committee that “we need to grab it by the neck and say that it should be strategically managed”. This would be widely welcomed by teachers, heads and unions.
But the “elephant in the room” remains. Testing is not part of the remit, something that many feel could curtail its influence.
Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “It doesn’t matter what the curriculum says, if your school is judged and people’s jobs depend upon, achieving certain scores in a narrow range of subjects, then they will go for certain scores in a narrow range of subjects. There is no getting around that.”

Language Development in Early Childhood

2008-11-06T14:45:00.002Z

very interesting vid - good experiment at the end!

My walks in the forest are......

2008-11-05T14:22:00.000Z

..to use lin’s analogy that is.... full of personal 'tree labelling sessions' - so...if you want, read on and follow me labelling today's tree from the forest of contextual studies.......
today’s lecture was good in the sense that it was back to the familiar ‘powerpoint-discuss-analyse’ format that I am comfortable with...I feel at ease with being pointed in a direction....even if I veer off the path on the way (which I inevitably do!) –
so.....my take on today was that I can't see how learning theory can be categorised as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ – it’s just not that black and white! So I question if...”Revolutionary Theorists” who clearly influence (and have influenced) contemporary idealism are merely fashionable thinkers of their time - presenting their theories in the right circumstances, eg: in the right place at the right time, with the right influential back-up to promote their voice as the voice to adopt. Piaget – highly influential and inspirational...taught to death in childcare classes everywhere, yet, we know - areas of his influential work has been challenged and found to be inaccurate – .....Also....I am thinking that if context is so very important when considering any learning theory (which I think it is) then as childhood students/lecturers/workers - it is essential to question theories rather than embracing them at face value..... In a recent essay I quoted Bruner as saying that learning theories are never “right or wrong” and analysis as such must be taken in milieu of “the nature of the task to be learned, the type of learning to be accomplished and the characteristics learners bring to the situation” and for me, this sums up nicely where I'm coming from and actually what was discussed in class today...... it’s just not appropriate to channel one theory as being the 'right theory', when the objective approach used to test the hypothesis was not taken from a ‘fair sample’ – this idea kept coming up today in the context of the developing world – how would Piaget’s experiments work in a developing country?
Now being a bit of a major ‘tree labeller’ I can relate to the desire to categorise and put the way in which children learn into neat little developmental patterns......it makes every thing clear and easy to understand and we can, in a professional sense, tick our boxes and move on to the next child.....(mmm check out the National curriculum link here!) conversely, life/people/cultures etc don’t always fit these patterns - not in every case, because of any serious developmental flaw – but because of issues and impacts that aren’t being included in the evaluation because the ‘scientific approach’ measuring the ‘norms’ didn’t include these variations at the onset!
Don’t get me wrong – I’m an avid reader and all the learning theories really fascinate and I am sure within each of them are highly valid points that are spot on.....but the ‘thinker’ in me is now exploring under the surface of these theoretical guru’s – and on the look out for learning theory that is errrrm – lets say ..... more 21st century....
any thoughts on this welcome....

equal education/services for all? late night muse.....

2008-11-04T22:33:00.000Z

Just having a moment of thought writing here........
The state education system in England seems to encompass a central theme, in terms of providing a universal and equal education for all – the national curriculum being the framework that springs to mind here – (though it’s questionable if it successfully achieves the outcome of a ‘broad and balanced curriculum’ for all.) More recently, legislation updates like the Children Act 2004, incorporating the Every Child Matters agenda, again outlines...er..... ‘Every Child Matters’ of course! Whilst the update to this Act was a reflex to a series of unfortunate events that resulted in the death of a child and highlighted the serious incompetence of many children’s services working as one, it also drew ‘fresh’ attention (I say ‘fresh’ here, because all recent reading suggests that this isn’t a new issue addressed by theorists!) to the existence of the ever present social gap that significantly impacts on educational (and life?) success. If Every child really does matter – then where they live, their social ‘class’, their family’s wealth (or lack of it) – should not be an issue when it comes to providing state funded opportunities like health and education. Of course – geography and social class does matter and so does family income......which is why there are highly funded intervention programmes in place in this country – they are there to ultimately bridge the gap; to afford the same opportunity to the masses.....and here we are, back to what I said at the beginning – universal and equal education for all! Of course...we all know, it’s not that easy.....and more importantly... and since the investment is long it’s very hard to measure - in terms of success – at a national level anyway!
In lecture today was interesting because (in a round about way ) we discussed the issue of what makes interventionist community education successful....... and that’s a tough question to answer because.... whilst there’s a very good chance that some people within communities will wholly benefit from this service - the idealism behind community education is that it’s in place to give opportunity to change/improve for all – targeting areas that are perceived to need intervention to bridge the gap......not all will take the opportunity, want the opportunity or feel they actually ‘need’ the opportunity...... so....is the system failing these people? Or is the fact that the services are there for the taking – used or not - a measure of success? My initial reaction was to assume the latter –since you can take a horse to water and all that.....but...perhaps there is an element of ingredient that can be added (from a recipe like pen green for example) – that might make the opportunities on offer easier to sample?......so....am unsure if this universal education theme really can work in the real world........will continue to ponder this thought.....sorry if this reads a little disjointed...am just thinking ‘on cyber paper’ tonight!

A successful interventionist community education......

2008-11-04T14:22:00.000Z

......is one that acknowledges and appreciates the roots of the learner, without patronising them or trying to change who they are or where they are from, yet offering the opportunity of educational development that will inspire the learner, and to become what they want to become should they choose to do so.
This place will be valued and supported by the community that it is in place to support.

Reading Week

2008-10-30T18:36:00.000Z

It's so hard for me to get anything done in 'reading week' - when my children are around it's like Piccadilly Circus all day!!!!! have felt like a bit of a meany for trying to study when they are obviously requiring mummy time......so did redeem myself by taking the girls to HSM3 (though I was slightly hungover from a party the previous night...so had a sneaky sleep!)
I've been working on the National Curriculum Report and have discovered an interesting (yet unplanned) focus on this subject. It was interesting because I approached this subject thinking that I knew exactly where the research would take me....but when I began to analyse I had to rethink my approach as a lot of my teacher evidence was highly opinionated ('those ol' folk devils' as lin would describe them.....) I decided to redirect my theme and now I'm really glad I did as I feel that my primary research has stimulated questions that I perhaps had not considered before.......

On other ongoing work.....I am interviewing a lady in her 80's next week about her school memories....so have to tutor my 'cameraman' (aka my mum) in the use of the digital camcorder sometime in the next week. I'm really looking forward to this as the lady in question is really enthused by the opportunity to have a good trip down memory lane with someone that actually wants to listen!

I've been trying to plough through the info that I have on the Solomon Islands. My contact is fab - but information is vast...I really have to select carefully what I need......in some ways this is tougher than not having much info at all!

All else will have to wait until my little angels are safely back in school so that I can concentrate without the [v.loud] sound of 'Guns n Roses' [son] in the background and the constant....."MUUUUUUMMMM...we're bored"[daughters] to contend with!

comment.......Sr. Paulo Freire.....

2008-10-21T11:07:00.000+01:00

First of all - take a look at these links to information about Freire - to get information about his background and his ideas - then, myself and Claire have made some comments about our thoughts him......

www.infed.org/thinkers/et-freir.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Freire (not keen on wikipedia as a rule- but the info generally matches other sources and most is cited!)

In a snap shot then - Paulo Freire was a Brazilian born social activist, educator and educational theorist....

Two things we found interesting was that (a) he was involved in working in impoverished areas when his own background was middle class - because he experienced hunger, hardship and poverty as a child due to economic conditions of his country, this experience stayed with him as a source of inspiration (b) His focus was on the widespread illiteracy amongst the poor - and how to tackle this problem - (suggests that he believed in equality of opportunity;) He is famous for his influential thinking on how best to educate. For Freire, education should aim at making each individual a "morally, intellectually and politically engaged activist - so that society and it's values can be transformed" (Pound) - Freire believed in 'justice for all.'

About his theories.....

Paulo Freire promotes informal learning - he believed that education was an act of 'culture and freedom' - learners should engage by critical analysis of their lives. I was going to take a closer look at freirian terms and give some definitions - then I stumbled across a website that did just that (much better than I would!!!) these were written by Tom Heaney (National Louis Uni) and I think they are really useful to engage properly with Freires concepts - especially as (Mr Heaney puts it...) "For first-time readers, Freirean literature is a maze of neologisms" in other words by reading about Paulo Freire you will come across loads of new words and phrases and you won't have a clue what they mean....

take a look at these....

Alienation:
The term is derived from Marx and refers to the domination of people by power elites, material constraints, political structures, and thought itself. Ultimately, alienation is the separation of humankind from its labor. It interferes with the production of authentic culture. It is affected by any process which limits a person's power to know the world, and thus dehumanizes the world itself.

"Banking" Education:
In the "banking" method of education passive learners receive deposits of pre-selected, ready-made knowledge. The learner's mind is seen as an empty vault into which the riches of approved knowledge are placed. This approach is also referred to as "digestive" and as "narrational" education.

Codification:
A codification is a representation of the learner's day-to-day situations. It can be a photograph, a drawing, or even a word. As a representation, the photograph or word is an abstraction which permits dialogue leading to an analysis of the concrete reality represented. Codifications mediate between reality and its theoretical context, as well as between educators and learners who together seek to unveil the meanings of their existence.

Conscientization:
Conscientization is an ongoing process by which a learner moves toward. This process is the heart of liberatory education. It differs from "consciousness raising" in that the latter frequently involves banking education--the transmission of pre-selected knowledge. Conscientization means breaking through prevailing mythologies to reach new levels of awareness--in particular, awareness of oppression, being an "object" in a world where only "subjects" have power. The process of conscientization involves identifying contradictions in experience through dialogue and becoming a "subject" with other oppressed subjects--that is, becoming part of the process of changing the world.

Collegiality:
Collegiality is a form of social organization based on shared and equal participation of all its members. It contrasts with a hierarchical, pyramidal structure, and is represented by a series of concentric circles. Authority resides in the center-most circle, not over the others, but equidistant from each, so that authority can listen and reflect the consensus of the whole.

Consensual Governance:
Decision-making by consensus requires the discussion of issues until all are in agreement--this in contrast to decision-making by voting in which rule by the majority is imposed on those who dissent. Decision-making by consensus is time consuming and difficult. At times, consensus represents the willingness of a minority "not to oppose" a decision, but the ultimate benefit of this model is that no one is excluded by a decision.
Critical Consciousness:
This is a level of consciousness characterized by depth in the interpretation of problems, through testing one's own findings with openness to revision, attempting to avoid distortion when perceiving problems and preconceived notions when analyzing them, receptivity to the new without rejecting the old because it is old. In striving toward critical consciousness, the individual rejects passivity, practicing dialogue rather than polemics.
Culture:
Culture is used in its broadest, anthropological sense as including all that is humanly fabricated, endowed, designed, articulated, conceived, or directed. Culture includes products which are humanly produced, both material (buildings, artifacts, factories, slum housing) and immaterial (ideology, value systems, mores), as well as materially derived products such as social class and the socio/political order.
Culture Circle (Circulo de Cultura):
The circulo de cultura is a discussion group in which educators and learners use codifications
to engage in dialogue about the reasons for their existential situation. The peer group provides the theoretical context for reflection and for transforming interpretations of reality from mere opinion to a more critical knowledge.

"Culture of Silence":
The "culture of silence" is a characteristic which Freire attributes to oppressed people in colonized countries, with significant parallels in highly developed countries. Alienated and oppressed people are not heard by the dominant members of their society. The dominant members prescribe the words to be spoken by the oppressed through control of the schools and other institutions, thereby effectively silencing the people. This imposed silence does not signify an absence of response, but rather a response which lacks a critical quality. Oppressed people internalize negative images of themselves (images created and imposed by the oppressor) and feel incapable of self-governance. Dialogue and self-government are impossible under such conditions.

Decodification:
Decodification dissolves a codification into its constituent elements and is the operation by which learners begin to perceive relationships between elements of the codification and other experiences in their day-to-day life and among the elements themselves. Thus, decodification is analysis which takes place through dialogue, revealing the previously unperceived meanings of the reality represented by that codification.

Dialectic:
Dialectic is a term referring to a dynamic tension within any given system and the process by which change occurs on the basis of that tension and resulting conflict. Based on the writings of Hegel, every concept implies its negation; that is, in conceiving anything (thesis), we must be able to imagine its opposite (antithesis). Change occurs as this tension leads to a new conception of reality (synthesis). It should be noted that Marx, is contrast to some liberatory educators, postulated that such tensions and contradictions were embedded in concrete (thus, dialectic materialism) and not merely found in contradictions between the existential world and our thoughts about the world.

Dialogical Method:
The dialogical approach to learning is characterized by co-operation and acceptance of interchangeability and mutuality in the roles of teacher and learner, demanding an atmosphere of mutual acceptance and trust. In this method, all teach and all learn. This contrasts with an anti-dialogical approach which emphasizes the teacher's side of the learning relationship and frequently results in one-way communiques perpetuating domination and oppression.

Empowerment:
Empowerment is a consequence of liberatory learning. Power is not given, but created within the emerging paxis in which co-learners are engaged. The theoretical basis for this discovery is provided by critical consciousnes; its expression is collective action on behalf of mutually agreed upon goals. Empowerment is distinct from building skills and competencies, these being commonly associated with conventional schooling. Education for empowerment further differs from schooling both in its emphasis on groups (rather than individuals) and in its focus on cultural transformation(rather than social adaptation).

Generative Themes/Words:
Generative themes are codifications of complex experiences which are charged with political significance and are likely to generate considerable discussion and analysis. They are derived from a study of the specific history and circumstances of the learners. In a literacy program, generative themes can be codified into generative words--that is, tri-syllabic words that can be broken down into syllabic parts and used to "generate" other words. Generative words have been most useful in relation to languages which are phonetically based (e.g. Spanish, Portuguese).

Humanization:
The central task in any movement toward liberation is to become more fully human through the creation of humanly-enhancing culture--in a word, "humanization." This historical task is countered by the negative forces of dehumanization which, through oppressive manipulation and control, compromise human values for personal gain and power. The task of the oppressed is to liberate themselves and, in the process, liberate their oppressors. Revolutions are humanized to the extent that the new regime confronts its tendency to replicate the oppression of the old.

Liberatory Education:
Education which is liberatory encourages learners to challenge and change the world, not merely uncritically adapt themselves to it. The content and purpose of liberatory education is the collective responsibility of learners, teachers, and the community alike who, through dialogue, seek political, as well as economic and personal empowerment. Programs of liberatory education support and compliment larger social struggles for liberation.

Mystification:
Mystification is the process by which the alienating and oppressive features of culture are disguised and hidden. False, superficial, and naive interpretations of culture prevent the emergence of critical consciousness. Educational systems are key instruments in the dissemination of mystifications: e.g. unemployment is "mystified" as personal failure rather than as a failure of the economy, thus making it difficult for the unemployed to critically understand their situation.

Participatory Research:
Participatory research is an approach to social change--a process used by and for people who are exploited and oppressed. The approach challenges the way knowledge is produced with conventional social science methods and disseminated by dominant educational institutions. Through alternate methods, it puts the production of knowledge back into the hands of the people where it can infuse their struggles for social equality, and for the elimination of dependency and its symptoms: poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, etc.

Praxis:
Praxis is a complex activity by which individuals create cultureand society, and become critically conscious human beings. Praxis comprises a cycle of action-reflection-action which is central to liberatory education. Characteristics of praxis include self-determination (as opposed to coercion), intentionality (as opposed to reaction), creativity (as opposed to homogeneity), and rationality (as opposed to chance).

Problematization:
Problematization is the antithesis of "problem-solving." In problem-solving, an expert takes distance from reality and reduces it to dimensions which are amenable to treatment as though they were mere difficulties to be solved. To "problematize" is to engage a group in the task of codifying reality into symbols which can generate critical consciousness and empower them to alter their relations with nature and oppressive social forces. Problem-posing is a logically prior task which allows all previous conceptualizations of a problem to be treated as questionable. Problematization recognizes that "solutions" are often difficult because the wrong problems are being addressed.

Transformation of the World:
To transform the world is to humanize it. All transformations do not result in liberation. Transforming action could dehumanize the world with an oppressor's curious and inventive presence (e.g. the development of the V-2 rocket in World War II). Only history reveals the problematic nature of being human and the consequences of having chosen one path over the other. The transformation of the world is humankind's entry into history. As people act upon the world effectively, transforming it by work, consciousness is in turn historically and culturally conditioned. Conscientization) is the result of action which transforms the world and leads to humanization.

I'll leave you with that for now - but am currently researching how Freire's educational theories link to the other areas we were discussing - having indulged in some reading I have ideas on this........ a further posting will appear in due course!

warwick carparking.....

2008-10-20T23:01:00.000+01:00

it took me 25 mins to park my car today at warwick...for a 10 minute trip to the library....and it cost me £2!
the campus was so busy...I'm wondering if they were giving a way free cans of beer or something???? was glad to escape....and there were three cars waiting to grab my space (in crappy carpark 15 as well!!!!)

Observing Oliver

2008-10-16T19:50:00.000+01:00

I spent this afternoon doing the first official observation of my chosen child for the development project. I arrived highly prepared - digging out many of my old TA resources; I had a plan of what I was observing and both myself and Oliver (who's not really called Oliver by the way!!!) - had a really great time. It was so refreshing to indulge in the company of a three year old and just what I needed after this week 'en-course'...which has been a strange sort of a week for me! I came away reminded of the reason why I'm doing this degree.....as someone famous once said....."at the heart of the educational process there lies a child"........ (should I be worried that I'm quoting this stuff???)..... so there I have discovered my mantra for this week...at the heart of this educational process for me, is the road that delivers me to where I feel truly fulfilled.....with children!
so.......on that wave of inner calmness - I shall head off and burn a few joss sticks......

Is there a place for Connectivism in the early years setting?

2008-10-15T16:50:00.000+01:00

Am going to mull over this question - On route to establish an understanding of ‘connectivism’ as a learning theory I find myself pondering the notion of ‘connectivism’ in the context of the early years environment. No surprises there, I’m an ‘early years ‘undergrad with aspirations to teach key stage one. If this is the future – then I’m on it! Yet I find myself desperately trying to fit the self determined, ‘learn what you need’ social networked, teacher-as- a-navigator-not-an-instructor approach to this age group – who, let’s face it, in my experience, need something more than ‘guidance and navigation’ in many areas - especially when you are teaching a class (of 30 with mixed ability and high possibly of some with SEN) such fundamentals as reading and writing and numerical basics? On reflection of group discussion today, I sense that the meaning and interpretation of connectivism isn’t universal. Some believed connectivism to be when a child interacts in a class environment – with peers and maybe learning experience – but to me, this interpretation isn’t what I would personally class as a ‘new learning theory’ and I don’t see it as young children using connectivism (as I understand it) – let me expand - School experience during the early years is always (to a certain extent) going to be directed by a teacher with clear, communicated learning objectives for the child – that’s not because the teacher is trapped in a time warp of being ‘all powerful and holders of the knowledge’ – but because, there are basics that have to be taught.... How can you empower young children with a free rein on their learning when, in the early years there are obvious ‘objectives’ that a child has to establish as a foundation to their future learning – (that may indeed involve connectivism?) Even if I turn this around and suggest that children experiencing the EYFS are in fact, in a certain way, ‘controlling’ their own learning through play – hence, perhaps they are using connectivism of a sort – the EYFS is still delivered with clear guidelines and outcomes. I don’t see that as negative, in that we are ticking the boxes of our children’s achievements, but as a positive monitor that encourages inclusive education.
Now – as the child gets older – in FE, HE (actually even at secondary level,) the benefits of connectivism become clearer and I see with more confidence how it can become a powerful tool for the learner – but in the KS1/early years setting, I see the role of the teacher is one of delivering the building blocks of their education to encourage a sound and literate foundation –surely the age of these children will demand a more prescribed and planned approach?
I totally see how connectivism will enhance my personal learning experience and perhaps I can utilise my established networks into the teaching of my future class – maybe that’s the link to early years I’m after?

Primary School Research & Old school days interview

2008-10-13T09:18:00.000+01:00

I am off into my chosen school today to have a look at the questionnaires the staff will have completed for me (I hope!)....I also have an appointment to interview a SMT teacher on a one to one....

I have a fab contact at a local old folks home (my mum works in one) and have got an 85 year old lady to agree to take a trip down memory lane with me..... I've sent her a list of areas that I hope we can touch on during the interview so she can be prepared before I get there. Worried that she might not agree - I've mentioned to her that I might use video - "great" said she "but I must remember to put on a nice top!" This interview should all happen in the next few weeks I hope.

The best way to get pupils interested in learning is to harness their enthusiasm for technology!

2008-10-12T19:34:00.000+01:00

.....says an interesting little booklet in the TES (Times Educational) this week. Get it if you can...it's full of reasons (aimed at teachers) why they ESSENTIALLY have to embrace technology in order to engage pupils.......spookily relevant stuff eh???

is anyone researching India?

2008-10-12T13:24:00.000+01:00

2nd years - if you are looking at India for your research project - you may be interestd in this site I stumbled upon during a surf-session.....
http://planningcommission.nic.in/sectors/education.html

New Spaces and Structures of Learning

2008-10-11T15:06:00.000+01:00

Mmm – what an interesting paper this was...here are my thoughts as I think them....hopefully you will follow.....
A notable idea suggested in this paper that education is on a ‘catch up mission’ with rapidly changing technology and learning theory. When you think about it - this makes more sense when one considers the characteristics of education (as we know it); it is physical ; reliant on place, i.e. a classroom and knowledge comes from one ‘expert,’- the teacher. Even though technology is beginning to be palpable in schools – education remains largely prescribed, restricted – with the learner retaining little control. Hence, the disparity with learning theory such as connectivism is obvious. Whilst technology is empowering the learner with individual control through social networking;( a concept the school based learner might engage in to a certain extent; )the boundaries remain as they are confined to research of the ‘old’ - that will ultimately tick boxes on their teachers’ “what I have to teach list” - rather than discovery of the “new.” Whilst it’s easy to see how education has to be guided to a certain extent(particularly with younger children) but I question whether ‘curriculum’ should (or indeed could?)be a framework that allows a path towards ‘discovery.’ This also brought forth an issue raised in the first year with Brian – the paradox between children’s rights to self determination and the educational environment that forms a huge fraction of their childhood. Another interesting paradigm evident through this technological explosion is that the ‘pupil/student’ as the first generation born into this technology - may have more expertise in it that the 2nd generation converts – that will be their teachers!
To me this paper throws up more questions than answers – but I believe that, for one to consider education of the future and what that might look like – to engage the learner of the future - there has to be a significant link established between the technology (that will most certainly form an integral part of their lives) and their education. Teachers, not so much as all knowing “fonts of knowledge”- but as navigators – assisting rather than directing the learning.
Try to think of this in the context of future education....The old saying “you can lead a horse to the well but you can’t make him drink” might be altered if the “horse” is finding his own way to the well – and once there – decides that actually - for him, the clump of grass next to it suites him more!

When you consider also the question of integrating web 2.0 into education and the folks who are against it for all the predictable reasons - it highlights a power and control issue - by allowing learners to utilise the web 2.0 tools available - the teacher shifts power and control to the individual...this is always going to be hard to swallow when the social perception of teachers is that of the previously mentioned 'font of knowledge' - that has to transmit a frameworked curriculum...formally. But if there is a paradigm shift and the teacher becomes the navigator - education and learning could be informal - and we know that informal learning is ongoing and constant and individual.

essays and presentations and projects and more....

2008-10-10T22:35:00.000+01:00

Now...I'm not one to moan...... OK, I am one to moan a bit but I was feeling a tad overwhelmed by the workload we appear to have already! It's only the end of week two and my list of things "to do" is nearly as big as my list of "things to read" - and I'm not even a list-type person! Thankfully both Christine and Lin were very chilled about the negotiation of hand-in dates. Lin extending the country project until March and Christine's essay (something on stress - so we should all get firsts!) - now due in after Christmas. So...this term demands a presentation for Brian (with technological bells and whistles!!!!!!), two presentations for Lin (though one is a little snapshot of the country) and a presentation for Christine.....oh - and the beginning of the Child Observation study!
Blimey - why on earth am I writing on this Blog when I have that lot to do?

Hoorah for Connectivism!

2008-10-07T14:09:00.000+01:00

I am pleased (actually THRILLED!) to report that my Solomon Island 'contact' been in touch already! Obviously I haven't subjected him to my powers of interrogation yet - (need to get some pointers from Claire for that!) - But he's someone who has experienced first hand primary education on the Islands and seems very keen to share his experiences.....
This man mailed me from Australia - 24 hours after I made contact with him from the UK - I'm doing a project on education in the Solomon Islands - he lives and works there. This is social networking in action.....and guess what....it was EASY!

Country Update

2008-10-06T13:28:00.000+01:00

After a good think and a big web search, I've decided to focus on education in the Solomon Islands for my research project. This is going to be a huge learning curve as I'm ashamed (if not a tad embarrassed) to admit - I'd never even heard of this place before! Also, I wanted to avoid countries with loads of complicated political turmoil and civil wars - also I wanted somewhere that we really don't hear much about here. The Solomon Islands, it seems, has suffered with civil issues and natural disasters it is one of the top 10 underdeveloped countries of our world. The primary education system is being addressed and there are many current changes. I've even tried to make contact with someone who is there......so......watch this space, i might get lucky and get a reply :-)

INFORMAL LEARNING

2008-10-05T19:03:00.000+01:00

year 2ers - Check out this vid about informal learning and the connectivism link - def worth a look when you have a spare 10 mins!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NlETGJ0mnno

Relecting on little boxes by Barry Wellman

2008-10-03T10:52:00.000+01:00

A key theme I’m getting from Barry Wellman’s paper is connections communication on a social level. The paper examines the changing face of social connections and interactions between both people and institutions.
The fact that the paper looks at ‘change’ per se – indicates also that it refers to a progressive series of changes that are occurring over a continuous time scale, indeed Wellman, constantly compares and contrasts the ‘what was then’ with the ‘here and now.’ Hence the theme grows into CHANGING SOCIAL COMMUNICATION PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE.
Wellman looks at past connections as being quite insular and standardized. It’s all very local and physical – with people communicating within a few GROUPS. This is highly influenced by where a person physically works and lives, hence we begin to understand the metaphor of the paper’s title “little boxes” and can make a natural link to the past. Here people were almost controlled by their geographic location. Connectivity and communication then relied largely on people’s inclination and ability to physically move around groups. When you consider this point at a deeper level, you could conclude that, in the past, whilst close local communities were more common, with the existence of close nit neighbourhoods and relationships, in actual fact, these were born more from our natural instinct to be social within our given limits rather than a fee choice. In other words – past social groups fundamentally consisted of who we happen to live/work near and so, by chance, happen to share our little box!
In terms of social connections, whilst there are still elements of the past evident, technological communications are perhaps a more familiar picture to many. More familiar because it is, as this paper suggests, the result of a paradigm shift that the developed world is going through. The “little boxes” of the past are replaced with SOCIAL NETWORKS - Technologies such as the internet, round the clock media and improved transport emerged as the portal for this shift. Mobile technology of phones and now internet access have created a vehicle that further throws open the door to the world and allows everyone, in the developed world at least, to wander around a ‘global village’ and “meet” and develop relationships with like minded people and feed from the diversity of everyone’s experience! As a convert to this evolution, it's really exciting!
This is social networking.
No longer is the PLACE important - it’s all about the INDIVIDUAL.
SOCIAL NETWORKING enables connections that have no little box boundaries and constraints.
SOCIAL NETWORKING empowers the individual with choice and freedom – firmly placing them in control.
SOCIAL NETWORKING permits a limitless ‘net’ of connections and promotes inclusion.
Wellman coins a new noun for this “GLOCALIZATION” – in other words making the world a local place. – the benefits are clear.... individuals have, literally, at their fingertips a powerful resource that is rich in diversity and opportunity.
I considered SOCIAL NETWORKING as a learning tool alone and it’s really only the limits of imagination that constrain the possibilities this resource releases. A connection to information, clarity and support available as and when it’s needed seems almost too good to be true....however, in this context the evidence that we are amist the revolution of social networking rather than it being already universal becomes clear. On my degree course, as learners we are grouped 'per chance' – connected only because we happened to enrol at the same time for the same course – very much the “little box” scenario. Through social networking, as a learner I can easily move above and beyond the constraints of this group. Social networking to enhance and customise my learning at an individual level – returning and sharing acquired information to the group. The networking is limitless as more and more learners from the group become social networkers.

The flip side is that it’s predominantly a virtual world – so physical contact and interaction is restricted; one must consider if being a social networker at a GLOCAL level allows a similar belongingness and social identity that GROUP membership boasts? Also, there is a fundamental requirement that the individual essentially needs to be competent at networking. It is vital that networks can be navigated efficiently as networks exist in vast, unchartered territory.
Final thought, Wellman puts into words the dynamics of a technological evolution that’s there for the taking.....like most evolutionary changes – it’s happening over time.....I metioned before – as a convert - it all seems to good to be true but in reality, my presumption is that by the time our generation of children become adults – SOCIAL NETWORKING will be second nature.

Second Year!

2008-10-01T18:59:00.000+01:00

Well, here I go on the 2nd year of my quest. Actually, I began my science course a few weeks ago. Bit miffed it's based at City College in Cov, as NWHC obviously missed a gap in the market and decided not to run an evening course. Hence, I am forced to negotiate rush hour traffic on Tuesday evenings for the next academic year...all because ed balls decided I needed GCSE science to teach KS1! As per - I had to pay the entire £240 fee for the course - so all I can say is I'd better bloody pass it - or Dave will divorce me! On a positive note though, we are moving to the Swanswell site after Christmas - which is closer to me. However, I'm told that it's a "hairy walk" to the college from the car park and vice-versa (not sure what that means?? - I just smiled knowingly at my informant!!!!)

Back at NWHC for the degree (far nicer accommodation than City College I might add) - and my feelings on the first week so far seems quite positive....at least they are now I've managed to return home and digest lins "pictures" properly. Been thinking about what developing country to focus on for the assessment - but am proper amazed (and saddened) by how many there are to choose from......not sure yet which one to go for. Am understanding completely what lin meant by surfing cautiously...there is so much info but with so much spin! Interesting though!
Am all IT'd up and ready to go - got Moodle, my Warwick email and MyWarwickHomepage sorted........feeling quite upbeat and not as daunted as I was this time last year.
Another observation made by both myself and Claire - the coffee shop staff are still as miserable as they were last year but we are loving the leather look sofas!