Case Study: Mathematics In Primary School

Case Study: Mathematics In Primary School During a childs early years it is vital to develop the cognitive and social skills that will allow them to generate a foundation of knowledge and a basic set of skills for learning, which can be applied and developed throughout the rest of their schooling and adult life. This begins with the parental and familial influence on the child and progresses through their Primary School years and interaction with teachers and peers. Communication between parents, teacher and child are therefore of vital importance. Without these ingredients, a child may not achieve their full potential. For the reasons noted above it is necessary to ensure that the mathematical ability of young pupils is well established in the early years setting. A number of recommendations which have implications for pupils and Early Years practitioners are made in the Williams report and will be reviewed below. The impact of parental influence on the developing child is immeasurable. As such it is critical to ensure that the mathematical ability of, and teaching method used by parents is sufficient to understand and teach their child in a way which is relevant to the current syllabus (parents mathematical skills may be weak or outdated). It is also important for parents to encourage positivity towards mathematics this is only possible if they are confident with mathematics themselves. Provision of programmes, such as Sure Start, Effective Provision of Pre-School Education and the work of Parent Support Advisors, aim to achieve this and should continue to receive funding to break the continuing cycle of negativity towards mathematics. It is the responsibility of the Early Years teacher, with specific regard to mathematics, to: Form effective bonds with pupils to affect their learning (one of the key features of Early Years Foundation Stage). Treat the child as a unique individual and adapt pedagogy accordingly, creating an enabling environment for all pupils. Generate interest in the subject matter. Provide basic skills in the core mathematical operations. It is suggested that learning goals should be expanded to include time and capacity. This seems a logical expansion of the core mathematical concepts and will allow for accelerated understanding of the more difficult concepts. Challenge the pupil and generate progression of knowledge, thinking skills and learning methods. However, the child must not be overloaded. Assess progress or lack thereof (allowing generation of the childs Individual Education Plan), provide intervention if necessary, supervise the intervention and correctly assess and acknowledge progress. Involve parents in the childs learning process and provide feedback, especially if the child needs extra support. This can bring the childs ability in-line with peers and prevent the child from falling behind. This is also important in the converse scenario; it is important to challenge a gifted pupil. Parents can be influential here. Assist in the generation of a positive attitude towards Mathematics for pupil and parent(s)/guardian(s). Ensure that the childs confidence is maintained and therefore retain the childs appetite for new learning. Therefore it is vital that teachers develop an effective pedagogy. This process begins with the development of teaching strategies through Initial Teacher Training (ITT) and is enhanced through continuous professional development (CPD). The application of effective pedagogy includes focusing learning appropriately (with guidance from the syllabus), creating realistic yet challenging and tailored educational aims, implementing a well honed teaching technique to achieve educational aims, supported by sufficient subject knowledge. Provision of quality teaching shares a linear relationship with the mean qualification level of all staff. Consequently it is suggested that the DCSF continues to increase the proportion of graduate practitioners in early years settings recognising the respective contributions of the Qualified Teacher. This provides further support for the direction of all staff toward CPD which should be tailored around childrens understanding of mathematical concepts and way s of learning. Effective Early Years mathematical pedagogy must support children in developing new skills, generating the ability to understand and analyse mathematical concepts, and eventually to evaluate and apply those concepts to problem solving tasks. The learning environment should make mathematics less stressful from an early age. With Early Years pupils in mind it is important to utilise play and daily routines to generate interest in numeracy and mathematical problem solving. Simple activities can carry a mathematical concept such as division by sharing, addition/subtraction in weighing activities, assessing shape etc. To continue the cycle, mathematical exercises must be fun to retain the childs interest and expand confidence. Involving peers in problem solving tasks expands social skills and provides partners for discussion whilst knowledge is improved. The head teacher and management team should prioritise and manage professional development opportunities to develop subject knowledge and pedagogy, through learning, coaching and mentoring initiatives for all staff members. It must be ensured that this is not detrimental to contact time. Williams review would encourage the inclusion of a mathematics component in the CPD programme for head teachers themselves. The head teacher must manage resources in-line with the advice of the management team regarding finance available for manpower and learning aids. It is appropriate for the head teacher to appoint subject leaders who become subject specialists, capable of training and supporting other teachers. Ultimately the head teacher and management team are responsible for demonstrating and coaching good practice to their staff. The head teacher should encourage their staff to deliver the curriculum content to emphasis connections between various mathematical concepts. It is important to note that mathematical concepts and the analysis and evaluation of these concepts cannot occur in the absence of English language skills. Pupils and teacher must be comfortable with mathematical language. Problems with language can cause a cyclical reduction of confidence which generates a lack of motivation and ultimately lack of progress. If the child does experience a difficulty in either numeracy or literacy, some form of intervention should be utilised to raise the attainment level of the child. This can be one of three waves of intervention based within the Primary National Strategy. The three waves are of increasing intensity and correlate largely with the group size requiring intervention. The Every Child Counts programme is delivered during wave 3 intervention and targets year 2 pupils who are not expected to achieve expected levels of attainment by the end of Key Stage 1. Currently in its second year of development, for national application in 2010-11, Every Child Counts aims to develop a highly effective numeracy intervention for young children with the greatest difficulties in mathematics (http://www.everychildachancetrust.org/counts/index.cfm). In support of this aim, Every Child Counts provides training and support for teachers. However, teachers must ensure that their CPD targets allow them to effectively deliver any intervention which they deem necessary for the pupils in their care. Understanding intervention, when it is necessary and its importance should be included within the content of ITT understanding of these factors in the early part of a teachers career allows them to apply the principles during delivery of high quality teaching tailored to each chil d on a daily basis (rather than as purely remedial action). As noted earlier, the childs familial and social situation impact upon their education. As such, the Every Child Counts programme is developed in line with the Every Child a Chance Trust which aims to maximise the achievement of children from socially disadvantaged groups. However, it is important to note that wave 3 intervention delivered through the Every Child Counts scheme is targeted at the 5% lowest attaining pupils nationally, not the lowest 5% in each school. This decision has to be based upon time and resources, the availability of specialists to deliver the intervention and costs of the aforementioned it is impossible to provide intervention for all. Unfortunately this leaves a number of pupils without the support they need. As such it must be a long-term target to provide intervention for more children to prevent disadvantaging one over another. According to the Williams report, wave 1 intervention involves quality first teaching in a daily mathematics lesson. This suggests that quality teaching of mathematics is provided only when remedial action becomes necessary, perhaps this is due to a lack of confidence of the teacher with mathematics. Regardless of the specific reason for this assertion, it has implications for teachers and trainee teachers. ITT and CPD courses must also ensure that their mathematical ability, and confidence with mathematics, is high. Furthermore, it is suggested that a Mathematics Specialist is employed to ensure delivery of high quality teaching in mathematics through support of teachers and assistance with intensive wave three interventions. Any intervention technique/programme has a number of essential components/considerations; (i) assessment, (ii) timing, (iii) duration, (iv) withdrawal from regular schooling, (v) group size, (vi) the intervention leader, (vii) intervention resources and (viii) parents. It is critical to continually monitor the progress of all pupils (in comparison with peers and themselves) in order to accurately assess the need for intervention. The assessment phase should highlight goals for and the likely timing of the intervention based on attainment, without negative impact upon the childs confidence in their achievements or ability. Continual assessment through the programme will update the duration of the intervention (determined during assessment. It is suggested that implementation of Every Child Counts is appropriate in Year 2 is timely and practical and will appropriately limit the pressure on Year 1 teachers and pupils. The supportive and corrective intervention programme must not be detrimental to, the need for the pupil to continue learning in other subjects. The intervention must also prevent isolation from peers. Wave 2 intervention is often able to ensure that pupils are brought up-to-speed with the rest of the class whilst receiving the remedial action they require. With this in mind, it is also important to consider the group size used in any intervention. As noted by Dowkers review of the research conducted by Denvir and Brown (1986b), pupils are more relaxed and positive when taught in a group but can often be distracted by others. This has been reflected in the research phase of Every Child Counts. The head teacher and staff must collaborate on the choice to stream children to support the provision of teaching which stretches all pupils. It becomes more difficult to tailor the intervention activities to the unique needs of each child if they are provided in a group session. Progress assessments can also become difficult if the child hides during comprehension activities. It is therefore necessary to balance the benefits against the consequences of group based intervention. The intervention leader and resources needed must be selected according to the level of support required to sufficiently increase attainment; delivery can be undertaken by the class teacher, teaching assistant, Mathematics Specialist (as suggested by Williams) or parents. Cost factors must also be considered, for example, it is more economical for a teaching assistant to deliver a group intervention than a highly qualified teacher or specialist to deliver one-to-one intervention. It is important to ensure that parents understand and are committed to the intervention and provide learning support at home. It is important for the head teacher to allocate time to assess progress of Year 2 pupils with teachers throughout the year allowing them to plan and manage the timetabling and allocation of/need for resources, including intervention resources. To summarise, best practice in teaching mathematics gives children an understanding and appreciation of mathematics. This requires and effective pedagogy which generates progression of knowledge and understanding. The teacher must be confident, inventive and possess excellent communication skills. ITT is central to developing these skills which should be supported by subject-specific Specialists and CPD programmes provided by the Head teacher. Quality teaching and Intervention and programmes such as Every Child Counts must be regarded as an investment in a childs abilities at an early stage to allow them to contribute positively to the economy in adult life. The head teacher and management team must consider the suggestion to employ and manage a Mathematics Specialist and recruit staff who can deliver effective teaching in collaboration with TAs and parents. Work referenced: http://www.everychildachancetrust.org/counts/index.cfm accessed on 30 August 2010

Changing social diversity in the United States Essay

As USA is a land of opportunities, millions of people of different origin have migrated to the country and settled there, thus changing the social and cultural diversity of the nation. Children at the young age face problem as they get exposed to two sets of language and culture at school and home. A massive increase in Hispanic population has increased the importance of Spanish language and more businesses related to Spanish have come up. But this Hispanic population has no difficulty in accepting English as their main language. The uniqueness of the immigration is that everybody wants to get integrated into American mainstream. Changing diversity in USA 3 Changing social diversity in the United States As United States is known as the land of opportunities for many decades, millions of people had migrated to this country since long time. It has been mentioned in the website http://www. sedl. org/pubs/sedletter/v12n02/2. html that the make up of the US population has changed so much over the last three decades that the definition of diversity has itself got transformed in the process. It has also been stated that for the first time in the US census held in 2000, individuals were allowed to tick on more than one race in the form. Due to this change in diversity, cultural and socioeconomic factors are now becoming increasingly important while interacting in the society. The website http://www. naeyc. org/about/positions/pdf/psdiv98. pdf deals with the problem children faces in schools due to increased linguistic and cultural diversities. To quote from the above mentioned website, â€Å"At younger ages, children are negotiating difficult transitions between their home and educational settings, requiring an adaptation to two or more diverse sets of rules, values, expectations, and behaviors. † If the child forgets his home language, it may cause disruption in family communication methods. Thus families are facing increasingly complex responsibilities. The website http://knowledge. allianz. com/en/globalissues/demographic_change/gender_diversity/hispanics_integration_us. html states that there has been a massive growth in Hispanic population in the USA and most of them have accepted English as their main language. But the importance of Spanish is also growing as many newspapers have come up in Spanish and Hispanic related businesses are growing in the United States. Changing diversity in USA Reference List 1) Responding to Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Recommendations for Effective Early Childhood Education; in National Association for the Education of Young Children adopted November 1995; Retrieved on 13th March 2009 from the website < http://www.naeyc. org/about/positions/pdf/psdiv98. pdf > 2) A Changing Nation: The Impact of Linguistic and Cultural Diversity on Education by Kathleen Trail ; SED letter Volume XII Number 2 December 2000; Retrieved on 13th March 2009 from the website 3) Ethnic Business in a Changing America, Allianz Knowledge Partner site, published on September 11, 2007; Retrieved on 13th March 2009 from the website < http://knowledge. allianz. com/en/globalissues/demographic_change/gender_diversity/hispanics_integration_us. html >

Parental Separation

Brianna Golez Professor Fraga English 1A 23 July 2012 Parental Separation The parents' sole duty is to raise and, by definition, nurture their children as a whole unit. Compromising on decisions and communication are the factors that contribute to a healthy and comfortable environment for families. But what repercussions surface when endless disagreements and lack of toleration disrupt that peace while the parents are still legally imprisoned in their â€Å"marriage†? Unlike divorce, the separation between parents is harder to cope with for any adolescent or child and causes more anxiety and stress upon the household.While divorce is thought of to be a quick procession, it can take an average of six months for it to be finalized. By the end of the documentations and meetings, the children involved are used to the idea of living separately and most likely knowing how to cope. Contrarily, separation comes before the need of the divorce and is the time where emotions for adolesce nts and any minors in that situation are at its peak of denial and unease. Many things can stress a marriage and even before the decision of a separation, give the minors within the household the feeling of anxiety and forthcoming of downhill events.Dr. William Doherty of the Family Science Department at the University of Minnesota found that forty percent of long separated couples regret their decision and thought it could have been prevented. It is common children are susceptible to feeling guilt over their parents' reason of becoming distant and argumentative; however, main characteristics for separation included a low level of education and couples that had entered marriage at a younger age. Over one in every four children have had to endure the separation of their mother and father.The stresses and perplexity of the situation is more difficult as they try to adjust to new settings, surroundings, and living arrangements. The difficulty of adjustment puts pressure upon the minors because it involves the parents trying to come to agreements without the engagement of legal enforcement. For teenagers, they are in a state where the independence that is trying to be established can be jeopardized by them having to mature faster than normal and assume greater responsibilities. As well as feeling the need to run the household and fill the role of that missing parent.This turmoil can go on to cause problems on their attitudes towards school, people, and the relationship with their parents. Research done by a team from King's College London found that over half the children who lived separately had optimistic views because they had been â€Å"active in decisions about these arrangements and were more likely to have positive feelings about moving between households†. It has also been found that drops in health, high school dropout rates, teen births, and teen suicides also increase to twice as likely due to parental separation.Not only do children of split mar riages feel the helplessness of their predicament, they feel the want of a better communication between them. According to a subject of parental separation, Brittney Golez, stated â€Å"it was an emotional time where you were not sure what would happen next and if things were going to get worse†. The months prior to the divorce are the hardest and become less likely for reconciliation as she later goes on to say, â€Å"things would be easier if they were back together, and it only creates more stress for me when I don't know what more I can do†.This common point of view on the life before a divorce for an adolescent illustrates the uprooting of living in two households at one time; therefore making for an unstable environment. The relationship that is most crucial for the well being of children and adolescents are frequently disrupted by the complexity of separation. Stress in the parents is what only increases the stress levels of their offspring and in turn provide m ore frustration and risk towards the family's health.Complications continue to arise in this epidemic for the twelve million children among the country and the one in ever four who experience it. Cited Works 1. Golez, Brittney T. â€Å"Parent Separation. † Personal interview. 21 July 2012. 2. Kiln, Laura. â€Å"Parental Separation. †Ã‚  Familylawwebguide. com. Family Law WEB Guide, 27 Nov. 2008. Web. 23 July 2012. ;http://www. familylawwebguide. com. au/news/pg/news/view/545/index. php;. 3. Lundstrom, Karin, and Andreas Raneke. â€Å"Family Structures and Separations Among First Time Parents.   Scb. se. Statistics Sweden, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 21 July 2012. . 4. â€Å"On Children and Separation. †Ã‚  Separatedfamiliesmatter. org. uk. Both Parents Matter, 2009. Web. 21 July 2012. . 5. Rooks, Linda. â€Å"Statistics On Separation and Divorce. †Ã‚  Separation. N. p. , 9 June 2003. Web. 21 July 2012. .

Research Paper on Hip-Hop

Research Paper on Hip-Hop Hip-hop Hip hop is said to have originated in African American and Latino-American communities during the 1970s in New York City, as a subculture music. It was very popular specifically within the Bronx. The term itself is usually referred to as a style of music, however in its broader sense hip hop culture is defined by the four elements of rapping, DJing, hip hop dance and graffiti. The subculture started from the parties at the blocks thrown by DJ Kool Herc at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, where Herc would take samples of the records and mix them with his own shouts to the crowd and dancers. They were really popular among African-American and Latino youths. Kool Herc is known as the father of the hip hop art form. DJ Afrika Bambaataa, the follower of Kool Herc, who comes from the hip-hop collective Zulu Nation, postulated the four principles of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, B-boying and graffiti. Since its start in the South Bronx, the popularity of the hip hop culture has spread to both urban and suburban societies all over the world. Hip hop music first came to life with Kool Herc and the disc jockeys of that time. They were producing rhythmic beats by looping breaks (small portions of songs emphasizing a percussive pattern) on two turntables, usually known as sampling. This was later followed by the so-called rap a rhythmic style of chanting or poetry presented in 16 bar measures or time frames, and beatboxing, a vocal technique that imitates percussive elements of the music and various technical effects of hip hop DJs. New music brought new style – specific types of closing arose together with the hip hop. As everything in this world, the style has been evolving together with the culture during all the times of its existence. When the hip hop music has been introduced to the public, it faced a lot of critique. Aggressive, sometimes even compromising, lyrics arose a lot of public discontent. However, the representatives of hip hop have always refuted all the accusations by saying that their music bears a message of piece, and the only thing they do is the depiction of the world we all live in. The hip hop culture has always faced some kind of gang influence. A lot of hip hop band heads have been gang leaders.