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Monday, March 18, 2024

PROMOTING POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR

Author: Prince Foday

   





The Identification of Policies and Procedures in my School Setting and Benefits of these in Promoting Positive Behaviour

 

The policies in my school setting are comprised of behaviour policy, code of conduct, reward and sanctions. My school setting has established procedures or guidelines for promoting the identified policies.

 

There are accepted values and beliefs in the school and a contravention of that will go against the behaviour policy. Codes of conduct are sets of rules designed to enable children and young people to be aware of boundaries and a way of managing behaviour. Rewards can be used when a student displays positive behaviour. There are scales of sanctions for students when behaviour becomes inappropriate.

 

The behaviour policy in the school is meant to promote appropriate behaviour and discourage inappropriate behaviour. The policy prepares staff to understand that students in the school need to build positive traits like social skills (being receptive to others), empathy, self-respect and self-esteem. In promoting or achieving positive behaviour from students, the following procedures are required by the school:

o   Staff do not undermine the self-esteem of children or students through verbal disgrace

o   Staff  do not use corporal punishment or hit the child, as that goes against the law

o   Staff are meant to explain disciplinary boundaries in the simplest terms to make it understandable to those who may find it difficult

o   Staff should help students to understand what behaviour is acceptable and what is not acceptable

o   Staff should calmly intervene to prevent students from behaving in an unsafe way

o   Staff should build the scenario for students to exercise patience and take turns

o   Staff should praise students  for displaying positive behaviour

o   Staff should be respectful to children, young people and other adults

o   Staff should be  role models by showing positive behaviour

 

There are codes of conduct in place as guidance when dealing with inappropriate behaviour and they are:

o   We avoid making negative comments in front of students

o   We maintain consistency when addressing inappropriate behaviour

o   We resolve conflict by listening to both parties

o   We maintain calmness when dealing with inappropriate behaviour

Students are rewarded for showing positive behaviour and we provide visible rewards (by using stickers), allowing choosing time, revealing success to parents and other teachers, giving attention or smiles of endorsement, providing oral praise, and giving certificates or points or stars.

We apply a scale of sanctions when behaviour is inappropriate. Some of the scales of sanctions are:

o   Removal of privileges

o   Restricted access to certain activities

o   Suspension

o   Detention

o   Removal from social time (breaks/lunch times)

o   Send the culprit to the deputy head or head teacher

o   Speak to the parent

 

 

Explaining the Importance of Consistency and Failures when Applying Boundaries and Rules for Behaviour

 

Consistency enables the child and young people to fully comprehend limits and work within expected behaviour. Consistency in behaviour within a classroom is about establishing stable policies, procedures and consequences. Consistency has the features of being respectable, fair, safe and stable.

 

Building an achievable and realistic limit will make it possible for the child to communicate appropriately. In the absence of consistency, the child is left in limbo and feeling confused. Practitioners are expected to maintain the same rules and avoid leading the child in a confused state.  Practitioners must be consistent in the application of boundaries and rules as failure to do so will result in the child being baffled. The failure of practitioners to apply limits and rules will lead the child not to be certain about what is right or wrong.

 

Consistency in applying boundaries and rules can promote effective classroom management, lead to fewer behaviour problems, support a positive classroom community and build an engaging learning scenario. It is significant to be consistent with policies, procedures and consequences and such stability will be effective classroom management. Consistency in practitioner behaviour in enforcing boundaries and rules can build student trust and that can make them behave within limits, and mitigate behavioural problems. Promoting a fair classroom community will make students have a positive view about their colleagues, and the practitioner and that can further lead to effective class control. Being consistent with boundaries and rules in the classroom setting can provide the outcome of students feeling safe and increase their focus on learning. Skinner advanced education as the establishment of behaviour that will be of benefit to the person and others in the future.

 

 

Describing the Benefits of Promoting Positive Values, Attitudes and Behaviour Guidance 

 

Positive values, attitudes and behaviour guidance are important in tackling challenging behaviour in the classroom. Its application can assist in increasing student engagement in learning, reduce stress and entirely enhance student behaviour and performance.

 

Positive behaviour can be supported by ensuring the full attention of students before learning begins, praising students for the showcase of positive behaviour, allowing them to express their feelings and opinions, building their emotional intelligence or coping skills, encouraging them to practice behaviour expectations until a full understanding is achieved, establish clear boundaries and rules, encourage learning to be fun and build steady routines.

 

Children and young people can benefit from the promotion of positive values, attitudes and behaviour guidance in the following ways:

 

o   The acknowledgement of positive behaviour

o   Establishing clear expectations

o   Building  strong social skills based on respect

o   Enhancing Social and Emotional Well-being

o   Developing the environment for students to concentrate on learning

o   Professional  action on minimising negative behaviour

   

The acknowledgement of positive behaviour can be done through praise and praise for good behaviour is an approach meant to attract the attention of students in the class, and it is likely that the student will repeat positive behaviour by making it a routine. Establishing an expectation that is clear and achievable is a way to develop a caring and safe classroom, and it is significant to be consistent and eradicate confusion with boundaries for everyone in the classroom, including practitioners.  Students who struggle to control their emotions should be supported. It is difficult to focus on learning when tired, distracted and upset, and teaching learners the desired coping or calming skills will be beneficial in gaining the attention of the child and young people. It is important to provide an engaging classroom environment that requires seeking the attention of students before learning starts and that can be helpful to behaviour management coupled with having the attention of all students to grasp all areas of your teaching. Reducing negative behaviour through professional action can be necessary in promoting positive values, attitudes and behaviour.

 

 

Identifying, and Summarising, the Patterns and Triggers that can Lead to Challenging Behaviours and Explaining What Actions can be  taken to Pre-empt Divert or Diffuse Potential Flash Points

 

Challenging behaviour is a form of behaviour that hinders the safety or learning of students and those around them.  People with challenging behaviour find it difficult to communicate their desires and emotional and physical pain. Challenging behaviour is a situation that we have to deal with in my school setting. It is frequent with people having neurological problems or neurodevelopment differences like learning disability, dementia, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and autism.

 

The types of challenging behaviour in my school setting are verbal, non-verbal and physical. Verbal challenging behaviour is oral communication meant to express desires or pain and the action is not meant to hurt the people around them but to communicate agony, examples are using inappropriate language, threatening, arguing, screaming, shouting, and so forth.  No-verbal challenging behaviour can be noticeable in different ways and it is meant to deal with physical and emotional suffering, examples are swinging arms, pacing, eating inedible objects, social withdrawal and destructiveness.  Physical challenging behaviour occurs when a person feels stimulant or devastated, and examples are throwing things, biting, kicking, hair pulling, and hitting people and themselves.  

The causes of challenging behaviour observed in my school setting are cognitive challenges, emotional distress, physical discomfort, sensory sensitivity, unmet needs and communication difficulties. Children and young people with cognitive challenges find it difficult to process or understand situations which can lead to frustrations. Emotional distress like anxiety, anger, fear and frustration can result in challenging behaviour as the person may not have the requisite skills to communicate their emotions amicably. Physical discomfort like pain can lead to challenging behaviour. Some children and young people may have a high degree of sensitivity to smell, touch, sound and light, and that can trigger discomfort. Unmet needs like sleep, hunger, and thirst coupled with more intricate emotional or social desires like autonomy, sensory input and attention can lead to challenging behaviour.

 

There is an observed cycle of challenging behaviour in my school setting and they are trigger, escalation, crisis and recovery. A trigger is the antecedent or starting point of challenging behaviour and that is the distressing situation for the child. Escalation is the heightened or progressive situation for the child and young person, and that is when the person displays problematic actions. A crisis situation is where the person reaches a dangerous level and that will involve self-injury, severe aggression and other behaviours that show an instant risk to the person and those around them. A recovery state is a circumstance where the person becomes calm or in equilibrium after the escalation and crisis points and that involves supporting the person to control their emotion.

 

The standard ways of preventing and managing challenging behaviour in my school setting involve the use of de-escalation techniques (staying calm, taking away anything responsible for the distress, providing the person what he or she wants, providing the person space, entertain the person with what they enjoy), providing a more accustom way of communicating needs and emotions, ensuring the safety of student and staff and providing an alternative. We use positive behaviour support (PBS) to defuse potential flash points and that involves amending their routines to avoid common triggers, building coping strategies for stress like a deep breath and looking for safer ways of expressing themselves or finding acceptable communication methods.  We use a Multisensory Environment (MSE) as a de-escalating approach that is provided to assist the child and young person to utilise their remaining senses to be involved in and understand the world. Providing an environment where the child engages with people, objects and events in a multisensory environment can support them understand ideas about the world, and that helps in understanding in building trust and mutual respect.

 

References

 

Parenta (2021) How to…Support Children’s positive behaviour. Available at: https://www.parenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/How-to%E2%80%A6-Support-childrens-positive-behaviour.pdf (Accessed 20 October 2023)

National College for School Leadership (2011) Promoting the conditions for positive behaviour to help every child success. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7d534140f0b60a7f1a9d3a/promoting-the-conditions-for-positive-behaviour-to-help-every-child-succeed.pdf (Accessed 02 November 2023)

Burnham, L. and Baker, B. (2010) Supporting Teaching & Learning in Schools (Primary). Essex: Pearson Education Limited

Fulton, J. (2019) How important is consistency in behaviour management. Available at: https://www.classcraft.com/blog/consistency-in-behavior-management/ (Accessed 25 November 2023)

Curson, L.B. (1985) Teaching in Further Education: An outline of Principles and Practices. 3rd Edition. Great Britain: Biddles Ltd, Guildford

Ref: Suban, P., Sharma, U., Leif, E. and Patnaik, S. ( 2023) Five ways to use positive behaviour support strategies in your classroom. Available at: https://www.monash.edu/education/teachspace/articles/five-ways-to-use-positive-behaviour-support-strategies-in-your-classroom (Accessed 03 January 2024)

Rogers, G. (2022) Promote Positive Behaviour. Available at: https://www.twinkl.co.uk/blog/promote-positive-behaviour (Accessed 06 January 2024)

Nurseline Community Services (2023) Defining Challenging Behaviours: Causes, Triggers and Examples: Available at: https://nurselinecs.co.uk/challenging-behaviour/defining-challenging-behaviour-causes-triggers-and-examples/ (Accessed 14 January 2024)

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/behaviour-students/guidance/3-challenging-behaviour-influences-and-triggers (Accessed 25 January 2024)

Sense (2023) Challenging behaviour. Available at: https://www.sense.org.uk/information-and-advice/conditions/challenging-behaviour/ (Accessed 09 February 2024)

Pagliano, P. (2001) Using a Multisensory Environment: A Practical Guide for Teachers. Great Britain: David Fulton Publishers

 

Author:

PRINCE FODAY

Professional Freelance Journalist, Educationist, Humanitarian Politician and Independent Global Peace Ambassador

 

 

 

 


Tuesday, March 5, 2024

ELECTIONS IN SIERRA LEONE


National Equal Rights, Justice, Freedom and Peace


The elections in Sierra Leone are scheduled for Saturday 24th June 2023. It is a truism that both the All People’s Congress and the Sierra Leone People's Party have an equal chance of winning. The evidence of that is the past election in 2018 that brought a sucker punch to the optimism of the APC. There is the possibility that SLPP might have the same sucker punch.

 

The lessons of the civil war and an increase in socio-political awareness remain to be helpful to a reasonable amount of our people. We know that some continue to be consumed by blind loyalty and extreme creeds to the extent of not being supportive of improving the traditional political myth of violence, intolerance and poverty gap.

 

The unfortunate situation is the main political parties concentrate more on turning against each other than focusing on delivering the contents of their manifesto. Both parties forget that they are one national family and the predominant creed in their political and personal DNA continues to make our people worse off and remain in abject poverty. Wealth gathering at the expense of their people remains a norm- they want all for themselves and continue to deprive our people of a national cake that belongs to all.

 

Both  SLPP and  APC parties are known to instil fear in our people when it comes to elections and forget the fact that our world is now civilised beyond political pettiness and the traditional myth of political intolerance. Sierra Leone is a fragile state and continues to be a focus of international players. The optimism is that there be will no political violence, although the country is envisaged to experience pockets of violence through the after-effect of election results. Pockets of violence after elections remain to be the trend and that is truly unhealthy for modern politics- the trend of violence calls for immense sensitisation from the core of political groups.

 

The caution to those individuals, political members, households, communities and the country at large that have the right to vote in tomorrow’s election is that please be wise and vote responsibly. The decision that shall be made would either land the nation in perpetual poverty or rebuild the country from decade poverty and socio-economic backwardness.

 

Elections are held every five years and it is significant to assess the performance of political parties every year. The information about the performance of the political parties can be gathered from observation, online and otherwise. The performance assessment tip below can be of help in making an appropriate decision and in the determination of a vote.

 

 

Performance Assessment Tips: Political Parties in Power

 

The political party in power has a great influence on the government machinery. The national resources of any country are managed and led by the political factor. The failure of the political factor to show true management and leadership qualities can result in socioeconomic malaise and lead to a failed state. The performance assessment tips to consider in determining the performance of a political party in power are:

 

o   What is happening to poverty? This requires a consideration of the poverty gap (whether wide or small). Is the national income reasonably shared or clustered around the few elites or political cronies? Are people across the country benefiting from the revenue from various public sector departments? Are the incomes received abroad through aid and government businesses properly accounted for in the country’s income pool?

 

o   What is happening to employment? - Is the national recruitment fair? What is happening to employment trends from one year to another throughout their five years in power?

 

o   What is happening to inflation? - Are the inflation figures from one year to another decreasing or increasing throughout their their years in power? This can be determined through prices of goods and services from one year to another throughout their five-year term. It is a good Inflationary indicator if prices of goods and services are decreasing throughout their five years in power.

 

Performance Assessment Tip: Individuals and households

 

o   Did the political party in power bring any change in your well-being? The type of change that empowers you to earn an income to meet basic needs, meet your health care need, make provision for life after retirement, support your mental well-being, etc.

 

o   Was the government accountable to you through information about its activities?-Income received from public activities and expenditure.

 

o   Were you informed of the income-expenditure spreadsheet and is the information made known in the different languages in the country through the different communication mediums in the country?

 

o   How fair was the wealth distribution model of the government? Did the wealth flow fairly across the country, east, west and south of the country?

 

o   Do the children have enough playgrounds throughout the country and were there enough day centres across the country for children, young people and young people?

 

o   Are the children and young people in the country well fed or did the government empower parents and carers to put enough food on the table for children and young people?

 

o   Are children and young from poor parental or carer backgrounds having free meals at schools?

 

o   Is education accessible to all from primary, secondary and tertiary? Is there a provision for supporting those who cannot be educated or cannot afford to be educated?

 

o   Do you have a comfortable place to sleep? What provision has the government made in your housing needs?

 

Performance Assessment Tips: Political Party Members and Party Loyalists

 

o   Political supporters or members are meant to be taken care of by their political parties. Did your political party empower you to earn a living or meet your welfare needs?- Are you employed or is there fair government support for self-employed members and loyalists

 

o   Is the political party accountable? The party management structure nationwide or subgroup wise is obliged to provide a comprehensive report of its activities.

 

o   Are you involved in decision-making in the party? - Is the process of decision-making democratic?

 

o   Is the process of making political appointments fair across the country or in all the regions?

 

o   Did you sense any ethical divide unhealthy for politics and the country?-Are the party members looking at themselves as one national family focused on a common political goal or are there ethnical divisions of form that is against the general principles of a political party?

 

o   Are you generally happy at the party or happy with your general well-being?

 

Performance Assessment Tips: Communities

 

o   What is the position of infrastructure development in your community? - Are the road networks, education, health, water and sanction, etc., satisfactory in the community? Are the same facilities in cities present in the community?

 

o   Is the political party in power or government of the day supportive or subsidising community development efforts?

 

o   Is there any decentralised system in your community? Do you have sub-government offices in your community? - Both rural and urban sectors. Are facilities in the city or urban available in the community?

 

o   Is the government engaging the community as a whole in investment opportunities locally and from overseas?

 

o   Is the community benefiting from activities by investors (both locally and overseas investors)? - Are the investors responding to their corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the community? Are the people in the community aware of any gifts and other benefits from those investors? Are community leaders accountable and transparent to their people?

 

o   Are there social amenities for children, young people and adults in the community?

 

o   Do the ageing and retired have a social safety net or opportunities available to them in the community?

 

o   Are the people generally happy in with their government, community leaders and otherwise?

 

 Author: 

Prince Foday

London, United Kingdom


 

 


Sunday, March 3, 2024

THE REFERENDUM ON BREXIT AND BREMAIN IN EUROPE UNION

Author: Prince Foday



The referendum on Brexit and Bremain in the European Union is near the corner and scheduled for June 23, 2016. Politics in Britain had been meddling around the need for the referendum and it is great that the issue that was hanging around is now coming to fruition. This is what democracy is about and we need to applaud the politics in Great Britain for that. The voice and decisions of the people in modern politics are what matters and the incoming referendum is a clear showcase of Britain being an epitome of modern politics. Politics is all about putting the people first rather than a self-centered or autocratic style of politics that isolates the people in the national decision-making process. Whether Britain is going to stay or not in Europe that will be determined by the peoples’ vote in the incoming referendum.  The people are prepared to vote and whatever the outcome shall be they will live with it. The same scenario applies to individuals and households when making decisions. Individuals and households make decisions that they get wrong or right. The truth is, there is no need to cry over a spilt meal when the decision is proved wrong, as there are provisions for reviewing decisions to meet dynamic changes. Decisions are associated with potential shocks and it is a great thing to do to cope with those shocks and have a positive outlook about it. The Brexit and Bremen arguments are pouring in ahead of the referendum to convince voters to vote for either side. However, one could observe the uncertainty about which side will win. We might wake up the next day after counting the ballot box to see a Brexit win or loss. Whatever the result may be is the decision of the people and it is incumbent on all to live with the decision and any accompany shocks from it. It is Britain that decided to join the European Union and it is the same Britain that will decide to leave or stay. The questions that desire answers are, why was the European Union created? When was the European Union formed? Which countries are in the European Union? What is the purpose of the European Union? What are the Gross Domestic Product and a population of the European Union? The fact that Britain is part of the Commonwealth and European Union (EU) and the fact that there are EU funded projects in most of the Commonwealth nations makes the Commonwealth concern about his brother's referendum on existing or remaining in the EU.

Understanding the Crux of the European Union
The EU was created after the Second World War and it was meant to build unity between France and Germany. This unity in effect laid the foundation stone for the EU. The union itself originated from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), which was established in 1951 and 1958 respectively. The membership of the community includes Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, France, Italy, Britain, Netherlands, Greece, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal. Eighteen African countries were associate members.  It is from the ECSC and EEC that many other European Communities sprang and this further led to the now formed European Union. The EU was formed through the Maastricht Treaty in 1993 followed by the latest major constitutional amendment from the Treaty of Lisbon that came into force in 2009. The main aims of the European Economic Community are to reduce tariffs (tariff being the duty or tax imposed on the export or import of goods) so as to bring about free trade between member states, to unify the tariffs of member states so that there would be a common tariff between EEC members, to create the free mobility of goods, labour (services), capital and entrepreneur among member states. The European Union is an eco-political union that consists of twenty-eight countries and they  are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Each of the countries is independent but has an agreement to trade between them.  The European Economic Area entails European Union countries but countries like Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are allowed only to be part of the EU single market. Switzerland is not part of the European Economic Area (ECA) but allowed to be part of the single market, meaning nationals of Switzerland have equal rights to live and work in the United Kingdom.  The European Union has a Gross Domestic Product at a market price of $18.51 trillion (World Bank Statistics, 2014) and a population of 508.5 million (World Bank Statistics, 2014).


The Paradox of Brexit and Bremain

On Britain's contribution to the EU budget, Bremain argues that Britain pays the EU £ 340 a year per household relative to an estimated £ 3, 000 yearly benefits from EU membership and that, in or out, payment is needed to access the single market whereas the Brexit school of thought argues that Britain can stop sending £350 million, equivalent to half England's school budget, to Brussels every week and that the money can be spent on scientific research and new industries. The Bremain argument on immigration is that leaving Europe does not mean reduced immigration and that countries that trade with EU from outside have higher rates of immigration, including from EU Countries, than Britain whilst the Brexit school argues that Britain change the expensive and out-of-control system that offers an open door to the EU and blocks non-EU Immigrants who could contribute to the UK.  In the case of Foreign influence, Bremain argues that at international summits Britain is represented twice by the foreign secretary and the EU high representative and co-operation has helped fight Ebola and piracy in Africa on the other hand Brexit view on foreign influence is that Britain has little influence within the EU and that from outside it can retake seats on international institutions and be of stronger influence for free trade and co-operation. In the case of regulation, the Bremain strongly argues that most EU regulation collapses and that 28 national standards into to one European standard, reducing red tape and benefiting business, and that remaining in can fight for better regulation whereas the Brexit lot argues that leaving will return control over areas like employment, law, health and safety measures that a recent business for Britain could find business favoured. On the issue of trade, Bremain argues that Britain avoids exporter tariffs and red tape, important as 45% of British exports go to the EU, and that with Britain's membership in EU, Britain can obtain better trade terms because of the size of EU whereas Brexit argument is that Britain will negotiate a new EU relationship without being bound by EU law and that it can secure trade deals with other important countries such as China, India and America.

(Source: The Economist)


Britain and the Commonwealth, Will the Centre Hold Again after the Referendum?

Britain has a relationship with other Commonwealth nations, and so, the Brexit and Bremain referendum should be by implication a concern. There is a connected relationship between the Commonwealth and European Union, as Britain is part of the Commonwealth. This can be explained from the principle of transitivity, which says that if A equal to B and B equal to C, therefore, A equal to C. The principle of transitivity clearly shows that if Britain is part of the European Union and Britain is part of the Commonwealth, hence, Commonwealth is part of the European Union. The Commonwealth has a blood relationship with Europe through Britain's relationship with the Commonwealth. Commonwealth is an association of fifty-three independent nations, all but one being a former British colony, and its membership spans from Africa, Asia, Caribbean and Americas, and Europe. The association is formed with the aim of promoting peace, democracy and development. Britain had been in a strong relationship with the Commonwealth but the strength of the relationship shifted to the European Union, leaving the Commonwealth being a white elephant. Whether the results after the June 23 referendum will be in favour of either Brexit or Bremain, the question is, will Britain renew the strong relationship it had formerly established with the Commonwealth? The information gathered from the global baobab tree shows that there are two schools of thought to it. One of the schools of thought says that the Brexit win will renew the strong relationship Britain had with the Commonwealth. The other school of thought is with the conviction that the centre will never hold and that the white elephant relationship will still thrive on. The truth is, Britain's polygamous relationship with the Commonwealth and European Union is not responsive of what is enshrined in the scriptures, which says that “if you are married to two or more wives, you need to ensure that all the wives are given equal treatment”. Britain seems to be running away from the relationships it had entered into with the Commonwealth and now it wants to the runway from the European Union. There is a gainsaying that, “if you fight and run away you will be forced to fight another day”. Britain has an unfinished job with the Commonwealth and European and abandoning those jobs will lead to a chaotic situation that will have a ripple effect on their nation. The Commonwealth, for which, Britain is the lead member of the association is not working to expectations and the state of affairs in those Commonwealth nations will truly justify that. The very peace, democracy and development as the basis of the formation of the Commonwealth have yielded a minimal result and Britain needs to take the Commonwealth seriously to reasonably achieve those objectives. Commonwealth nations have a role to play in Britain's stability and tackling the chronic problems in those nations will avoid the existing and potential spill-over effects on Britain. Britain can stop increasing migration from those Commonwealth countries by holding their governance properly accountable to their people and enabling them to create the inertia for their people to stay. The governance in those impoverished Commonwealth nations are inappropriately honouring their pledge of maintaining peace, democracy and development to their countries, hence, Britain is bearing the brunt of their inefficiencies. If there is a leak on tap, you need to tackle the problem from the source. The issue of increasing migration from the impoverish Commonwealth nations are as a result of social, political and economic instability fuelled by the bad governance in those countries. Britain can effectively deal with the problems of immigration, terrorism or security problems by renewing its strong relationship with the Commonwealth and ensuring that those issues having a spread-effect on them are solved from the source. The terrorist attack on British citizens in Tunisia is a manifestation of the need for Britain to take the lead in solving the alarming insecurity problems in Commonwealth countries and around the world so as to ensure the safety of British nationals or tourists travelling around the Commonwealth and the globe. Holding the governance in the impoverish Commonwealth nations truly accountable is a way of mitigating the immigration pressure and other domestic pressure on Great Britain. A bird's eye view of those deprived Commonwealth nations will show that they are rich in resources in relation to their population but the immense greed, weak transparency and accountability and the empire of dictatorship had made the performance indicator for peace, democracy and development out of the feasible region. There are Commonwealth and European Union-funded projects in those ruined Commonwealth nations but it seems those projects are not providing positive outcomes, as a large proportion of those funds are not spent on the target projects but distribute between private pockets and administration. Britain has to be cognisance of this and turn the table to the direction of true transparency and accountability for the Commonwealth projects. Leaving the state of affairs to continue as it is will make Britain and the Commonwealth continue facing the burning problems inherent in their nations. We need serious of purpose in achieving peace, true democracy and development.

The Brexit and Bremain Analytics

The arguments on Brexit and Bremain had been around immigration, trade, foreign influence, budget and regulation. We all have the rights to our opinions and such discussions are good for promoting effective democracy. We are all winners in our own views and it is a way of pursuing mutual understanding for the common good. The various schools of thoughts on the Brexit and Bremain have been keenly looked at and feel that there is a need for an independent evaluation of the points raised by both sides. Britain is surely better to stay in the European Union than to leave. The simple point is, “no one nation is an island or can survive alone”. Nations need each other in the area of trade, benefits from immigration and the influence nations will have on each other and benefits from regulations. It is better for Britain to stay in the European Union and be part of the solutions to the problems than exiting. In a marriage, you sign before God and man that “for better and for worst”, so Britain needs to stay in Europe for better and for worst. Britain has to remain in the Europe Union but within the context of helping in the reformation process. The free movement of people as the basis of the European Union is what is making the people of other European Union member nations coming to Britain and making British people to move to other European member nations for the sake of tourism or selling their services. If Britain exits the European Union, a cloud of serious dust will be raised that will take a long time to settle. Britain leaving will lead to huge unemployment problems and domestic pressure. The question that desires answer is, what preparation has Britain made to absorb those British people who are going to lose their jobs out of Britain when they come back home? The returnee mess will be long to clear, so, Britain has to be ready to clear the mess when the referendum turns in favour of Brexit. Trade among European Union member nations allows free movement of goods and services. Trade paves the way for British goods and services to be sold in other European member nations and this is great for the national income through the net income from other European Union member countries. It is obvious that the net effect of the income raised by Britain from trade in other European member nations in relation to trade by other European Union member nations in Britain will inevitably be positive, making a trade by Britain in other European Union member nations fit for purpose. Britain's presence in foreign decision making is very necessary, as it is better to be part of the change than abandoning the influence on change. Britain being part of the Europe Union will help in solving security and other social problems, economic and political problems at home and abroad. Britain's foreign influence is good for its domestic stability and the stability of other European Union member states. For the case of its contributions to the EU budget, the benefits derived from the contributions outweigh the expenses on the EU budget. There are EU sponsored projects in Britain and the expenses on those projects are far more than what Britain is contributing to the European Union budget. The direct beneficiaries of the EU sponsor projects are individuals,  private and public investments, so Britain's contribution to the EU budget is something that the British nations are directly benefiting from or is a form of investment by Britain, for which, they benefit the more. Regulations or controls are necessary ingredients for any union. Export of goods regulation by the European Union is meant to control goods exported within and outside European Union member states. Where there are no regulations, members countries will export goods at their own peril, hence, attracting a cheaper price for their goods. With regulation on the amount to be exported, a higher price will be attracted. This is the reason why there is a “buffer stock system” to control the export of goods. Buffer stock system is where goods are stored in the warehouse when prices are low in the world market to create an artificial shortage in order to sell at the time when the goods can attract higher prices in the world market. Britain being in the European Union can help to regulate the exportation of their goods, tariffs and other tools of regulations. The Laws in Brussels are within the global context and standardised for the general good of the European member nations. Britain leaving Europe will never make much difference to the laws Britain will end up adopting.

Conclusion

On account of the above, it is relevant for Britain to stay in the European Union. The European Union, like any marriage or relationship, is a necessary evil. The referendum is close and Britain has to be careful when voting on 23rd June 2016. The statistics for the polls are coming up but what really matters is the outcome of the referendum this coming Thursday. There is uncertainty about the two sides of the coin, which is Brexit and Bremain, so Britain has to be prepared for the sucker punch. We live in a global world where a single nation can never succeed alone in dealing with its social, economic and political problems. No one nation can handle its domestic problems alone, so there is the desire to be in a strong relationship with other neighbours and being in it together to solve the common problems. Being part of an international economic organisation can pull resources, talents, transferred skills and otherwise. The days of Narcissism are over and the modern world is about cohesiveness and eliminating the very issues that were setting us backwards. Britain needs to remain in the European Union and remain for good. The European Union needs Britain and Britain needs the European Union. It is better for Britain to stay and fight for the issues surrounding their grievances than abandon an unsolved problem which may hunt the nation back. What I will suggest Britain do is remain and reform the issues on immigration and other issues that form their grievances. Immigration is a global problem and none of the immigrants is happy to live their countries, due to the strong lineage the immigrants have with family and friends in their countries of birth. The immigrants are living because of the awful state of affairs in their countries ignited by weak governance. People are migrating because of social, economic and political inequalities and problems. The European Union is divided into rich and poor nations and Britain being in the European Union can assist in closing the poverty gap and stabilise the pressure on the rich side of the brotherhood. Apart from Europe, Britain is urged to strongly embrace the Commonwealth and help in cementing the cracks in it. The Commonwealth has rich and poor sides of the brotherhood, so Britain needs to take the lead in closing the poverty gap and shape the Commonwealth towards the path of sustainable peace, standardised and acceptable democracy and development that is spread in both the rural and urban sectors of each Commonwealth nations. I have to rest my case now and hope it will be properly digested and acted on for this is the only non-financial contribution the author can give Great Britain, the European Union and the global world. We need world peace and this will only come with collective actions at micro and macro levels.

Author:

Prince Foday
Woolwich Common Ward Organiser, Media Coordinator and fundraising officer for Greenwich and Woolwich Labour Party 







 















 

  






 

 







  




 

 












Tuesday, October 24, 2023

UNDERSTANDING HOW TO SUPPORT SEN AND ESOL

Author: Prince Foday

 


 

 




The Common Types of Special Educational Needs in Children and Young People

 

Special, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) is about challenges around one or more areas of communication like difficulties in understanding statements from people, stammering and interacting with others.

 

Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) are difficulties linked with being withdrawn coupled with disturbing behaviour. The disturbing behaviour may be due to mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, etc. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Persuasive Development Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Bipolar and Anxiety Disorder are other behavioural disorder associated with some children and young people. Children and young people with SEMH may find it difficult to cope with sustainable healthy relationships.

 

Sensory and/or physical and medical need refers to disabilities based on sensory (visual and hearing impairments) and physical (limitations on a person’s physical mobility or having problems with stamina).

 

Cognitive and Learning Difficulties is form of disability associated with a children and young people with a slower pace in learning. Children and young people may face a broad range of learning needs such as moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) and specific learning difficulties ( SPLD). MLD can be evidenced through understanding of abstract ideas, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving and building ideas, organising steps required to complete a duty, organising and coordinating written and spoken language, and memory and reasoning skills. SLD is linked with severe cognitive and intellectual impairments and children and young people with such impairment  need support when engaging with established curriculum, and may have problems with self-help skills, perception, communication, mobility and coordination. PMLD shows the situation where children and young people have significant difficulties with self- care, receptive and expressive language, attention and concentration, social competence and self-organisation. SPLD is a learning difficulty that covers conditions such as dyslexia (deficiency in reading, spelling words and accuracy), dyscalculia ( difficulty with solving mathematical problems or understanding numbers), dysgraphia ( a neurological problem that makes it difficult for a person to build letters in writing) and  dyspraxia ( having motor learning difficulties and developmental coordination- problems with memory, processing, judgment, movement, coordination, etc.)

 


An Outline of the Different Ways in Which Children and Young People with Learning Difficulties Can Be Supported

 

The learning environment is significant to reduce auditory information overload through clear and simple communication. Making speaking and writing short, facing and calling for quiet during instructions are important for learners.

 

Using the right resources based on the need of the learner should be taken into consideration. The child may be a kinaesthetic learner (learns best through doing and moving), an auditory learner (learns best by reading) and visual learner (learns best by reading or seeing). Kinaesthetic learners need hands on through field trips and doing experiments. Auditory learners can be supported through reading notes aloud or listening to audio on the subject. Visual learners learn through illustrations, highlighted notes, flash cards, videos, books and visual aids.

 

Praise is an important for learners. This can be done through rewarding students and establishing a positive tone in the classroom. The use of 5 positive statements and then a negative remark can be a helpful tool in the classroom (5 plus 1 rule). Although it is good to offer praise to students, it is appropriate to be consistent with disciplinary procedures and avoid using reward to influence appropriate behaviour.

 

Having a network of relationship around the child and young people can lead to a safe and ideal team capable of  building trust. That requires building partnership with parents and guardians that commit a consistent support to the child and young people.

 

It takes time to build trusted relationship with the people, particularly for those with attachment difficulties. The child and young people should be accepted for who they are and allowing time to build relationship with them matters.

 

People with attachment difficulties find it hard to encourage strangers in their lives- that hold for the child and young people too. It is challenging for the child with attachment difficulties to allow to be groomed by strangers, hence, there is the need for adults delivery care to be firm with safeguarding practice.

 

Outside support is important to parents and guardians with children and young people having special educational needs. The local information, advice and support services (IASS) can be contacted for information and guidance. The scope of information provided by IASS is huge and that covers information on the local authorities complaints procedure and process of resolving disputes, advice for the parents of children and young on gathering, understanding, interpretation and application of information to their situation, legal issues pertinent to children and young people with special educational needs, personalised budget, the local offer and local policy and practices.

 

 

Description of the Effect of a Primary Disability on Children and Young People

 

Children and young people suffering from physical disability are held back by opportunities around them and that will have an effect on their social, emotional and physical development.

 

Social impacts are those outcomes of primary disability experience at personal, family and community levels. At personal level, Child and young people with disability struggle with maintaining positive self-esteem. People with disabilities build an attitude that have the consequence of a negative behaviour. Disability can lead to low self-esteem- the situation where people feel undervalue and insured. A person with disability may lack a sense of belong that will limit them from interacting with colleagues and otherwise. The insecurities linked with disability lead people with disability to isolate themselves from social activities, thereby making it difficult for an accessible and inclusive society. At family level, families caring for children with special needs are at the risk of poverty due to loss of paid job. The poverty situation of families can build tension at the domestic front, thereby leading to potential divorce or separation. At community level, negative community attitudes falsely stigmatise disability as been bad luck and shameful. Such a stigma limits those with disability from engaging in  livelihoods, healthcare, education and other areas of life. Community stigmatised attitudes around people with disability is as a result of prejudice, discrimination, fear and limited awareness. Such a negative behaviour within communities is unhealthy for our inclusive world and that has an impact on a nation’s income drive. 

 

Emotions have a strong impact on our day-to-day lives. People’s daily decision is based on whether they are sad, happy, frustrated, bored and angry. The child’s physical symptom can influence his or her emotional development. The degree of physical disability of a child can have an impact on their mood and behaviour. When a child is distress, their behaviour becomes harder to control. Disability can result to emotional disorders where a child or young person loses both school and outside interests. Emotional and behavioural disorders (EBD) are particular mental health disorders that cause acute challenges with both behaviours and emotions. Children and young people with EBD find it difficult to show the right behaviour and regulate emotions. Emotional and Behavioural Disorder makes it difficult for the child to control actions and feelings, impact on their success in school, and affects their general happiness. EBD can impact the child’s behaviour, cognitive functioning, social development and feelings.

 

Physical disabilities like asthma or speech and learning impairment can limit children from engaging in games, sports and other social activities. The child’s limitation from sport and social activities can build frustrations leading the child to misbehave because they are unable to join the physical activity. Children and young people with physical disability find it difficult to join their colleagues to play and that is even serious where there is sensory impairment and challenges with communication. People with physical disability, children and young people inclusive, are meant to experience social discrimination and lack of integrated care. The child and young people with physical disability may time and again have difficulty in building positive social emotional mental health, processing and regulating and dealing out sensory information, social interaction, managing pain and fatigue, communicating with others, building self-care skills, doing work independently, recording ideas and thoughts clearly and on time, undertaking practical tasks, engaging in learning and assessment, utilising equipment and facilities safely and accessing the physical environment.

 

 

Analysis of the Nature and Level of Sensory and Physical Needs of Children within an Educational Setting

 

Children within an educational  setting may  have different forms of disabilities. Their disabilities are evidenced from the condition of the body (impairment) making it difficult to partake in certain activities (activity limitation) and have social interaction (participation restrictions). The disability within an educational  setting ranges from social relations, mental health, hearing, communicating, learning, remembering, thinking, movement, and vision.

 

Physical and sensory impairment covers a wide range of medical conditions and affects a person’s body and mind, making it difficult for a person to undertake normal daily activities. The impairment may be mild, moderate and severe. Some children and young people may have hearing or visual difficulties, epilepsy, autistic spectrum disorder and learning needs.


Sensory impairment is the malfunctioning of one’s senses such as hearing, sight, smell, touch and taste. Hearing impairment is associated with hearing loss and it may range from mild to severe. Visual impairment is the loss of a perfect sight and can range from zero sight to some degree of valuable sight. Some children and young people have a delay in sensory development and struggle to take part in everyday activities.

 

Some children and young people with physical disabilities may be cognitively able.

 

Examples of disabilities that can be observed in educational settings are:

  •  Cognitive and learning- This is about memory and understanding
  • Conditions evident during childhood- These are Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity  Disorder (ADHD)

 

Below is a case study of physical and sensory assessments within an educational setting

 

Physical and Sensory Assessment 1

 

Name: JFC

Date of Assessment: 10th February 2022

Observation: Diagnosis of ASD; physically healthy and fit; very lively and like talking to himself; can use toilet, change cloth, eat independently; can independently follow clear and simple instructions;  do not write with hand but increasingly good at typing; have no awareness of traffic

Support: Likes  going to gym when hyper; needs hand on shoulder to calm down when hyper; needs carton of milk or pre-cut apple as a reward for working well; can regulate when put in quiet corner; likes clear and calm voice; like a quiet and ordered working environment

 

Physical and Sensory Assessment 2

 

Name: IB

Date of Assessment: 6th July 2021

Observation: Diagnosis of ASD and ADHD; can independently go to toilet but need help to wash hands; can feed himself independently but need reminder to use cutlery; can dress and undress himself but need prompting; like being naked sometimes; can repeat himself a lot and can slap his neck when frustrated; he can communicate well; can be frustrated by change in routine

Support: He needs visual timetable to know what is now and next and need adults to regularly interact the schedule with him; likes to address as IB to know you are talking to him; he has to observed at all times in class, school trips and otherwise, as he can run or get missing

 

Physical and Sensory Assessment 3

 

Name: TW

Date of Assessment: 22nd October 2022

Observation: Diagnosis of ASD and down syndrome; lactose intolerant and not allowed dairy products; underactive thyroid; can independently use toilet, eat, wear and take cloth; need adult support to help manage behaviour; has severe communication difficulty; enjoys being around adults and peers but have difficulty in initiating social interaction-this means he can hit, kick, push or spit to gain attention

Support: Need adult to remind him to aim at toilet; need verbal reminders and sometimes need help to wipe himself; need support with transitions, pre-warning at the end of an activity and reminding verbally what is next; sometimes need support when travelling around the school and at lunch time as he finds those times difficult and challenging.

 

Physical and Sensory Assessment 4

 

Name: CFB

Date of Assessment: 15th June 2021

Observation: She has diagnosis of ASD and epilepsy; can follow verbal instructions; she needs 5-10 seconds to process information before acting upon it; can independently go to toilet; can eat independently under supervision; she does not like loud noise; can be frustrated when not being understood or denied something that she likes; she is attention seeking; she can scratch, pinch, bite scream and throw herself  on the floor when frustrated or denied what she wants; she likes seeking sensory experiences.

Support: she needs prompting to get changed; sometimes need prompting to consistently use cutlery when eating; need space and time for herself; need clear and consistent instructions

 

 

Describing the Roles and Responsibilities of Others that Contribute to the Support of Learners with Sensory and /or Physical needs

 

Community Paediatrician is a specialist doctor employed by the health and social care Trust, and has the responsibility of examining the need of children and young people. The doctor can discuss concerns about potential learning difficulties, provide advisory services on health matters and pass on important concerns to education authority in the region upon consent.

 

Designated Medical Officer has the task of gathering statutory medical and social services advice. It is a must for all children and young people to undergo medical assessment to determine whether they have an important medical need.

 

Educational psychologists are required to provide advisory service to the education authority as component part of a child’s statutory assessment. They are qualified and experienced teachers and must hold a post graduate qualification in developmental and educational psychology. Educational psychologists can provide advice on the educational needs of the child and young people, and suggest ways to assist the child and young people.

 

Health Visitor is a qualified nurse having specialist training and may refer pre-school child and young people with special educational needs to the community paediatrician. They may be asked for advice from designated medical officer when on the process of making statutory assessment.

 

Learning Support Teacher are employed by education authority and there to support teachers in schools, and directly assist the child and young people.

 

Named Officer provides support, help and advice to parents during the process of child’s assessment. They are by and large employed in the special education section of the education authority in the region.

 

Occupational Therapist provides assessment, rehabilitation and treatment to the child and young people that have  processing, co-ordination and physical problems. They are employed by health and social care trust and may be asked by designated medical officer to give advice in the process of statutory assessment.

 

Physiotherapist is trained to give assessment and treatment in getting over physical and movement problems like challenges in coordination, walking, standing, sitting and balance. They are employed by health and social care trust and may be asked by designated medical officer for advice in the process of statutory assessment.  

 

 

Explaining the Specialist Equipment and Technology that Would Be Used By Learners with Sensory and/or Physical Needs

 

Assistive Technology: These are broad range of tools that can support someone to communicate, learn and undertake daily functions. Assistive technology can be low-tech (sensory balls, picture boards and weighted vests that does not require electricity), mid-tech (visual timers and sensory toys that are inexpensive to operate) and high-tech (augmentative communication technology for non-verbal children and young people and robots built to improve their social skills that operate digitally).

 

Audio Players and Recorders: The use of audio visual material can be significant to teaching process. Audio-visual-aids (AVA) can widen the medium of communication between the teacher and students in a classroom.  The idea of teaching based on sound produced by the teacher generates  the feeling that communication can best be achieved through the channel of sound. Engaging students’ senses of hearing, touching and seeing, etc., can be facilitated through AVA as such form of communication relates to all senses and the right inspiration provided by the educator.

 

ICT Technology Platforms: These are mediating instruments used to support students to gain understanding. The use of ICT technology instruments such as closed circuit television, micro-projector and overhead projector can enhance student perception, assimilation and retention of learning materials. Email, messaging, phone calls, WhatsApp, Zoom, and Google meet and other ICT technology platforms are important for learning and socialising.

 

Reading Guides/Coloured Overlays: Colour overlays are usually utilised as solution for the visual stress indicators co-occurring with dyslexia. A latest report show that visual stress indicators pose a strong sensory stimulus coupled with a dense written text, and that might result to a decrease in effectiveness of the hindering systems in the visual perspective, hence, leading to an extreme excitation of the cortical neurons and that would have the ultimate effect of distortions and illusions. Wilkins and Evans (2010) advanced colour outlays to be efficient because they allocate the extreme excitation and hence diminish the indicators of visual stress, thereby enhancing written text processing and written. The following points are significant for reading guides and colour outlays: autistic people desire enough space around them and find it difficult to deal with crowds, cluster and narrow spaces; pattern colours can be agonising and devastating for some people; people with autism have a conceive meaning for different colours and that has different effects on them-yellow and red are stimulating, light blue helps in concentration and green is restful; sleeping difficulties can be treated through darkness and soft bed-time music; autistic people find fluorescent lighting distracting and unbearable.

 

Timer: Timers are utilised as visual aids to check how much time is left to complete a task. Sand timers and wristwatches are some examples of timers. Timers can assist students having difficulties with transitioning from task to task and it can mentally aid them to switch from one task to the other.

 

FM Listening System:  The symbol FM refers to frequency modulation. FM system allows the speaker to use microphone whilst the listener wears microphone. The receiver is a simple pair of headphones or hearing device that channels a sound from a speaker. Children and young people that are deaf often use FM systems to mitigate the challenges in listening. Listening devices can be in the form of hearing aids or cochlear implants.

 

Calculator: This is a useful resource meant to assist in numerical awareness and mathematical thinking strategies of children and young people. Calculators are significant tool for learning arithmetic operations, promoting problem-solving and substitute to thinking. The type of calculator to use depends on the ability of the child in solving mathematical problems. There are calculators for different levels of students. Simple calculator is use for students with low level in arithmetic calculations. There are large-display and talking calculators available for students. Talking calculator has a built-in speech output to make operational keys, numbers and symbols sound loud and ensure that students press the right key.

 

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC): This includes gesturing, giving thumps up, pointing, frowning and waving. The categories of AAC consist of non-aided ( such as body language, pointing, gestures and facial expression), aided ( like the use of assisting technology equipment- both software and hardware) and paper-based ( such as auditory scanning books, spelling boards, pragmatic organisation dynamic display book and many more).

 

Writing Support: Lots of students with learning disabilities have challenges with the different dimensions of written language. Many have problems with the issue of editing, revising, grammar and spelling. The advancement in technology has made it possible for children with learning difficulties to use word prediction, keyboards arranged in alphabetical and sound-based keyboards meant to enhance text entry, and spell-check devices useful for writing support.

 

 

Identifying the Language and Vocabulary that is Appropriate to the Age of Learners, and their Individual Level of Understanding and Proficiency, and How to Introduce New Concepts

 

Language is the integration of gestures, words and social skills that are capable of assisting us in communicating with others. It is away in which we show our feelings, thoughts and link with others. Teaching children and young people the right form of language and vocabulary can be important in building their knowledge and ability to become good citizens.

 

It is important to build routines and create the environment where children and young people can learn for a successful pathway in life. To achieve such a successful pathway in life, teachers and parents/guardians should establish set of boundaries, have to be explicit with rules and consequences, should be good role models, have to be cognisance of media and other models, be familiar with ages and stages.  Children and young people should be taught to be polite when talking (refrain from swearing or cursing or avoid using invective words) and have the patience to take turns or allow others to have their say. Teachers and parents/guardians should assist the child to understand what is allowed and know the result of breaking defined rules.  It is significant to obey establish rules (consistency in the use of appropriate language) as children and young people would be constantly observing the behaviour of their role model.  Children and young people should be encouraged to avoid inappropriate media, music and television as it will not teach them to learn appropriate language.  It is challenging to use appropriate language based on the child’s age and development coupled with the situation where there are children of varying ages –it is important to be mindful  about what to say even where a child is young and cannot speak as he or she is  capable of absorbing  information around them.


Using appropriate language and vocabulary for children and young people can encourage their self-awareness, self-management, build their relationship skills, enable them self-regulate, and build their social and emotional proficiency. Recognising age appropriate language is significant in enlightening the child to be a respectful student, family member and peer. It is important to stress that various environments demand different diction or voice tone (for example, loud voice can be acceptable during play time but not when in the Library where quietness is needed)-educating the child about culture, equality and diversity are important for them to  adjust to social norms and be socially responsible. Children and young should be taught to use appropriate language for their peer, the elderly and in formal situations-slangs can be used among peers but that needs to be avoided when talking to the elderly or within a formal settings. Assisting the child and young people to build language and vocabulary skills is important for the early childhood classroom. The task for teachers, parents and guardians is to ensure that the child uses the right language and vocabulary at the appropriate time, and that the most significant element to a child’s success as a learner is the volume of vocabulary at their disposal from the early childhood. The three types of language skills that teachers should keep in mind are expressive language (words used by children when the talk), receptive language (words children can comprehend) and pragmatic language (words children can utilise in a social environment). 


A sound knowledge about English language proficiency for supporting learners is significant for teachers and schools. The Bell Foundation’s award-winning English as Additional Language (EAL) Assessment Framework for schools established a set of standards to support teachers and schools. The levels of English proficiency set by the Bell Foundation are new to English (working at band A), early acquisition (working at band B), developing competence (working at band C), competent (working at band D) and Fluent (working at band E). New to English learners need substantial support to access curriculum content (show competence in managing simple phrases); display minimal or no knowledge in written English; demonstrate superficial competence in simple oral expression; connect with learning simple or basic classroom language, participate in  immense scaffold listening activities and can connect sounds to meanings and actions. Early acquisition learners display competence in providing basic or simple sentences and paragraphs on known topics; build sense out of written text on words and phrase-can use visual information to understand meaning; demonstrate signs of competence in communicating verbally; display a level of autonomy in developing speech. Developing competence learners can show competence in narrating and describing personal experiences with high level of accuracy and will begin to explore complex writing; illustrate from ongoing knowledge of vocabulary and grammar to participate in curriculum-related task; show signs of competence in impulsive communication; demonstrate independence in the use of simple listening skills desired to participate in learning. Competent learners show competence in managing the structure and content of writing with greater accuracy and with complete range of grammar and vocabulary; participate in autonomous curriculum-related reading activities in various subjects; display competence in providing more complex speech in wider range of forms; capable of producing improved listening skills over a wider range of functions and contexts. Fluent learners demonstrate the capability to comprehend and respond to verbal communication in classroom and within social context with little or no difficulty; display competence in creative and fluent use of English; participate independently in curriculum-related reading activities in different subjects; show competence in independently and accurately writing a variety of language and vocabulary.

 

Vocabulary is a significant aspect of learning English and that is a little different from learning grammar or otherwise. In teaching new vocabulary, it is important to initially recognise  what we mean by saying that a student `understand’ a word-is that meant to be that the student know the word  and can approximately interpret its meaning when they come across it in a text? Do we mean the learner can use the word accurately in writing or speaking? The suggested five principles to considered when teaching new vocabulary in the case of  English as a Second Language (ESL) are Activating  Schema to introduce new vocabulary, Teaching Vocabulary Context, Building Collocations, Reviewing and Recycling Vocabulary and Planning for Difficult Levels. Activating Schema is a way of introducing a new theme and allowing them to express what they already know about it-this requires organising the students into short discussion groups, which is form of diagnostic assessment. Teaching Vocabulary Context enable students to accurately use a new word in a context through a structural requirement-it is important for the learners to know whether the word should follow by another with a change in meaning or verb to be used actively or passively or should the word be followed by a specific proposition or should the word have a positive or negative link. Building Collocations requires students to develop list of adjectives and figure-out their antonyms-a group of students can be given an assignment to build a map for the word ‘clear’ and link them with words that can go with it, 3 of which are collocations and 2 of which is not. Reviewing and Recycling Vocabulary involve the exposition of students to recurring words to assist them stick in their mind-encouraging learners to listen to new and read newspapers can open their mind to repeatedly used vocabulary and expose them to natural review and recycling. Planning for Different Levels entail the use of pyramid (separated into thirds) : the top third being the words or ideas that higher -level students are capable of digesting, the middle third being words or ideas that are expected to be understood by 60% of the class and the bottom third being the words or vocabulary that students find it easy t digest at the end of the lesson. 

 


References

 

AFasic (2022) What Do We Mean by Talking? Available a: What Do We Mean by Talking? - Afasic (Accessed 23/02/2023)

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The National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (2023) Sensory and/or physical. Available at: Sensory and/or physical - NASBTT (Accessed 01/03/2023)

Oldham Council (2023) Identifying Physical and Sensory Needs. Available at: Identifying needs in Sensory and Physical | Oldham Council (Accessed 02/03/2023)

Professionals (2023) Cognition and learning. Available at: Cognition and learning – Professional resources (lincolnshire.gov.uk) (Accessed 05/03/2023)

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Dunoon, L. (2022) 17 ways Teachers can support A student with learning difficulties. Available at: 17 Ways To Support A Student With Learning Difficulties (dyslexiadaily.com)  (Accessed 27/03/2023)

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Bomber, L.M. (2007) Inside I’m Hurting: Practical Strategies for Supporting Children with Attachment Difficulties in School. 1stEdn. United Kingdom: Worth Publishing (Accessed 12/04/2023)

Family Monster (2023) Supporting children with learning disabilities. Available at: Supporting children with learning disabilities - Family Action (family-action.org.uk) (Accessed 16/04/2023)

Peterson, T.J. (2023) What are Emotional and Behavioural Disorder. Available at: What Are Emotional and Behavioral Disorders? | HealthyPlace  (Accessed  20/04/2023)

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