EVALUATING A WEBSITE AS A SOURCE FOR LEARNING HISTORY Essay - 1

EVALUATING A WEBSITE AS A SOURCE FOR LEARNING HISTORY - Essay Example However, as treasures increased, so did the desire to capture more areas to gain control over the Americans. The reason for choosing this website for analysis is because it provides information on America’s history and recommends other resources rich in America’s history. Therefore, this website serves as a good source of learning history due its diverse information, including artifacts and paintings and also other suggested literatures on America’s history. This website is owned by the library of Congress, the world largest library. Through this site, the library provides diverse books, photographs, recordings, maps and many other academic resources for both teachers and students. The information provided in this website gives insights on America’s history, and it is adequately supported by finding of great historians such as Jay Kislak, who amassed a comprehensive collection of materials on ancient America. In the process of his exploration, Jay acquired rare collection of manuscripts and books that pertained to early America. In this vein, the objective of library of Congress was to avail diverse learning resources to the American people. Therefore, this site seeks to reveal America’s history, creativity and knowledge through both primary and secondary sources to both teachers and learners. Notably, the site has a selection of more than 3,000 rare maps, paintings, documents, prints and artifacts among others. The audience can access information on the early America, including pre-contact America, exploration and encounters and finally aftermath of the encounter through this website. In addition, the site provides more than 3,000 collections of documents, paintings, prints among others. All information accessible through this site is equally useful for a historian, but for this particular paper information on pre-contact, America is of paramount importance. In this regard, the website provides insights on America’s

Art History (Michelangelo) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Art History (Michelangelo) - Essay Example The placing of David outside of the Florentine government created a symbol for freedom and protection for the residents of the city. Instead of portraying King David from the Scriptures after defeating Goliath, Michelangelo decided to show David before the great battle with Goliath. The slingshot hanging casually over his back show David’s fearlessness fulfilling Catholicism theory that David had God on his side. The muscle toned young man Michelangelo depicted was another portrayal of the heroic nude. The heroic nude of David could be considered as the strength of God through a human in this instance. Although a famous sculpture, David does have a flaw. The most noticeable flaw is the fact that David is uncircumcised. Michelangelo learned to draw nudes from the morgue of Florence, but probably never seen an unclothed Jewish man. Even if he did see an circumcised male, the questions of placing a circumcised male in view of the public would have been too controversial. David fulfilled a prideful purpose for the city of Florence. A strong looking Italian David stood guard over the government. The calmness in the statue’s face shows no fear in the face of an enemy. David reassured the Florentines no matter the other

What Are The Defining Elements Of Democracy Politics Essay

What Are The Defining Elements Of Democracy Politics Essay There is no universally accepted definition of democracy, and Arblaster says, Democracy is a concept before it is a fact, and because it is a concept it has no single precise and agreed meaning. (ARBLASTER, 2002: 3) Essentially democracy has three main ideals: Popular Sovereignty, the belief that the legitimacy of the state is created by the will or consent of its people, who are the source of every political power; Political Equality; and Individual Autonomy. Abraham Lincoln summed up democracy well in saying it is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, and so, in the case of liberal western democracies it is government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. For Aristotle the underlying principle of democracy is freedom, since only in a democracy the citizens can have a share in freedom. In essence, he argues that this is what every democracy sho uld make its aim. There are two main aspects of freedom: being ruled and ruling in turn, since everyone is equal according to number, not merit, and to be able to live as one pleases. Democracy is indeed a set of ideas and principles about freedom, but it also consists of a set of practices and procedures that have taken a very long time to develop. In short, democracy is the institutionalisation of freedom. For this reason, it is possible to identify the fundamentals of constitutional government that any society must possess to be properly called democratic: human rights, and equality before the law. Therefore two principles that any definition of democracy incorporates are, namely that all citizens in a state are equal before the law, and they have equal access to power. A third common principle is that all citizens are promised certain legitimised freedoms and liberties, which are generally protected by a constitution or set of legally prescribed democratic practices. This essay will explore these defining elements of a democratic society as well as considering some of the problems faced by democratic institutions in trying to realise and sustain them. One of the most essential elements in defining democracy is self-rule. The word democracy originally came from the Greek demos and kratos, meaning that the people (demos) rule. The only possible object of rule is the people who form the state or political system being considered, hence, the rulers in a democracy, the people, are also the ruled. (HARRISON, 1993) Therefore democracy can be described as people ruling themselves. If one takes the meaning of democracy literally it is essentially the rule of the many. In its original context in the city state of ancient Greece, this rule was exercised directly by the citizens, also called direct democracy. The size and scale of modern states mean this method of rule is often considered impractical. In order to reach an appropriate balance between adequate participation and adequate efficiency and practicability, peoples rule is exercised indirectly through elected political leaders that represent peoples interests (representative democracy ). However, the idea that democratic institutions could accurately represent the people has been debated thoroughly. Some political thinkers, such as Rousseau and Mill, have suggested that some degree of socio-economic equality is needed to guarantee a reasonable level of political equality and therefore indispensable for a stable democracy. Held argued that it is extreme material poverty amongst the masses that renders genuine democracy impractical. On the other hand, Dahl noted that not just absolute poverty but also relative poverty poses a stumbling block for the realisation of political equality and therefore democracy. (SORENSEN, 1993) Rousseau believed that no one could be truly free who did not govern themselves. In his Du Contrat Social, he made fun of the English form of government by claiming that the English people, is free only during the election of Members of Parliament; as soon as the Members are elected, the people is enslaved. (ARBLASTER, 2002: 59), and for him sov ereignty belonged inalienably to the people, the problem was to decide how they could retain it and exercise it. (ARBLASTER, 2002: 60) On the other hand, the English philosopher John Locke defends representative democracy as be believes that men in civil society should enter a contract with their government and that citizens are bound to obey the law, while the government has the right to make laws and to defend the commonwealth from foreign injury all for the public good. (Holden Online) This leads to another defining element of democracy; the fundamental concept which secures the rights of people is the consent of the governed. In a democracy the people are sovereign and are therefore the highest form of political authority. This means the decisions made by the government ultimately have to be accepted by the people. For example, during elections, all the candidates have to campaign freely in order to educate people on their policies and allow them to scrutinise each candidates ideas. Lewis believes Consent is an essential element of democratic theory, but not a distinguishing element. The important test is not whether a major portion of the adult population accepts or approves a government or its policies, but the manner in which this consent is secured (LEWIS, 1940) Hence it is important that elected representatives at a national and local level should listen to the people and respond to their needs and suggestions. However, Hobbes mentions in his book Leviathan t hat in exchange for security, individuals give away their rights to an all powerful ruler (Hobbes, 1651). In the modern day, it is hard for governments to be truly democratic as, due to scale, it is unlikely that all the citizens will agree with all decisions made by the government. The active participation of people as citizens in political and civil life is also important when defining democracy. Active participation of the people is one of the basic requirements for a state to be democratic, and thus it is essential in defining democracy. The main role for citizens in a democracy is for them to participate in public life, hence the right to vote increases participation amongst citizens. Schumpter puts forward a minimalist interpretation of participation in arguing that democracy should only be a mechanism for choosing political leaders. Therefore participation would be limited to voting (SORENSEN, 1993). On the other hand the concept of democratic autonomy can be regarded as an important means of participation which calls for peoples direct involvement at a local level through community institutions. (HELD, 1996) In this sense, participation would incorporate the ability of citizens to directly influence decisions that affect their lives. Therefore, citizens should essentially attempt to gain an understanding of relevant public issues, and be willing to listen to these issues and the views of the government. Education is vital in democracy because, in order for people to fully participate, they have to be informed on the relevant topical issues of their state. It can be argued that democracy relies heavily on collective participation as democracy is stronger as a whole when people actively participate. Rousseau analysed the concept of collective participation when he spoke about the idea of the general will, the result when citizens make political decisions considering the good of society as a whole rather than the particular interests of individuals and groups. (Rousseau, 1762) The active participation of citizens in political and civil spheres of society is a vital element of democracy as, Individuals must be allowed a share in political control because to command obedience without free participation in control is to deny the right of all to self-development through responsibility for their own acts is to reduce men to the degrading irresponsibility of slaves or mules. (LEWIS, 1940) However, personal autonomy must be taken into account when defining democracy. This is because for a society to be democratic people should have the freedom to choose whether to participate in the political process or hand over the decision making to a person or group more qualified to make well informed political decisions, like an elected government. Furthermore, one of the most important defining elements of democracy is that the underlying right of the people is to have rights and more specifically the right of choice. The freedoms to take pleasure in ones own culture, without such minorities being scrutinized; the freedom to express opinions and decide what to do. The European Union believes that democracy and human rights are universal values that should be vigorously promoted around the world. They are integral to effective work on poverty alleviation and conflict prevention and resolution. (http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/what/human-rights/index_en.htm) Demonstrations against government policies and decisions are also fine in true democracy, as long as the rights of others are taken into account, hence protests should be non-violent. There is now a general acceptance among the international community about the centrality of human rights and their importance to democracy, and Ghandi gave a useful definition of democracy when h e said, My notion of democracy is that under it the weakest should have the same opportunity as the strongest. The greatest protection of human rights emanates from a democratic framework grounded in the rule of law. The principle that all power ultimately rests with the people and must be exercised with their consent lies at the heart of democracy. Democracy is premised on the recognition and protection of peoples right to have a say in all decision making processes which is itself based on the central principle of equality of all human beings. The exercise of this fundamental political right requires a guarantee of crucial freedoms; to express ones thoughts and opinion without fear, to seek and receive information, to form associations and to assemble in a peaceful manner to discuss public affairs amongst others. Accommodation of the views of minorities is essential to prevent democracy from degenerating into despotism by the majority. The purpose of democracy like that of human r ights protection is to uphold the dignity of every individual and to ensure that the voices of the weakest are also heard. Its core values; freedom, equality, fraternity, accommodation of diversity and the assurance of justice underpin the norms of human rights as well. This leads on to another key element of democracy is majority rule and it is often described as a characteristic feature of democracy. The web definition of majority rule is, a decision rule that selects one of two alternatives, based on which has more than half the votes. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majority_rule) An essential process in representative democracies is competitive elections, that are fair both substantively and procedurally. Furthermore, freedom of political expression, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are essential so that citizens are informed and able to vote in their personal interests. The election process of modern liberal democracies sees the party with the majority of votes leading the government and representing the people on a national scale. This is crucial when exploring democracy because, even though only a proportion of the population are in agreement with the government, it is the largest so the greatest number possible will be satisfied. Ho wever, without responsible government or constitutional protections of individual liberties from democratic power it is possible for dissenting individuals to be oppressed by the tyranny of the majority. So, therefore, a key element of any democracy is to ensure that minorities have the right to promote their representatives for election to government against the majority view. In conclusion, Winston Churchill once said, It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried. Democracy is by no means a perfect system of government but many of its defining elements explored in this essay are vital. Indeed, as Arblaster tells us, democracy is still an unfinished business on the agenda of modern politics. (ARBLASTER, 2002: 10) and there much ground to be covered before we develop a fully democratic system. The original direct system of democracy from ancient Athens was possible down to the fact that the scale, in comparison to the present day, was far smaller. Therefore, it seems that presently, the closest we can get to proper democracy is a representative system with elected representatives making decisions and carrying out policies for the people. The nature of democracy has changed over time but the essential elements that make up its definition remain the same. To summarise, the three main elements of de mocracy are essentially participation, competition and liberties and perhaps what is most important to note is that the ideas behind democracy are based on, the hypothesis that power and the right to exercise power belongs to the people (Goodwin, 2007, p.288). The pillars of any modern day western liberal democracies are as follows; sovereignty of the people, government based upon consent of the governed, majority rule, minority rights, guarantee of basic human rights, free and fair elections, equality before the law and constitutional limits on government. A democratic society must incorporate these values as democracy is more than a set of constitutional rules and procedures that determine how a government functions. In a democracy, government is only one element coexisting in a social fabric of many and varied institutions, political parties, organisations, and associations.

Slavery In The United States Essays -- Slavery Essays

Throughout this course we learned about slavery and it's effects on our country and on African Americans. Slavery and racism is prevalent throughout the Americas before during and after Thomas Jefferson's presidency. Some people say that Jefferson did not really help stop any of the slavery in the United States. I feel very differently and I will explain why throughout this essay. Throughout this essay I will be explaining how views of race were changed in the United States after the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, and how the events of the Jeffersonian Era set the stage for race relations for the nineteenth century. "Nobody wishes more ardently to see an abolition, not only of the trade, but of the condition of slavery; and certainly, nobody will be more willing to encounter every sacrifice for that object." (Thomas Jefferson to Brissot de Warville, 1788. ME 6:428) Thomas Jefferson said this to Brissot de Warville in 1788 explaining his view on slavery in the United States. This was both positive and negative for Thomas Jefferson, in many ways. He was very positive in the abolition of slavery in the United States because Jefferson says he would do anything to stop slavery, and the slave trade in the States. Thomas Jefferson had a theory that the United States could use part of the coast of Africa, and it would be used as an establishment where African American who were in the states would be moved. Jefferson sees this as the best way to deal with the slavery issue. Jefferson thinks this is a good idea because when the African Americans got back to Africa they would take the things they learned w ile they were enslaved here and us them back in Africa. Thomas Jefferson saw this as retribution to the African Americans for all that t... ...nows that slavery would have ripped our great country into two sides, one for slavery and one against slavery. He knew that our county would not have survived it we had slavery in it and through his speech he shows it. Throughout this essay I explained the movie Amistad and how race relations were seen throughout the movie. This movie really helps people see how horrible it was for African Americans back in 1839-1842. The movie showed the bias that this country had against people from Africa and how horrible our country treated slaves. Through John Quince Adams speech it stated how the problem was going to be fixed, and that was through a civil war. Citations http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118607/ http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/jeffersonian_era/index.cfm http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff1290.htm http://www.american.edu/TED/slave.htm

Good Morning Listeners

The term normalization Is the process whereby something or someone Is pushed to the edge of a group and counted not as Important. Normalization Ignores and does not consider or protect the needs of certain people who do not have the same advantage as others. By Ignoring those people they are not able to have the same rights and opportunities as others to participate and succeed in society. In Australia you could say we have marginal's groups such as Indigenous people, the deaf and blind and the mentally ill. People who have migrated to Australia may also be seen as marginalia due to their needs.The immigration history of Australia began with the initial human migration to the continent around 50,000 years ago when the ancestors of Australian Aborigines arrived on the continent from the islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and New Guiana. From the early 17th century onwards, the continent experienced the first coastal landings and exploration by European explorers. Permanent European se ttlement began in 1788 with the establishment of the British Crown colony of New South Wales. From the first contact with the migrants from Britain there was tension. Cultural differences led to exclusion and rejection.Then in 1901 the white Australia policy was introduced to prevent people of African, Asian or even Pacific descent from coming to Australia. However, after World War 2, Australia realized they needed to populate the country so increase security and develop as a nation so they embarked on an ambitious European Immigration program. The first poem that we will be analyzing Is The Unhappy Race by Codger Announced. Australian born poet, political activist, artist and educator. White fellow, you are the unhappy race. You alone have left nature and made civilized laws.You have enslaved yourselves as you enslaved the horse and other wild things. Why, white man? Your police lock up your tribe in houses with bars, We see poor women scrubbing floors of richer women. Why, white m an, why? You laugh at â€Å"poor Blackwell', you say we must be like you. You say we must leave the old freedom and leisure, We must be civilized and work for you. Why, white fellow? Leave us alone, we don't want your collars and ties, We don't need your routines and compulsions. We want the old freedom and Joy that all things have but you, Poor white man of the unhappy race.This small and simple but extremely poem describes This simple but extremely powerful poem in free verse describes Chaos's feelings towards those who do not accept him as â€Å"Australian†. He gives a new twist to the word â€Å"terrorists†. In his poem he sees the Anglo-Celtic Australians as people who strike â€Å"terror† in his heart. â€Å"They are everywhere†. He feels paranoid because at any time â€Å"they' can attack and wound him by saying something which reveals that â€Å"they' do not perceive him as a â€Å"real† Australian though he was born here and has lived h ere all his life.

Development from Conception to Age 16 Years Old

All children develop but this is at different levels. In this section I am going to look at and discuss how four to five year olds develop physically and the language and communication development of four to five year olds. And then in the next section look at the same developments but for older children 8-16 years old. Physical development relates to physical movements. Becoming independent is closely linked to physical development.Communication and language development relates to the ability to talk, listen to and understand what others are saying and to be able to interpret body language including facial expressions. Also involved within this development is reading and writing skills. Communication and language development is closely linked with cognitive development. There are two main ways in which children develop physically (1) fine motor skills, these are the smaller movements that occur of the hands, wrists, fingers, toes etc. and (2) gross motor skills, these being the larg er muscle movements for example running jumping etc.At age four to five children’s gross motor skills will include aiming, throwing, catching and kicking of a ball, hopping on one foot, walking a fine line, to be able to change direction when running, pedal and climb with confidence. Balancing and co-ordination skills by this age are developing very quickly, a five year old will be able to jump a rope, balance on one foot, maybe be able to ride a bike with no stabilizers, use his/her waist to bend, they will be able to touch their toes without bending their knees, speed and agility is developed, running becomes at a faster speed and they are able to respond quickly to obstacles when running.The fine motor skills that four to five year olds will develop are that they will be able to button and unbutton, string beads onto a piece of string, cut with scissors, build a block tower using at least ten blocks, being able to confidently put a twelve piece jigsaw together and hold a p encil/pen not using the clench fist grip.By five years old the child will be able to write more letters than they previously could, if taught to they will be able to write their own name, the pictures that a 4 to 5 year old draws should contain some recognisable objects, they will by this age of developed enough muscle control to cut more accurately and with precision, they will now be able to dress themselves and use a knife and fork correctly. Self-expression and communication opens up as children begin to develop their language skills.Although as previously stated children do develop at different paces, most 4-5 year olds are beginning to use language in a much more sophisticated manner than previously and their understanding of language has increased dramatically. †¢By the time a child reaches the age of 4 years old, the majority of them will be able to speak fluently enough to effectively hold short conversations with adults. By this age their speech will consist of full s entences of four or more words that are correctly strung together. Al though children at 4 may still make mistakes with grammar and struggle to use past tense correctly e. g. I seed it’ instead of ‘I saw it’. At four children will have a large vocabulary including words such as colours, body parts, household items etc. The pronunciation of these words is generally correct at this age. By five, a child’s vocabulary will be increased from that of a 4 year old and will contain between 2000 and 5000 words, 5 year olds will use all these words when communicating and will recognise them also. At 5 years old the child will now have an understanding of jokes and riddles and may even begin to re tell jokes to other people. At this age if asked the child should be able to tell you basic information about themselves i. . full name, their birthday etc. The sentence structure of a 5 year old will be more complex than that of a 4 year old, sentences used will be longer and with fewer grammatically errors. An interest in reading and writing may now develop and by 5 a child may be able to recognize simple and short words and their own name. Vocabulary is about 5000 words and their speech is fluent. †¢Children should be able to understand more complex instructions, and concepts such as first/last, same/different. †¢They should be able to understand most types of questions. †¢Their grammar is usually correct when talking but occasional errors may still occur. They should be able to take turns when talking and be involved with longer conversations. †¢They should be able to tell you about an event fairly clearly. †¢Should be able to follow more than one instruction. †¢They should understand harder questions such as â€Å"When? † †¢They should be able to describe events in sequence order. †¢They should be able to define a word when asked e. g. â€Å"What is a ball? † a child will say â€Å"You catch it / kick it† †¢A child's speech can generally be understood †¢They should be able to understand some implied or suggested information in stories and conversations.Milestones for children’s development can be found from the EYFS and many other websites, these give charts of what most children should be able to do at certain ages. Please see appendix for an example of a development milestone chart for children. By the time a child reaches the age of 8-12 their fine motor skills become much more refined and this allows for much more intricate work/activities to be done as example knitting. By this age less concentration is needed meaning that children will talk whilst using their hands for fine motor movements.Gross motor skills are developed further between the ages of 8-12 years old there will be an increase in the child’s co-ordination and perceptual skills thus allowing children of this age to have more concentration on strategies during physical game s such as netball, football etc. †¢The development of language and communication is clearly visible when a child is between 8 and 12 years old, they will have gained a much greater confidence in reading and writing skills, their vocabulary continues to increase and they will now use problem solving and reasoning language. to 12 years – Children will be able to communicate in a clear and fluent manner. †¢Written communication skills become more refined, although children of this age will still be more able to express themselves verbally and non-verbally than in a written form. †¢Vocabulary continues to increase, with children questioning, reasoning, chatting and telling jokes. †¢The rules of grammar are learnt and are being used more. †¢The language young people use within this age band is often littered with phrases and sayings current to their times. Lev Vygotsky believes that the inexperienced can learn from the experienced, which allows less experi enced learners to accomplish more complex tasks. Vygotsky believed that language played a very important part in the development of learning and thinking. He believed language was essential in order to enable the children to think in the abstract. One of Vygotskys main points within his theory was that cognitive development is driven by social interaction. He put great emphasis on the fact that he believed culture played an important role in shaping the cognitive development of children.Vygotsky talks about the ZPD which stands for Zones of proximal development and this is what he uses to describe the difference of what a person can achieve/do without help so unaided and what he/she can do with help and guidance. Vygotskys theory emphasises the fundamental importance and the role of social interaction. According to Vygotsky (1978) much important learning occurs through social interaction that the child is involved in with a more skilled person, teacher, parent/ carer etc. He believe d that language was an accelerator to thinking/understanding.His theory states that language is developed from social interactions, for the purpose of communication and that later on in a child’s development language ability becomes internalized as thought and inner speech. Vygotsky believed that thought and thinking is a result of language. The Nature vs. Nurture Theory has been heavily debated by theorists for years. At the center of the debate is whether or not an individual's personality is more influenced by his/ her genetic structure (nature) or the environment in which he or she grows up (nurture).The Nature versus Nurture theory states that physical development depends on the environment a child is raised in, genetic makeup is inherited from a child’s parents and is set at conception, these determine things such as height, eye colour etc, this is nature’s influence. A child’s environment and experiences influence health and activity levels for tha t individual which contributes to the physical development of a child. The child’s environment is the framework and basis in which he/she physically interacts with the world.Some scientists believe that a way a person acts and behaves is according to genetic predispositions this is where the ‘nature’ part of the theory comes in. Other scientists believe that an individual’s behaviour is taught therefore this is where the ‘nurture’ part of the theory comes in. Some theorists think that we behave as we do according to genetic predispositions or even â€Å"animal instincts. † This is known as the â€Å"nature† theory of human behaviour. Other theorists believe that we think and behave in certain ways because we are taught to do so.This is known as the â€Å"nurture† theory of human behaviour. There are many different observations techniques. In my 3 observations I used (1) A written narrative, this is a written account of wha t you actually see and hear, (2) A check list, this is a table with activities and then you tick to say whether the child you are observing can do them, can’t do them or is working towards achieving them and lastly (3) A time sample this is similar to a written narrative but you observe the child at regular intervals and record the time and what the child is doing and saying.It is vital that all information gathered from an observation is kept confidential. This can be achieved by ensuring no names are disclosed including child’s name and setting information. Using coding is a good working practice for child care providers and it is essential to ensure information is on a need to know basis only, as an example when writing up an observation TC is used for target child, or FC for focus child, this means the child’s name is not disclosed therefore complying with confidentiality.The Data Protection Act 1998 is an Act of Parliament and it defines the law on the proc essing of personal information. It states that information gathered must not be disclosed without permission/consent, this act therefore supports the safeguarding of all children as it ensures that confidentiality occurs within the setting. The observations are kept safely so that they are not on show and only the teachers would have access to them, the parents/carers do however have the right to see them if they wish too. The observations are kept on a need to know basis.Diversity; the diversity of something is the fact that it contains many very different elements, a range of things that are very different from each other. The concept of Diversity brings together acceptance and respect and an understanding that every individual is unique. It is paramount that diversity exists within a childcare setting. All children come from a variety of backgrounds and family structures, and this should always be respected by a childcare practitioner. This could include things such as a childâ⠂¬â„¢s culture, language, beliefs and their care needs.For children to learn and be happy they need to have love, affection, stimulation and physical care but this however can be at different levels thus meaning a childcare provider must establish a positive attitude to all children in their care and their families. To ensure diversity occurs as a childcare practitioner you should ensure that you find out the background of all children as an example find out their likes and dislikes. It is essential you are always observant so that you are aware and can identify if and when a child in your care needs something.You should make sure activities that are available reflect a wide range of cultures and backgrounds. Part of your daily practice should involve talking to all children and their parents/carers. Ensuring that you make it visible that all children and their families are accepted by you a as practitioner. It is crucial that you do not have any prejudices or show any ill feeling t owards any of the children in your care or their families at any time. Inclusion; this involves making a person or thing part of a group or collection, to include everyone/everything.Inclusive practice is essential when working with children as a childcare provider. To ensure this occurs as a practitioner you must make sure that every child feels part of the group and is included in whatever you do e. g. activities that are offered should cater for all the needs of all the children within the group. As a childcare provider you must ensure that you show how you will meet the needs of individual children and their families in a way that will make them feel comfortable and not that they are being excluded or classed as a nuisance.Inclusive practices can be achieved by making sure that childcare practitioners are welcoming to everyone regardless of their background. It is vital that you show all children in your care that you like them, this will be achieved by getting down to their lev el , gaining eye contact when you’re talking to them or the child is talking to you, always ensure a child has your full attention and that you actually listen to what they have to say.A practitioner should always encourage all children in their care to participate during activities within the setting but you must not force a child to do anything against their wishes. Another way that as a childcare provider you could ensure inclusive practice is to be sure that all parents/carers receive the same information this may mean adapting it to fit their needs for example if their primary language isn’t English you could have the information translated into their first language.Evaluation of the obseravtions that I carried out are as follows, TC child is mainly achieving beyond the norms for his age according to the EYFS. According to the EYFS the learning goals for 5 year olds are to *’Move with control and co-ordination’, TC is already achieving this as illust rated by my tick chart (see appendix), TC could do all but one of the activities, and is working towards the star jumps, sometimes being able to do them and sometimes not. The EYFS also states that 5 year olds should be able to * ‘Jump off an object and land appropriately. The time sample observation from an outdoor play session shows that TC jumped off a pirate ship in the playground and fell over, this may be because he was just enjoying his outdoor playtime and was caught up in the moment of playing ‘pirates’. TC is also achieving most the norms for his age within language and communication he can read all his key words and also write them from memory this is clearly shown in my written narrative observation, the EYFS says that by this age children should be able to *’use talk to gain attention’ TC showed and discussed with the teacher the writing he had done.The EFYS also says that at this age children should ‘take account of what others sa y’ I would say that from my observations TC needs some extra support with understanding how his actions could make other people feel in the observation I noted he preferred to play alone within the free play session rather than with other children and when another child ask to play with him he responded ‘no’, this may be because TC didn’t need any help doing the puzzle but further observations could help to identify if there any problems with his sharing skills.From the observations I did TC is at the right stage with his language development. To improve his physical development I would suggest a physical education lesson which includes practicing star jumps and ensuring when jumping off of objects you land safely. The purpose of observations is so as a childcare practitioner you are able to see where children are in their development, to observe what stages they are at, and to see if they are at the correct stages for their age.From the findings of the ob servations a practitioner can evaluate the evidence and then plan ways to extend the child’s learning and development. The planning cycle is key to ensure that all children within the setting can achieve and reach their full potential. By this I mean PLAN ; the planning of the observation to take place, DO ; carry out the observation and REVIEW ; assess and evaluate results and findings from the observation, and plan ways to improve (see appendix).For example if you plan an observation and the child isn’t always achieving what they should be, then as a practitioner you could plan to re do the activity enabling and ensuring as a practitioner the children in your care will achieve and reach the goals set. From observations you will be able to assess individual children’s needs and implement ways to improve and promote their development. As an example if a child lacks fine motor skills you could plan an activity involving cutting and gluing thus providing the child with experiences and activities to help them improve and develop their fine motor skills.Child observations are vital within a childcare setting to promote all children’s development. It is essential that confidentiality is adhered to when carrying out all observations. It is important that as a childcare practitioner you seek parents/carers permission, this is so the parents are aware of what is going on and so that they know what you are observing on their child. If permission wasn’t requested this could result in the parent being unhappy and could result in the child being at risk.The information gathered from an observation should be correctly stored in a suitable place where only service professional have access to it. As a childcare practitioner the child’s safety and welfare is paramount, therefore confidentiality is of upmost importance to ensure this occurs. There are strict policies and procedures within all settings and these support confidentiality and ensure it occurs. Objectivity in observations is very important if you as the observer are not objective then the observation will be bias.If the observer is not objective this could result in untrue observations being recorded, observers could develop an opinion about what they think the results should be. To ensure that reliable results are recorded during observations you must be objective, as a childcare practitioner you can’t be prejudice and must not take into account ethnic background etc. Therefore objectivity leads to reliable results and results that you would be able to compare to other results.Objectivity has to occur as not one person can observe all children, you need to be objective to be able to compare results fairly, or conclude what milestones the child being observed has reached. As a practitioner you have to carry out observations and assessments. There are many implications that a childcare provider must consider within their working practice. One of these limitations is weather the observation has validity. A practitioner must focus on if the achievements and findings from the observation are a true indicator and that the learning outcomes that were intended were stuck to.A practitioner must think about and consider how reliable their observation results are, there could many reasons why the findings are not reliable for example the child being observed may be ill or having an off day this would result in the observation having to be carried out again at a later date. When recording observations a practitioner must consider the best observation technique to use and ensure no pre-assumptions, bias, or personal opinions are bought into it, making sure as a practitioner you only record what you actually see and not what you think you see or what you think the child can achieve.To be able to observe children Legislation states you must seek parents’ permission to do so, it is therefore essential that excellent parent/teache r relations are built and maintained. Having good relationships with parents/carers means that the parent will feel free to come and disclose information to you which may result in you as the practitioner not carrying out a planned observation but re-scheduling it ensuring results are as reliable as they can be.For example a parent/carer may come in and say to the teacher that the family pet had died and child A is very upset, this would obviously impact on a child’s behaviour and if an observation was to still be carried out the results would not be reliable. Sometimes the practitioner may need to seek advice from other service professionals and they would need to ensure a good working partnership which would in turn enable the child to reach their best possible learning outcomes, e. g. speech therapist, a translator etc.When observing within the setting this could be disrupted to the rest of the class and could have an impact on the results of the observation for example yo u may need it to be quiet and this may not always be possible. As a childcare provider you need to ensure all other staff members are aware of what you are doing, so that when you are doing an observation they don’t interrupt etc. Some activities may have to be changed or adjusted to fit the aims of the observation and this could cause disruption or be confusing so you would have to do the activity more than once to ensure realistic ecordings of the observation. Vygotskys theory can be and is applied to working practice today. He believed that relationships are key to learning; this can be seen within a setting by the fact that children do well and achieve if there is mutual trust and a good teacher/child relationship. This can be supported in that as a childcare provider you should have respect for all children in your care with no prejudices or pre assumptions etc. Vygotsky also stated that language was one of the most important tools in a child’s development.Part of the daily routine within a childcare setting should involve the practitioner talking to all children, this results in ideas that are being discussed being developed and language is used to think. His theory also discusses that children can develop further. Therefore observations are important in working out the next steps and building on the child’s current levels. According to Vygotsky adults extend children’s cognitive development through guidance and teaching, and this is clearly visible in settings today, the practitioner teaches and guides children in their care ensuring they reach their full potential. Through others we become ourselves. †- Lev S. Vgotsky. Also, Vygotsky is relevant to instructional concepts such as â€Å"scaffolding† and â€Å"apprenticeship†, in which a teacher/tutor or a more advanced peer helps to structure or arrange a task so that a less advanced person/peer can work on it successfully. Vygotsky's theories also lead cur rent day practice into the current interest in collaborative learning, which suggests that group members should have different levels of ability so more advanced peers can help less advanced members be successful within their zone of proximal development.Another theory that has had an impact on practices today is that of John Bowlby. He looked at and studied ‘attachment’, his 1952 report lead to huge changes with how children are treated in hospitals and institutions. A great deal of emphasis was put onto the importance of the mother and child relationship, Bowlby believed that when attachment behaviours are nurtured by the primary care giver the child feels secure and positive to explore. As this relationship grows and becomes stronger the child will feel happy to leave their parent/carer.Due to the extensive researched carried out by Bowlby we are now able to understand the influence of having key relationships. This is visible in settings today as there are key worke rs in place who have a selected few number of children to work with. Bowlby did extensive research into the concept of attachment, describing it as a â€Å"lasting psychological connectedness between human beings† (Bowlby, 1969, p. 194). He believed that everyones early attachment styles are established in childhood through the infant/primary caregiver relationship.In addition to this, Bowlby believed that attachment aids in survival. â€Å"The propensity to make strong emotional bonds to particular individuals is a basic component of human nature† (Bowlby, 1988, page 3). To conclude as a practitioner observations are vital in ensuring all children in your care reach their full potential and development further. There are many different theories on childhood development and the research carried out in these has had a massive impact on practice today and is visible within settings.