I found this quite hard to do as I had no reading material or research around me as I normally would, yet at the same time I know I did it for the purpose to get me writing. However, I do feel it is more ideas and researching into the title rather than an essay! After Clive has read it, I am hoping to meet with him again and see what he thinks about my thoughts.
Language and policy: an investigation into the construction of Nursery Provision
When talking about Nursery Provision, I think about what the nursery is trying to provide, in this instance not only what the nursery is providing for the children, but what is expected of them from a ‘higher being’. Through the words ‘higher being’ I mean when a nursery is first established where do they receive these certain requirements from, about what a nursery should provide as a business. This must be the reason why policy documents for nurseries are formed and developed, because the nursery must be seen as a business/company and within this they must provide a service. The service is looking after and caring for children, yet there is something else about the need to develop or begin the child’s thinking and education. What does a nursery provide? Is there anything that they do provide that is more beneficial than the child sitting at home? I believe that there are certain social skills that a child can develop at a nursery that that they may not gain at home, specifically concerning only children. I discovered that there is definitely a concept of sharing that can be learnt when there are lots of children in one room. Yet, this is just one concept, is it educational? Is it perceived as being educational? Can it only be achieved if a child is placed within a nursery environment?
Most nurseries run from the ages of 4/5 months to 3 years, unless there is a type of pre-school attached to the nursery if so the age limit will rise to 5 years, just before the child is sent off to infant school. A policy document that is established and found to be effective in nurseries is the ‘Birth to Three Matters’ document. The language used in just this title of the document is interesting, specifically the word ‘birth’. Parents do not put their children straight into a nursery as soon as they come out of the womb, so why is this word being used? It may be as simple as, it is easier to say ‘birth to three matters’ rather than a couple of months to three matters’. However, some people may believe that a child begins his/her education as soon as they are born. Three is still a very young age; it is only thirty-six months, which to me is not a long time at all, so why does this time matter so much? In nurseries are children really developing their minds that much? These policies are stating that children should be like this, by doing this the child can achieve this, do the people who created these policies actually believe in this theory or do the documents allow for a nursery to uphold some type of structure.
From working in a nursery myself, I know that sometimes the child is learning more through play of imagination rather than a task set out by a worker. Therefore, the role of imagination must play a part within a nursery. Does it have more of an effect on a child than colouring in worksheets? Imagination is a word that gets used many times in the policy documents; I am intrigued as to what ‘they’ (meaning the people that wrote the document) what this word means. For me, it is something individual; it is an internal thing and is expressed outwards from an intrapersonal level. It is also something that cannot be taught so I am fascinated to see that it is used within the language when talking about educating young children. Surely you cannot teach someone how to have or how to use an imagination. Do the two actually have a relationship? What does the language mean or what is the policy trying to convey when placing education and imagination in one document?
The word ‘matters’ implies that it is vital for the child, yet many children do not attend nursery and those that do sometimes join at the age of two or can be taken out at any age, surely by putting a definite age; by choosing the words of the age to be put in the title of the policy document, may imply that a child misses out within this age period will be at a disadvantage later on in life. Therefore, why were these words chosen?
Especially when using the word ‘construction’ within the title this is exactly what the policy documents are doing, I do not believe that they are dictating to nurseries what should be done. However, in saying this, there are Ofsted reports and Sure Start meetings that ensure and inspect that these documents are being put into place. Yet, the documents still only act as a framework as to what a nursery should be doing, the language used allows for reasoning and explanation into why these polices are created in the first place. Therefore, it is only a construction into the requirements expected of a nursery. Yet, because it is a policy and policy documents seem to have some sort of status. If one is to look at the language of ‘policy’, many of its connotations are concerned with ruling and dictatorship rather than advice or guidelines. When I think of the word, I associate it with obeying and the Government. Is there where the importance lies? Due to it being a document from the Government, is that why it is taken more seriously than if it was just a set of guidelines or principles that anybody could write up? Is there really any benefit for the child in it? Through the language used in the document, I think there are answers there. There are many Government policies all over the country, yet when concerned with nurseries, one would like to believe that the document is relevant to the well-being of a child.
When talking about Nursery Provision, I think about what the nursery is trying to provide, in this instance not only what the nursery is providing for the children, but what is expected of them from a ‘higher being’. Through the words ‘higher being’ I mean when a nursery is first established where do they receive these certain requirements from, about what a nursery should provide as a business. This must be the reason why policy documents for nurseries are formed and developed, because the nursery must be seen as a business/company and within this they must provide a service. The service is looking after and caring for children, yet there is something else about the need to develop or begin the child’s thinking and education. What does a nursery provide? Is there anything that they do provide that is more beneficial than the child sitting at home? I believe that there are certain social skills that a child can develop at a nursery that that they may not gain at home, specifically concerning only children. I discovered that there is definitely a concept of sharing that can be learnt when there are lots of children in one room. Yet, this is just one concept, is it educational? Is it perceived as being educational? Can it only be achieved if a child is placed within a nursery environment?
Most nurseries run from the ages of 4/5 months to 3 years, unless there is a type of pre-school attached to the nursery if so the age limit will rise to 5 years, just before the child is sent off to infant school. A policy document that is established and found to be effective in nurseries is the ‘Birth to Three Matters’ document. The language used in just this title of the document is interesting, specifically the word ‘birth’. Parents do not put their children straight into a nursery as soon as they come out of the womb, so why is this word being used? It may be as simple as, it is easier to say ‘birth to three matters’ rather than a couple of months to three matters’. However, some people may believe that a child begins his/her education as soon as they are born. Three is still a very young age; it is only thirty-six months, which to me is not a long time at all, so why does this time matter so much? In nurseries are children really developing their minds that much? These policies are stating that children should be like this, by doing this the child can achieve this, do the people who created these policies actually believe in this theory or do the documents allow for a nursery to uphold some type of structure.
From working in a nursery myself, I know that sometimes the child is learning more through play of imagination rather than a task set out by a worker. Therefore, the role of imagination must play a part within a nursery. Does it have more of an effect on a child than colouring in worksheets? Imagination is a word that gets used many times in the policy documents; I am intrigued as to what ‘they’ (meaning the people that wrote the document) what this word means. For me, it is something individual; it is an internal thing and is expressed outwards from an intrapersonal level. It is also something that cannot be taught so I am fascinated to see that it is used within the language when talking about educating young children. Surely you cannot teach someone how to have or how to use an imagination. Do the two actually have a relationship? What does the language mean or what is the policy trying to convey when placing education and imagination in one document?
The word ‘matters’ implies that it is vital for the child, yet many children do not attend nursery and those that do sometimes join at the age of two or can be taken out at any age, surely by putting a definite age; by choosing the words of the age to be put in the title of the policy document, may imply that a child misses out within this age period will be at a disadvantage later on in life. Therefore, why were these words chosen?
Especially when using the word ‘construction’ within the title this is exactly what the policy documents are doing, I do not believe that they are dictating to nurseries what should be done. However, in saying this, there are Ofsted reports and Sure Start meetings that ensure and inspect that these documents are being put into place. Yet, the documents still only act as a framework as to what a nursery should be doing, the language used allows for reasoning and explanation into why these polices are created in the first place. Therefore, it is only a construction into the requirements expected of a nursery. Yet, because it is a policy and policy documents seem to have some sort of status. If one is to look at the language of ‘policy’, many of its connotations are concerned with ruling and dictatorship rather than advice or guidelines. When I think of the word, I associate it with obeying and the Government. Is there where the importance lies? Due to it being a document from the Government, is that why it is taken more seriously than if it was just a set of guidelines or principles that anybody could write up? Is there really any benefit for the child in it? Through the language used in the document, I think there are answers there. There are many Government policies all over the country, yet when concerned with nurseries, one would like to believe that the document is relevant to the well-being of a child.
I just feel that there is so much I do not know!!!
1 comment:
Well done!!
A very useful exercise with, inevitably more questions than answers.
A useful task now would be to list those questions and try to classify them into areas/themes. Edit and add ... and then think how you could begin to systematically answer them.
More of this kind of work and you'll both be writing effectively as well as more efficiently.
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