Draw on relevant theories, the quote, and your own developing pedagogy Essay

Draw on relevant theories, the quote, and your own developing pedagogy to discuss and debate the notion of partnership with par - Essay Example Democratic practice is evident as teachers, parents and even children share power equitably and each is given the acknowledgement and respect he or she deserves. Parent participation comes in the form of â€Å"providing necessary information about the child, providing resources and attending special events to active participation in decision-making† (Styles, 2000, p. 5). If parent participation in schools in strong in Italy, the same is desired for New Zealand and for anywhere else in the world. It would be ideal if parents not only â€Å"take part† in early childhood programs but to â€Å"be a part of† such programs. In this sense, parent involvement is elevated to parent partnership with the school or children’s center. I believe partnership is a collaboration of parents and teachers/child workers as equals with regards to planning the early childhood program for children. ... Its strand of Mana Whenua or Belonging ensures that children and their families feel a sense of belonging in the children’s center (MOE, 1996). In my place of work, parents are considered important resources in our early childhood program. They are aware that they can be called upon anytime to help facilitate children’s development with the collaboration of the school. Evidently, Te Whaariki is one reflection of how the government gives importance to educational partnership with parents. There is a mandate that requires ECE services to establish and sustain collaborative partnerships with parents/ guardians and whanau. The collaboration of the parents with the teachers/ child workers benefits all children, as their learning and development are promoted and extended in both home and children’s center/ preschool (Crown, 1996). â€Å"The strategic plan for ECE Pathways to the Future: Nga Huarahi Arataki (Crown, 2002) devotes an entire goal to promoting collaborativ e relationships, including stronger linkages between ECE services and parents and whanau (Mitchell, Haggerty, Hampton, and Pairman, 2006, p. 4). Government initiatives to deliver high quality early childhood education to children obliges professionals in the field to comply with the highest standards in care and education for very young children and to forge strong partnerships with parents. However, Styles (2000) enumerates some obstacles in the formation of effective partnerships – â€Å"lack of time, busyness, lack of clarity about expectations, different priorities, staff turnover, and cultural differences† (p. 6). Personally, I would welcome more ideas and suggestions from the parents of our students because I believe

Learning Team Reflection Essay Example for Free

Learning Team Reflection Essay Learning Team D discussed the learning objectives provided for Week Three. Each Team Member posted a response to three informational questions posted by the Team Leader. During week three The Team Members felt comfortable with different topics. Sherly, Andrea and Katrina all felt the most comfortable with the topics dealing with Technology, R D, and Efficiency which were covered in chapter 11W. Sherly found the topic of invention the most fascinating because it allows people to just think up of an idea, experiment with it and develop it before finally developing it with the intent of putting it out on the market and earning some profits. An example of invention at work is a TV show on ABC called Shark Tank where inventors present their invention to members of the panel who are entrepreneurs/potential investors with the intention of selling a percentage of their business or product. Andrea felt that the chapter was an easy read and was more of a review on how businesses stay profitable and viable. From this chapter Andrea was able to learn that creating a fresh product at the optimal price is the key to success. Katrina was most interested in Technological Advance and Efficiency section covered in the chapter. The fact that improving ones technology can also contribute to economic efficiency was something that Katrina found interesting. Mark was comfortable with all the topics covered in week three and especially enjoyed learning more about the differences in operating in a monopoly, monopolistic competition, and an oligopoly. Danielle felt most comfortable with the process of supply and demand and how it plays an important role in the economy. Danielle feels that understanding how the supply and demand process works is beneficial and can be used to analyze decisions about prices and quantity. For Danielle having Learning Team D struggled with different topics that were covered during week three. Sherly struggled with Exploiting University and Government Scientific Research. Sherly thought that any product or potential product created by an individual or members of an organization could be patented. Andrea found it hard to understand visual presentations of the data by the example graphs. Andrea considered herself to be a visual learner but cannot seem to understand the graphs given. Katrina, like Andrea, found it hard to follow the examples given within each chapter but the reason behind her confusion dealt with actually being able to match the example to the reading. Katina felt that having to flip back and forth while reading to match the example that was given within the reading caused her to not fully understand what the example was trying to get across. Nonprice barriers to entry was the topic that Mark felt the most unsure about this week. Mark found it challenging to look beyond the numbers when analyzing something. Danielle struggled with pricing decisions, price elasticity, inelasticity, and elasticity of demand. The differences in monopolies and oligopolies was a bit of a struggle for Danielle but the examples that were provided within the reading helped her to grasp the information better. Each Team Member was able relate topics of the week to their organization’s field of business. Sherly works as an underwriter for an insurance company which provides health, life and disability insurance products and services. Reduced cost via process innovation was the topic that Sherly felt related to Underwriting. Sherly and her team are always looking for ways to change/update processes, reduce turnaround times between the receipt of an application for life/disability insurance coverage request to making the final determination whether to approve, postpone or decline a file. As an example, the introduction of a new system where applicants could go online to apply and depending on the information entered and the amount being requested, a determination can be done right there. This new system saved the company both time and money. We do not have to go through the omission process with this system since every question must be answered for the online application to be processed. When, we have to send applicants omission letters, the entire process takes longer since we have to wait to receive the missing information back from the applicant before the application can be processed. Andrea works in the finance industry for an airport. Andrea was able to apply the topic of mergers the most to my daily business field. At the airport, the airlines and rental car agencies combined resources on a regular basis. Department of Justice generally gets involved with these types of mergers to prevent monopoly behavior. For example, American and US Airways are currently under review and comment period for their merger. In addition to combining ticket counter space, it is anticipated that gates will be combined as well. The airport will lose money on the merger but customers will benefit from lower fares. The more customers that fly will make up for the shortfall in revenue for space rent lost by the airport. Katrina works in the field of Worker’s Compensation as a Claims Assistant. The topic of invention related the most to the type of work Katrina does at her job. Each day new claims are called into her office on a day to day bases and the way in which those calls are entered into the system must be efficient. Katrina and her team at her office created a new system for entering a new claim that is called into the office. Mark relates the topic of most of cost control and using developing technologies to lower cost to his field. That is an area we are constantly trying to improve upon whether the ideas come from our staff or from outside our organization and we work out a plan to implement them to help our business. Our franchise location does not develop technology but we have the opportunity to seek technology to increase the efficiency of our workers and also help save costs. Danielle works as a project manager for an energy efficiency consulting agency. As a project manager Danielle’s role is very significant in budgeting for a project for he/she is the one who determines the project costs and project budgets in line with the stakeholder’s specifications and resources. Budget allocation, collaborates with the project stakeholders and project financial coordinators to build a sensible budget plan that will sustain the whole project in all of its phases. Using cost control measures to insure they are staying within budget, as we understand the importance of increasing revenue and staying within budget. Revenue management is integral to a companys long-term strategy; without adequate income administration, the company may not be around long enough to implement its operating tactics. Each member of the Learning Team experienced a learning curve for Week Three. Sherly learning curve increased a little bit during this week. The additional information on monopoly provided Sherly with more information that helped her better understand what was taught in week two. The fact that certain opics such as monopoly, oligopoly, short run and long run, are being covered more in depth has also helped to increase her learning curve. Andrea’s still struggles with the graphs presented representing the demand curves. The economy of scale section has also been a struggle for her this week but Andrea has gone over the text in these sections multiple times for a better understanding. To increase her learning curve she finds that the lectures provided by our instructor breakdowns the topics in a mor e day to day format for easier comprehension. This week Katrina’s learning curve increased because she started to feel more comfortable with the terms and having a chapter that was easy to read through and understand made her feel more at ease with learning new Economic information. Mark’s learning curve for this week was changing his focus to look at big picture items using more theoretical concepts rather than concrete numbers. Mark enjoys the challenge that is presented by applying a different approach to analyzing what will impact a business from a market structure standpoint which will continue to increase his learning curve. Danielle feels that she’s beginning to understand the importance of Economics and how it relates to more than just money. Danielle hopes to continue to improve her understanding of the mathematical equations and graphs representing demand curves as the week’s progress. As the weeks go by the team still struggles with a few concepts but as the team moves forward they are developing and getting a better hold on the topics that are covered on a week to week bases.

Cultures And The Globalization Of Mcdonalds Cultural Studies Essay

Cultures And The Globalization Of Mcdonalds Cultural Studies Essay In this essay I aim to develop a better understanding of globalization through studying something vital to globalizationMcDonaldization. I am focusing on a McDonald s in Bradford in the United Kingdom and the categories of people who frequent it and why they go there. Meanwhile, I will contrast the McDonald s in Bradford with McDonald s in China on the basis of questionnaires, observation, communications and memory, indicating whether McDonald s in the two countries is similar or different. By highlighting on customers as well as staff nationalities and behaviours, menu, decoration, I would advise that the influence of McDonald s as a symbol of American culture has been increasing throughout the world, and it is clear to realize that it comes under the heading of globalization. Subsequently, this study therefore gives some support to the cultural aspects of globalization including the theory about Mcdonaldization. Description of the ethnographic study in McDonald s I went shopping in the city centre of Bradford on 13th December 2009. I was attracted by the obvious logo of McDonald s, the striking festive menu drawing as well as free-wifi drawing in the transparent windows. Subsequently, I entered the restaurant, as usual in China in my memory and waited in the team line as well as prepared to order. Meanwhile, I found the menu in UK roughly the same in china except for a slight difference. For example, McDonald s hamburger in china will not directly put the raw cheese into hamburger. The staff with a Christmas hat and the McDonald s uniform smiled at me to help me order the menu. Surprisingly, the waiting time was relatively short, the same as the McDonald s in China. Thus, I am reminded of the four elements for the success of McDonald s business systems that refer to efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. The decoration in McDonald s is warm with golden, white or mirror walls, light ivory wooden table tops, blue or deep red cushion with golden blackboard wooden chairs and upholstered armchairs in deep red colours. Contemporary art or framed photographs handing on the walls are also attractive. It is worth mentioning that in the corner, many paintings are displayed on the walls around the children playground area, especially those of McDonald s Characters such as Ronald McDonald Grimace, Ham burglar and Birdie the Early Bird. In general, the decoration of McDonald s is aimed at making the store look more casual and sunny, which is similar to Starbucks. Compared with McDonald s in China, the decoration style is similar, but in the children playground area, there are more facilities like slides, wooden horses in China. Apparently the facilities are the same in Bradford and China. Behind the food serving area there are numerous technologies like automatic French fry machines and various c ertain products like happy meal which are available to the customers almost instantaneously through the carefully regulated and controlled system. With respect to people, there are several nationalities such as British, China, Pakistan, and Africa among the customers and the staff. Most people wear leisure clothes and overall the colours of people s clothes are drab. It is clear that the area of age is extensive, up to eighty- year- old people, down to two- aged children. Interestingly, the most frequent combination is an adult accompanied by her or his child, who plays the toy from happy meal as well as eats food. Meanwhile, McDonald s is the best choice for young people to enjoy the foods after shopping as the food is inexpensive and convenient. It is worth noting that both in Bradford and China I found people are more likely to be treated similarly in McDonald s, irrespective of their race, sex, sexual orientation, or social class. Accordingly, they have a high awareness to take the empty boxes and litters to the trash before they leave. Specifically, the staff with a smile to everyone and provide efficient goods and service s to meet the customer. A brief overview of the perspective A summary of my chosen theory of globalization would then follow. This is such a vast topic that I would have to focus on just a small part of globalization theory. I am particularly interested in theorizing the globalization of culture. Accordingly, I would be well-advised to consider the Mcdonaldization, as one of a number of globalization processes. Ritzer 2004 puts forward the view that globalization can be in general identified as the worldwide proliferation of practices, relations and social life, meanwhile, the people tend to share a new global consciousness across continents. In terms of the theorizing the cultural aspects of globalization, Pieterse (2003) suggests that there are three major approaches divided into cultural differentialism, convergence and hybrization. More specifically, first and foremost, with regard to lasting difference, Pieterse (2003) admits that the differences in culture perspective exist among the different regions and countries. To a great extent, in this theory area, some people like Huntington (1996) believe that the people tend to persist the local culture, civilization and remain culturally distinct. However, Ritzer (2004) believes that compare to the radically view of Huntington, the existence of a distinct attitude is due to a clash between the developed countries like the Unites States and the developing countries like China. With the advent of an increasingly modern development once the economic develop to a certain level, the developing countries like China will seek and adapt other cultures to enter the global market totally, while at the same time the developed countries tend to welcome what they provide. Therefore, in Ritzer s view, Huntington s opinion is likely to exist on the short time. Secondly, with respect to cultural growing sameness, Ritzer (2004) points out that global assimilation is a tendency, which means to some degree the cultures of the world are regarded as growing increasingly the same. To illustrate, Ritzer (2004) also figures that cultural convergence is characterized by the appearance of Cultural imperialism , westernization, Americanization, Mcdonaldization and world culture . Last but not the least, with regard to ongoing mixing of cultures, according to the view of Pieterse (2003), hybrization emphasized on growing diversity combination of the unique mixtures of local as well as global, thereby resulting in unique phenomenon in different areas. It is important to point out that to some extent it is the same meaning of the glocalization , which has been indicated by Robertson (2001). Also, Robertson (2001) distinguished the difference between globalization and glocalization, for example, the core concepts of globalization include capitalism, Americanization and Mcdonaldization whereas the main ideas of glocalization include hybrization, creolization and heterogeneization. To put it in another way, he believes that the outcome of globalization processes in future is likely to be the ongoing open-ended mixing that is glocalization. Accordingly, with respect to Mcdonaldization theory, it is critical to point out that the sociologist George Ritzer (1993) coins the McDonaldization in his book The McDonaldization of Society. He describes that McDonaldization is the process by which the beliefs of the fast-food restaurant seem to play a dominant role in the increasing number of sectors of American society and the rest of the world. On the one hand, Mcdonaldization is clearly closely related to a global cultural perspective as well as the influence of McDonald s and McDonaldization has a dramatic spread of the worldwide homogenization of societies. To illustrate, Bryman (2003) along with Ram (2004) indicates that McDonaldization is not only the extension of the sameness of food products but also the proliferation of a series of business principles as well as operation systems around the world. Moreover, it is worth noting that Big Mac Index is the significant index of McDonaldization, published by a prestigious magazine, the economist. It demonstrates the purchasing capacity of diverse currencies in the world dependent on the local price (in dollars) of the Big Mac as an identical basket of goods and services in each country. Meanwhile, Thomas (1999) in New York Times Magazine states that Big Mac Index creates the ubiquity and unique role of McDonald s around the world. On the other hand, Mcdonaldization may be considered as not only an illustration to drive the globalization process but also a major motor force in the future development of globalization. More specifically, according to the opinion of George Ritzer (2004), admittedly, a certain degree of glocalization happens with Mcdonaldization, but the majority of aspects of Mcdonaldization relate to globalization that the existence of homogeneity more than heterogeneity is related to the process of Mcdonaldization. For example, Robertson (2001) demonstrates that in glocalization theory, social processes are contingent and depend on the different geographic areas while in globalization theory, social processes are deterministic. Analysis of the McDonald s within Globalization model An analysis of McDonald s based on the theory of the globalization of culture as well as Mcdonaldization would then follow. To put it another way, the central issue would be discussed that the fact of ethnographic studies and a general sociological understanding of the globalization culture as well as Mcdonaldization, which is consistent or inconsistent. In terms of differences in cultures existing among the different regions and countries are demonstrated by Pieterse (2003), which is the same story. To illustrate, nowadays McDonald s for Chinese tends to be an excellent place to have fun together in particular the students group and parents comply with children while Mcdonald s for British is likely to be a convenient and inexpensive place to deal with hungry. More specifically, Mcdonald s for Chinese children is regarded as a pleasure ground more than a fast food restaurant. Thus, different cultures lead to the different decoration designs in the children playground area, which seems to provide more facilities like the slide and the wooden horse in China. However, whether Mcdonald s American culture will be constant in the long-term as suggested by Huntington (1996) or will last for in a short-term as indicated by Ritzer (2004) is still to be proved by time. It is worth noting the third possibility of Pieterse (2003), where it is may be likely to increase diversity association of the unique mixtures of local culture as well as Mcdonald s America culture and then leads to a unique phenomenon in Mcdonald s among different areas. With respect to Mcdonaldization and the influential globalizing flow, an illustration of global culture assimilation is argued by George Ritzer (2004), which is a true story. In the first place, it is universal acknowledge that McDonald s is the leading global foodservice retailer which occupies a central place in American popular culture. According to McDonald s official website, the statistics points out that McDonalds operates over 31,000 restaurants in 119 countries around the world and employs more than 1.5 million people. In the second place, in mentioning McDonald s worldwide operation system, the McDonald s staff in Bradford told me that in general McDonald s operation around the world is nearly the same because any McDonald s systems are associated with the centrally controlled system of American headquarters and every individual who is working in McDonald s knows what is expected of him based on uniform McDonald s operation and training manual. Specifically, the McDonald s staff in Bradford also told me some regulations and documents like 8 steps making a McDonalds Big Mac according to the McDonald s operation and training manual. Therefore, the situation in McDonald s for workers, customers and managers is around the same. For example, a year ago I lived in China or this year I live in England, McDonald s for me offers the best available way to get from being hungry to being full due to the similar convenience as well as efficiency both China and England. It is worth noting that it also corresponds to the theory of the dimensions of Mcdonaldization indicated by George Ritzer (2004), who claims that efficiency, predictability, calculability and control through nonhuman technology are the important elements of the McDonald s success. In other words, efficiency is generally beneficial to customers who are able to obtain what they need more quickly. As regards Mcdonaldization the core concepts of globalization demonstrated by Robertson (2001) during the observation, are found to be a little different. The main reason is that the local strategies of McDonald s in different countries reflect the integration of McDonald s American culture and local culture. For instance, McDonald s managers in 2008 realized that the spectacular Olympic Games would be held in Beijing began on August 8th 2008 at 08:08:08 PM, when the people around the world would be happy with excitement and pretension. Thus, McDonalds unveiled four new Olympic-themed television advertisements developing its im lovin it brand essence with the magic and ideals of the Olympic Games to attract people in particular Chinese. On the other hand, it is worth noting that George Ritzer (2004) who admitted there are some things which reflect the features of glocalization in Mcdonald s whereas the main characteristic corresponds to the globalization and the sameness more than difference in the process of Mcdonaldization in contemporary. To a great extent, it is true, that although there are some modifications based on different countries the demand for the marketing specific marketing strategies of Mcdonald s, the main business model and culture idea of Mcdonald s is constant like nonhuman technology service. Conclusion Overall, it is important to point out that the situation between McDonald s in Bradford and McDonald s in China was same similarities rather than differences, which takes into account abundant elements such as business system, nationalities, behaviour, menu and decoration based on the questionnaires, observation, communications and memory. Meanwhile, the fact of ethnographic studies and a general sociological understanding of the globalization culture as well as Mcdonaldization are likely to correspond with each other mainly. Subsequently, there are some points I am partial to reiterate as followed. First and foremost, admittedly, a comparison of McDonald s in Bradford and McDonald s in China on the basis of an ethnographic study reveals that McDonald s has become a symbol of American culture symbolising inexpensive, convenient and nonhuman technology service in people s minds with a global influence under the heading of globalization. Secondly, the situation of McDonald s and Mcdonaldization reflect the characteristics of global cultural homogeneity beyond the features of differentialism. To put it in another way, the Mcdonaldization is a type of the idea of worldwide homogeneity of societies through the influence of multinational corporations. Thirdly, in my personal perspective, the development process of McDonald s maybe considered as a process of dealing with the conflict of local culture and American McDonald s culture and assimilating each other in order to balance this paradox. Therefore, McDonald s paradox to a great extent can be considered as the rivalry between globalization and interregional in terms of cultural aspects. Last but not the least, nearly the same as Pieterse s (2003) opinion, as far as I am concerned, Mcdonald s in future may be likely to grow with diversity connection of the unique mixtures of local culture as well as Mcdonald s America culture and then create a unique phenomenon in Mcdonald s among different areas. Accordingly, the outcome of globalization processes is open-ended leading to a mixture in the future.

Abuse? :: essays research papers

Abuse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to a May 2001 article in Parents magazine 67% of the American population condones spanking as a regular form of discipline. Also, 67% say they would oppose a law prohibiting spanking at home and says that only 17% would support it. According to advice columnist and family psychologist John Rosemond, â€Å"Many parents are becoming frustrated with the very weak forms of discipline du jour advocated by ‘psychologically correct’ experts. He also says â€Å"More than 90% of children raised in the 1950’s and early ’60s were spanked and we don’t go around hitting people when we don’t get our way.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While I was visiting a friend recently, she told me about her most recent visit to the doctor with her two-year-old daughter. She told me that she was trying to get her daughter ready to leave after the appointment was over and her daughter would not quit playing with the toys which were in the doctor’s office. After several minutes of struggling with her daughter to get her coat on, her daughter turned to her, said â€Å"no, mom† and then her daughter proceeded to slap her across the face. My friend put her daughter over her knee and gave her a quick swat and told her that she was not to treat her mother like that. After seeing this, a nurse came over to my friend and told her that if they ever see her hit her daughter again they would call the Department of Children and Family Services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This situation is not all that unfamiliar to me these days. I hear of parents in similar situations almost every day and sometimes I actually see it with my own eyes. For instance, I was in Wal-Mart a few weeks ago and witnessed a woman tell a father that she was going to report him for child abuse because he grabbed his son’s arm and yelled at him for taking off and running through the store. Apparently the father had turned to look at something on the shelf and when he turned back around his son was gone and the father was paged over the store intercom to come and retrieve his son from across the store. In my opinion, that child was lucky that his father hadn’t given him a spanking right in the middle of the store. When I was a child my father would have given me a real whopper of a spanking for pulling a stunt like that in a store.

Observation Checklist Essay

Philosophy on Education is the belief that the passion to learn, the commitment to succeed, and the motivation to try, is the passage through the core values that a teacher instills to a student, as learning becomes a way of guidance that encourages pupils to improve. It is an educator’s duty to provide an environment that exhibits a multitude of ways for children to engage in the process of learning. When I was a young child, I always wanted to show people the things I have learned through my family, friends, manuals, and teachers. Then, I entered the field of teaching, where I was able to present to an audience of children, various techniques in reading, writing, and arithmetic under the auspices of the head teacher. Let alone, I wanted to help those whom where much more challenge than others. This interest has catapulted me towards the beginning of my career in education. The journey through my past experiences as a teacher assistant foreshadowed my teaching styles. Under the auspices of the certified staff, I was given the opportunity to work in a population that requires an extra bit of patience. In formulating my approach to each class lesson, there was a need to implement hands-on learning as the basis for each work session. An adulating engagement with the student, while promoting encouragement, and confidence in taking tasks has its role in part with the learning process. Once the student becomes self sufficient, then the teaching has effectively accomplish its role. Furthermore, the importance of a teacher making assessments on a student’s capabilities is vital to facilitating education. In the successful grasping of an academic material and its content, being able to have rapport with the students to gain better understanding of their capabilities should intertwine directly with each learning style. Fostering a positive teaching environment requires that the student receives an invitation to participate in a friendly atmosphere. As a proclamation, there should be willingness for each student to express themselves with an utmost pride towards their work and success. In conclusion, my goal as a teacher is to provide to in each and every student with the necessary skills and knowledge so they could succeed on their own. I want to leave a memory of myself as teacher who was not afraid to roll up the sleeves to help another student in any way and influenced others to do the right thing. My colleagues recall me a teacher who regularly participates and who was active to contribute assistance to the school community.

Developing early writing Essays

Developing early writing Essays Developing early writing Essay Developing early writing Essay From personal experience in an early years setting it can be suggested that allowing individual children to bring in toys or other items from home on selected days, and holding an American style show and tell where the child will talk about his item, not only produces good results for the class but will have children talking to each other if they possess the same or similar thing at home. Role-playing at acting out stories or poems in the home corner is also another great activity for drawing out speaking and listening skills in the early years. Although the above ideas are examples of speaking and listening strategies in the early years the importance of this skill carries on right throughout every key stage. The National Curriculum at key stages 1 and 2 stresses that children should learn to speak with confidence and listen to others, speak in a range of contexts and make relevant points during class discussions (QCA, 1999:p44-50). One enjoyable activity to promote speaking and listening in the latter key stages is to hold a group discussion after a debateable article has been read to the class. The practitioner can split the class into two halves and assign the two groups the arguments for and against. If before the discussion the practitioner asks each group to re-read the article and write down any relevant points for discussion then, in one literacy hour, not only has the teacher delivered a speaking and listening activity he has also covered a shared and guided read and a guided writing session. The final area of the Literacy hour that shall be explained is the need to develop good writing skills. According to the DfEE booklet developing early writing (2001) evidence from teachers using the National Literacy strategy suggests that the teaching of reading has been more systematic than writing and many children still find the process of writing difficult and make slow progress. White (1980) backs this up in his book Teaching written English by claiming that speech is regarded as primary importance but writing is placed a poor second. However, the teaching of writing should be an important factor for all primary schools. If pupils are to become independent writers they need to be familiar with a range of writing so that they may adapt their writing to suit their intended audience and intention of a task. Therefore, during the literacy hour teachers should designate time to the teaching of writing non-fiction, poetry and plays. (QCA, 2000) During this time writing, like reading, will often be broken down into shared and guided sessions. During shared writing sessions teachers should act as editor and scribe in activities which will allow pupil participation. For example, after an idea for writing has been introduced the practitioner should encourage children to think about wording and re-wording sentences, and debate about each others suggestions. During this time the teacher should also maintain a vigorous pace and focus on his set objectives. During guided writing pupils should be set a specific writing objective (writing a letter or a short story for example) they should then be told to return to their groups and have a go of completing their work on their own. Pupils should also be allowed to view some past examples of good quality writing before they start so they have a general idea of what is expected of them. When the activity is being undertaken it is important for practitioners to remember that although this is independent work some students will still need support from their teacher. The guided writing sessions will allow for the practitioner to spend time with one or two of his/her ability groups so as to re-enforce the learning objectives and aid in the correct writing composition. To conclude, it is thought that this essay has highlighted the importance of having a literacy hour and a national strategy from which to work from. Although the NLS is not compulsory it can be seen that by using the framework along with the national curriculum document teachers can plan and teach effective lessons using a range of fun and interactive methods. Bibliography DfEE (2001) The National Literacy Strategy: Developing early writing, London:DfEE DfES (2001) The National Literacy Strategy: London: DfES DfES (2001) The National Literacy Strategy: Progression in phonics, London: DfES Fenwick, G. (1990) Teaching childrens literature in the primary school, London: David Fulton. QCA (1999) The National Curriculum, London: QCA/DfEE QCA (2000) Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage, London: QCA White, R.V. (1980) Teaching written English, London: George Allen Unwin Ltd. Wilson, A. (2000) Language knowledge for primary teachers, London: David Fulton.