Key Concept of Alternative Education System
The alternative education system is one of the essential components in educational studies for educators and researchers. Through this alternative education system, children with physical, psychological and behavioural disabilities can receive teaching in an organised structure where they have equal priority and position as the mainstream students. This report is focused on my experience as an educator in a Nursery school named our lady’s & St Georges. The report is a reflection of my work practice, my perception and understanding of the alternative education system operated in this Nursery School. The purpose of this report is to find the most appropriate practice of alternative teaching style for mainstream schools as well.
‘our lady’s & St Georges’ school provides a unique learning experience for students and distinct teaching process for educators. The educational policies of the school are mainly focused on the learning process and operational framework for the age group of 3 to 6. Therefore, the key concept of the teaching practices of this school regulated by partnership and collaboration procedure (Kraftl 2015). The partnership and collaboration approach of education system emphasises the specific operational framework where the teachers should monitor the children by themselves and by the non-teaching staff as well. Most of these cases parents are also considered as part of this monitoring system. This monitoring system provides additional facilities to identify the key strengths and weaknesses of the students. The major concern of this educational style is indirect feedback collection because in this age students are unable to express their experiences with their educators properly. Especially in the alternative education system, this feedback collection is also crucial for having an insight of their mental and physical health.
Another most important part of this education system is collaborative and cooperative work process within the parents and educational institution that helps to justify the most appropriate teaching or educating process for the individual child. In this educational process, the teachers and parents of the student work collaboratively to make the educational path of the children flawless and easy (Blaak, Openjuru & Zeelen 2013). The transparent and integrated communication is the key to this operation in order to secure the efficiency and accuracy of this education system. For regular days the school’s hour is 9:00 am to 3:00 pm while having two divisions of scheduling, one for morning and another for the evening. However, the learning outcomes of the activities in school would not be properly effective without incorporating these into the daily lifestyle of the children. One of the essential key factors of this collaborative education system is to ensure that the children are following their learned procedures in the school hours and in their home as well (Palmer 2016). In order to ensure this consistent procedure, the organisation has to work collaboratively with the parents and other responsible guardians of the children. Therefore making awareness within the guardians and parents about regular activities and schedule provided by the school for the children is equally important.
Collaborative and Cooperative Work Process
The education system of ‘our lady’s & St Georges’ school is completely different from the mainstream nursery school. My placement is in a faith nursery school that handles the physically and psychologically disabled children. Throughout the day there are many activities are scheduled as per the potentiality of the learning of different group o children. In normal days the setting runs by to divisions namely morning and afternoon sessions. Usually, the morning section starts at 9:00 am and ends at 12:15 pm and the afternoon section starts at 12:00 am and ends at 15:00 pm. Within these two schedules, there is another subdivision according to the significance of the activities and the acceptance of these learning materials within the students. The level of acceptance depends on the mental and behavioural stability of the students concerning the existential environment of the classroom. We have only 10 children for each session which means that the children usually have enough space to have completely break from the ongoing learning activities (Page & Elfer 2013). In these times are free to go about their daily activities whichever they like the most. This specific learning approach makes the overall education process to be easily accessible for the students as well as the devoted educators.
In this education system, the educators can learn about the inclusive behaviour that would be easily acceptable by the students as well as the parents and the responsible guardians of the students. It is also an essential part of behaviour management on which the overall organisational education related functionalities depend. At the same time, the structure and scheduling of education stricture, as well as the respective activities, regulates the efficiency of the educational process and working diagram of the teaching as well as the non-teaching staffs (Flinn 2014). More specifically in the Nursery setting that is followed by this organisation is highly regulated by the operational structure of the curriculum and the collaborative initiatives by every member of the organisation. For me, it is the most interesting thing that in this process I can easily find out my potential growth as a successful educator in a special educational environment for alternative educational practice. The partnership and collaboration approach of education system emphasises the specific operational framework where the teachers should monitor the children by themselves and by the non teaching staff as well (Sarah Van 2014). Most of these cases parents are also considered as part of this monitoring system.
Learning the effective communication technique to interact with the children and the staffs is the most important part of this education system. At the same time, The management system and the team approach can be the most appropriate approach for both learning and teaching methods. Another necessity of this nursery setting is the work culture and social environment that influence the behavioural growth of the children. Apart from that different demographical staffs, members can work collaboratively to ensure the operational efficiency of the education process. The most enjoyable part of this teaching procedure is to teach children about a particular skill and making them able to embrace the factor within their capabilities (Kuosmanen, Fleming & Barry 2018). On the other hand, inclusion and behaviour management and the structure of the curriculum are the core regulators as well as motivators of the education system that deals with these types of nursery setting. However, there are few bad points regarding working experience and the occasional discrepancy within the educational setting. This nursery setting provides a diverse environment in which both the educators and the children can learn about the existing education policies and the potential improvement structure. At the same time, learning through the designing of effective activities without any intervention of the formal lessons is highly tactical.
This nursery school also has a belief that the children usually learn through the experience they perceive through their sensory organs rather than the execution of typical formal and strict lessons that do not have adequate flexibility within the predetermined operating time. As an example, a group of children learn to read and identify numeric by using their playing materials while having a lot of interests and motivation for this operation with self-sufficient activities (Weinberger 2009). It has been realised that it was not more overwhelming to guide as well as supporting the children with a lot of patience and mutual understanding. On the other hand, both indoor and outdoor activities can be appreciated by the teacher as well as students with adequate controlling and collaborative management system. Developing more proactive and engaging activities with acceptable scheduling can support the physical and mental growth of the learners as well as the capability of understanding the education technique by the teachers. Throughout the whole activities, the major concerns are making the learners feel that they are completely secured as they are connected with their home all the time their home (Klatt et al. 2018). Apart from that, the learning and educating style for the children can be more effective in implementing a suitable homely atmosphere where the learners can freely voice about their existing problems.
Inclusive Behaviour Management
Implementation of this learning and educating approach within the main stream schooling can open up new opportunity to develop the traditional educational system that is bounded with restricted schedule and monotonous activities. The major fault that can be recovered by implementing this collaborative and partnership based education system is lack of information and communicational integrity that usually generates a repulsive reaction within the conscious and subconscious mind of the students (Yang et al. 2018). This repulsive nature has been making the significant barrier against the natural growth of human mind that has to be initiated in the basic level schooling. Learning the way of effective communication is another crucial factor that has to become approachable, adaptable and flexible within the conventional setting of the mainstream education system. Making the learning process and potential learning outcomes approachable has made it possible for parents and children to come up with innovative thoughts and learning outcomes can make the evolutionary enhancement of educational efficiency. Being also adaptable and flexible this education system has the potentials to improve the educational environment form cultural, social and psychological aspects. The key method of implementing this educational operation is to keep changing the way of approach for representing the learning objectives to the students (Crossley 2009). The surprising news is, his ever changing technique has been proven as one of the most acceptable and attainable processes for the students and the educators irrespective of the demographical background of the students and teaching staffs.
Another effective measure to implement this theory is abolishing the competitiveness of the student within the main stream education system. Throughout the decade’s many issues have been identified regarding the operational failure of this rigid and restricted education system where the students would not have enough opportunity to use their thought and innovation in their learning procedure while receiving adequate amount of support and cooperativeness from the assessor and the teachers. The most appropriate way of building a lesson that reflects the specialised curriculum of core learning objectives is setting the knowledge and understanding of the core concept and importance of the learning components (Jordan, Jordan & Hawley 2017). The students can do this by investigating materials and objects by using all senses. As an example, the learners can explore the dissimilar features of the material such as distinguishing the dry sand and the wet sand which can customise by hand to build creative things. At the same time, observing the students while they are going through the individual sessions will help the educators to think about what the learners want to do in their next phase of learning.
Effective Communication Technique
Conclusion
From the beginning of this placement, I knew that children would learn through instructions. Henceforth, I inform the students about their planning in the classroom as well as the outdoor practices. This can help the students to become more autonomous while executing their daily learning activities. At the same time, I have also learnt that it will be more innovative ideas and strategies to develop the learning process with more funny and interesting components. I have also felt that learning to deal with issues such as approaching an internal conflicting situation within the students will need more accurate and precise concept of educational acceptance and behavioural understanding. I have learnt that giving them task can help them to monitor their improvement as well as to enhance their efforts. Besides that, I have learnt that to keep the students motivated towards their learning objectives and components, they need to have direct involvement in every educational or learning activity. Apart from that, It is also important to give the students the opportunity to be successful and to help the peers for making them successful as well. This will help the educators to plan for the activities and scheduling for the next phase of learning process which can build on the existing knowledge and interest of the students by allowing them to learn new skills depending on their existing skills and leanings.
Reference:
Blaak, M., Openjuru, G.L. & Zeelen, J., 2013. Non-formal vocational education in Uganda: Practical empowerment through a workable alternative. International Journal of Educational Development, 33(1), pp.88-97.
Crossley, TB 2009, ‘Exploring Risk and Protective Factors Among African American Males in Alternative and General Education Settings’, Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 May 2018.
Flinn, F 2014, ‘Implementing a school-based, group-based mental health intervention with adolescent females with social, emotional, behavioural difficulties, known to have experienced, and been affected by, difficult life events, in a alternative education setting : a case study approach’, British Library EThOS, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 May 2018.
Jordan, A, Jordan, K, & Hawley, T 2017, ‘Purpose and passion: The rationales of public alternative educators’, Journal Of Social Studies Research, 41, 4, p. 263, Supplemental Index, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 May 2018.
Klatt, M, Weinhold, K, Taylor, C, Zuber, K, & Sieck, C n.d., ‘A PRAGMATIC INTRODUCTION OF MINDFULNESS IN A CONTINUING EDUCATION SETTING: EXPLORING PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, BRIDGING TO PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE’, Explore-The Journal Of Science And Healing, 13, 5, pp. 327-332, Science Citation Index, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 May 2018.
Kraftl, P., 2015. Alter-childhoods: Biopolitics and childhoods in alternative education spaces. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 105(1), pp.219-237.
Kuosmanen, T, Fleming, T, & Barry, M 2018, ‘The implementation of SPARX-R computerized mental health program in alternative education: Exploring the factors contributing to engagement and dropout’, Children And Youth Services Review, 84, pp. 176-184, ScienceDirect, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 May 2018.
Page, J. & Elfer, P., 2013. The emotional complexity of attachment interactions in nursery. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 21(4), pp.553-567.
Palmer, A., 2016. Nursery schools or nursery classes? Choosing and failing to choose between policy alternatives in nursery education in England, 1918–1972. History of Education, 45(1), pp.103-121.
Sarah Van, B, Sarah Van, B, A, R, & Sarah Van, B 2014, ‘CONTENT EXPECTATIONS IN AN ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION SETTING: APPROACHES AND ISSUES By’, BASE, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 May 2018.
Weinberger, ER 2009, ‘A program evaluation of school-wide positive behavior support in an alternative education setting’, BASE, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 May 2018.
Yang, J, Ekker, S, Pierret, C, Cervera, R, & Tye, S n.d., ‘Adolescent mental health education InSciEd Out: a case study of an alternative middle school population’, Journal Of Translational Medicine, 16, Science Citation Index, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 May 2018.