A language focused approach to supporting children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD)

Children with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties have been shown to constitute a unique class of Special Educational Need, where their ‘challenging’ behaviour can often result in a disproportionately punitive response, rather than one characterised by a needs-based understanding of behaviour as communication. Such an understanding underpins relational approaches to behaviour management in school where a will to develop, maintain, repair and sustain attachments is key. In addition, the centrality of language to the success of such approaches has also been identified. This paper explores a relational approach in school within the context of Nurture Groups, Restorative Practice and positive language and communication. It concludes that to enact a principle of inclusion for troubled children, we need to create facilitating environments in school that are consistent, equitable and that promote trust, through naturalistic opportunities for positive language and communication

Student Wants, Needs, Preferences, and Engagement with Learning in Social Informal Learning Spaces on Higher Education Institution Campuses

This PhD thesis uses mixed methods research methodologies to examine the wants, needs, and preferences of students with regards to Social Informal Learning Spaces, and the ways in which students engage with learning whilst studying within Social Informal Learning Spaces on UK Higher Education Institution campuses. The researcher combines observations with questionnaires and interviews to collect quantitative and qualitative data from students to build up a holistic picture of their use of Social Informal Learning Spaces to find out who uses Social Informal Learning Spaces, what student wants, needs and preferences are when choosing Social Informal Learning Spaces The study also examines why students choose to study in Social Informal Learning Spaces, where on campus they choose to study, where Social Informal Learning Spaces should be located, when students choose to study in Social Informal Learning Spaces, and how students engage with learning whilst studying within Social Informal Learning Spaces. This research suggests that students seek out conveniently located, comfortable, and naturally lit Social Informal Learning Spaces on campus where they can study before, between, or after formal learning sessions, where they are free to consume their own food and drink, and which provide access to multiple power outlets and wi-fi. Students prefer Social Informal Learning Spaces where they are relatively free from rules and supervision, utilising internet connected personal devices to engage with learning platforms and online resources either on their own, or with one or two friends, surrounded by like-minded individuals engaged in similar tasks, and where they are free to both study and engage in interactions with other students when they feel they wish to do so. The research proposes a hierarchy of students wants, needs and preferences with regards to Social Informal Learning Spaces, which will be useful to future researchers and Social Informal Learning Space designers

Transgender awareness in early years education (EYE): ‘we haven’t got any of those here'

The paper marks the growth of interest in transgender rights and argues for the value of transgender awareness as a challenge to gender binary thinking. It identifies early years education as a powerful site for a focus on gender non-conformity and aims to draw together theoretical and practical forms of support for the EYE staff who respond to young children’s gendered expressions on an everyday basis. The authors draw on data gathered within their respective research and professional training trajectories which are understood through queer and feminist poststructuralist theory, together with approaches from transgender studies. These are combined to emphasise gender multiplicities and pluralities of sexuality. The paper examines how staff can be supported towards greater gender sensitivity and considers how the presence of more male teachers in EYE can act as a catalyst for developing a gender flexible pedagogy. It concludes that a growing awareness of transgender benefits the mental health and wellbeing of all young children, and protects gender- variant children from peer abuse

Safeguarding children’s wellbeing within educational settings:a critical review of inclusion strategies

Education policy is central to safeguarding children since school and related educational services such as pre-school education and extended schools, appear to provide a ready-made arena for engaging hard-to-reach children and their families. However, recent evaluations of Children’s Centres suggest that certain family categories ‘slip through the net’, for example those from smaller ethnic minority communities. This chapter will provide a critical overview of the potentials and limitations of Children’s Centres, with a focus on issues of inclusion and engagement. The discussion will draw on data from an evaluation of Early Excellence Centres (now Children’s Centres) to critically examine strategies for engaging a wider reach of families and for developing two-way communication between parents and education professionals, with the goal of sharing holistic knowledge about the child. This, it will be suggested, is vital for safeguarding children’s well-being including their ‘liking of school’, recently found to be a low point in the UK (UNICEF 2007). Constraints to the realisation of this goal are argued to lie in the current emphasis of educational policy on a narrowly defined academic performance

The attainment of self-consistency through gender in young children

This paper explores young children's motivation for gender-stereotypical preferences by comparing two theories, both based on Kohlberg's stages of cognitive understanding within the cognitive developmental tradition. The first, elaborated by Kohlberg, suggests that gender-stereotypical preferences are the result of the child's cognitive understanding of the constancy of their gender. The second theory suggests that it is precisely the lack of certainty of gender constancy that influences gender-stereotypical behavior. Data from a cross-sectional study of 100 children sampled during their first year of school, and longitudinal case studies of 10 children during the transition to school, are brought to bear on these two theories. The sample was drawn from a range of working class and middle class home backgrounds. The children were mainly White, with 6% Asian-Indian in the cross-sectional sample, and 1 Asian-Indian child in the longitudinal group. The study finds an association between gender-stereotypical behavior and the attainment of gender constancy, suggesting support for the first theory

Identity capital:an application from a longitudinal ethnographic study of self-construction during the years of school

This article contributes to ongoing discussion of the Bourdieusian concept of cultural capital and current attempts to elaborate this concept and its derivatives. The paper identifies ‘identity capital’, the capacity to create a narrative of social and self-awareness by constructing a flexible sense of self. This concept explains findings from a longitudinal ethnography with nine children and young people over a 13-year period from pre-school to the age of 17. Analysis of the data shows that this particular capacity is developed through certain kinds of privileged discourses and the opportunities provided within socially advantaged schools and families. Two case studies are selected to reveal how identity capital interacts with other identifiable forms of capital that compound and entrench each other. The paper concludes by arguing that deficiencies in identity capital could be addressed within schooling in order to support the creation of this important resource

Stories of self:tracking children's identity and wellbeing through the years of school

The development of a sense of self is a central concept within social and emotional learning. For example, ideas about strengthening the self are embedded in the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme in UK schools, especially in the 'Good to be me' element. But what is a 'self'? What purpose does it serve? Do we actually experience such a thing as a self or is it more the case that we feel ourselves to be different people, several co-existing selves, in different social contexts

Stories of self:tracking children’s identity and wellbeing through the school years

A longitudinal study in which the researcher has worked with the participants over so many years is rare and remarkable. This is a fascinating portrayal of five children as they grow up from the age of 3 to 17. It creates a window into their internal lives and provides an unusually detailed view of intrapersonal development, focusing specifically on the construction of personal identity throughout their years at school. The words of the children dominate the pages - they talk about who they believe themselves to be, how they have changed and how they have remained the same, and they reflect on how school experiences have contributed to their narratives of self. The stories are moving, sometimes gripping, and provide a vivid and grounded illustration of current thinking about the nature and function of identity. Policy for children and young people should be rooted in their real lives. The stories told here illuminate current debates about educational purposes, so contributing to the increasing international concern with children’s wellbeing and the push to incorporate socio-emotional education into schools and children’s services. The book is important for all who work in a professional capacity with children and young people including parents. With its conclusions from the vast interdisciplinary body of literature, it will interest academics and students concerned with the study of identity. The case studies provide an excellent teaching resource for undergraduates and postgraduates alike within child orientated disciplines especially education, sociology, psychology and childhood studies. It is particularly recommended for interdisciplinary courses that aim to prepare students for inter-professional work with children