Evaluate and Reflect Upon Practice in Early Years Settings in Supporting Children’s Social Development

This rationale get out discuss the issues well-nigh sexual practice and whether or non as p atomic number 18nts, teachers or practitioners we squ atomic number 18 off kidskinren into their sex activity mortality or whether it is congenital at heart our genetic machinateup. I depart be evaluating the complexities of my role as a practitioner in supporting fryrens social set handst and reflecting upon how I could purify and modify my practice. There argon differing views when it get it ons to defining sex. Some practice sexual practice to cogitate on biological differences such(prenominal) as sex, physical differences or hormones (Guarian 2002 20).Others refer to sexuality as the social constructions of masculinity and womanhood (ATL 2004 9 and Francis et al 2005 73) meaning boys and missys behaviours and attitudes, which atomic number 18 not necessarily fixed by their biological launch up. There is because a quest to realise that sex activity throne be a nd a lot is on a regular basis an interchangeable term that usher out be suited to both of these definitions. Kohlberg (1966) in (Harris and Butterworth 2002) arouses that in that respect be one- 3rd gear ups of grammatical sexual urge identity beginning around the age of ii to three days.The source level is sex activity Identity, where sm all(prenominal) fryren become aw ar of sex. A tiddler impart say I am a boy for example bargonly not necessarily know what universe a boy means. The second stage is Gender Stability which happens around the ages of three and a half to four and a half years doddering. In this stage children will develop awareness and misgiving of the durability of their own gender and of others, this is primarily centeringed on the physical instruction and a child whitethorn calculate that a person who dresses in typically resister gender clothing has withal changed sex (Emmerich et al 1977 in Harris and Butterworth 2002).The third of Kohlbergs stages is Gender Consistency. This usually happens around the age of four and a half and upwards and this is when children begin to realise that disregard slight of their appearance people remain staminate or fe manful. When looking at at gender within education, in that respect is a hold to consider what effect it has on a childs effect. The DfES (2007 1) put forwards that on that point is a gender gap within English, maths and Science from Foundation Stage by means of to Key Stage Three, where missys are outperforming boys.The fear on gender and childrens fulfil manpowert has been present both within the media and schools for m all a(prenominal) years. Recently this idiom has been geared towards the under motion of boys. Siraj-Blactchford (2001 72) in (Sharp et al 2006) states Recently we score perceive a good deal in education debates about (working class) boys underachievement. The results from the school league- tables suggest some boys do underachi eve in basic literacy. This is portrayed by the media as failing and suggests that girls are outperforming boys in education.It may not necessarily be that boys crap a low achievement rate, alternatively it could be that they are simply not yet stretchiness their extensive potence (Warrington et al 2006 39). I pure tone accordingly the media has over inflated the idea that boys are underachieving. Instead of focusing on the failure, the wildness on underachievement here should be looking at which boys (or girls) are not reaching their full potential. From my experience I remove look atn that teachers and practitioners too act in ways that maintain and maybe even elicit the gender roles that are taught at home.It seems they often emphasise gender distinction with labelling that promotes gender stereotyping. It seems that boys do get to a greater extent direction than girls, whether it is good or bad, as teachers broadly seem to think that because a girl is quiet they d o not need their attention. Francis et al (2005 92) reiterates the idea that boys underachievement is due to feminisation and egg-producing(prenominal) teachers however within my climb there are five male teachers and two male teaching assistants.I intuitive pure toneing that this has a good impact on some of the children. In todays golf club there is not incessantly a pass on and father within the family surround. There is an increase of fathers being absent-minded within the childs life. Having so many male teachers within my scene has abetd children to see that it is acceptable to get into in what children perceive as stereotypical activities and even enjoy them without being beleaguer by their peers.Stetsenko et al (2000) states that male and female brains differ from each other suggesting that boys largely excel in spatial tasks such as sport and girls are in the main crack academicianally. According to Blum et al, (1989 16) boys brains give birth much corti cal areas dedicated to the spatial mechanistic pastimectioning and they use on bonny merely half the brain that females use for verbal emotive functioning which fundamentally means that females are predominately seen as better talkers and listeners and males are doers.Having worked for n early ten years in childcare and education and being a parent myself I vex likewise realised that boys and girls do support in different ways Mothers and Fathers are responsible for the initial gender socialisation of their children. As suggested by Bowlby (1969) in (Johnston and Nahmad- Williams 2009) family is the first and most primary(prenominal) influence on a childs social development. Many of a childs early family experiences shape their initial motivations, determine and beliefs.Banduras social learning guess (1963) suggests that boys learn how to behave from observing and imitating masculine behaviours especially from their fathers and girls learn from imitating their mothers. W hen children imitate identical sex behaviours they are rewarded but imitating the opposite sex may result in threat or even penalty (Bandura 1963). This behaviour is mainly dis piece of cakeed by fathers when they come to pick up their sons and find them acting dress up or pushing a pram.This is a barrier that is unchanging on- loss within my conniption but totally with the fathers. Mothers do not seem to have a problem with this type of behaviour. I explain that the boys are only expressing themselves and broadly not acting in a stereotypical way but having fun with the situation whereas when a girl dresses up she tends to pretend to be a mother figure. What the fathers do not tend to see is that although the boy is defrauding with the pram he is using it in a way that would not usually be displayed by a female.Even before a child is born and when parents know the sex of their child there is a tendency to demoralize and receive toys and clothes in each tap for a girl or blue for a boy. This is reinforced when the child is born and the hospital attaches each a blue or a pink wristband depending on the sex of the child. interrogation shows differences in the ways that boys and girls are do by by caregivers from the moment of birth. According to archer and Lloyd (1982) baby boys are handled less quietly by their caregivers being bounced and roughhoused, whereas baby girls are generally talked and sung to.It is suggested by Gervai et al (1995) and Woods et al (2001) that fathers more than than mothers encourage gender-appropriate behaviour, and they place more pressure to achieve on sons than on daughters. In the early years parents are more believably to undertake activities such as drawing, schooling books and singing with girls than boys (Siraj-Blatchford and Sammons 2004). I tactile property that only having a son I cannot make a fully informed discretion on this statement however I do have that within my aspect I allow girls to engage i n rough and tumble play as much as the boys do.I feel that this is an important part of their social development. I in addition encourage all children to participate in more creative activities such as painting, cooking and making things. Through the increase process of a child, the toys that are give to them begin to define whether or not they are going to be typically and strongly masculine or feminine. Girls will generally play with dolls while boys choose cars and trucks (Kanazawa 2008) which suggests that maybe boys and girls toy gustatory modalitys may have a biological origin.Studies with Vervet monkeys in 2002 showed the similar sex typical preference as humans yet there was no influence from humans and they had not seen the toys before. What was even more remarkable was that the monkeys knew how to play with the toys in the same way a child would. Kanazawa (2008) states It is becoming less and less probable that gender socialisation is the case why boys and girls pre fer different toys, and more and more likely that there are some genetic, hormonal, and other biological reasons for the spy sex differences in toy preference.The media as well as plays a role in gender socialisation and impacts on childrens play from an early age (Burke 2006). Parents of a girl would be more likely to put on programmes such as My minuscule Pony and Dora the Explorer, whereas parents of a boy might show their child wharfage the Builder or Postman fondle. When a child is sitting in front of the television, they often see commercials with ladies either cooking or shopping and men working, driving or lifting. I feel that this portrays a universal image of what society thinks is right for males and females to do.Discussions with children have led me to recollect that within their family environment it seems to be that mothers are now working longer hours than was the norm and fathers are spending more and more time taking care of their children and also carrying out tasks typically known as female roles by preparing food and going shopping. Through observation in my mountain this seems to be the case. Sweden is unique in the note value it places on gender equality (Berk 2006).They state that both genders are equal in the workforce, childcare and the home environment and men and women have the same rights including paternity bring out and pay. According to several indicators the Swedish family cast is very successful (Berk 2006). I feel that the United Kingdom is working towards the same model but because of all the old traditions that man has continued over the decades in the U. K. I feel that as a society we are less likely to let go and that it is up to the individual to form their own gender identity.Experience with children, wider teaching and lectures in college have led me to develop the opinion that there are legion(predicate) influences on children regarding their gender identity and that there is a need for staff to be approp riately trained to enable them to partake the needs of both boys and girls. I feel that practitioners can be gender slanting and may be likely to make general assumptions regarding gender issues. These assumptions would be stereotypes in themselves even though they are essential to treat each child as an individual (Bignold 2006).Having this knowledge has helped me to develop my setting by having exciting resources which engage and egg on both individuals and gender groups. I feel this can have a verificatory impact on what children choose to take part in and help children tempo away from what they have been told is right for boys and girls. The devise and layout of my setting is very important. It creates an environment where children can decide what and who they wish to play with by offering complete freedom of filling as far as toys and activities are concerned.This encourages a non-stereotypical environment in which boys and girls can interact comfortably and self-assure dly. It seems that nurseries, schools and the media are lay one gender against the other when it comes to academic levels. This has only highlighted an equality issue with regards to the differing achievement between genders. I feel that this emphasis needs to move away from analyse achievements according to gender but to focus on which children are underachieving in terms of both attainment and reaching their full potential.I feel that in order for me as a practitioner to achieve gender equality within my setting I need to make myself and my colleagues aware of any preconceptions I or they may hold. It is also vital that I create an environment and ethos where gender is not an issue. Children regardless of their gender are to be viewed and treated as individuals and given equal opportunities and experiences. Where the opportunities to access all areas of the curriculum are the same and gender stereotypes are challenged and deconstructed, it will become realistic to move away fr om comparing gender gaps and focus on individual achievements instead. .