The Yellow House Preschool at Dunearn Road Essays - Free Essays

The Yellow House Preschool at Dunearn Road Essays - Free Essays T06 Winona Roxanne 19 The Yellow House Preschool at Dunearn Road is a preschool that takes in children from 18 months to 6 year olds. Located conveniently by the main road, the school has a balanced mix of expatriates children as well as of locals. I conducted an interview on the 21st of May with one of the educators who has been working in the preschool for six years. Throughout the ten questions asked, it is clear that the top three most distinct principles of Nurturing Young Learners that the centre upholds are Integrated Approach to Learning, Engaging Children in Learning through Purposeful Play and Authentic Learning through Quality Interactions. The Yellow House practices the principle of Integrated Approach to Learning by keeping in-tuned with the childrens interests (and through incidental learning), placing them under a theme, and broadening their knowledge of the topic across the different subject domains. Research by Piaget (1969), Vygotsky (1962), and Bruner (1960) justifies integrated approach to teaching and learning. This research establishes that learning is an eminently integrated course which cannot be freely detached into domains such as numeracy, science, and literacy. The centre does not only practice Integrated Approach through dispersing the theme across different subject domains but also by ensuring that there is a continuity in learning at home. Educators would update the parents weekly on what their children are learning and encourage them to informally teach their children at home with suggestions such as reading relevant books, watching more videos or conducting science experiments together. According to the Ecological Theory, development mirrors the influence of environment systems. The microsystem is the direct environment the child lives in which includes any immediate relationships, such as their family, friends and teachers. The interactions of the child with these people affect the childs development; the more encouraging and nurturing these relationships are, the better the growth of the child will be. (Bronfenbrenner and Morris, 2006). Parents can construct a home environment that administers boost and encouragement apt for their ch ildrens developmental level (National Education Association, 1996; Quigley, 2000; Simmons, Stevenson and Strnad, 1993). Researches imply that when schools collaborate with families to enhance learning, children tend to excel not just in academics, but holistically (Henderson and Berla, 1994; Christenson and Sheridan, 2001). Another principle that the Yellow House Preschool advocates is Engaging Children in Learning through Purposeful Play. Educators administer the exposure of unstructured and spontaneous child-initiated play experiences to the children. Hence, classroom layouts must also be favourable for play. Educators set up spacious areas for playing with two or more peers in an area where they will not be interrupted. Careful attention is paid to the size and space for frequented interest areas such as dramatic play and block corners. The Yellow House is also equipped with stimulating materials to boost and attract children into play with materials that are open-ended which spurs creativity. The constant revision of developmentally appropriate materials is important so children can be objective in selection to avoid boredom and frustration from materials that are too challenging. Children also need flexibility to explore the materials and environment based on their enthusiasm. Ample sections of time (45-60 minutes) in the daily schedule are also allotted for play so children may develop play scenarios, get organized, and then execute their plan (Rice, 2014). The everyday schedules in preschool classrooms whose focal point is on academics and formal education readiness usually do not expose children to the exploration of meaningful and relevant activities (Nell and Drew, 2013). When children are frequently made to choose another centre or to proceed to another play, they are not granted the chance to interact with the materials long enough for their problem solving skills that requires persistence and engagement to flourish. Play innately drives children to discover themselves and their environment. Play is the preeminent medium for the advancement in terms of imagination and intelligence, language, social and motor skills necessary for holistic success (Kalliala, 2006.; Frost, 1992). Children build up knowledge through play by fusing their ideas and insights with experiences and perceptions (Reynolds, 1976). As Rogers and Sawyer (1988) mentioned, "until at least the age of nine, children's cognitive structures function best (p. 58). Hence, this is the optimal period

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - Profile

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - Profile Why Bashar al-Assad Matters: Syrias Hafez al-Assad, in power since June 10, 2000, is one of the Middle Easts most ruthless, autocratic, minority rulers in one of the worlds most closed societies. Assad also maintains Syrias pivotal role on the Middle Easts strategic map: He is an ally of Irans Shiite theocracy, he supports and arms Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon, thus maintaining a level of enmity toward Israel that so far has precluded peace: Israel has occupied Syrias Golan Heights since the 1967 war. Presumed a reformer when he took Power, Bashar al-Assad has proved no less repressive than his father. Bashar al-Assads Early Life: Bashar al-Assad was born on Sept. 11, 1965, in Damascus, the Syrian capital, the second son of Hafez al-Assad (1930-2000), who had tyrannically ruled Syria since 1971, and Anisa Makhlouf Bashar. He had three brothers and a sister. He spent years training as an eye doctor, first at a military hospital in Damascus then in London, at St. Marys Hospital. He was not being groomed for the presidency: his oldest brother Basil was. In January 1994, Basil, who led Syrias presidential guard, died in a car crash in Damascus. Bashar was immediately and unexpectedly thrust into the limelightand the succession line. Bashar al-Assads Personality: Bashar al-Assad was not groomed to be a leader. Where his brother Basil was gregarious, outgoing, charismatic, arrogant, Dr. Assad, as he was referred to for a while, was retiring, shy, and appearing to have few of his fathers wiles or will to poweror ruthlessness. Friends admit, The Economist wrote in June 2000, that he cuts a rather meek and awkward figure, unlikely to inspire the same terror and admiration as his handsome, athletic, outgoing and ruthless brother. Basil was the gangster type, says one Syrian. Bashar is much more quiet and thoughtful. Early Years of Power: Bashar al-Assad had been running a private medical practice. But when his brother died, his father summoned him from London, sent him to a military academy north of Damascus, and started preparing him for the reins of power- which he took when Hafez al-Assad died on June 10, 2000. Bashar has gradually turned into a younger version of his father. I have a lot of respect for experience, Bashar al-Assad said just as he was taking power, and I am going to try always to acquire it. Hes lived up to that pledge. He suggested that hd relax Syrias repressive police state, even explore political reforms. He barely did. Toying With the United States and Israel: Almost from the beginning of Bashar al-Assad reign, theres been a yo-yo effect in his relations with the United States and Israelimplying engagement during one phase only to retreat into intransigence and extremism the next. Whether its a strategy or a lack of self-confidence might seem unclear until the approach is seen in the context of how Bashars father maintained power: not by innovating, not by daring, but by keeping the opposition off balance, by undermining expectations rather than living up to them. Theres been a see-saw effect on two fronts since 2000, without as yet producing lasting results. Bashar al-Assads See-Saw: Cooperation With the U.S.: Shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Assad proved to be a relatively reliable ally in the fight against al-Qaeda, cooperating with U.S. intelligence and, in more sinister ways, lending his prisons to the Bush administrations rendition program. It was in Assads prisons that Canadian national Maher Arar was tortured, at the administrations behest, even after Mahar was found to be innocent of any ties to terrorism. Assads cooperation, like Muammar el-Qaddafis,was not out of appreciation for the west but out of fear that al-Qaeda would undermine his regime. Bashar al-Assads See-Saw: Talks With Israel: Assad has similarly see-sawed with Israel over peace talks and the resolution of the Golan Heights occupation. In late 2003, Assad, in an interview with The New York Times, appeared ready to negotiate: Some people say there are Syrian conditions, and my answer is no; we dont have Syrian conditions. What Syria says is this: negotiations should be resumed from the point at which they had stopped simply because we have achieved a great deal in these negotiations. If we dont say this, it means we want to go back to point zero in the peace process. But similar suggestions were made over subsequent years, to no end. Syrias Nuclear Reactor: In September 2007, Israel bombed a remote area of northeast Syria, along the Euphrates River, where, Israel and the United States alleged, North Korea was helping Syria build a plutonium-based nuclear plant that would have been capable of producing nuclear weapons. Syria denied the allegations. Writing in The New Yorker in February 2008, investigative reporter Seymour Hersh said the evidence was circumstantial but seemingly damning. But Hersh raised serious doubt about the certainty that it was a nuclear reactor, even though he conceded that Syria was cooperating with North Korea on something military. Bashar al-Assad and Reform: As with his stance toward Israel and the United States, Bashar al-Assads promises of reform have been many, but his retreats from those promises have been just as frequent. Theres been a few Syrian springs where dissenters and human rights advocates were given a longer leash. But those brief springs never lasted. Assads promises of local elections have not been followed through, though financial restrictions on the economy were lifted early in his reign and helped the Syrian economy grow faster. In 2007, Assad held a sham referendum extending his presidency seven years. Bashar al-Assad and Arab Revolutions: As of early 2011, Bashar al-Assad was firmly planted on Middle Eastern soil as one of the regions most ruthless tyrants. He brought Syrias 29-year occupation of Lebanon to an end in 2005, but only after the likely Syrian- and Hezbollah-backed assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri triggered the Cedar Revolution on Lebanons streets and drove the Syrian army out. Syria has since reasserted its power over Lebanon, re-infiltrating the countrys intelligence services and, ultimately, reasserting Syrian hegemony when Hezbollah brought the government down and brokered its re-institution, with Hezbollah at the helm. Assad is not merely a tyrant. Like Bahrains Al Khalifa ruling family, which is Sunni and ruling, illegitimately, over a majority of Shiites, Assad is an Alawite, a break-away Shiite sect. Barely 6 percent of Syrias population is Alawite. The majority is Sunni, with Kurds, Shiites and Christians forming minorities of their own. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal in January 2011, Assad said downplayed the risks of revolution in his country: I am not talking here on behalf of the Tunisians or the Egyptians. I am talking on behalf of the Syrians, he said. It is something we always adopt. We have more difficult circumstances than most of the Arab countries but in spite of that Syria is stable. Why? Because you have to be very closely linked to the beliefs of the people. This is the core issue. When there is divergence between your policy and the peoples beliefs and interests, you will have this vacuum that creates disturbance. Assads certainties were soon proven wrong as disturbances erupted in various parts of the countryand Assad assaulted them with his police and military, murdering many protesters, arresting hundreds, and silencing Internet communications that have helped organize protests across the Middle East. In short, Assad is a flirt, not a statesman, a tease, not a visionary. Its worked so far. Its not likely to work for ever.