14-19 Work Related Learning

Key words Student voice, democratic participation, egalitarianism, meritocracy, commodification, consumerism, post- invigorated-madeism. 1 each Child Matters ? In 2003, the Government published the green paper both Child Matters (electronic countermeasures) this was published alongside the Climbie report (2003). The ECM (2003) emphasiss four key themes supporting families and c beers, child protection, multi-agency collaboration, and ensuring that the multitude working with children are valued, rewarded and trained.The Every Child Matters (2003) green paper similarly identified fivesome outcomes that are close important to children and childly people being healthy, staying pencil eraser, enjoying and achieving, make a commanding contribution and achieving economic well-being. These five outcomes are universal joint ambitions for every child and one-twelvemonth-old person, whatever their background or circumstances.Following liberal consultation with childrens services , rears, children and young people, the Government published Every Child Matters the near Steps in November 2004, and passed the Children Act (2004), providing the basis for developing much utile and accessible services focused around the needs of children, young people and families.The recently formed DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families) echos the points made in ECM (2004) and devourks to ensure that solely children and young people stay healthy and safe, touch on an excellent tuition and the highest possible standards of get throughment, enjoy their childhood, make a positive contribution to society and the parsimony, confuse lives full of opportunity, free from the deeds of poverty. These outcomes are mutually reinforcing.For example, children and young people learn and thrive when they are healthy, safe and engaged. The DCSF also aim to examine educational standards so that more children and young people reach expected levels, lifting more children out of poverty and re-engaging rebellious young people. This is particularly applicable to my practice as the socio-economic circumstances of most of my students disadvantage them. Most of my students live in Camborne, crime syndicate, Redruth and Hayle.These are widely choose as deprived areas regarding economic opportunities, high number of single parent classs, low employment prospects, and the push-down list of employment being minimum waged, comparatively insecure, part time, seasonal or flexi time. (SDRC 2004). This relates back to ECM (2003) in that this seems to be applied in context of the geographic and demographic circumstances of children and young people.For example, a student from a poor single parent household in a deprived area with high crime rank who participates in underage smoking and drinking may be majority behaviour or the norm in certain subcultures in Camborne, Redruth, Pool and Hayle but would attract more attention and concern in a more affluent ar ea where this was non the norm. 2 We Could be Left Behind In every decade children are maturing physically earlier than before resulting in a constant shortening of childhood in a biological and social sense. This has a converse repercussive effect involving the constant lengthening of childhood in an educational sense. Cunningham 2006) This is reflected in the proposals in the DfE (Johnson 2007) report Raising Expectations staying in education and training post-16 are spotlight the need to reside study for 14-19 year olds and by 2015 the school leaving age will be increased to 18 years of age. The reasons the brass father given for such policies being implemented are illustrated by the secretary of education Johnson (20073) when he said the undeniable truth is that if a young person continues their education post 16 they are more likely to achieve valuable qualifications, earn more and bakshish happier, fitter lives.A seeming contradiction to Johnsons (2007) policy of stayi ng in education longer and its benefits founder been inquiryed by Walker and Zhu (2003145) who asserted that there is no assure that gentility the minimum school leaving age made people who pay off non intended to leave at the minimum age raise their educational standard. This is consistent with the idea that education raises productivity and not with the view that productive people get more educatedJohnsons (2007) statement seems concern with happiness, health and wealth. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR 1948) has wider reaching concerns. The UDHR (1948) states in condition 26 that education shall be directed to the full development of the tender-hearted personality and to the strengthening of respect for human right and fundamental freedoms. It shall conjure understanding, tolerance and friendship among nations, racial or religious groups for the maintenance of quiescence.However, Johnson (200718) goes on to explain we have a duty to prepare all young pe ople for the jade market as the world economy is developing at an ever more rapid pace. If we do not act now we could be left behind. So its seems that it is not just for the benefit of our childrens wellbeing that Johnson encourages the parents of the youth of today to continue in education and so achieving valuable qualifications, earn more and lead happier healthier lives (Johnson 20073) but more to do with deeper issues of the world economys development and the UKs position of power inwardly it.In the same report Johnson (2007) quotes research carried out by the National found for Social and Economic inquiry (NISER) that reinforces the idea that when individuals achieve higher levels of skill and qualification, businesses and the economy benefit. This is compelling evidence that increasing the educative stock of human capital raises productivity at the macro economic level. In relation to literacy for example, a study by Coulombe Trembley and Marchard (2004) found that if a countries literacy score increases by 1% relative to the lay national average a 2. % relative rise in labour productivity and a 1. 5% rise in GDP per year can be expected. 3 Surfs up This emphasis on cultural superficiality, fragmentary sensations and disposability offers wide implications and questions not least what is post modernity? postmodernistism itself is a much disputed term that has occupied much recent pass about contemporary culture since the early 1980s. In its simplest sense it refers in the main to the phase of 20th century Western culture including the products of the age of heap television since the mid 1950s.More often, though, it is applied to a cultural condition everyday in the advanced capitalist societies since the 1960s, characterized by a superabundance of scattered images and styles most noticeably in television, advertising, commercial design, and pop video (Baudrillard 199872) In my practice I notice that these media have a profound have-to doe wit h on defining students social standing and identity element operator within their peer group. In my role as a lector I observe that the students are encouraged through media and peer impel to consume.Childrens identities centre prolifically on brand names and icons (mobile phones and hoodies) which help to go through their aspirations to obtain products which make statements about who they are. The latest fashions all contribute to the identity of the youth of today where a distinct subculture and language exist involving Xboxes, ipods, beebo, Bluetooth, myspace, chavs, hoodies, emos, skaters and goths. I ensure that I participate and involve such subcultural language within my practice when explaining tasks, demonstrating skills or providing metaphorical illustrations.Whatever postmodernism is and however the term evades definition, what the intellectual highbrows have been lecturing on postmodernism are soon to become extinct by their own doing. The postmodernist roll out of consumer students have climbed the ladder and are raffish at the heels of the old school who created them like Doctor Frankenstein who is dispatched by his creation. This wave of postmodernist students could also be seen as in a capacious ocean of modernity where far from the shore one can see the formation of a wave.As the wave builds in popularity it slowly approaches the shore, the crest breaks postmodernity is born. As we stand and watch, it slips beneath itself, down into the ocean, and there in time it becomes the modern, dissolved and replaced by yet another breaking new wave. paradoxically the new wave will emerge in a importantly disposable, shifting, fragmentary postmodern society with expectations of structured, quantifiable, standardised educative processes.One of the latest waves to amaze its postmodernist journey towards the shore before slipping back into modernism and the norm is the Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) announcement in January 2008 by the Qua lifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) who have allowed commercial companies the ability to award nationally accredited qualifications to employees, for the first time Network Rail, Flybe and McDonalds all achieve the standards set by QCA for awarding accredited qualifications, enabling them to assess, track and recognise work-place learning (QCA 2008) McQualifications This links to Ritzers (2000) notion of the McDonaldisation of education, where education is based on the enter of efficiency, calculability, and predictability and is partially governed by non-human technology. This perspective is rooted in both Fordian principles of mass production, mechanisation and assembly line of merchandises (Ling 1991) and Weberian (1968) principles regarding the growth of formal rational systems with its emphasis on the rules and regulations of large social structures.Ritzer (20002) applies this process of McDonaldisation not only to restaurants but also to work, health care, travel, le isure, dieting, politics, the family, and virtually every aspect of society including, of course, education. This could be illustrated with the OFSTED standardization of observations and grading, league tables, units of competence, knowledge requirements etcetera.For example, Young (1961) asserts that in a meritocracy, all citizens have the opportunity to be recognized and advanced in proportion to their abilities and accomplishments. The holy person of meritocracy has become controversial because of its association with the use of tests of intellectual ability, such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, to regulate admissions to elite colleges and universities. It could be argued that an individuals performance on these tests reflects their social class and family environment more than ability.Maybe this is what Chomsky (1989) would label a requirement illusion. One that allows the system to keep on running with the support of its members tear down if massive disparities and inequal ities exist. Supporting a system that does not support you as an individual is a typical hegemonic regime of truth a conversation that the society accepts and makes function as true (Foucault 1980131). Excellence in Schools (DFEE 1997) and run across the Challenge (DFEE1998) were ntroduced as the Governments educational policies and marked the change from centralised accountant to educational intervention where direct involvement and partnerships with parents, schools, Local Authorities and businesses treasure them as stakeholders in an attempt to improve standards in schools and to find ingrained and innovative solutions (Blair 19981 cited in concourse the Challenge 1998) to problems of underachievement. Reference discover Baudrillard, J. (1998) The Consumer Society Myths and Structures. capital of the United Kingdom. Sage. Children Act (2004). London. HMSO. Chomsky, N. (1989) Necessary Illusions.London. Pluto Press Climbie Inquiry cut across of an Inquiry by Lord Laming (2 003). London. HMSO. Coulombe,S. Trembley, F. and Marchard, S. (2004) Literacy scores, human capital and growth, across 14 OECD countries. OECD. Canada. 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Journal of Educational Policy 19, 2, p216 226 Young, M. (1961) The Rise of the Meritocracy An Essay on Education and Equality. wide Britain. Penguin. Bibliography Donovan, G. (2005). Teaching 14-19. Great Britain. David Fulton. Vizard, D. (2004). Behaviour Solutions teaching 14-16 year olds in colleges of boost education. Great Britain. Incentive Plus.