Practising Procedures

My name is Sarah Andrews. I have always been fond of spending time with toddlers. Becoming an aunt at a young age and also helping my neighbours babysit, I have known for a long time that I have a talent when it comes to children. So deciding to study Healthcare, Childhood and Youth Development was not difficult.

I was really looking forward to my first day of work placement at a local kindergarten. I was eager to get to know the children and my colleagues and certain that I would impress them with my positive attitude and experience. I was soon to have my first rude awakening: after serving the children breakfast, my supervisor told me to change nappies. It suddenly dawned on me that I had never dealt with a child’s faeces before. I hurriedly made up an excuse and avoided the situation. As soon as I was done for the day, I called my sister and asked her to let me practise how to change nappies on my niece.

First, I had to wash my hands and place a sheet of paper on the changing table (the bathinette). My sister told me that I should always wear gloves when changing nappies at the kindergarten, and that I was certain to find some next to the bathinette. I then removed the child’s nappy and put it in a hands-free lidded bin. The worst part of the job was done!

Secondly, I removed any clothes that had urine and faeces on them. Since I was at my sister’s, I put them straight into the washer. When that was done, the smell was gone and I realized that was what had made the whole nappy thing seem unbearable to me.

The next step was to clean the child’s bottom. Since it was a bit sore, I applied zinc ointment and made sure that it was dry before I fastened the new nappy.

I continued by removing the sheet of paper and put it in the same hands-free lidded bin. I also removed my gloves by peeling them back from my wrists, turning them inside out.

Furthermore, I dressed my niece, in addition to washing and drying her hands.

Having removed the child, I cleaned the bathinette thoroughly with detergent and warm water. This is especially important to remember in a kindergarten, as there are many children in need of a change of nappies during a day and germs spread easily!

Finally, it is just as important to clean your own hands with warm water and detergent, so that you don’t catch any germs.

After having practised at my sister’s, I felt more confident at work the next day. In fact, I volunteered when the first child was in need of a nappy change. My colleagues seemed relieved, probably because they had been slightly worried that I was not up for the task or that I would not cope with it. I was tremendously proud of myself; I had taken control of the situation and I had overcome a challenge I had dreaded. Moreover, if I can boast a little, today I change at least 20 nappies every day, and I do not even think about it!

toddler lite barn work placement utplassering rude awakening ubehagelig overraskelse / ubehageleg overrasking supervisor veileder/rettleiar faeces ekskrementer/ekskrement unbearable uutholdelig, utålelig / uuthaldeleg, utoleleg ointment salve detergent vaskemiddel germ bakterie to volunteer å melde seg frivillig, å tilby to boast å skryte

Understand

a Where does Sarah have her work placement?

b Why does Sarah call her sister?

c What did Sarah’s sister tell her to wear when changing nappies at work?

d Why was Sarah proud of herself on the second day of her work placement?

1 |PRACTISE: Linking words and phrases

In pairs, go through the text and discuss the linking words and phrases that Sarah uses. What is the function of each of them? (See p. 61 for a list of functions.)

Example: First, I had to wash my hands (…). First = Used to indicate sequence

2 |INTERACT: Procedure

In pairs, take turns telling each other about the different stages in the procedure Sarah describes. You may use the sentence starters below as clues:

– First, she had to …

– Second, she …

– The next step was to …

– She continued to …

– She then …

– Next, she …

– Finally, she had to …

3 |REFLECT & INTERACT

Example: spring rider = vippedyr swing / sandbox / slide / teeter-totter / seesaw / climbing frame / merry-go-round / playground climber / sandbox toy / skipping rope / hula hoop / ride-on cars b Above is an illustration of everyday activities in a kindergarten. Explain what is going on. Remember to include verbs and the name of the equipment and/or toy being used. employe

Example: A child is bouncing on a spring rider.

Below are some of the guidelines given to employees in a kindergarten. Work in small groups or pairs and go through them. Rank the bullet points from least to most important and discuss what might happen if the guidelines are not followed.

– Listen carefully when children or co-workers are speaking with you.

– Maintain a calm, courteous manner.

– Do not gossip about children, their parents/ caregivers or your co-workers.

– Do not use offensive language.

– Keep a close watch on the children in order to ensure their safety.

– Perform tasks efficiently and carefully.

– Watch out for hazardous situations and correct any hazards that you see.

– Follow all required safety procedures.

4 |PRACTISE: Workplace vocabulary

a On the right is a list of equipment from a kindergarten playground. What are these pieces of equipment called in Norwegian? Use an online dictionary or do Google image searches if you need help.

5 |PRACTISE: Reading for information

Child development experts have identified some “milestones of development”. These milestones show the ages at which most children have reached a certain stage of development. Many children may reach this stage much earlier, but what matters is whether or not a child has reached it by the milestone age.

a In pairs, find the answers to these questions in the chart on the next page:

1. When does a child sit alone without support?

2. At what age can children play alone?

3. Would it be a good idea to give a four-year-old a board game?

4. At what age do most children have tantrums when they are upset?

5. What are new-born babies able to do?

6. At what age do we start to be concerned about being disliked?

7. When do children include legs and arms when drawing a person?

Some Important Milestones For Child Development

Age Physical development

Birth to 4 weeks Lies on back with head to one side. Head lags when pulled up to sit.

1 month Head control unsteady. Hands in tight fists.

Head and eyes move together.

Social/Emotional development

Imitates facial expressions. Stares at bright, shiny objects.

Gazes intently at people and faces.

4 months

Uses arms for support when lying on stomach. Turns from back to side.

Holds onto and shakes small items.

9 months Sits alone without support.

Uses index and middle fingers with thumb to pick up small items.

Will take and hold a small brick in each hand.

1 year Stands alone.

Enjoys self-feeding.

18 months

Can walk alone.

Can walk up stairs holding someone’s hands.

Tries to kick a ball.

Squats to pick up objects from floor. Builds tower of six bricks.

Helps with dressing and undressing.

Can use spoon.

3 years Stands and walks on tiptoe.

Can kick a ball confidently.

Builds tower of nine bricks and builds bridge with bricks. Threads large beads.

Can undo buttons.

4 years Builds large tower. Draws a person with head, body and legs.

Can draw a house.

Cuts round an object with scissors and copies a square.

Can catch a large ball. Walks backwards.

Can brush own teeth (with assistance).

7 years Builds intricate models. Controls pencil in small area. Enjoys board games. Enjoys hopping, bike riding, roller boots, skating.

Smiles, makes babbling noises, communicates with carer.

Very interested in what is going on around them. Recognises familiar and unfamiliar people. Shows fear of strangers.

Shows definite emotions and is aware of emotions of others. Will play alone.

Shows shyness with strangers. Dislikes changes in routine.

Starts toilet training. Starts tantrums when upset. Has separate sense of self.

Little idea of sharing and strong sense of “mine”.

Strong sense of gender identity (being a boy or girl). Less anxious about separation. Plays alongside others.

Enjoys co-operative and dramatic play. Understands co-operation and competition. Responds to reasoning.

Can take turns.

Enjoys independence but still needs comfort and reassurance.

Becomes very involved in activities. Develops fears of ghosts, things under the bed. Concerned about being disliked.

PRACTISE: Scanning a text

Scanning is a useful technique for finding details in a text quickly. When you scan, you work like a “human search engine”. First, find out what keywords you should look for in the text. Next, let your eyes move rapidly down the page until you find the keyword you are looking for. Then read the surrounding text carefully to see if the information is relevant. If it is not, continue scanning the text until you find what you are looking for.

a Scan the text on the next page to find the answers to these questions: b Discuss with a partner: Which answer was the easiest to find? Which was the most difficult? Do you think this had something to do with the keywords you chose to look for?

– Who was William T.G. Morton?

– What did Louis Pasteur prove?

– What was the world’s first known antibiotic?

– What is used to treat leukaemia?

– What does “AI” mean?