Final Blog Assignment

Over the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to learn about the international early childhood field. There is so much information about what goes on in other countries. The first consequence I saw from my experiences is the limited ability to try and remain or even develop contact with other professionals internationally. Second consequence would be understanding the differences in the way our educational systems are designed and ran. The third consequence would be comparing what we do to what someone else does and thinking this may work best for us without fully understanding why it’s being done that way. We have to ensure that if something needs to be changed or done a certain way, it is done so based on the needs of the children and their families.

My goal is to continue to work on developing contact with an international contact. I believe this is a great opportunity that will help my growth and development as a professional in the early childhood field.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3 week 7

The Pod cast talks about equity and excellence within the early childhood field and what professionals can do to enhance the field. Dr. Vasquez encourages early childhood professionals to be more assertive and take action against how we are being viewed as early childhood professionals. She helps us to understand that we are more than baby sitters and we do does not lack being professional. Although some progress is being made in relation to how we are viewed there is still work to be done. In this field we have to show what we are doing. Help others understand the process of what it takes to educate young children.

 Dr. Vasquez also so explains the human value of early childhood education. She helps us understand that it is important to go to school and receiving necessary training but human value, which can’t be taught, is also an important part of working in the early childhood field. It is equally important to respect and value professionals who have been in the field for many years and those who are new to the field, both bring a different contribution to the early childhood field. We should be able to make this transition without wasting or devaluing important resources already in place.

 

According to the international website UNESCO, universally agreed on criteria for quantifying ECCE quality does not exist, but they take into useful factors such as personnel training, pedagogy materials, parental education and involvement, and service setting. Learning materials is culturally and developmentally appropriate, focusing on child-centered interactions.

In areas where government resources are limited efforts are made to have pre-primary education placed in more formal settings or have the age of entry into the program lowered.

Because they can be pedagogically innovative and cost effective, the promotion of alternative services to under privileged children often raise concerns about sustainability and quality, In these cases a policies are put in place that allows the government to redistribute resources by reducing the amount of funds available to those who are more privileged.

References:

Course Media: "Excellence and Equity of Care and Education for Children and Families—Part 3" (approximate length: 12 minutes). Conversation with Delila Vasquez (Director of Program Services, Los Angeles Universal Preschool) about issues of equity and excellence related to EC professionals.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

 

Sharing Web Resources ( Week 6 )

Both websites I chose has valuable information related to early childhood education. The outside links on the ACEI website are very informative and offer all types of information within their region and across the globe. I research an area of the website entitled advocating education for all and discovered that ACEI has endorsed a letter to the United States House of Representatives asking for their support for education for all.  The letter signed by over 40 national and international organizations dedicated to advancing education, health, food security, democracy and governance, economic growth, peace, security, and human rights around the world was written as part of the Global Campaign for Education – U.S. Advocacy Day initiative. The Education for All Act is designed to build upon current U.S. efforts to ensure universal access to quality education for all children, and to develop a comprehensive global education strategy that addresses key barriers to education access. It also includes a provision that the U.S. engage with international education initiatives, such as the Global Partnership for Education, in order to help further these goals, and work with countries to strengthen systems that lead to sustainability.

The website does contain information that adds to my understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education. The letter to the House of Representatives asking for support for education for all is evident of this. They also have other links within the website that contain information related to equity and excellence.

Exploring the website this week, I understand how important it can be to collaborate with other countries on issues related to early childhood issues. By doing so, we open up opportunities to children and their families that can richly enhance the educational experience. We also gain knowledge and understanding that can help us increase equity and excellence in the early childhood field.

Reference:

Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts (Week 5)

      In the pod cast Dr. Vasquez describes the effects of certain issues that effects excellence and the equity of care and education for children and families. Dr. Vasquez explains the adverse effects of achievement gaps, school readiness, standards and assessments and gives both positive and negative aspects of each one and the effect they have on children. She describes how much of the focus has been taken off what best for the children and placed more on the academic aspect of learning. She describes how each topic is directly related to the other and that these issues are not new and what can be done to improve them. She also states the demands that are being placed on academics are causing a much wider achievement gap and we are not giving children the tools they need to be successful. She reminds us that our first commitment is to the children not to fix them but to work with them. It is extremely important to know the children we work with and build positive relationships in order to know the right thing to do for them.

      In Zambian, to address the knowledge gap the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project (ZECDP) was launch in 2009 by the Zambian Ministry of Education, the Examination Council of Zambia, UNICEF, the University of Zambia, and the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University to measure effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on child development. They combine existing measures with newly develop measures for preschool age children that provide a broad assessment in the Zambian context. The goal of the project is to improve what we understand about child development as well as  

      Un Buen Comienzo (UBC), “A Good Start,” is a collaborative project in Santiago, Chile, to improve early childhood education through teacher professional development. The idea is to improve the quality of educational offerings for four-to-six-year-olds, particularly in the area of language development. This project is also designed to intervene in critical health areas that improve school attendance as well as socioemotional development, and it seeks to involve the children's families in their education. UBC also incorporates a comprehensive evaluation: a cluster-randomized experiment in all 60 schools. This type of longitudinal evaluation in early education has not been carried out in any other country in Latin America and will place Chile at the forefront of demonstrating the impact of a high-quality early education. 

When humanitarian crises hit around the world, nongovernmental organizations rush into the fray, intensively focused on urgent survival needs, not necessarily on longer-term impacts that may take an even greater toll on the country and its citizens. Theresa Betancourt, a Center-affiliated faculty member who studies children in adversity and has worked alongside NGOs, wants to help them see that farther horizon: Combining short-term survival efforts with attention to children’s developmental needs only magnifies the long-range benefits for individuals and societies. Betancourt, who is currently studying both former child soldiers in Sierra Leone and children whose parents have HIV/AIDS in Rwanda, says that one reason NGOs may not have incorporated the latest thinking into what they are doing is that there just haven’t been enough studies done on global child mental health. “I can’t change that NGOs work on very tight timelines and are underfunded,” says Betancourt. “But what I can change is having research that’s more oriented towards addressing some of the key questions that they need to understand and then being good at being in those circles, so that we can translate that evidence base strategically.”

Reference:

(http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/)

 

Course Media: "Excellence and Equity of Care and Education for Children and Families—Part 1"

Sharing Web Resources

All the information on the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies web site is relevant to my professional development. It provides information for parents and professionals that assist in helping find quality care for children and their families. The website offer links to online training courses for professionals and child care providers that can help in developing knowledge that is relevant to practices within the early childhood field.

The child demographics portion of the website made me look at issues of poverty, and children not having access to quality care in a new perspective. As we have been studying it is evident that the issues of poverty affect the livelihood of young children and their families. All children should have access to quality care regardless of their economic status.

The public policy information on the websites is encouraging because so many people are on board with what needs to change to improve policies and laws that will enhance the quality of education and make it possible for all children to receive it. The action center link allows us to take action to strengthen child care laws that affect the well-being of children.

On the National Association of Child Care Resource& Referral Agencies website there is a ranking of State Child Care Center Regulations and Oversight “We can do better” conducted on each state, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense on 11 required programs and four over site benchmarks. According to the results states are making progress on improving care provided to children, but more work needs to be done.

 

References:

National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies

http://www.naccrra.org/

 (Newsletter: http://capwiz.com/naccrra/mlm/signup/ )

 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

Dr. Cathy Grace, director of Early Childhood Development, Children's Defense Fund, shares information on the effects of poverty on the early childhood community.

Poverty is an issue that has plagued not only our country but other countries as well. It is a much bigger problem now than ever and it has a damaging effect on a child’s development.  Poverty has a much more damaging effect on children who are born in poverty rather than if conditions were to change after they have reached the age of 8.  Poverty comes with different issues that are physical, mental, and emotional that can take the life out of people.  Families don’t have enough energy to accomplish daily task. Children who are stricken by poverty lack the strength and energy to perform well in school or any other activities.

Today in the United States we have the highest number of children living in poverty than we have had over the past 20 years. In order to bring on change we must start within the community. We have to speak out and take a stand for those who are not able to speak for themselves. The only way a child’s voice can be heard is through us by advocating for their rights. We have to ensure policy makers and government officials are not putting the rights of young children on the back burner. We have to ensure the rights of citizens are being protected. If we lose sight of these issues now and our rights are taken away this could lead to much bigger problems down the road.

We often assume that people living in poverty are not working, but that is not true. Most families in poverty work two to three jobs but are still considered to be within the poverty guideline because there wages are so low. We also assume people who do work may not be willing to further their education. This is why it is very important to get a better understanding of what poverty is and how it has affected so many people. As long as we continue to assume we will never truly understand what it is going to take to address and fix this issue.

In China they have developed key finding and recommendations to address their poverty issues. To address the issue of unemployment and insecure employment, Improved access to relevant and marketable skills that will enable people to find work in a changing job market, re-employment opportunities, and microcredit schemes to assist unemployed and low-income people to start their own small businesses will be made available and increasing the minimum wage so that it is higher than the MLSSA (Minimum Living Standard Security Allowance). Second they would like to improve education and skill levels of poor adults which may include affordable loans and subsides for low income families to have access to technical and vocational skill training. Third, they would also make accessing education for poor families easier by removing cost barriers that may prohibit a child from receiving the best education.

 

References:

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html

Course Media: "The Effects of Poverty on the Early Childhood Community"

Sharing Web Resources

Both websites I chose has valuable information related to early childhood education. The outside links on the ACEI website are very informative and offer all types of information within their region and across the globe. I research an area of the website entitled advocating education for all and discovered that ACEI has endorsed a letter to the United States House of Representatives asking for their support for education for all.  The letter signed by over 40 national and international organizations dedicated to advancing education, health, food security, democracy and governance, economic growth, peace, security, and human rights around the world was written as part of the Global Campaign for Education – U.S. Advocacy Day initiative. The Education for All Act is designed to build upon current U.S. efforts to ensure universal access to quality education for all children, and to develop a comprehensive global education strategy that addresses key barriers to education access. It also includes a provision that the U.S. engage with international education initiatives, such as the Global Partnership for Education, in order to help further these goals, and work with countries to strengthen systems that lead to sustainability.

The website does contain information that adds to my understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education. The letter to the House of Representatives asking for support for education for all is evident of this. They also have other links within the website that contain information related to equity and excellence.

Exploring the website this week, I understand how important it can be to collaborate with other countries on issues related to early childhood issues. By doing so, we open up opportunities to children and their families that can richly enhance the educational experience. We also gain knowledge and understanding that can help us increase equity and excellence in the early childhood field.

Reference:

Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/

 

Getting Ready—Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

 

As of right now, I am still in the process of establishing professional contacts internationally. This weekend I talked with my sister who is a kindergarten teacher to see what if any relationships or contacts she may have or any of her co-workers or administrators may have with professionals in other parts of the world.  I have not established any contacts yet but will be making several attempts to do so in the next few days. My sister has not established any contacts but know other professionals who have. So I will be working closely with her and other professionals I know to gather information I need to begin communicating with professionals around the world.

   The process of selecting the early childhood organization is not easy. When making my selection I wanted to ensure that the organization and what it stands for is relevant to the early childhood field and that it goal is to ensure that children and their family needs are being meet. I also want to ensure that this organization will help me learn more about the field and provide valuable information that will help me as I develop in my educational career.  These are the websites I choose to review.

Association for Childhood Education International

http://acei.org/

National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies
http://www.naccrra.org/
(Newsletter: http://capwiz.com/naccrra/mlm/signup/ )

 

 

 

Thank You

Dear Colleagues,

As this course comes to an end and we all start a new chapter, I would like to take this time to say thank you for all the contributions you made in our discussion board and blogs. Although I was not able to participate as much as I would have liked, I was able to rely on my colleague’s efforts to help me get through. Thanks for all the encouragement, valuable feedback and positive comments. All these contributions helped strengthen my communication skills. We all have challenges that we are dealing with and some we may face in the future but as we continue on our educational journey I wish you continued success beyond your dreams. I commend each of you for your willingness to continue your education in an effort to change the lives of young children. I would like to give a special Thanks to Professor Hampshire for support throughout the course. If it wasn’t for caring professors like yourself, those of us who face life challenges may not have an opportunity to accomplish our goals. Blessings to all of you.

 

Teresa Goodman

Team Building and Collaboration, Part 1

In 2011 I had to leave one of the best group of employees ever. I had been working with this group for almost four years. I was acting director of a child care facility with five other professionals on my team. As director I wanted to ensure we were always in compliance with our licensing agency and ensure that we were providing the best care possible for our children. I had no part in forming this group because we had a board that interviewed our applicants but I was very pleased with their decisions. Saying good-bye to this group was hard for a few reasons. First we establish positive professional and personal relationships. We never had to deal with issues of trust. We all knew and understood that all our opinions were valued and any issues we faced we dealt with as a team. If one member was faced with an issue we all worked together to come up with a solution that would be beneficial to everyone involved. Everything was not always perfect but we did not allow anything to keep us from accomplishing our goals. I have remained in close contact with a couple of the individuals. The others moved on to pursue other careers. We always had outings as a group and we did the same when someone was leaving. This is important because this is the time when we review the success or failure of what we were trying to accomplish.

Nonviolent Communication and Conflict Management

Conflict and disagreements will arise frequently in our lives. How we handle it will depend a great deal on our actions and our ability to deal with it. I recently experienced conflict in my personal life during the death of my husband. My children and I experienced some of the worst behaviors from in-laws during this time. They wanted and tried very hard to exclude us out of helping in planning the funeral arrangement of my husband and their father.  Because of the lack of one on one communication we were receiving communications through third parties. My only concern during this time was ensuring that my children were not hurt in this situation. This situation is definitely one that I could have benefitted from NVC.  I do believe that if I had known and understood more about the NVC I would have been more careful when I did communicate with them. It does not matter what the situation may be we have to always use effective communication strategies. This can eliminate a lot of stress and unnecessary conflict. The escapist strategy and cooperative strategy are two I could have used that may have help manage the conflict. As I look back at the situation there were times when I did use these strategies without realizing it. When I know how a person or even a situation makes me feel I will avoid them in an effort to eliminate and avoid conflict.

 

Effective Communication

To communicate more effectively I have to first know and understand what areas of communication I may lack in. We often think that our way is the right way. That is definitely not true. We all have some areas that we need to improve and there are some things about communication we were not aware of. We have to make sure we truly understand what it means to communicate effectively. The second thing I can do is to not be so grounded in thinking that my cultural ways are what’s appropriate. This is called cultural myopia. Cultural myopia is especially dangerous when members of the dominant group in a society are unaware of or insensitive toward the needs and values of members of others in the same society. Third I can apply the platinum rule when I am communicating with others. The platinum rule states, “Do to others as they themselves would like to be treated." Which goes hand in hand with valuing and respecting others. As it relates to effective communication, if we are aware of and are knowledgeable of the different cultures we can then communicate with them in a way that does not suggest we don’t appreciate who they are.

Communication skills

For this week assignment I watch a recorded episode of the reality show real house wives of Atlanta. In this episode in the sound off version there are a group of men I assume are the husbands of the wives. They are in a group talking in a bar or club atmosphere. Looking at them communicate it was hard to determine what they were talking about. Based on their body language, facial expressions, and different emotions displayed I assumed they may be talking about things men normally talk about. During the conversations there was a lot of laughing and high fiving and other hand gestures between the guys.  Based on what I observed they seem to be friendly and cordial at times and other times they seemed angry based on body language.

After re-watching the episode with the volume on I realized the husbands were communicating about their wives. They were discussing previously aired episodes of the show and offering advice to each other how they could have made certain situations or outcomes different. This explains why their communication skills varied throughout the show. They discussed instances where their relationships with their wives were more pleasant and when they were not. When the talked about or addressed more pleasant situations their body language and gestures (high fives and laughing) were more evident.

It is so obvious how we can make the wrong assumptions about a situation based on our opinions. I assumed these guys would be talking about sports or something or than their wives. Even if the show had been one that I watched on a regular basis I probably still would make some wrong assumptions if I was not fully aware of what was being communicated. I have often heard people say that they can tell when someone is talking about them even if they can’t hear what’s being said. We often make bad decisions about other people’s intentions based on our lack of properly identifying or knowing what is going on when others are communicating

Competent Communication

The person that I think demonstrates competent communication would be my Pastor. The success of our ministries and how well we operate is largely due to his ability to communicate effectively. He use various techniques and different forms of technology to get the information out.  If he is preaching, teaching, or just engaged in conversation with members he always demonstrates competent communication skills. During his messages or teachings we are often introduced to things we may not understand, but he will help us understand the meaning as it is being used. He also alerts us when he knows he is about to use improper English. The use of proper English is important when communicating with others in an effort to accomplish certain goals. He has the ability to influence others through his communication to make decisions that will be beneficial to their daily lives and the lives of others.

Because he display exemplary communication skills and has been successful at how well he exchange information I would like to model some of my own skills after him. I am intrigued that he is able to contribute to the success of our ministry through competent communication. Imagine the success we could have in the early childhood field just by being able to communicate effectively.

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I am able to create a learning experience for them that is beneficial to their needs that allows them to remain comfortable with who they are while adjusting to new backgrounds.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field would be to ensure all early childhood professionals are well trained and understand the importance of issues of diversity, equity, and social justice, in an effort to eliminate the negative impact in the lives of children and their family.

This course has brought about a major change in the way I look at issues related to diversity. I would like to thank my colleagues for sharing your personal stories, all the feedback, and comments throughout this course. The information and stories you shared along with course media and resources helped me better understand and relate to issues of diversity. This was a powerful learning experience for me. Once again thank you and I wish each of you continued success.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

I just received word that I a student from France will be moving to the United States and becoming a part of my child care facility. I am preparing to welcome this family to our country.

To become culturally responsive towards my new family I will make a personal commitment to getting to know and understand this student on a personal level, which includes understanding him/her socially and emotionally and knowing their academic abilities.

I will do as much research as possible to better understand their cultural interest and beliefs and make arrangement to ensure it is included in my classroom setting.

I will help the student to understand the importance of valuing their home culture while learning different aspects of other cultures.

I will address issues of diversity and use the student’s cultural background to create and effective and meaningful learning experience.

I will be respectful of the family values and beliefs.

 These preparation help make the transition to moving to a new country more pleasant. They also allow me to be better prepared to ensure the child and his/her family feel safe and that they belong.

  

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

       Many of us have experienced some type of bias, prejudice, or oppression at some point in our lives. Whether it was direct or indirect these experiences can have a damaging effect on an individual. Sometimes they are unintentional but are still harmful to the person who is being targeted. One particular incident that I can remember was when my daughter who is deaf begin her high school career.  Many people assume that deaf people are not capable of achieving academically. Although being deaf does present challenges, some deaf people are still able to function like normal people. All throughout elementary and middle school she performed well and did well academically. When we had her IEP meeting to prepare her for high school they had already spelled out what they thought would be best for her and not taking into consideration her goals for herself. She knew that she wanted to be a dancer and that she wanted to go to college, therefore with much hesitation they had to redo her IEP plan.

         As a parent I was angry because they just assumed because she was deaf that she would automatically graduate with a certificate of attendance and not be given the choice to fulfil her dreams. In order for this to be a greater opportunity for equity the administration would have to change. Instead of assuming what they think is best for a child, you should know and understand what their needs and wants are. Today my daughter is a senior in college and was featured in the Valdosta daily newspaper on 4/09/14 as the first deaf student to graduate from Valdosta State University’s Dance program.  The article is below.

 

April 9, 2014

Silent Dancer The Valdosta Daily TimesThe Valdosta Daily TimesWed Apr 09, 2014, 05:50 AM EDT

VALDOSTA — Having watched Sharia Stripling dance and perform for the past few years in Valdosta State University Theatre & Dance productions and musicals, audiences would never know she's deaf.

That's the idea. Audiences are not supposed to know.

Stripling, her instructors and fellow dancers cannot ignore her hearing impairment during preparation, training and rehearsal, but she's not working to become a deaf dancer. She's been training to be a dancer.

In a few weeks, Stripling is on track to becoming VSU Theatre & Dance's first deaf student to graduate with a bachelor of fine arts in dance.

Eric Brandt Nielsen, a VSU dance professor, recalls Stripling applying for the program a few years ago.



"As her advisor, we discussed the challenges of the curriculum after she auditioned for the program," Nielsen says. "We knew she had the talent to get through the performance/technique classes but we needed to define what academic courses we would focus on in the curriculum that would be difficult challenges for her."

Dance faculty also wanted to know the protocol for handling Stripling's studies, as well as the VSU Access Office sign-language personnel accompanying her. Teaching a deaf student challenged the dance faculty, Nielsen says, but he knew from experience it could be done.

"I first saw how music is used for deaf dancers during Peter Wisher’s residency at Glassboro State College in the late 1970s," Nielsen says. "He brought his company of student deaf dancers from Gallaudet University, which is a federally chartered, private university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It is located in Washington, D.C. Peter was the first to show me how speakers on the floor would help deaf dancers feel the vibrations. He also explained that he had those with partial hearing dance in front so that others, who had no hearing, could follow more easily."

Nielsen incorporated these techniques in Stripling's classes. He would speak with signers to communicate with Stripling, or stand in front of her so she could read his lips, or he would assign a student to work closely with her, guiding Stripling by touch to changes in movement.

Stripling has proved an eager student. To become a dancer, Stripling says she knew she must work hard and be prepared prior to classes and rehearsals.

There is the story of her participation in the VSU Theatre & Dance musical "State Fair" a few years ago. Stripling speaks few words, preferring to sign and read lips, but to dance in the show, she had to appear to sing the songs with the rest of the ensemble cast. Though she only mouthed the words, she learned the lines to all of her songs. She knew the words better, earlier than most of the other singing cast members.

There's the personal way she prepares for rehearsals of new choreography. Through a signer/interpreter, Stripling explains. Though she cannot hear the music, she can feel the music's vibrations. With new songs, she sits in her room, increases the full volume on her iPad, then hugs the digital tablet against her chest so she can feel the vibration of the music. So she can understand the seismic rhythms inspiring the dance moves.

Sharia Stripling has been learning to make adjustments since losing her hearing at the age of 4 years old.

"I could hear," Stripling says through the sign-language interpreter. "Mom tells stories of how I sang and baby-talked. One day I remember watching TV and my hearing just left."

Her mother, Teresa Goodman, took young Sharia to doctors but they provided no real answers to why the youngster had lost her hearing.

Goodman has always encouraged her daughter to live life to its fullest while realizing that it will take hard work to achieve her goals. She encouraged her daughter to dance.

"Deaf people can dance," Stripling says. "Maybe I can't hear the words but I can feel the vibrations."

As a child, Stripling found inspiration through Heather Whitestone, the deaf ballet dancer who became Miss America in 1995. Stripling realized all things are possible. Stripling took dance classes in a Macon high school.

Following her VSU graduation, Stripling plans to earn a master's degree in business and physical therapy. The oldest of five siblings, she would one day like to open and operate a business with her family that incorporates dance, physical therapy and cosmetology.

Still, Stripling often runs into the incredulous, those who wonder how or why she dances. Yet, if one stops to consider it, dance makes tremendous sense. She cannot hear the music, but she does not need to hear or speak words to communicate.

Dance is a language that needs no words.

Reference:

http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/local/x694519106/Silent-Dancer

 

 

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

      This week we are discussing micro aggressions.  One experience with a micro aggression that I can remember that happened to me was really not directed at me but because my daughter can’t hear I was asked the question. We were at a church event and I was having a conversation with another church member about my daughter. As I mentioned before she is deaf but she is a dancer and people often wonder how is she able to dance to music she can’t hear. After explaining to them how she is able to dance and is not able to hear, I was asked if she could read. Although I know no harm was intended I immediately assumed that they felt all deaf people could not read. I felt angry and she was also angry because she knew what he had ask because she can read lips. My response to him was yes she can read she goes to school and is making good grades. She just can't hear.

        My observation experiences this week helped me better understand the affects discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes can have on people. The constant use of micro aggressions can cause psychological damage too those who are most venerable. We may not intentionally mean to cause harm but the harm cause can be devastating especially for young children. Although I try to pay close attention to what I say to others, this week helped me understand why it’s important. Because I have been affected by the use of micro aggressions and know how it makes me feel, it is important to me that I do not impose that type of behavior upon another individual.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

 

This week I talk to family and friends to get there definition of culture and diversity. These are some of the definitions I received from others.

Culture is your lifestyle or way of life.

Diversity is the different groups of people

Diversity is the combination of various people, ethnicities, and cultures.

Culture is the history/ background of a person.

 As you can see each definition is different but is what they perceive culture and diversity to be. In this course many aspects of culture and diversity have been studied including those defined above. According to the learning resources culture is referred to as how a group of people live. It is the way we talk, play, eat, and relate to each other. This includes our language, religion, holidays, housing, and food. Culture is definitely our way of life but you determine what and who you are. It is possible to relate to other cultures without abandoning your home culture which is a major influence on how I think about culture and diversity.

References:

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

My Family Culture

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

 

A description of the three items you would choose

My Bible

Photo album filled with family pictures

My computer

 

•How you would explain to others what each of these items means to you

II would take my bible because it is the foundation on which my family stand. Our faith has brought us through many situations and without Jesus being our Lord and Savior we would be lost. I would take my photo album because it holds so many memories of us as a family over the years. I chose my computer because I have a lot of my family’s history stored on my computer that goes back to when my great-great grandparents were living.

•Your feelings if, upon arrival, you were told that you could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items you brought with you

If upon arrival I was told I could only keep one item I would be devastated because each item I chose has important information that relates to my family and our history.

•Any insights you gained about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise,

As a result of this exercise not only do I understand how important my family and culture is but that of others is just as important. I understand the value of holding on to your identity and who you are as a person. Just like we would not want to lose what’s important to us, other family’s feel the same way.

 

 

 

 

 

When I Think of Research

Throughout this course I have learned the value of research and how it makes finding answers to questions effective and possible. This course has helped me find ways to use research to help me find answers to questions I may have pertaining to the early childhood field. Research is designed to help me spend time exploring questions or topics that interest me and breaking them down so that I am able to reflect more on them.

Before this course I have read about research but never fully understood the process. After going through this course I have a better understanding of this process and I also understand the value of the process. Within the early childhood field research is designed to help improve the lively hood of young children, therefore the idea of doing research is more valuable for me now.

The research planning, designing and conducting process takes time and much planning to ensure validity of the results. We have to ensure that the process is done correctly. This process may require you to consult other experts, talk to your colleagues and friends about their views, and even reading about different opinions. The design process is a matter of options and as such is the creative process of translating a research idea into a set of decisions about how the research will proceed in practice (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010). There are also different ways in which the designing and conducting of research can be approached.

I faced many challenges from start to finish because this process was new to me. Forming the research question and ensuring that is was not too broad to be research was the first challenge. The next challenge for me was trying to avoid being bias and eliminating any ethical issues. But after exploring and studying the research process more carefully, I am able to apply what I have learned to my research simulation to ensure I am doing it properly.

This course has deepened my passion for the early childhood field and has given me a deeper appreciation for those who have already conducting some form of research. The research process as it relates to the early childhood field requires that much time work and dedication be put into it.

References:

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I.  (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

 

 

 

Research Around the World

The website I viewed was Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

There were many topics of interest listed on this website. Most are final major projects and thesis presented by students from different countries. A few of the projects listed that caught my attention were, Involving Fathers in Early Childhood Care and Development , Assessment of Interaction and Stimulation in Single-Mother Low-Income Families, Assessing the Influence of Different Early Childhood Development Models On Pre-School Children’s School Readiness in Kenya,  and Curriculum Development Using Community Resources.

Because I have had the opportunity to explore international websites in pass courses the information found was not knew but always enhances or builds on what I have already learned. It is always interesting to know what other countries are doing to improve the quality of education they are able to provide to children. This information can also be helpful to others as well. We can always benefit from each other. That is why it is so important to remain in contact with other professionals at home and in other countries.

Any information presented in my course for the purpose of study is always valuable information. Because the information on these websites is always changing or updating I have saved websites for future development opportunities.

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

 

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for your professional and personal development (EDUC - 6162 - 7)

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for your professional and personal development

The first consequence is the difficulty being able to actually get in contact with other professionals internationally. I believe that it is important to build relationships with other professionals and share ideas with each other that may be beneficial.

Second although I was able to explore the podcast and websites, the personal connection with an individual would have been an amazing experience and one that I am going to continue to work on.

Third is that I was not able to share, nor receive any experiences personally that may have contributed to an advancement in the early childhood field.

My goal is to achieve excellence in all areas within the early childhood field. In order to achieve this goal it will require being in contact with other professionals nationally and internationally, local and state officials, parents, administrators, and the community.

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Research can bring on amazing results for families. In 1992 my niece was diagnosed with HIV at the age of 4. Over the years she has taken all kinds of medications, has had near death experiences, and has lost her mom and some friends to this disease. After years of taking medication we were told they were no longer working and they wanted to try some new medications that were experimental. My mom agreed to let her take the medicines and each time she went to the doctor her blood test would always show positive results. A few years ago after taking the medicine for a while they did more test and tested her again for the virus and we were told she should no signs of the virus in her system anymore.  Although the medication had severe side-affects that she rarely experienced the end results has given her a chance to live a life free of HIV. There is still no cure for the disease without continued treatment, but this gives us hope that eventually there will be a cure that does not require the continued use of medications.

Your Personal Research Journey

I chose classroom effectiveness as my topic for the simulation. I chose this topic because I am passionate about the well-being of children and them being a valuable part of society. If we slack on their training in the early stages of development we risk them not being successful later on in life. Professionals are the driving force behind their students and are responsible for their educational success. Professionals should be educated, well trained, and have a strong passion for working with children. Our classrooms will consist of children of different ethnicities, cultures, and varying abilities, therefore we have to be prepared to support the needs of all the children we come in contact with. A child’s ability to function within society will rely upon our ability to teach them to do so. Professionals should have some accountability when it relates to a child’s educational development.

As professionals we will not be able to do this without the help of other professionals, administrators, parents, and the community. So, if you have any information that will help me as I research classroom effectiveness it will be greatly appreciated. I will also be willing to share with you any information that my help you with your research topic.