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.