Friday, October 24, 2014

A Note of Thanks

I want to say thank you to all my colleagues as we complete another milestone in our journey of completing our Master Degrees.  As we come to a fork in the road as we go on our different pathways to embark on our specialties, I wish each of you well and the best in your future endeavors.  I want to thank you all for your perspectives as I gained so much knowledge and insight from your discussion posts as well as your blogs.  We never know when our paths may cross again and would look forward to such opportunities!  The best of luck to everyone!

Friday, October 10, 2014

Adjourning From A Team


There are many stages a team goes through as they conform and work together to achieve their goal.  Each phase may difficult and have its challenges.  Once the goal has been reached it is time for the team to move on and many times the team may dismantle.  This phase of team development may be the hardest of all.  This may happen because new relationships have been formed and while the goal was achieved there could be a bit of a let down as all the build up and hard work has come to an end.  I compare it to the build up of preparing for the holidays, graduations, and weddings where there is months of planning, preparation, excitement and then the day arrives and it is over so quickly.  Many times there is a sadness within the celebrations because it is over.  Many times these events are the center of our world for a long period of time and with a blink of an eye it is over.

 As I mentioned in the second discussion for this week, I recently left a job.  While my boss at the time demonstrated poor leadership as she had no trust and this caused issues throughout the work environment I had the bitter-sweet feeling when I left.  While the overall team in which included the boss was dysfunctional, the team ran quite effectively without her and with that I was sad.  I had a great working relationship and well as a true friendship with my co-workers.  We all shared the passion and the vision of providing the highest quality of services to children and families and we supported each other.  We also grew to know and respect each and became friends.  We all helped each other through many times, good and bad.  This group of women are truly amazing and I found it difficult to leave even though I was moving on to a wonderful opportunity.  So the group of us did go to dinner together to say good-bye.  However it was a good-bye from working together but not a good-bye as in staying in touch and meeting up from time to time and we did just that as we came together to celebrate one of the member's wedding.


As we embark on completing our Master's Degree in the near future I anticipate a bitter-sweet feeling.  As I will find it sweet to accomplish my degree and to put all the hours of work behind me.  It will be an adjustment of not having to do work as it part of my routine but I think  I will get over it rather quickly.   I find the bitter to be not being able to read the insight from my colleagues as they have provided such a wealth of knowledge and I have valued their insight.  As well as put their personal sides out there, they have been a big part of my life for a year and a half.  While I have not met them in person we have a connection and they have supported me throughout this journey. 


I think adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because a successful team in many ways becomes a family during the time of working together to achieve the goal and there is a need to say good-bye or have a closing celebration.    As with family you have your ups and downs however trusting relationships are able to navigate through both smooth and rough waters.  I think as teams adjourn it is necessary to have a ritual or celebration to knowledge all the work and success of the team or have time to reflect.  It is also important to have the opportunity to say good-bye and have closure. 

 


 

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Nonviolent Communication Skills

When dealing with a recent conflict involves very close friends of mine who are in the middle of a divorce.  My children and their children grew up together and we are like family.  They both were there for me and my girls when I went through a nasty divorce.  I find myself  not wanting to take sides and trying to stay out of the middle while maintaining friendships with both of them. I feel I cannot go into details but I now know it is ok to not take side and stay neutral.   I can choose to take the third side which is the side of the whole.  The communication strategies I learned this week will assist me with further communication in that I will be able to express myself in a manner as getting a need met instead of it being my want.   I will also be able to utilize the "balcony" where I can step back and take a look and gain a perspective.  This will allow me to proceed in a more effective manner when trying to resolve conflict. 

Friday, September 26, 2014

Who I am as a Communicator?

When completing the communication styles and skills assessments and comparing the assessments from others I found it interesting in how I thought of myself as being a bit more aggressive verbally than my evaluators.  While my assessment and the assessment of others put me in the same category as being moderate with verbal aggressiveness, my number was higher than theirs.  The moderate category describes me as being balanced in regards to being respectful and considering others' view points and arguing fairly by attacking the position and not the person .  I was actually glad that I viewed myself a tad harsher than others did.  While my number was in the moderate range it was at the high end of being moderate and the others rated me as being in the mid-range.  Therefore  I do want to be more aware of my level of aggressiveness while communicating and be on the lower end of moderate.


This week I also gained more insight about how our schemas and myopia really does shape how we judge people just by looking at them.  In turn these judgments and biases impact how we communicate with people.  It is important to remember not to  be so judgmental in order to be more effective communicators.  I also learned how uncomfortable I truly was when being asked to make determinations about someone's life by simply looking at them.  I think this will allow me to not rush to judgment when first meeting someone and will allow me to be open when communicating with people as I work to remove the biases and stereotyping. 

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Communicating Among Diverse Groups

I do communicate differently with various groups of people.  Depending on the relationships and situations in which communication is taking place I interact differently with different groups.  When communicating with my family and friends I use both formal and informal language and at times the language is slang.  I have a deep knowledge of my family and friends and feel I can be more myself in expressing my thoughts and opinions.  When interacting at work I have different relationships with different people therefore my communication will vary depending on those relationships.  Many of my co-workers are friends and many co-workers are just co-workers.  With my friends that are co-workers the topics of conversation are more in depth and go beyond "shop talk" and may go into personal information.  With the co-workers that I have just a professional relationship with the topics are related to "shop talk" and may consist of general small talk but I would not go in depth with personal experiences and such.  Typically conversation with co-workers I use more formal language than informal language.   With people that I have just met I am more mindful of what to say as I do not have the relationship with them yet and will need to establish boundaries in order not to offend them.  With communicating with those that are culturally different than myself it again depends on the relationship.  I have friends that are culturally different from me and I interact with them differently than those that are culturally different from me that I do not know as well.  For me my communication is different based off of the relationship and environment verses just than being culturally different. 

Three strategies I would use to help me communicate more effectively are to put myself in the other person's shoes in order to gain perspective, put aside my own myopia in order to help me gain perspective of others, and last be an active listener.

 

 
 

Friday, September 12, 2014

Communication and Assumptions


I found this assignment to be fun as well as insightful.  The show I chose to watch was VEEP.  It is an HBO original series.  I have heard about the show but never watched it before.  I knew the main character was either the President or the Vice President of the United States but was not sure until I watched the show with the sound on.  While watching the show with the sound off I was able to determine there was some sort of crisis going on.  The characters  facial expressions, hand gestures, and body language were that of frenzy, panic, and concern.  However I was not able to determine the exact context of what the crisis was.  Also I misinterpreted some of the interactions.  Interactions that I thought were in the context of joking around were actually the characters not liking each other so the interactions were such and not meant to be a joke.  I also misinterpreted the relationships between two of the characters.  While the was sound off I thought they might have a romantic relationship going but when the sound was on I found out they were trying to build alliance to keep themselves from getting fired.  While the closeness in sitting next to each and what appeared to be whispering was true the context was incorrect, the two were plotting to save their jobs not flirting or being romantic. 

The aha moment I had was in essence that while body language, facial expressions, and gestures emphasize our verbal language, without being able to listen it is easy to draw the wrong conclusion and misinterpreted the information from body language and facial expressions alone.   You need to be able to listen in order to gain the proper context of what is happening.  This assignment really demonstrated the importance of listening and how without listening how the real context of our messages can get lost.  Listening is key to competent communication.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Competent Communication

A person that demonstrates competent communication is a co-worker of mine. Her name is Teri.  She is able to express herself as well receive information in a professional manner.  When she speaks she is not only articulate but she also exhibits confidence in how she presents herself.  When she engages in conversations she is respectful and will allow all to express their opinions. She will also ask to clarify something and not jump to conclusions.  What I most admire about her communication skills is that she has integrity.  She does not participate in the workplace gossip and actually handles such very well.  During a meeting in which our boss was being very unprofessional in regards to talking about someone's work performance without that person being present, Teri stated in a very professional and matter of fact manner she was not comfortable discussing issues without the person being present and not being able to speak for themselves.  In essence she put a stop to the gossip during that point and time.  Teri puts into practice the ethical principles of both the National Communication Association and the NAEYC. 
 

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Professional Hopes and Goals

 
Hopes I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is I want the children and families to feel welcome, comfortable, and to know they are respected for who they are regardless of their ethnicity, race, language, sexual orientation, ability level or gender.  I also want them to know the importance of keeping true to themselves; stay true to their own culture and language. My biggest hope is that no child has to experience ridicule or discrimination for who they are or for who their family is, that the day will come when all people are seen as being people.


A goal I would like to set for the early childhood field is that we as educators will start to dismantle the institutionalized -isms in order to diminish the development of internalized privilege and oppression. 


I would like to thank all my classmates for a wonderful learning experience throughout this course.  It has been an enlightening experience.  I have gained much insight and perspective on diversity and especially with the development of self and identity.  I wish you all well as you continue your studies.  We are all another step closer to achieving our ultimate goal...completing our Master's!

Friday, August 15, 2014

Welcoming Families From Around the World

The country in which the new family would be from is Iceland.  I do not know anything about this country other than as a child I was told that Iceland and Greenland are actually the opposite of what their names say.  I always thought that was interesting but never did any research on it. 


The five things I would do to prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family are:
  1. I would research the country of Iceland.  Looking to identify significant aspects of the culture and the language spoken.   I would educate myself on religion, traditions, major historical events that have taken place.  I would familiarize myself with various aspects of the culture such as family roles, the educational system, socioeconomic structure, and what people tend to do for a living.
  2. I would learn some key phrases of the language.  As I would be able to greet the family in their language and make them feel welcome. I would also be able to engage the child as well.
  3. I would make sure the facility and the classroom are welcoming in regards to be representative of Iceland with photos, books, and other toys.
  4. I would have the classroom staff in which the child would be assigned also research the country as well as learn some key phrases in which the staff could interact with the child and family in their language. 
  5. When meeting with the family I would ask them if they were comfortable in sharing information about their culture and their own family culture.  I would also engage in conversation and share my understanding of their country from my research and gain their perspective on such.  I would  encourage them to stay true to their culture and the importance of such.  I would definitely ask about what the education system is like and what they can expect here.  I would acknowledge any concerns they may have and reassure them that we will work together in supporting their child during this transition as well as the entire time they are with the program.   I would offer  much support and let them know they are welcome anytime to visit, share about their culture, and express any concerns. 
 
I believe these preparations would benefit both me and the family as it will allow for a trusting relationship to form.  These preparations demonstrate  the desire to engage the family in a manner in which they feel welcome by learning about their country, culture, and language and actually responding to them with what they are familiar and comfortable with. By modeling my openness and responsiveness to the family I think it will allow them to be responsive to me.  By allowing them to share what is meaningful to them will assist with them learning what is meaningful here.   As this is a partnership between the family and me. 

Saturday, August 9, 2014

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

A situation in which I witnessed bias and oppression is an example I gave in my reflective journal during week three for witnessing a child being marginalized.  From new insight and understanding I have gained about sexism and internalized oppression I now see how this child was being treated based on such factors.  I witnessed a young boy playing in the dramatic play center, he was so engaged in his play and appeared to be having fun and enjoying himself.  His father came to pick him up early and his father told him to put the doll down because boys do not play with dolls.  I noticed the boy put his head down and put the doll down.  The boy appeared to be ashamed or embarrassed because his body language and facial expression changed dramatically. While the child was being  marginalized I now understand that through the father's internalized oppression and bias of sexism he was reinforcing or teaching his biases and sexism to his son in that playing with dolls is for girls and it could send the underlying message that is "a woman's job to take care of the baby".

I feel this diminished equity as the child is being taught or receiving the message that boys and girls can only play or do things that are related to their gender.   This creates biases of sexism which can be carried on throughout adulthood in the thoughts that certain jobs and domestic responsibilities are based on gender. 

When I witnessed this incident I felt bad for the child as he thought he was doing something wrong.  I also viewed this father in the a light as being "macho" and was from the "old school" with his views on male and female roles.  I also thought he would be the type of father that tells his son "boys don't cry". 

I am proud to say that I made a difference or a change for equity with this situation as when this happened I did approach the father in a respectful way and explained how children learn through play and when boys have the opportunity to play with dolls this is a way for them to explore and role play their role as being a dad, just as girls role pay being moms.  I was happy to see the dad's facial expression change as it appeared he had an "ah-ha moment".  He stated he never thought of play like that and from that he did tell his son when he comes back to school tomorrow he can play. 

I feel if we as educators if we continue to grow as adult learners we can share our knowledge and expertise in a variety of ways that will make positive change in order to provide equity for children as well as make change within society.  We do not always need to have a formal parent training or workshop in order to educate our parents.  As we look for those teachable moments throughout the day with children we can take those same opportunities and provide teachable moments for adults in a respectful and informal manner.  Sometimes those experiences have greater meaning and impacts. 



 

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

A microaggression that I detected occurred a couple of months ago.  I was at a gathering at a friend's house and there was a diverse group present.  I had meet everyone that was there before and were good friends with many and acquaintances with some others.  There was conversation going on about health care and "Obama care" and everyone was expressing there opinions in an adult and calm manner and every was respectful...until the moment when one of ladies in the conversation whom was African-American  made the statement as she pointed to a few of us whom are Caucasian and said "Well of course you aren't going to like "Obama care" and I bet you didn't vote for him".  I have to say I was a bit taken back as I wasn't expecting the conversation to go down that road.  One of the ladies in which she pointed to  stated back, "Actually I did vote for him and just because I am white doesn't mean I wouldn't vote for him".  She went on to say "I vote for the people I like and it is  based on their views and what I think is important, it is not based on race, gender or even party lines.  And  just because I vote for someone doesn't mean I agree with everything they stand for.  There are times when I agree with the people I vote for and sometimes I don't.  So tell me what were some of Obama's points off his political platform you support and believe in?"  There was no answer, so then the Caucasian lady then said "Oh, does that mean you voted for him only because he was black and not for his politics?"  So that made the conversation even more awkward.  Someone else jumped in and changed the subject entirely.  After the entire conversation happened I felt very awkward and thought about how everyone at one point or another experiences racism.  I have to say that I was glad for the woman standing up for herself and she actually made the point that the one making the initial microaggression was being biased and applying stereotypes as her statements were accusing others of being biased.  It could also be said that the Caucasian woman used a microaggression in her response. 

From this experience as well as reading the various scenarios this week I truly see how all people have biases and stereotypes.  Some are at the surface and some can lie more below the surface in a more unconscious way.   For the most part I believe many of our conversations or statements that contain a microaggression are unintentional and no harm was intended.   However there are times in which people do intentionally say things to cause harm or hurt other people's feelings or jump to conclusions as my example showed.  My learning experiences this week have opened my eyes and has given me new insights on how to be more conscious and aware of what I say so I do not cause any hurt feelings. 

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

 

The three people I asked to define culture and diversity was my boyfriend, my daughter and a colleague.  I chose these three people because I wanted to get a perspective from a male, a young adult and someone who is culturally different than myself and happens to be a little bit older.

My boyfriend defined culture as our beliefs and values, religion,  how we celebrate holidays, our traditions, foods we eat, and the language we speak.

He defined diversity as the differences between people, the difference between cultures.

My daughter defined culture as heritage, traditions, beliefs and values things based on ethnicity.

She defined diversity as different ethnicities and the differences between heritage, traditions and beliefs.

My colleague defined culture as coming from our heritage and family.  It includes things like our religion and beliefs, how we do things such as celebrate holidays and how we use traditions, it is how we raise our children, how we interact with others, how we view the world.

She defined diversity as the differences within our culture and it is what makes us unique from others in the sense of a being part of a particular race or ethnic group,  but especially is what makes us unique as individuals. 

The aspects I received from my participants' answers were included from what I have studied so far with this course.  Some examples are the answers that were very similar to and would be defined as surface culture such as celebrating holidays, traditions, and the foods we eat.  Some of the answers were also similar to and would be defined as deep culture such as heritage, values and beliefs, language, and how we raise our children. 

The aspect about culture in which I do feel was omitted by all three of my participants would be in  reference to the dominant culture.  However I am not sure prior to taking this class if I was asked about culture and diversity if I  would reference the dominant culture either, as I did not think about it in the terms I do now. 

The way other people viewed culture and diversity was very similar to my thoughts.  However, I found the answers in which my colleague gave in terms of how we interact with others and how we view the world to be interesting as while I know we all have different perspectives based on our experiences those experiences and perspectives can be or become part of one's culture and I am not sure if I thought of culture as including such experiences. 

Friday, July 11, 2014

My Family Culture

The three things I would bring with me would be... a photo album,  I would bring this because it would have pictures of my family experiencing our family culture.  Pictures are worth a 1,000 words and what better way to keep and share my family culture!  I would also bring my recipe box.  This contains recipes from family and friends as well as some of my own.  While food may be a stereotypical trait of culture it is one that means a lot to my family.  We all have our favorites foods and sometimes no one but grandma's, mom's or aunt so-n-so's dish is the only one that will do!  The last thing I would bring would be my Pandora bracelet.  My family has given me different charms that have special meaning to me and many represent my family culture. 

 
                                                      
                                                                                                                

It would be very difficult to only be able to keep one item of the three.  They all mean so much.   I have already left so much behind and it was already difficult to pick just three things and then to be asked to give up two more would be devastating. 

When completing this assignment I had a hard time picking two other items other than photo albums.   My first thought was to bring three photo albums but I realized that I needed to push myself to think of two other items.  I think I picked pictures at first because I have been in the situation a few times in which I have had to evacuate where I was living due to hurricanes.  Every time I left I took all the pictures.  Pictures are near and dear to me because they can not be replaced easily.  Pictures are a way to "freeze" time and relive the wonderful moments that occur throughout our lives.  I also thought how hard it would be to actually leave everything you have known in your life and to go somewhere with virtually the clothes on your back.  I find this would be very scary. 

Friday, June 27, 2014

When I Think of Research...

Coming into this course I was nervous and felt very overwhelmed.  But as I worked my way through the terms, designs, ethics, and other components of the research process I feel I have developed a better understanding of how the research process works.  While the process can still be overwhelming I have a better understanding of what a researcher needs to consider when designing a research study and/or project. 
Beginning of this course

One of the most important aspects of research that I learned is the researcher must ensure the project is ethical.  I feel this is so important as if a project is unethical it will do more harm to the field than good.   I also found it important as a researcher that the design of the research project is very crucial.  Designing the project correctly will ensure the project is valid.    While I thought research was either quantitative or qualitative I really enjoyed learning about the mixed methods approach to research.  This was a research design that I was not familiar with. I can really see the benefits of such research as it would lend itself to obtain much information on a topic. 
The pieces are coming in place...

The challenge I came across during the simulation process was being able narrow down my research topic into a manageable project.  I feel this was a challenge because I felt there was so much I want to know when it came to my topic of resiliency.  I found it a bit difficult to narrow the topic down as I felt I was leaving out important information to learn about.   But going through the process I was able to refine my questions to the various designs.  This was insightful as I learned by doing various research projects I could still learn what I wanted about my topic.

 
Hmm...still not sure what to do...
I feel that completing this course I have gained more knowledge about the research process and the professionals that work in the field of early childhood education.  I feel research is very important to the field.  I also feel that those that work in the field especially with research are truly vested in the profession as they are wanting to gather the information about various components and aspects of the field.  The results of their work provides the practitioners, educators, and stakeholders with the best knowledge and understanding of how and why we do what we do with children and families. This in turn benefits children, and the families.

At the end of this course...I did it!


Saturday, June 7, 2014

Research Around the World

The international website I viewed was Early Childhood Australia.  The website has a wealth of information and resources for educators.  The research topic that I found on the website to be interesting is Early Childhood Flexibility Practices and Patterns.  The research study is referring to anything that meets the needs of families including but not limited to:

  • Non-standard hours
  • Flexible sessions and enrollment
  • Working in combination with other services
  • Flexible locations or service delivery
The project is also looking at the interests of children and flexibility.  The project will be asking those in early childhood education and care, ‘Are services flexible, yet suited to the needs of young children (not merely “slot” services but environments where children are cared for by trained professionals able to offer a sustained developmental program?'

I  found the website to offer many great resources.  One resource area I found to be insightful was the Research in Practice Series.  The resources offered in this section are practices that have been developed and established by research.  There are numerous topics included in the list of projects that have been completed and resources have been developed to support educators in the field of early childhood education.  Some of the topics are:

  • Understanding children's feelings:  Emotional literacy in early childhood
  • Overlooked curriculum:  Seeing everyday possibilities
  • Aggression and Young Children
  • Discovering letters and sounds
  • Learning positive behavior through educator-child relationship
  • Play and quality in early childhood:  Educating superheroes and fairy princesses
  • Children's resilience:  Working with the Early Years Learning Framework
  • And Many More!
I also found the website had many other resources such as early childhood news,  newsletters, journals, and other sections that had a list of resources such as Supporting Best Practices and Everyday Learning Series.

I found the website to be a great resource for early childhood educators and those who support the field.  The link to the website is:  http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/
 
 
 

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Research that Benefits Children and Families

For this assignment I chose to do option two.  I chose this topic as I wanted to really think outside of the box and push the limits since I would have the knowledge and abilities to research anything without the real negative impacts to children.  The research topic I would pick if there were no limits or restrictions of today and I had the ability and the means to research anything would be to research how to reverse negative changes in brain development such as how the "wiring" of a child's brain changes due to the lack of brain stimulation within certain areas of the brain.   The research would involve the actual "re-wiring" of the brain and to determine if the reversal would be successful in changing the brain to function as a fully stimulation brain.  This would provide tremendous benefits to children as it would reserve the negative impacts on the brain from the adverse living conditions that some children live in.  Toxic stress, a depressed mother, and unsecure attachments are known to cause the wiring of the brain to actually change and sometimes replicate those in their living environment.  Imagine how the life of a child could be changed by having a stimulated brain that is ready to learn!    These children would have no emotional damage, no delays in their  learning, therefore they would have the proper foundation they need to live a happy, healthy and successful life. 

Saturday, May 17, 2014

My Personal Research Journey

The topic I have chosen for research simulation is resiliency.  In particular looking at the research of genetics vs. environment in regards to what impacts/promotes the development of resiliency.    Resiliency can be described as one's ability to overcome adversity or "bounce back".   I am very interested in this topic as I have always wanted to learn more about how some people are able to overcome adversity and how others are not.  I believe this is important information as a professional in the field of early childhood education as the more we as educators know about what influences the development of resiliency the more we will be able to assist and promote the development of resiliency.  Resiliency is an important characteristic to develop.  It is was enables people to overcome the hard times in their lives.   I work with children and families that face much adversity.  The children and families I work with live in poverty and face many other hardships as a result.  For these families to rise above poverty and to have a chance at a better life, they need to be able to overcome such adversities they are facing.   The earlier children can develop characteristics of resiliency the more likely they are able to overcome adversity throughout their life and be able to become and maintain being healthy, productive citizens.  Adversity comes in all shapes and forms and it is something that affects everyone at some point and time in life.  The ability to overcome "what life throws at us" is what allows us to survive and become stronger for it.  I also feel that the more we as a society learn about resiliency will allow us to be more productive in how we can break the generational cycles of those living in adverse conditions. 



 My experience with this research simulation has been a bit of a roller coaster for me.  I have gained new insights in regards to identifying creditable resources and feel comfortable with now finding creditable information.  However, I am still feeling overwhelmed in the aspects of developing a strong understanding of the process.  I am still not sure of the narrowing down of  my topic to the point where research could actually be done and  understanding the terminology enough in being able to decide the direction in which this research should go, such as what type of method(s) would be the best to use.   I have found a lot of resources in my research topic, yet not sure exactly sure of how to use it effectively.



 I am happy to offer help with resources however I feel my skills have not quite developed as far as assisting with the process, though I am happy to try.  If anyone has any suggestions I am very happy to hear from you.  I wish everyone the best with their research simulation project. 

 
 

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Identifying Consquences of International Early Childhood Issues

Over the course of the seven eight weeks by researching various websites, listening to podcasts, and reading my classmates posts I have gained new insights and knowledge about early childhood issues around the world.

The first insight I gained is that many issues that educators and policy makers face in the United States in regards to education are actually global issues.  I found that in many places around the world the issues were on a greater scale and at a much higher level than in the United States.  For example accessibility for early childhood programs is limiting here in the U.S. however in places such as Africa not only is there limited or no accessibility for early childhood programs, there is limited or no accessibility for children to attend school in general. 

The second insight I gained is that there is still much gender inequity in education  I found it alarming that in 2014 there is inequity for girls in obtaining an education in various parts of the world.  Work efforts that were noted in Education for All:  Global Monitoring Report stated at current rate it will take till 2086 to achieve the goal of having poor girls in rural Africa in school despite the fact it was a goal to be accomplished by 2015.  Much work still needs to be done in providing educational opportunities for young girls around the world. 

The third insight I gained is through the websites of the various global educational organizations.  I found the World Forum Foundation, The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), and UNESCO's Early Childhood Care and Education websites to have a wealth of information and many great resources that I considered to be an asset in learning about educational issues in a global context. 

A goal related to international awareness of issues and trends within the early childhood field is to continue to review the websites to stay current of global issues, trends, research, solutions and success stories from around the world that may assist in my work with children, families and early childhood professionals. 

Thank you to my classmates in sharing such insightful information through your blog posts.  I learned a lot from each of you and wish you all the best with your future endeavors within the field of early childhood education.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Getting to Know Your International Contacts - Part 3

I first reviewed the World Forum Foundation website.  I found a video on the WoFo TV by Dr. Susan Linn.  This was a short video but I felt with other components it could be used as part of professional development as the presentation talked about play.  Dr. Linn used a puppet during the presentation to talk about how children are not using creative play instead they are exposed to commercialization of play.  By this Dr. Linn discusses how toys of today leave less to children's imagination in that toys are linked to media or have a computer chip.  She posted different pictures of puppets giving the example that children can still play with a puppet but since most of them were recognized by children through programming or imagines their play was limited as most children would not use the "Cookie Monster" puppet as an elephant.  Dr. Linn states that children are born to engage in creative play and our society seems to do everything possible to stop it.  It was very interesting when she said she has many preschool teachers tell her that most of the children of today coming into preschool do not know how to play creatively.  She gave the reminder of how much children learn through play and they various ways they are learning through play and how it helps prepare them for life. 

In reviewing the UNESCO's Early Childhood Care and Education webpage I found numerous resources on early childhood care and education in various parts of the world.  The first section of the webpage I reviewed was Country Policy Reviews.  This provides a report of early childhood education policies from around the world and shares various demographic information as well as a wealth of other content relating to early childhood.  The second section I reviewed was Country Profiles.  This has information on various components within the field of early childhood and policies, also updates on any reforms or initiatives that have been developed.  Examples of content include the following:

- Type of personnel involved
- Type of staff training
- Recent national policies and reforms
- Efforts targeted at vulnerable or disadvantaged children
- Information concerning the ECCE curriculum or the contents

A third section I reviewed was titled Holistic Early Childhood Development Index.   This is an action agenda called upon UNESCO to have a work group develop an instrument to track progress towards goals paying specific attention to quality and the holistic aspects of early childhood education. As such UNESCO is working with a wide range of partners to develop the Holistic Early Childhood Development Index (HECDI).  As of June 2013, an agreement was reached with identifying 6 core indicators of early childhood development: health, nutrition, education, parent support, equity and social protection, and alleviation of poverty.  There is a series of reports that relate to each core indicator. 

The UNESCO Early Childhood Care and Education webpage has a wealth of information about early childhood education from around the world.  I find this to be a resource I will utilize. 

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Sharing Web Resources

This week in reviewing the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) I followed the General Links and Resources tab and chose the link for wiki progress which took me to the Child's Well Being Portal.  This website had numerous links such as the Community Portal and Family Portal.  It had many media reviews in various topics relating to children's health and well-being such as McDonald's and Burger King's Healthy Kid Meal Ads Confuse Children About Nutrition and The Link Between Family Structure and Poverty.  The website included articles such as The State of the World's Children: 2014 Every Child Counts and Motherhood in Childhood:  Facing the Challenges of Adolescent Parents.  The website also had an events section which listed events coming up around the world that supports child well-being.  Some events listed were World Health Day and Women's Issues in Transportation.

I do not receive a newsletter, however the ACEI website has the section for ACEI news and Global News.  Under Global News there was an article titled Corruption in Education.  The article discussed how corruption takes in place.  Such as bribes within the educational system.  With the average documented percentage of bribes within 27 countries being 15% with a high of 40%.  The article also describes how 48% of people in Peru believe the education system is corrupt or highly corrupt.  The article provided some ideas for solutions to such corruption such as developing codes of conduct.

This week I found the article Education for All:  Global Monitoring Report.  This report provided updates on each of the goals that was set within international community of various world leaders committing to education equality for all.  The update shows the goal of reaching the goals and objectives by 2015 will not happen.  The report described how 57 million children are not in school and  at the current rate it will take till 2086 to achieve the goal of having poor girls in rural Africa in school.  The report also describes this as a global learning crisis especially for poor countries.

As I continue to review this website and outside links I keep discovering the massive amount of information that is available about various topics in education around the world.  The more I explore the  more information I find, it seems to be no end to resources and information.  I find this website to be very useful.


Saturday, April 5, 2014

Getting to Know Your International Contacts Part 2

In completing the alternative assignment I first went to the World Forum Foundation website and reviewed a presentation called Indigenous Children's Rights:  Equality, Inclusion, Human Development by Martha Llanos, PhD.  The presentation talked about the indigenous population in Latin America and how to protect the rights of these children.  Key concepts that were focused on were to ensure indigenous children were protected and had the following:  birth registration, health and nutrition, education, and protection from abuse and protect children from armed conflict, child trafficking, child labor, and separation from family.  These seem like basic rights but many of these children their basic rights are not protected.  Some example of statistics included the Peruvian indigenous children and how only 37% had access to services, 20% had potable water, 20% suffer malnutrition and 49% are poor.  As such the presentation also discussed the Convention on the Rights of Children which is listed as follows:

 “Indigenous children shall be taught to read and write in their own Language or in the language most commonly used by the group to which they belong."

 “The development of respect for the child’s own cultural identity, language and values” 

“In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities or persons of indigenous origins exist, a child belonging to such a minority or who is indigenous shall not be denied the right, to enjoy his or her own culture, to profess and practise his or her own religion, or to use his or her own language.” 

The presentation also focused on how and what education should look like in order to provide equality for indigenous children as follows:

•  Curricula based on Community Interests and Collective Values.
•  Programs based on Rights
•  Mother-Tongue & Bilingualism
•  Interculturalism
•  Promotion of Resilience 


In reviewing the Global Children's Initiative at the Developing Child at Harvard University website I gained insights in that the Global Children's Initiative focuses on three strategic areas.  These strategic areas are reframing the discourse around child health and development, supporting innovative, multi-disciplinary research and demonstration projects, and building leadership capacity in child development research and policy. 

The Global Children's Initiative strategic areas has also generated a portfolio of activities in the developmental domains of early childhood development, child mental health, and
children in crisis and conflict situations.

The organization also provides information on various research that is taking place around the world.  One example is the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project.  This project was to
 to measure the results of the ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children’s development in Zambia. The results of this project is to provide more understanding of child development and to assist in identifying key interventions to continue to improve child outcomes. 

References:

Global Children's Initiative
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/

World Forum Foundation
http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Sharing Web Resources

This week while exploring through the website of the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) I spent more time on the publications section.  In  particular the different journals and articles related to infants, toddlers and preschoolers.  I also explored through the Global Gateway section.  This section has much information about Education Around the World, International Comparisons and Scenarios, Research and Statistics, Professional Development, Early Childhood Development, International Exchange and General Links and Resources.

I did not come across anything in particular that I found to be controversial.  There is so much information on this website it is impossible to review all the articles, resources and links within a few days.  I believe this website will be one that I will utilize throughout my career as it pertains to national and global issues and trends and has new information posted on a regular basis.   For example in reviewing through the various sections I came across an article titled  Every Child's Potential:  Integrating Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Interventions.   I found this to be of interest as I am a strong believer of comprehensive services in the early years.  The area of nutrition is so important in promoting healthy growth and development of children.  With so many children living in poverty in our nation and around the world this is a global concern. 

Through exploring the website and various resources and their links to further information I was led to information in regards to investing in early childhood education and programs.  The brief by the Center of the Developing Child at Harvard University was a resource from a previous course however I did review a section again titled Early Childhood Program Effectiveness which discusses program policies and practices that are needed in order to have effective early childhood programs.  This included early intervention, building of relationships, environment and supports needed to provide a positive stimulating environment.  The end of the brief discusses the benefits to society of having effective, quality early childhood education and programs.
                   
"Effective early childhood programs generate benefits to society that far exceed program costs.  Responsible investments focus on effective programs that are staffed appropriately, implemented well, and improved continuously. Extensive analysis by economists has shown that education and development investments in the earliest years of life produce the greatest returns. Most of those returns, which can range from $4 to $9 per dollar invested, benefit the community through reduced crime, welfare, and educational remediation, as well as increased tax revenues on higher incomes for the participants of early childhood programs when they reach adulthood."  (Center of the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2011).   
 
Another insight I gained from this website is the publications that focus on infants and toddlers.  I work with preschool children and through my learning with this Master's Degree program I have been "brought back" to the stages of infants and toddlers as well as prenatal care.  After all this is where the beginning of each developmental domain begins.  This is where either positive or negative experiences will start to design the brain, give each person their identity, and begin to define who they are.  It is important to remember this as working with any age group of children.  This is the child's blue print and gives us as educators some insight on the "why" to what is child is doing or not doing.  For example I found an article titled Emerging Reading Behaviors:  What Parents and Caregivers See and Hear Toddlers Do.  This article gave insights on what behaviors you will see as toddlers engage in reading and how adults can be responsive and can promote the development of literacy and language. 

References
 
Association for Childhood Education International. (2014).  www.acei.org
Center of the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2011).  Inbrief Series:  Early Childhood Program Effectiveness.  Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/resources/briefs/inbrief_series/


 





     

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Getting to Know Your International Contacts Part 1

I listened to the World Forum Foundation Radio.  The speaker was Susan Leon.  She discussed how she was taken with the Reggio Emilia approach for learning.  She was so inspired by the work that she brought the exhibit 100 Languages of Children to the bay area of California.  It was used for professional development and advocacy.  She also began a project called the Innovative Teacher Project.  The project encompasses a network of schools and they meet frequently.  They present their schools, have round table discussions, and professional development.  It has had a huge impact on the area for both public and private school settings. 

I was unable to pull up the website www.childhoodpoverty.org however I viewed a video from the World Forum Foundation's Wofo TV.  The video was of a speaker at a World Forum event.  Her name is Sakena Yacoobi and she is from Afghanistan.  She discussed the issue of children and poverty.  She began her talk about how her country has been ravaged by war for many, many years.  She states "Where I am from life does not look beautiful but we are hopeful".  She spoke of the refugee camps and the conditions in which children and families are living.  Though they may be safe from the dangers of war, these people are traumatized from their experiences and are living in horrible, unsafe conditions.  The area is unsafe, has no water, and the ground has snakes and scorpions about.  Sakena goes on to explain how she has helped these people.  She has started education programs both for early childhood and for parents as well.  She takes the holistic approach in educating the entire family.  Though there are no buildings for schools, or no books or toys, they educate the children with safe, loving and caring interactions, and the teaching of vocabulary with the focus of teaching about peace, love and caring.   Parents, mainly women are educated on health, life skills, as well as reading and writing skills.  Her belief is that the family must learn and that makes the children feel safe.  Through education the women gain confidence and begin to stand up for themselves and are able to say no to those that want to do them harm.  Sakena also spoke of how the country has changed over the past ten years.  There is a government but things still are not great.  However she explained that when the Taliban was in control schools were underground and now 6 million children are now being educated in schools.  Children are being taught critical thinking skills instead of by rote memorization.  She explains that as the children are educated and grow into adults they will be able to make their own choices of what to believe instead of being told.  Sakena discussed that 95% of the people in Afghanistan are living in poverty. However she talks about the training and education that is being provided so people can learn a trade and not have to rely on the street market to make money.  Women especially are becoming more empowered by training and learning and are wanting become active in medicine and in the government.  She shared the story of how poor many people are.  The story she shared told of how a man sold one of  his 6 children for some bags of wheat.  The wheat would feed the rest of the family through the three remaining months of winter.  She shared how the siblings came to school in tears and told what happened.  As a result they were able to get the boy back.  Sakena also talked about how early childhood education is making a difference for her country.  The children in preschool are being taught 3 languages.  She states that through education is how change will occur. 

Watching this video was a real eye opening experience for me.  To hear what really goes on in places around the world is very insightful.  To know how people live is both very alarming, however to see the results of people taking action and through advocacy change does occur and there is hope for a better future. 

Reference:

World Forum Foundation. (2014). Children and poverty. [Video presentation].  Retrieved from
http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/media-and-resources/wofo-tv/

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Sharing Web Resources

Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI)

 

Website Link:  http://www.acei.org/

Mission:  Our mission is to promote and support the optimal education, development, and well-being of children worldwide. We have consultative status with the United Nations.

Vision:  Every child in every nation will have access to a quality education. This education will prepare children to become responsible and engaged citizens and ready them for life in a changing world.


In reviewing the Association for Childhood Education International I explored the news and publications section.  Within this section there are links for various news sources and publications.  Links include news for the ACEI, Global News, ACEI Publications, ACEI Bookstore, ACEI Radio and e-news.  I spent most of my time this week reviewing the publications section and reviewing the ACEI Radio section and scrolled through the archived broadcast list.  For the publications, most of them can be viewed online.  However for certain publications and to view more of the archived publications, membership is required.  There were some recently new publications that have been produced.  Childhood Explorer and Early Years Bulletin are very recent publications.  Publications also include bulletins which have various areas of focus, books and research publications.  Within the Focus Quarterlies publications there are bulletins that focus on the areas of Infant/Toddler, Pre-K and Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle School, Teacher Education, and Inclusive Education.   In reviewing the various publications and articles I found an article of interest.  It was in the recently developed publication titled Early Years Bulletin.  The article titled Culturally Responsive Teaching:  Exploring Children's Names and Cultural Identities discussed how when a young man was a child and when he became a U.S. citizen at the age of seven, his named changed from his  birth and cultural name of  Alejandro/Ale to Alexander/ Alex.  He discusses that part of the reason for the name change was his was starting school and his parents wanted him to fit in with the American culture.  At school he went by Alexander or Alex and at home he used the name of Alejandro or Ale.  He lived within two cultures with two names.  He discussed as he enter the adult world and work force he wanted to reconnect to his cultural identity and to his birth and cultural name of Alejandro or Ale and he is only referred to as such.  The article discussed the importance of educators accepting the cultural differences among students and children being able to identify with their cultural as it is part of their own identity. The article discussed how educators can use various cultures as learning opportunities.  The article then went on to discuss the importance of identity and names in the early years.  It is important for children to keep their identity and cultural ties.  The article discussed the importance of name recognition and pre-literacy development.  "Name recognition and name writing have been shown to be significant predictors of children's literacy achievement during school years" (ACEI, 2013).  The article also provided a recommended list of children's multicultural literature. I found this article to be very interesting as I do not recall through all my years as an educator of a child have had his name changed from one cultural name to another.  I find it noble of his parents of wanting him to fit in however I wish the parents could have been educated on the importance of the child and the family embracing and staying connected their culture. 

I find this website to have a wealth of wonderful resources and information.  The publications, bulletins, broadcasts, and articles focus on a variety of age groups, topics, trends and issues from around the world. 

Reference:

Association for Childhood Education International.  (2013). Culturally responsive teaching: exploring children's names and cultural identities.  Retrieved from http://issuu.com/acei/docs/eybautumn13?e=1693993/6073455

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Establishing Professional Contacts:

When reviewing the resource list for this assignment through The Global Alliance of NAEYC I have to honestly say I was very overwhelmed.  The list of resources was numerous with many having  hyperlinks to websites or contact information and many did not so making contact was difficult depending on your interest of the area you wanted to study.   I was initially interested in the making contact with someone from Australia.  That is a place I have also had interest in and is on the "if I win the lottery list of places to go" or perhaps on the " bucket list of places to go".  As I was scrolling through the list of resources, I see the resource listed for Australia did not have a hyperlink for a website or contact information.  I began to search on my own for the contact information and was finding myself becoming frustrating in not being able to find it.  As such I wanted to explore the World Forum website.  As I was exploring this website I began to feel more at ease with moving forward with this assignment.  I felt more comfortable with the World Forum website as I had access to various topics with more than one country.  I searched the website to find the link to the World Forum Radio and was not able to do so.  However through searching the website I ran across another radio sight called BAM.  This stands for body and mind and has numerous radio sights for early childhood education.  I find this to be useful in my current work and play on using it.  As I continued to explore the World Forum website I did find the links for WoFo  T.V.,  videos and presentations.   I feel I should be successful in completing the future blog assignments by accessing the World Forum website. 


Expanding Resources:

As I explored through another overwhelming list of website resources I once again became more at ease once I looked through the Association for Childhood Education International website.  I felt the layout of the website was easy to navigate and through my review of the website so far I find it has an abundance of good information that is easy to access in a user friendly way.  That is important to me as I use online resources; being able to navigate easily and to find what I am looking for fairly quickly and simply.  Otherwise it is easy to get frustrated and that is not helpful when you are in need of finding information. 

Friday, February 14, 2014

My Supports

The support system that I have comes from the people that are in my life.  Support can come in various forms.  Support does not always mean in a monetary way.  Support can be just listening, providing advice or encouragement.  Support is non-judgmental, forgiving, caring and provides a sense of security. Support can be doing some sort of an everyday chore that helps you out from time to time. I have many people in my life that provides me with all kinds of support. First of all my boyfriend, Bryan.  He supports me in every way possible and in ways he doesn't even know.  There is not a day that he doesn't make me smile. The most important way he supports me is with respect.  Everything falls in place when there is respect.  I am very lucky to have met him and to have him in my life.  Second, my parents and other family members have always supported me. I am very grateful for the wonderful family I have.  My parents still provide support to me and my girls as well as for my brother and his children.  They are always there for anyone in the family.  Both of my parents support me in many ways.   My mom really encouraged me and gave me the "push" to get started on my Master's degree.  My dad takes my trash to the dump for me each week, saving me time and money for trash service.  I know I can always count on my parents and other family members for anything.  As such, I have learned how important it is to be there for people not only when things are good and fun, but real support is when there are those moments that can be quite trying and difficult.  At some point or another in our lives we have the moments that are the good, the bad, and definitely the ugly.  I am so glad that my children have had the benefit of my family's support and to have my family as a role model of what a real family does and what true support is.  They have definitely had the bad and the ugly moments from their other biological family.  I say biological because blood does not always mean family, friend, support system or even a relationship. Sometimes those that are hurtful are better off not being in your life.  Third, I have the support of friends and great co-workers.  I have to say some of my friends are like family and some of my co-workers are really good friends.  The support I have received from them has been amazing.  True friends ride the roller coaster of life with you.  Also with all my support systems I find it is multi-directional.  Just as all these people have been there for me, I am there for them as well. 


 When I think of a challenge I think of what a challenge life would be without my support systems.  I believe I rely on my support systems in my everyday life.  I have had my share of the good, the bad and the ugly times and I don't know how I would have gotten through the bad and the ugly without support from family and friends. But I also know that I do not need to be in a crisis in order to need support.  It can be the everyday things in life that I need support with.  Whether it is needing to drop off my car for repairs:  I need someone to help me drop off my car, perhaps give me a ride and then take me to pick up my car.  While at work, I talk with my co-workers/friends and we bounce ideas off each other, look at ways to be more efficient and to provide the best practices to the children and families in our program.  There are some days in which I may have had a crazy or bad day and just by talking to someone makes me feel better.   On the days in which something great has happened I share it with the people in my life.  Life is full of many things, it can be great, it can be hard and scary.  I think about those that do not have such support systems and I can't imagine how difficult it is.  Everyone needs something or someone to count on. 

Saturday, February 1, 2014

My Connections to Play


Quotes About Play:

"Play is not only our creative drive; it's a fundamental mode of learning."
David Elkind


"Play is our brain's favorite way of learning."
Dianne Ackerman



Images of Play From My Childhood:


I loved to play with the "Little People".  I had the house, little town, the airport and boat.
  I would play for hours and hours.  I played with these toys for years. 
 
 
 
I loved my Barbie Townhouse.  I had a variety of the different Barbie and Ken dolls.
I would decorate the townhouse for different holidays.  I also had the Barbie Corvette. 
Dolls from T.V. shows also came out such as Sonny and Cher and Charlie's Angels.
  I added them to my collection.  What fun I had with my cousins and friends!
 
 
 
Oh I loved my "Green Machine".  I loved to play outside with my friends. 
We would ride our Green Machines, Big Wheels and bikes. 
We would attach a wagon with ropes and make trains and buses. 
 
I can honestly look back at my childhood and say I was a fortunate and happy child.  My parents were not wealthy, just regular people but family was first.   My dad worked hard to support and provide for my family.  My mom started working when I was in elementary school and until I started high school she worked part-time.  Not to say my family was perfect, my parents did divorce when I was in college, however overall I had a good childhood.  My brother and I played together a lot when we were younger.  During the spring, summer and fall we played outside all the time.  After rain storms we would run and play in the ditch that was full of rain water.  We would play all day.  When the porch light came on it was time to come home.  During the summer we would even play in the dark either to catch lightning bugs or play hide-n-seek.  I lived in a neighborhood with many children and we played together all the time.  We would ride bikes, play ball, ride our Big Wheels or Green Machines, skate, hula-hoop, jump rope and all kinds of things. 
 
My parents supported our play by building a small paved area where we had a basketball goal.  This was more for my brother but even my parents and my friends' parents played basketball.   My friends and I  would use the area with sidewalk chalk and make roads for our Green Machines and Big Wheels, make hopscotch patterns, and even mark a court to  play around the world with basketball.  When I was about seven or eight my parents built me a playhouse.  My friends and I would play house, school, grocery store, and beauty shop in my playhouse.    My playhouse is still there, as my dad still lives in the house where I grew up.  It was great as my girls played in the playhouse too.  Our neighborhood also had a pool that families could join.  My parents were members and we spent many hours at the pool.  
 
I think play is very different today verses when I was growing up.  There are many families today where both parents are working, more single parents are raising children and are working and children are spending most of their waking hours at school and daycare.  Children today are not outside like when I was growing up.  I believe this is due to the technology of today.  With video games, I-pads, cell phones and cable T.V. with movies on demand children are less active.  I also believe children are not outside playing as much because they are not at home.  Children are in school, in after school programs, and there are those that are in structured activities and sports.  Many of these children are in structured activities year round with many of the teams traveling every weekend for games.  Children do not have the "down time" to play.  While the exercise and activity of structured sports is good, as is learning about team work, children need time to just run and play.  When many children get home it is time to eat, do homework and go to bed. 
 
As an adult I engaged in play with my children.  I would play dolls with them, ride bikes, roller blade and play games.  Though they are grown and in college we still play.  We play the Wii and other games together.  At family reunions one of the favorite things we do is play a game of softball with everyone.  This includes all the adults and children.  It is a great time.  I also play with my young cousins and nieces.  At work, my job allows me to visit classrooms and I play with the children.  I still have lots of fun!