Getting to Know Your International Contacts

 Since I have had a difficult time recieving a response back from my internationtal contacts, I have choosen to complete alternate assignment.

Prior to reading this article and researching this topic I always believed that child development started in the womb and I continue to believe this theory after reading the research.  There has been insistence where during prenatal the mother endures emotional and physical abuse that it has shown to have lifelong effects on the fetus after birth. Research has shown over and over again that the unborn fetus recognizes the voice of his or her family, particularly the mother and it has often been recommended to read to the unborn fetus.  Therefore, I agree with the article and research that early childhood education should be continued at birth. Newborns should be nurtured and given social and emotional support. This support will lead to the child being confident and have a foundation for academic growth.  

Resources:

Teachers College, Columbia University. (2009). Early childhood care and education: Worlwide challenges and progress. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 11, 1–44. Retrieved from http://www.tc.columbia.edu/cice/Issues/11.00/PDFs/11_Complete_Issue.pdf

Sharing Web Resources

This week the weekly newsletter focused on challenging behaviors.  The article suggested that challenging behavior can mean many things to many people.  This website has  developed a set of resources to help parents and professionals understand and respond to some of the most common and typical challenges that crop up in children’s early years which includes aggression, defiance, inconsolable crying, children who are slow-to-warm-up, and sleep challenges. 

We have seen an increase in the last few years of children being diagnosed with behavior/mental disorders including a high rate of autism being diagnosed which in my opinion has created an issue of teachers maintaining a well behaved and smooth running classroom. I do understand that every child is born with his or her own temperament, but these temperaments does influences a child’s behavior and particularly in the classroom.

This newsletter suggested that it is impossible to offer one strategy or response that will work for everyone. To help you apply the information here to your individual child, think about how your child’s temperament might influence his or her behavior, and how you may adapt the strategies you read about to meet the needs of your child and your family. 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

I have been unsuccessful at receiving back from professionals outside of the US so I choose the alternative activity, Podcast and researching the website http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/.

On the Morning Show on NBC this morning they had a piece on their about Poverty and Homelessness. The focus was on Charlotte North Carolina where they interviewed this single mother of five who has been homeless for a year and was currently living in a one bedroom apartment for homeless and displaced families.  The mother discussed the hardships of raising five children alone and trying to go to the school herself.  It was stated by the news reporter that one in every five children has or will experience homelessness sometimes in their life, which is 1.5million children. This number is astonishing and their needs to be a resolution to this ongoing problem that seems to be only getting worse with the state of our economy.

After studying this website the information according to the numbers were the same as I heard on the morning news which was an insight for me…I knew that many families were displaced, however, one out of five was heart breaking.

Another insight I gained through this website was that o 10 million children under five years old die every year from preventable diseases. As one of the most powerless groups in society, children often bear the physical and emotional costs of poverty.

The last insight I learned from this website was that I was unaware that something was being done drastically to increase poverty and homeless. The international community has committed itself to meeting the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. This includes lowering poverty rates, cutting by two-thirds the deaths of children under five and ensuring that all children in the world complete at least primary education.

Sharing Web Resources

I initially contacted two professional individuals outside of the United States, however, I was unsuccessful at getting a response.

The name and link of the organization I selected is, Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Familieshttp://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/ 

I selected this organization because I have used this website frequently in the past for research papers as well as to gather information for personal and professional reasons. I find this website/organization to be very informative and useful. The information on the website is always updated and the information and research is recent.

Zero to Three is a national nonprofit organization that informs, trains and supports professionals, policymakers and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. 

This week’s newsletter that I found very informative and caught my attention was a article and graph describing the development of a child from 30-36months. The graph shows one side of what the toddler should be doing and the other side states what the parent should be doing to enhance the development of the toddler.

I also liked the idea that this organization is encouraging parents to limit the number of hours a child watches TV daily because of the influence of the advertising as well as the development of the child’s cognition.

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

This week I had to choose two professionals, out of the United States to establish communication with and I contacted the following two individuals on Tuesday, June 29^th via email.

Ø  Canadian Child Care Federation, Yvonne Dionne. Email: ydionne@cccf-fcsge.ca

Ø  German National Committee for Early Childhood Education. Secretary: Ms. Ulrike Konrad-Ristau , Email: ulrike.konrad-ristau@agj.de

 I choose these two individuals because I have an interest in the Candian Educational System because I have family there and I have always wanted to visit Germany and have an interest in the country.

The links which were provided in the blog resources was a huge help in helping me get started.

The second part of the blog assignment this week was visit a early childhood organization’s website in order to get to know specific ways in which the organization supports the early childhood community and the resources it offers.  I choose to sign up and become a member of the following organization.

Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/ 

I choose this website because I always find the most current and helpful information located on this website. I have used this website many-many times as resource for research.

When I Think of Research...

Blog Assignment: When I Think of Research...

• What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

I have so much more insight into how to research is conducted versus just reading and completing basic task of collection. I also learned how to take a subtopic and redefine it until it is no longer a broad spectrum. I also learned that real research, quality research is not an easy process and requires a lot of time and work.

·         In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

I feel that since taking this course I’m more respective and sensitive to others. A researcher should also be knowledgeable of the culture or diversity they may encounter while conducting the research. I also learned that there is more than just choosing a topic and completing collection. I also learned the various ways and methods in conducting research.

• What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

I learned the importance of ethics in relations to research involving early childhood education. As a researcher I must be neutral in a situation and not have my own opinions weigh in the research.

• What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

Conducting research was very new to me in a sense. I have conducted research in the past while working on my undergrad but not to the extent where I understood what a valid research paper should consist of. 

·         What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

Personally I don’t feel that my perceptions have been modified at all. I still have a huge passion for early childhood education and if anything my passion has been enriched.

Research Around the World

Early Childhood Australia: This is the Australian equivalent to the U.S. based NAEYC. You can access several links to early childhood research from the menu on the left side of the home page. http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/  

What are some of the current international research topics?  I found it interesting that Australia had very similar research topics as we do here in America, for example:

Ø  School Readiness and Children’s Transition

Ø  Childhood Obesity

Ø  Early Years Education Framework

Ø  Learning and Teaching Through Play

Ø  Children’s Resilience

Ø  Code of Ethics

Ø  Respecting Diversity

These are some of the same topics that are currently being researched here in America. I just recently attended a training on school readiness and an also on the Education Framework where an abundant amount of research was recently completed.

What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

The first thing that I noticed and I wish more was done about in my school district, which I can’t speak for other areas, but I noted that research was currently underway in reference to bullying. This is being such an issue in many schools. As a Head Start center we do implement mental health into our curriculum but I think more emphasis should be done regarding bullying.

I also found that there is subscription to a magazine “Every Child” which is ideal for students, childcare workers, parents, grandparents or anyone who wants to keep up to date on events and developments around Australia that impact on children from birth to eight years or on the early childhood field in general.

There was also a link on this website where educators could share ideas and suggestions on many topics for example: Exploring and discovering, increasing your student’s curiosity, helping your students problem solve…this was an excellent idea where educators can learn from one another.

What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

First of all I thought this website was very easy navigating and organized in a very neat and eyecatching matter.  

Another link I found very interesting was “Everyday Learning Series” which provides wonderful suggestions about how to create positive learning environments for young children. By 'making the ordinary, extraordinary', the Everyday Learning Series is an invaluable resource for parents, grandparents and care givers by assisting them in maximizing young children's play, exploration and discovery, and development within familiar environments.