My Family Culture

I would be so nervous moving to a completely different country with a different culture, especially if I could only bring three items with me.  The three items that are special to me that I would bring are a Book of Mormon, family cook book, and my wedding album.  The Book of Mormon is important to me and represents a large part of my culture.  Not only do the scriptures represent my religion, but my religion is also a main reason I live the way I do.  It is precious to me and I want to be able to continue to read the scriptures and be able to teach my own children about God and the scriptures, especially if my religion was not in the country I moved to.  Bringing a family cookbook would be very important to me because food is a huge part of my culture.  Most recipes we use have been handed down and are special to me.  Nearly every time we get together as a family there is food involved and not being able to cook food that I am used to would be very upsetting.  My wedding album has all of my most precious pictures from the greatest day of my life.  It has pictures of my family and it reminds me of the joy that I experienced that day.  My marriage is a huge part of who I am and I would want to always have those pictures and memories with me. If I already had to come to this new place with just three items and then was told I could only keep one I would be devastated. Each one has a lot of meaning to me and I don't know what I would decide to leave behind.  It is hard to say what is the most important thing that represents my culture, especially when someone's culture incorporates so many things. My culture is something very special to me because it makes me the person I am.  I can't imagine having to leave everything behind and have to live without my culture.

When I Think of Research...

I just want to start out by saying thank you to all of my classmates and Professor Parrish.  I have enjoyed this research class much more than I ever could have expected.  Something that has really stood out to me about research throughout this course is the fact that in order to do your own research, it is so important to have a clear and refined research question.  I have enjoyed my research simulation, and had refined my question multiple times, but I still feel that it could have been refined to make it even more understanding and impacting on the field.  Before when I would think about research, it always seemed to sound kind of dreadful, but I have come to realize that when you are researching something that is a passion of yours, it can become enjoyable.  I never could have seen myself in a career doing mostly research, and though I still have a long way to go before I would feel comfortable in a research field, I can definitely see it as a possibility for me.  It has been so helpful to be able to learn more fully all of the components that come with research.  I feel that one reason research can seem so daunting is because there is so much work and steps that need to be considered, but no research would be successful if it weren't for every process that is required in research studies. I am grateful for the knowledge and confidence that this class has given me and feel that it will benefit me in any way I choose to go as an early childhood professional.

Research Around the World

I chose to learn more about the Early Childhood Australia website and find out what is happening in Australia.  The reason that this website stood out to me, is because it is the Australian equivalent to the U.S. based NAEYC.  Currently, research is being done on supporting early childhood care and education teachers who work with children with complex additional needs, including: disability, significant development delay, and complex social, emotional, and behavioral needs.

 I really enjoyed reviewing their Code of Ethics and finding similarities to NAEYC's Code of Ethics.  Something that I found interesting was that in addition to how we treat children, families, colleagues, and community, Early Childhood Australia also has ethics regarding students, employer, myself as a professional, and conduct of research.  I realized that other countries care as much as we do about ethics regarding work with children and we can even use what other countries believe in addition to our own ideas.

There was also a section of this website called Parent Resources that I felt were a great addition.  It included four sections that included: children's health and nutrition, separation anxiety, sleeping, and transitions to school.  Each had helpful information explaining the topic and talking about what could be done to help children struggling with any of these.  This is a website that I can see myself referring to and feel it is an important tool for people in Australia, as well as people around the world.

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

If I had the means and knowledge to conduct research on any topic in the early childhood field I would want to study autism and find out the cause and what can be done to help children who have it. There are many theories and beliefs that exist, but it still leaves families feeling so uncertain about why their child has it.  There are cases where one day the child is typical in their development and social interactions and the next day they wake up different.  There are also children who just seem to be born with autism.  There are parents who blame themselves and parents who blame outside factors.  Because autism is a spectrum disorder the variety that autism has is almost too big to comprehend.  Some children speak more than what is considered acceptable and some children can't even speak one word.  There are so many ways a child has the possibility of being labeled with autism--how can that be for just one disorder?

Being able to find these answers, as well as the answers to many more questions that exist about autism would be very beneficial.  It can be difficult for a child with autism to fit in or feel comfortable and it can also be difficult to know what is best for each child who has it.  Having this knowledge would be able to make a difference in how children are viewed and can spread awareness of the best possible ways to help them.

My Personal Research Journey

After a lot of contemplation of what I was truly passionate about, I came to the conclusion that my passions in this field are the strongest for developmentally appropriate practices.  I have seen how using developmentally appropriate practices strengthens a child's experience in the classroom because it is geared to each of their needs.  Although it takes much more time and dedication from the teacher, using developmentally appropriate practices is necessary for providing children with the best possible outcomes.

I am interested in researching the effects that developmentally appropriate practices have on children versus the effects that Common Core has on children.  Using Common Core requires little work from the teacher and takes away the need of getting to know each of their students.  I look forward to being able to study the different ways that these techniques play a role in children's school experience.  I am hoping to be able to find the necessary information to help me with my research and I look forward to learning more about each of the subjects.

From what I have read, my classmates have chosen interesting topics that I am excited to learn more about.  Research is an important aspect in this field and I know that I will be able to gain experiences in this course that will help me throughout my educational and professional career.

Final Blog Assignment

Over the last eight weeks, I have had the opportunity to learn more about early childhood education around the world.  Although this class has been difficult for me, I have been able to learn much more than I had anticipated.

I have been able to study international websites, listen to podcasts, and learn from my colleagues about what is happening outside of the United States and consequently I have realized:

1. There is much that we can learn from around the world.  I had never considered that I could study about how other countries teach young children, but there is a great amount of information that I can learn from expanding my resources to outside of America.

2. Not everyone has the same amount of privileges that we do in America, in regard to early childhood care and education.  I came across research that showed that a lot of countries are not fortunate enough to have access to early childhood education because of lack of funds or lack of education.

3.  I am capable of going to other countries and lending my own knowledge and resources to help other countries understand why early childhood education is so necessary.  I believe it is important for me to volunteer my time and knowledge, because this may be difficult to do in other countries, I can start by implementing what I know in America.

A goal I have for my future in international awareness is to stay informed with what is happening outside of the country.  I often find myself living within my own bubble, but this class has helped me understand that I should be aware of what children around the world are being faced with.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

I chose to listen to a podcast with Karen Nemeth called “Strategies for Supporting Dual Language Learners.” It helped me learn more about the differences between English language learns and dual language learners.  English Language Learners is a program for k-12, while dual language learners is the name for children in preschool who are still working on learning English, which includes all young children.  For children who speak a language other than English in their home, teachers should honor and support this learning in the home language, while helping children learn English.  Dual language learners are very common and as a teacher it is likely to have one, or multiple, at some point in your classroom.  If a teacher does not speak the home language of a child then she can still support her student by making an effort to learn new words in that language and have the language in the classroom.  This can include having music in that language and showing all of the students that they are each important. If there are multiple languages that are spoken at home the teacher can still make an effort to connect with each child’s home language.  Nonverbal language is also important for children who are still learning English to help the teacher connect with each child.   Sign language can help because it is a visual connection that helps with all languages.  Every teacher can improve their communication skills when thinking about the individual needs of dual language learners in the classroom (Nemeth, 2015).

I was able to study UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education” webpage and found helpful information in regard to quality and financing for early childhood education around the world.  When considering early childhood education, it is important that the learning materials are quantitatively, culturally and developmentally adequate and focus on child-centered interaction.  Although these ways of teaching are the most effective, they can be difficult to implement, but are better for the children (UNESCO, 2015).

 It can be difficult to provide early childhood education when government resources are limited, and so often the last year of preschool is frequently placed in a formal school setting or there may be efforts to lower the entry age. Unfortunately this can dilute the importance of holistic development by placing too much emphasis on preparing children for formal schooling. However, when preschool cannot be afforded as part of early childhood, it is better to consider ways of improving the pedagogy of pre-primary education placed in the formal school setting (UNESCO, 2015).

The 1990 Jomtien Declaration on Education for All (EFA) stated that countries should view early childhood as part of basic education. When countries are able to see the positive effects that come from investing in early childhood education, they will understand the benefits and work to mobilize the funds. Unfortunately, government funding for early childhood is typically extremely small and so approaching the private sector (non-profit and for-profit) can be an effective strategy for countries to obtain early childhood education (UNESCO, 2015).

References

Daniel, J., Pica, R., & Nemeth, K. (2015). Strategies for supporting dual language learners. BAM! radio. Retrieved from http://www.bamradionetwork.com/naeyc-radio/743-strategies-for-supporting-dual-language-learners

UNESCO. (2015). Early childhood care and education. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/