My Personal Research Journey

The subtopic that I chose for my simulation is understanding emotional development and regulating emotions.  I chose this topic because children often have problems with their emotions and sometimes find it hard or don't know how to regulate them. 

During this week I have payed close attention to the resources provided and it has allowed me to begin to get a better understanding of research and the proper steps to take when choosing a research topic.  Our text tells us that we should choose a topic that we are interested in and secondly one that others are interested in (Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010) and I know one of my interest is emotional development and I believe parents and others would like to learn more on the topic. 

While constructing the research chart this week I was able to better understand some research phrases and it offered me the chance to reflect on what I have been reading this week to better understand research.  I won't deny that I knew little about it when first starting the process and I have only begun to learn what it means to look for credible and quality sources.  I believe that as this class continues I will become more knowledgeable of the research process and hopefully one day become an avid researcher. 

If there is anything that any of you can do to help me to better understand this process or if you have any ideas/suggestions or questions that you have on the topic that I have chosen I hope that you will share them with me, and I will do the same for you. 

Reference

Naughton, G. M., Rolfe, S. A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing Early Childhood Research, 2nd Edition.  New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies.

Final Blog Assignment

I have gained a lot of new insight through listening to podcast, researching websites and from being able to read what others have posted and shared on their blogs during this course.  I could name many consequences about learning about the early childhood learning internationally.  I have learned so much through the research we were assigned to do during this course.  It has broadened by professional thinking and has given me many ideas that I believe I should try to integrate on a daily basis.  Learning how other countries try to better the lives of children by working to ensure that all children receive an education, that poverty is alleviated or at least minimized and girls having the same rights and are treated fairly.  Learning about other countries has made me realize how fortunate we really are but it also makes me strive to be a better professional and a better advocate for early childhood education. 

  

Another consequence is realizing that whether it’s in the US or in other countries, when working with children and families they all have the same goal and that’s increasing awareness, alleviating poverty and making sure each child lives up to his/her full potential.  Last but not least reading other blogs reading about other countries has given me ideas on things that should be integrated in the US, helping policy holders and other professionals know we aren’t in it alone.  No matter where you live there will be issues but working together in efforts to alleviate those issues should be our top priority in the field of Early Childhood Education.  

The goal that I have is to continuing to learn from my courses, my colleagues and the resources provided so that I can continue to grow as an early childhood professional.

Getting to know your International Contacts Part 3

At the present time there is urgency for qualified and educated early childhood staff in the state of North Carolina.  There is no longer a basis for what was once called More At Four.  At the present time in North Carolina, pre-kindergarten is coming up under the umbrella of Health and Human Services; now known as North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten programs. 

            Due to the urgency for this qualified staff for pre-Kindergarten and early childhood centers, state mentors have been put into place for the purpose of assisting those teachers with receiving and or keeping their license.  Those mentors are to go into the classrooms of these educators and observe the teachers to see where they are in the process or to find out how the teachers themselves feel about the goals for which they have created for themselves and for their classrooms.  The mentor assists the teachers in knowing where they fit in the process of becoming qualified personnel.  They also assist them in achieving the goal of being a qualified professional.                                                                            

The teachers that are in the early childhood centers and not the regular public educational classrooms also have the opportunities to have the state mentors to come into their classrooms for the purpose of becoming qualified teachers.  The great thing is; however that those teachers are able to stay inside of their classrooms instead of having to go to the school system to receive their license.

            The main concern of the state mentor is to make sure that the state and the teachers are satisfied with performances inside as well as outside of classroom settings for young children.  They also have to make sure that teacher and child ratios are in place and that proper treatment is given to young children no matter their status.  The mentor is to make sure that the teachers are meeting proper goals which sustain all mandates that are given by the state.

                        My hopes and dreams regarding this process is that children have a chance to have positive outcomes.  By successfully educating children, communities can turn around in a positive manner.  Neighborhoods, states and communities are able to become sustained in valuable morals and values, which will create stern foundations for the children of the future.

               

Sharing Web Resources

Throughout this course I have been researching and learning about The Global Fund For Children.  The Global Fund reached out to various regions.  I recently explored South Asia and the work that is done in that region through the Global Fund partners.  Some of the most poor and marginalized children and youth live in South Asia.  The Global Fund partners work with a wide range of issues which include street children, child laborers, those that live in slums and those that live in tribal populations amongst many more. 

The Global Fund for Children shared links on their web site that led to information about their mission, grantees, various blogs from those involved with the global fund and it also shared media links, and the impact on solving equity issues for our children.   

Some of the featured news is dedicated to the Global Fund’s partnership with Financial Times MBA Challenge. The MBA Challenge is a program involving nine teams of business school students working with charities to develop plans for spending the grant money allocated by the Global Fund.

In one edition of the newsletter there was a link to the recently released “Grassroots Manifesto” which discusses the organization’s approach to excelling in in efforts of change. There was emphasis put on girl’s rights to education

The Global Fund for Children provides resources for many burdened children around the globe.   The work that they do is beneficial to the children they serve and produces positive outcomes.

References

https://www.globalfundforchildren.org/

 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts Part 2

This week’s podcast came from The Whole Child Podcast website.  The title was Early Childhood Education:  Balancing Expectations and What Young Learners Really Need.  This podcast included the following professionals:  Thomas Armstrong (an award-winning author and speaker with more than 40 years of teaching experience from the primary through the doctoral level), Laura Bornfreund (a senior policy analyst for New America Foundation’s Early Education Initiative), and Walter Mckenzie (a lifelong learner, teacher, leader, and connector. A director of Constituent Services for ASCD, McKenzie served 25 years in public education as a classroom teacher, instructional technology coordinator, director of technology, and assistant superintendent for information services), Jennifer Orr (a 1st-grade teacher at Annandale Terrace Elementary School in Fairfax County, Va.) and Wendy Ostroff (a cognitive psychology, child development, and metacognition expert).

The beginning of a child’s education is as important as any other time while in school.  Children being exposed to high-quality education programs are important for lifelong development of children who are of low socio-economic status and can provide returns to its community that are many times more beneficial.

Standards and academic achievement is the current focus today and many believe that learning and testing is coming to early.  Curriculum and assessment should be based on the best knowledge of theory and research about how children develop and learn, with attention given to individual children’s needs and interest within a group and in relation to programs goals (Whole Child Podcast, 2013).

The Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” was founded in 2006.  The initiative believes that the strength and sustainability of any culture depend on the magnitude to which it increases chances early in life for all children to attain their full potential and interact in accountable and productive social responsibility. 

Their mission is to advance their vision by using science to enhance child well-being through innovations in policy and practice.  The initiative has three strategic objectives:

·         To reframe public discourse about the early childhood period

·         To support innovative, multidisciplinary research and demonstration projects and

·         To build leaderships capacity in child development research and policy.

Based on these three objectives they have begun to build a portfolio of activities in three domains:

·         Early childhood development

·         Mental health and

·         Children in crisis and conflict situations

After listening to this week’s podcast I have come to the conclusion that issues in early childhood education is universal.  Many have the same concerns and many are attempting to come up with a resolve for these current and ongoing issues such as the Global Children’s Initiative through Harvard University and it all comes back to one thing advocating for children and families so that their lives can be strengthen and for the long term benefits of receiving early learning. 

References

Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/

The Whole Child Podcast—Whole Child Education

http://www.wholechildeducation.org/podcast (October, 2013)