EDUC-6165-6 Communicating and Collaborating in the Early Childhood Field

Good luck to everyone in their continued journey in the filed of Early Childhood Education. I have enjoyed sharing and reading different thoughts and ideas. I will be moving forward to the Teaching Adults in the Early Childhood Field.I can always be reached by email at:

Megan.dandrade2@waldenu.edu

Week 5

My friends and I are currently in conflict about our New Years Eve plans because half of us want to do one activity while the other half wants to do a different activity. I have found myself using different strategies to find a win-win situation but it doesn’t seem to be working. I find myself frustrated because I am not getting the willingness and responsiveness of the other party to want to cooperate. I have tried compromise as well as going through the pros and cons of each situation however neither tatic seems to be working

Week 4, 6165

This week’s assignment was very interesting and eye opening. I loved the idea of evaluating ourselves then asking two other people to do the same so we could see how we view ourselves, as well as how other’s view us. I will admit I was nervous asking people to participate in this assignment because I was afraid I might get answer’s back that were different to mine and that could possibly upset me. Many people have told me from all different parts of my life that I am not someone who usually bits her tongue. Growing up my parent’s always said that I spoke my mind all the time and at time I have been accused of coming off very blunt and strong. I have always agreed that I do have aggressive tendencies but never found myself to be as direct as other’s have described me.  The one thing that surprised me the most is that the people I choose to evaluate me did not rate me as harshly on my verbal aggressiveness as i thought they would.

EDUC 6165 Week #3

The groups of people I am considering for this week’s posting include:

My colleagues at work

My Family

My friends

Between these three groups of people they range in race, religion, gender, and political affiliation.

Three strategies I could use to help communicate more effectively with these people would be:

1.     Take the time to listen to what is being said. Ask confirming questions is necessary and give a recap at the end of what you heard to make sure it was the same thing that was trying to be communicated to you.

2.     Place yourself in their shoes. Try to imagine how you would feel and what you would do if you were in a similar situation. By doing this it may help add empathy to the situation and make you more willing to corporate.

3.     Show your respect in the future by referring back to something from the past, this way you can show them that you do pay attention to what they say and how they feel.

EDYC 6165 Week #2

The show I video tapped this week was "How I Met Your Mother"

with the sound off:

• What do you think the characters’ relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating?

All the characters do not seem like they are friends or love each other. They seem angry and hostile at times

• What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?

They seem angry and upset based on facial expressions and body language

What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed?

I assumed this was a very sarcastic and bitter show. I did re-watch the show with the volume and found it to be entertaining and funny so i definitely got the wrong impression.

• Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well?

I defiantly believe my assumptions would of been spot on had I of been watching a show I knew well such as, "Two and a Half Men"

EDUC 6165 Week #1

This week I decided to choose my boss as someone who demonstrates competent communication. Whenever i have a concern I ask for a one-on-one with boss. my boss always brings in a notes pad and takes notes about the things we discuss. After our meetings are over he send me an email with a write up of  our meeting and the outcomes. This is the first boss i have ever had who takes notes and sends follow up emails after meetings. i find his approach to be very effective because I can always refer back to our past conversations who clarification. If i moved into a management position i would definitely adopt my boss' style of communication. I appreciate how anything we talk about is sent back to me in writing so there are no misunderstandings.

Week 8 posting: EDUC 6164

One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length)

I hope to continue on my own personal journey of acceptance and anti-bias education to help foster these ideals and values among children and families.

One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length)

It is my hope that one day all children and families are treated with social justice and equity regardless of their social identities. I know that is a large hope, but if every early childhood educator cared enough to work towards this goal and we began teaching this from an early age and other educators continued through the education cycle that we would raise an accepting and tolerant society.


A brief note of thanks to your colleagues

I have truly enjoyed this class. I want to thank everyone for all their wonderful postings and ideas. These thoughts have challenged me to become more of a critical thinker.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

• The name of “your” family’s country of origin

I chose the country of Australia

• At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family

1. I will conduct research on this family though the Internet, books, and the encyclopedia. I will try to find a contact from this region or at least someone who has spent significant time in this region to gain more information.
3. I will set time aside to meet with their family to learn more about them and their traditions
4. I will find something to remind this child of home ad incorporate it into my classroom to help them adjust
5. I will introduce the children in my class to this culture before out new student enters so they too are more away.

A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family

I hope with these preprations that not only myself will gain a better understanding but the children in the classroom will as well to encourage the welcoming process. I also hope it will show the family to effort I am putting forward in prder to make them and their child comfotable in the transitionn to not only a new country but way of life.

6164

• What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.

I work on a team of 6 people. 4 of us are located in Maryland while the other 2 are located in Illinois. One of the team members gets preferential treatment due to her experience.She gets More files then the rest of us and More opportunities. Sometimes some of us even loose the files we have been working and they get given to her. When I ask why the response i get is that she is the backbone of the team and most tenured. 

• In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

to me this is very hurtful because i have been working with my company for almost 2 years and I am fully capable of handling the work given to me. I feel unappreciated and slighted in a way and it affects my work. This issue has been discussed with higher management as well.

 

• What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

I feel angry, hurt, taken advantage of, stressed out, and sad.

• What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

the overall culture of the bossiness needs to change which will take a while but int eh mend time communication needs to be increased between offices. 

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

My boss at work just returned this week from his 2 week destination wedding/honeymoon in Hawaii. Upon his returning he mentioned to us that he would need t leave early the following day to attend a Rosh Hashanah celebration with his new wife. I then asked if his new wife was Jewish which he said yes. I let him know that I worked with a Jewish organization for 8 years and was familiar with a lot of the holidays and traditions and if he wanted to impress his new wife by having a background of the upcoming holiday i'd be happy to give him so information. Te following day let him know of what hebrew saying he could tell his wife to wish her  happy new year. The group joke and mocked the phrasing a little and I didn't really think much of it. After view this week's video on microaggression I realized that if someone in our general area actually was Jewish as well that could of been very hurtful to them. This week's video has definitely made me more aware of the things I say and do and how they could affect the feelings of others. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Responses from 3 different people

Culture= The practices that you follow based on influences from family and friends

Diversity= The differences people have with each other

Culture= The ethic and historical background of your family

Diversity= the ways in which people stand out from their surroundings

Culture= Is defined by the way we dress, the foods we eat, and the practices we engage in

Diversity= The qualities about someone that make them unique and an individual

Which aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received—and what are some examples?

I agree with all the answers I received. I don't think they are all complete but I do think they are all components of culture and diversity.

I think interaction with with others and how to deal with different cultures and diversity would of been nice to hear about as well. 

It is always nice to listen to other perspectives from different people of different cultures on their ideas of culture and diversity, it is nice to be able to compare them with your own and decide how you feel about them in comparison.

Blog Assignment: My Family Culture

Imagine the following:
A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.
Blog about all of the following:

• A description of the three items you would choose

family picture
blanket
cell phone/charger

• How you would explain to others what each of these items means to you

Each of these items are very important to me.  I would take would be a family picture so I have a memory of all loved ones who were unable to come with me, my blanket that I've had since a child because it's soothing and comforting to me, and my cell phone/charger so i have access to videos and voices of my friends and family

• Your feelings if, upon arrival, you were told that you could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items you brought with you

I would be devastated. I don't know how I could choose between the 3 items, I guess if i had to my cell phone because it could capture all of them.

• Any insights you gained about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise,

Well I have realized that modern technology is very important to me. There's a catastrophe event and my cell phone is one of my top priorities. As an experiment for myself I am going to try and see if I can go one whole day with out my cell phone.

EDUC 6163

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

Research can be very fun, yet complex. The fun part about research is being able to dive into a topic of interest and explore it, the challenging part is that you can not do it listlessly.

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

I have also looked at research as a pain, something that is a daunting task. But as I mentioned before it can actually be fun if you are interested in the topic. 

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

I learned how to be organized and structured when it comes to conducting research. There are many options on setting up a research design and it is important to explore all to see what will fit your needs the best

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

Challenges I encountered was finding appropriate study participants for my topic of choice for my simulation. I had a limited selection to choose form so the nest time I think I will do more research to find a larger group base to observe. 

EDUC 6162

Learning about the international early childhood field has opened my eyes to the differences yet similarities within the field of Early childhood education across the globe. Even though traditions and customs may be different across the ideals and hopes seem to be the same, providing quality education to children from an early are. I hope that in the near future we can come to an international agreed upon standard for early childhood education.

Blog Assignment: Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

1.)There are no universally agreed criteria for quantifying ECE quality but useful factors to consider include pedagogy materials, personnel training, service setting and parental education and involvement. 


This is a topic I focused on in my discussion this week. I believe their should be universal standards for ECE criteria, I'm hoping in the near future this is a topic that can be settled on


2.) The 1990 Jomtien Declaration on Education for All (EFA), stated that countries should view early childhood as part of basic education. Once countries recognise the positive value of state investment in this area, the next challenge is to mobilise funds. 


This has been another area of concern for me, the value people put on ECE. Recognizing it's worth and not just treating it as a babysitting service.


3.) Countries often promote alternative services for poor children with limited or no access to mainstream early childhood services which can be cost-effective and pedagogically innovative, but often raise concerns about sustainability and quality


My hope is that some day all ECE can be considered quality regardless of cost.

EDUC 6163: Research Around the World

Early Childhood Australia: This is the Australian equivalent to the U.S. based NAEYC. 

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

What are some of the current international research topics?

Baby and toddler Sleeping

Child health and childhood obesity

School readiness and children's transitions

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

I found the section on Baby and toddler sleeping to be very interesting. One of the topics was about babies and their crying patterns. Babies often cry a lot in the early weeks. Some babies cry for 2 hours or more each day. For many babies the time that they cry often gets longer until they are around 6 – 8 weeks old, then gets less by the time they are around 3 months old. i found this interesting because I am not yet a parent myself and have no had any one on one interaction with young babies

What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

The Oslo Challenge was something I found which was also interesting to me. This is a call to action. It pertains to everyone engaged in exploring, developing, monitoring and participating in the relationship between children and the media. This includes governments, organizations and individuals working for children, media professionals at all levels and in all media, the private sector including media owners, children and young people, parents, teachers and researchers.

EDUC 6162: Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

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


Three new ideas or insights I gained about early childhood systems around the globe:


1.Emotional and social development are inextricably linked to cognitive development, and we can’t have one without the other. Emotional well-being is a critical part of the foundation of social and functional competence that is developed in the first years of life and affects a child’s later ability to achieve in school and form successful relationships throughout life. 


2. Neuroscience, molecular biology, and genomics tell us that early life experiences are built into our bodies. They get under our skin and into the brain and other organ systems, with lasting effects on individuals, communities, society, and the economy. 


3. Many of our nation's policies, such as those that regulate child care provider training, availability of early childhood mental health services, and early identification and treatment of behavioral disorders, overlook emotional development as a focus of evaluation and intervention.

EDUC 6162:Sharing Web Resources

• What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

I took special notice to the information about 2011 International Mud day. The very first 'Mud Day' was started in Nepal and Australia.  Two doctors who are a part of the Nature Action Collaborative for Children, a committee in the World Forum Foundation, planned with two groups of children a day to "take a step closer to Mother Nature (Bhatta)."

• Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

I didn't find anything really controversial on this topic. However, as I was reading the "stories" section where people around the world could discuss their experience with Mud Day which was really interesting. One woman who works in the city discussed how her  center took the children to a local woodsy park where they were actually able to find  a mud puddle. I really liked how they prepared for the celebration by  announcing the day to parents and giving them the articles from the web site as handouts.I have never heard about Mud Day before reading this article but I think it's a great way to bring children of the world together on the same day and have them participate in the same activity. Even though they are not "together" it promotes a sense of commonality amongst people who are so different from one another. 

• What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

I believe that the 2 doctors who began this tradition really had a unique and wonderful idea of not only how to support the field of early childhood education, but also to bring the children of the world together.

• What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

I can honestly say this is the first time I have thought about early childhood education "togetherness" on an international level. I wish this was something I had known about when I was working in the classroom. I also think it's a wonderful way for children to express themselves.

EDUC 6162: Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

I unfortunately do not have any international contacts. I went to the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s page (http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/), and read about childhood poverty in one country instead.


The country i chose to read about was Mongolia


1. In 1998 a major survey indicated that 36% of the population were living below the income poverty line and that poverty in Mongolia tends to be higher in many urban areas than in rural.


I am very interested to see a more updated survey to see the difference in the percentage of the population living below the income poverty line today.


2. It is difficult to assess the numbers of children living in poverty in Mongolia, but many of the poor live in female headed households or are children aged 0-16 years.


This fact makes me wonder at what age are women having children in Mongolia and what the ratio of children to mother is


3. increasing numbers have been forced by circumstances to work for money outside the home, for example fetching and cutting wood for others and working in factories and markets. As a result, some children never enter school, others drop out of classes. The numbers of street children and families in urban areas increased during the 1990s - in a country where harsh temperatures reach as low as minus 30-40 degrees in winter.


This is a disturbing fact to me. Children don't really seem have a childhood at all and are being denied to right to education for a chance to chance these devastating percentages. 

EDUC 6163

Option 2:Imagine that you possess the means and the knowledge to conduct research studies about any topic in the early childhood field. Imagine further that you are not restricted by the reality of the present. Imagine that your study will make a major positive contribution to the well-being of children and/or their families. What topic would you choose? What can you imagine the positive contribution(s) would be?

I would choose the topic of childhood cancer. Unfortunately, for some children the battle with cancer doesn't end in the word "remission" or "cure", but in death.For a parent, watching their child grow and move forward through developmental milestones such as learning to sit, to crawl, to take the first tottering step are all joyful events! Imagine how frightening it would be to watch your child suddenly seem to grow backwards.If I could cure childhood cancer it would give so many children the opportunities to live their lives to fullest potential that this crippling disease otherwise prevents.

World Forum Foundation

World Forum Foundation. “A foundation whose mission is to promote an on-going global exchange of ideas on the delivery of quality services for young children in diverse settings.”


 http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php 

My Personal Research Journey

This week I read three different articles relating to gender diversity within the early childhood classroom. I choose to focus on the gender diversity of the staff in early childhood facilities opposed to gender differences among young children. I am hoping that by digging deeper into gender diversity it will present some insight on not just parent involvement but male parent involvement as well. I found that when I was working in the early childhood field all of my volunteers were female.

I found this to be a very interesting topic to study. I personally have struggles with the idea of men in a early childhood class for many years myself. While I understand the importance of having dual role models within the classroom the idea of a male working with children before the age of kindergarten makes me a little uncomfortable. I believe that children will have plenty of time throughout their grade school years for dual interaction with both genders and it is not a necessity to have men in the classroom while children are still in diapers and pre-toileting phases of their life. However, in cases such as head start where potty training and volunteering is mandatory it would be interesting to see the amount of male volunteers if there were more male teachers.

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

I thought this assignment would be easy for me to contact 2 professionals in other parts of the world since my family is from Trinidad and Tobago and we have many teachers in the family. However, after almost two weeks of trying I have no successfully been able to reach out to anyone. Thus I have decided to do the alternative assignment where I will be working with the website, "  World Forum Foundation. “A foundation whose mission is to promote an on-going global exchange of ideas on the delivery of quality services for young children in diverse settings.” The reason I choose this website was because they take a look at a topic that I am very interested in, men in ECE. In my past experiences I have only encountered one male teacher in a Pre-K setting. I find they are more common in Kindergarten-Third grade but less prominent before that. I personally struggle with my thoughts on males Pre-K teacher's so I think it will be very interesting to learn more about this topic.

My Supports

Factors within my daily environment that are supportive to me include my family, friends, and coworkers, The reason these groups are so supportive to me is because when I’m feeling down or lost depending on the situation these people help lift me up. With support from different people I am able to get through some days that seem like they are never going to end. I am also able to share my successes with these people who help celebrate with me. It is nice to know that there are always different people in your life for different situations to provide a listening ear and supportive advice. The major benefits of these supports are the outlet it provides me with when I’m feeling sad, stressed out, overwhelmed, excited, and proud. If these people were no longer a part of my life I would feel so lost. In order to keep myself going everyday I rely on these people to keep my sprits up.

Example: I work a full time job on top of being a fulltime student. One week I have a large project due for school and work and I’m finding myself stressed out with all demands of the week. I relay on my coworkers to brainstorm with me to create and expedite our project for work in a timely and equal form. I rely on my family and friends to understand that my time is dedicated to two important projects and display understanding

Growing up I was an only child for the first 8 years of my life. I was the definition of a girly-girl. All I played with was Barbie dolls and probably had about 100 of them. All members of my family including parents, aunts, and cousins would play with me. The reason I loved Barbie dolls so much was because it allowed me to be creative and imaginative. I would always make up some new situation and have so much fun acting it out among the Barbie dolls. I think play is the same when it comes to imagination, but I have noticed I don’t see Barbie dolls being advertised or sold as much as when I was younger. I see more electronic forms of play these days. Play is a very important factor in growing up. It allows us to take our imagination to new levels and helps children to be creative and express their inner feelings. Now that I am older I don’t get to play with Barbie dolls any more but I do find it very important to escape reality once in a while and dive into the world of imagination and creativity. I usually do this by reading different fiction novels. Currently my favorite series is the Twilight saga.

Relationships are important to me because I need a strong support system behind me to help celebrate with me in times of joy, and help me cope in times of need. I have made a collage of the people in my life that are important to me and that I have strong relationships with. This collage has pictures of my mom, dad, brother, friends, and one of my past classes. In order to maintain positive relationships the lines of communication must remain open. If something is bothering me or I have a concern I always address it calmly and as soon as possible so anger doesn’t build up. A challenge to developing and maintaining relationships is not having an open mind. As discussed in this week’s video presentation bias’ can have a large impact on the way me think, act, and feel. It is important to be open minded when meeting new people and forming relationships. My picture with a past class represents a partnership. I made sure I tried to build a relationship with each of my children and their families in order for us to work together for the common goal of their child’s education and success. Past experiences with relationships and partnerships impact my work as an effective Early Childhood professional by learning from past experiences and using best practices to continue to build positive relationships and partnerships.

Childhood Quotes Continued...

Childhood Quotes

Assesments

Considering a commitment to viewing young children holistically (i.e., a commitment to “the whole child”), what, if anything, do you believe should be measured or assessed? Explain your reasoning.


I believe assessment are important. Assessments allow teachers and parents to see where children are academically, and socially. With the help of assessments it allows children to be placed in the correct classes and programs to help best suit their needs. I believe assessment are most important when it comes to class placement. Placement testing is the most accurate way of making sure students are placed in skill appropriate classes. However, I do believe all standardized testing should be a mix of multiple choice, true false, and essay. I know personally I was always better at essay questions opposed to multiple choice. I felt more confident in my answers


In what ways are school-age children assessed in other parts of the world? (Choose a country or region of the world for which you have a personal affinity.)


Both of my parents were born, raise, and educated in Trinidad and Tobago. I know testing is very important in this country because it determines which school you are able to attend. In the United States we are used to standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT to determine college choices. In Trinidad testing is used for all levels of education and is a big deal.



What additional ideas, comments, suggestions, examples, and/or concerns related to assessing young children would you like to share with your colleagues?


It's important to remember that not all children do well in a standardized testing environment. This is why in addition to testing observation and work samples are all important ways of making sure students are placed in appropriate classes.