Resource Sharing

As I have not heard from any of my potential contacts for further discussion on global issues as they pertain to children I decided to continue to dig deeper into the website, Early Childhood Australia, a voice for young children.  I have included the link; http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/.  Early Childhood Australia is a non-profit organization that advocates for children from birth to 8 years of age and works towards sharing and providing resources and information on early childhood to educators, parents, and social and government bodies.  Information about development, children’s behaviors, assessments and observations to school readiness can be found on the website.   

I have family who emigrated to Australia many years ago and cousins who were born there, but as you might imagine the topic of early childhood education does not come up in conversation.  Australia, like many countries is made up of many people representing different cultures and languages.  This week’s discussion prompted me to think that perhaps many of the same issues facing us in this country are also very much alive in other countries as well; discrimination, language and cultural barriers that are perhaps creating an education gap among the different cultures in Australia and if so how are these issues being address?   The goal would seem to a similar one; to become culturally aware however that is a challenge as it pertains to education and families.  Navigating the site, I came across a piece on creating personalized learning plans for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students so as to create positive learning environments for all students and therefore having improved academic success.  (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/early_childhood_news/eca_webwatch_issue_122_september_2011.html).  Indigenous populations like the children attending our school systems, share culture and language that bond them to their community.   Teacher, parents and children are collaborators in creating the learning plan that includes clear learning goals as well as potential obstacles to learning and how to navigate through those obstacles.  The learning plans respect the Aboriginal children’s cultural differences, their knowledge and obligations within their community (www.whatworks.edu.au).  The plans assess where the student is now, where they should be and how they will meet their academic goals; once goals are met, the process begins again scaffolding additional knowledge and learning.   The personalized plan certainly promotes both parent and student participation and engagement in the learning process. 

The child’s identity as connected to his or her family is celebrated and acknowledge as a path towards learning.  This I believe is a positive example that could perhaps be utilized to bridge culturally and linguistically diverse communities in our own country. 

Resources

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

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/early_childhood_news/eca_webwatch_issue_122_september_2011.html

www.whatworks.edu.au

Professional Contacts & Expanded Resources

This particular blog assignment has proved challenging.  At the beginning of the week I emailed 4 different sources which I found through the UNICEF website.  I was interested in making contact with professionals in the Early Childhood field in the following countries; Greece (because of my heritage, I am curious to see learn advancements in the EC field in a country where many women stay home to care for their children), Albania (because many refugees flee Albania and enter Greece as illegal immigrants, however entire families do not emigrate; families, including children are left behind.  I want to learn about the conditions of education as a whole in a country such as this), Kosovo (because I believe there are still many displaced families and orphans following the war there; how are all those orphans and refugee children being cared for?) and Morocco (this is a country I know very little about, however it is a country rich in culture and heritage that it would be interesting to learn about the state of EC education there). 

In an effort to stay ahead of the game in the event these international professionals do not reach out to me, I took a tour of the World Forum Foundation site and listened to two radio interviews.  The link for the web site world radio forum is as follows;

http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio

One radio interview was with Susan Lyon, who views children as individual thinkers who view the world and understand the world in their own manner.  She created a pilot program based on the Reggio Emilia program in a public setting to provide children an avenue of success.  The link to the podcast is below -

http://ccie-media.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/WFR_10_SusanLyon.mp3

The other radio interview was with Maysoun Chehab, of the Arabic Resource Collective in Beirut, Lebanon.  She worked effortlessly to raise awareness on children’s rights and to raise awareness and training of care givers on best practices.  She also began a psych-social support project to assist children, families and educators with coping and healing strategies following the 33 day war.  The link to the podcast is below -

http://ccie-media.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/WFR_04_MaysounChehab.mp3

Lastly I visited http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org, seeking to explore Early Childhood Education and resources from another country’s perspective.  I subscribed to ECA Web Watch newsletter and read the September 2011 issue found here; http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/early_childhood_news/eca_webwatch_issue_122_september_2011.html

I came across an article on early childhood and education services of indigenous children.  The focus of the article dealt with the notion cultural competency as well as the idea that children can be more successful in later life when intervention in the areas of health and education begins at an early age.  The article can be found through the following link;  

http://www.aihw.gov.au/closingthegap/documents/resource_sheets/ctgc-rs07-updated.pdf

The learning process

I do feel I have gained varied insight through this course; I can be a researcher trying to seek meaning or clarity to a particular situation or idea. I can make active contributions to the research process through observations and interviews; conducting qualitative research studies.  Prior to this experience, I had not considered the element of time; time for not only the design and information gathering but time for analysis and interpretation of results and findings.  Participants, how they will be selected (random, stratified random or cluster random sampling), where will the study occur (so as to ensure participant comfort and familiarity in terms of environment), when and the length of time of the study must be determined.  Following determination of the above factors, I learned issues on ethical practices, making sure participants are well informed about the study along with any risks involved.  I was able to learn that there are many possibilities in terms of methods to use in order to show validity in the study (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010). 

Prior to this course, I viewed researchers as a whole different line of professionals who provided information to people like myself; an educator in the early education childhood field.  I have come to realize, that I too can be a researchers and that I have insight and capabilities to contribute to a research process.  As educators, I feel we are involved in the education of children first hand and what we experience every day can make a difference not only to the children at hand, but to children of the future.  We are also the beneficiaries of research; we can improve lives and programs by utilizing strategies and plans that have been scrutinized through the research process.  “Research provides early childhood practitioners…valuable ideas about how to work with young children and their families” (File, 2008).

While going through the course, I was most challenged by intensity of the vocabulary; many of the words I had seen before but I did not possess appropriate understanding nor was I able to utilize the words in a manner that was helpful to me.  I did a great deal of outside pursuing of definitions and I also looked for clear “lay man” term examples utilizing the words.  I also did a great deal of re-reading of text.   In addition, it was also very helpful to on a weekly basis to provide the definitions of new vocabulary as assignments. 

I do view children participants in a different light since traveling down this research road.  Children are an integral part of the process proving an alternative perspective and must be treated with fairness and justice.  They must be viewed as contributors to the process and they must be included in the process.  I have also come to understand that a child can assent to participate in the research process, showing a willingness to be involved rather than just complying.  What is most interesting in terms of assent is that fact that the Institutional Review Boards reviews the ability of children to be able to assent to be participants.  The IRB examines the age, maturity and psychological state of the children involved.   To further enhance fairness and justice for children, the IRB is also clear in stating that even those children not fully able to assent on their own, they should still be provided with an “accurate picture of what the actual experience” (OHRP, n.d.) will be like, how long it will take and if in fact it will be uncomfortable in any way.  In addition, children can grow developmentally through the research process.  Children can develop new communication and negotiation skills while also experiencing a sense of achievement through their contribution (Whiting, 2009).    

I have enjoyed working with all of you and I have learned a great deal through our sharing of ideas.  I look forward to working with all of you in the future.  All the best!!

References

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP). (n.d.) Special protections for children as research subjects. HHS.gov. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/policy/populations/children.html

File, N. (2008). When researchers come to your program. YC: Young Children, 63(5), 80–87. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org

Whiting, L. (2009). Involving children in research. Paediatric Nursing, 21(5), 32–36. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org

Around the World

It is truly amazing how we often times live in a bubble, surrounded by our own immediate needs whether they be staffing issues, standardization issues, never reaching out to explore what is going on in other countries with respect to the lives of children.  Sadly, if it doesn’t make world news, we don’t take the time.  This week’s blog assignment was fascinating and an eye-opener.  I visited the following - http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php & http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

The research topics were far reaching.  One research topic encompassed utilizing indigenous material for curriculum in Malawi.  In Malawi, oral stories in the form of songs, stories, riddles, and folk stories were used as teaching tools to relate and preserve culture; however there was a need to preserve these oral stories.  The research project involved collecting and categorizing oral stories in written form, not only to preserve the oral traditions for generations to come, but to also promote literacy among the Malawi people.  Another topic included the development of a care approach model for orphans and vulnerable children in Ghana.  The thought behind this study was to design a model based on existing programs to create nurturing, caring environments so that orphaned children would achieve ideal development.  Further examination of the site led me to a research project on the role of fathers in early childhood care in the Shanna Community, Nigeria.  The research project examined cultural beliefs in the Community affecting fathers’ involvement in childhood care, which was limited as compared to maternal involvement.  In addition, cultural beliefs on a father’s participation in early care had negative impact on the children as well as the family unit.   

What was most enlightening about this research journey is the fact that there is great focus on family, children, and school community as necessary partners in terms of the developmental and educational needs of children.  Clear connections could be made to culture as a means for teaching and learning; something we strive to do in the United States, but are still in the baby phase of the process.  We as a country are realizing we are a global cultural community, but are unsure how to combine culture into the classroom, truly welcoming all nations and cultures.

  

Unlocking the Mind

"I feel life is a journey and we all have to learn to ride the storm, for some of us it can seem more like a tidal wave, but with every storm the sun eventually comes back out."

--Alyson Bradley

I remember when my next door neighbors moved in; I was excited because the family had a little boy that my daughter could play with.  It was some time before we met the family, but the little boy, Connor was outside all the time.  Connor played and played, but it was playing line none other I had seen before.  Connor was in the front yard for what seemed like hours, picking up leaves and dropping them to the ground.  He repeated the action over and over again not stopping till his mom and dad called him inside.  We of course finally met Connor and his family and although he was a playmate for my daughter, again the playing was very different from what I imagined.  Connor is Autistic, and although he did not mind being around my daughter, the two never engaged one another.  My daughter was in her imaginative world of dolls and castles while Connor was in his play world of repeated actions.  Over and over, he rolled the wheels of a car.  He seemed content in his world, but as his mom would tell me she so wished she could be part of that world.  Connor she would tell me hated to be hugged and touched.  She was an outsider in her own son’s world, struggling to get in, but not quite making it.  Connor and his family became close friends with our family, and we even at times cared for Connor while his mom had to work.   Connor was never any trouble, loved to eat apples with my daughter, sitting alongside her playing with the wheels on a car or truck.  Connor had lots of language, but for the most part spoke when spoken to.  He was in an inclusive program at school, as began to blossom more and more, trying to engage in interactions.  He still loved throwing leaves and rocks up and down in the front yard for what seemed like hours. 

I had always wanted to unlock the mind of a child like Connor, allowing him and his family to connect.  Now it seems I am encountering more and more children like Connor through my work; some more severe than others, but all falling somewhere on the Autism spectrum.  Matt a child in my program uses sign language to communicate; he has no language, but when I look into his eyes, I can see sparkles of understanding and recognition.  He is not blank, but full of ideas and promise that are struggling to be set free.  Tommy has a difficult time sitting close to friends and finds noise unbearable.  Often times he covers his ears screaming, “It’s too loud!”  Other times he can’t sit still, but needs to be moving, moving, and moving.  Matt has been evaluated and diagnosed, Tommy has not.  Tommy is in the beginning stages of being evaluated.   

These children have such potential and an even greater amount of love and empathy to share with those around them.  I would like to unlock the mind of children with Autism.  My research would focus on treatments to do just that.  Such a contribution would allow children like Matt, Tommy and Connor greater opportunities for learning.  Developmentally children with Autism would on par with other children.  They would no longer be seen as different, their behavior being questioned, but the same as their peers.  They would be able to share what they have learned while also excelling academically.  Children with Autism would be able to experience relationships and interactions, feeling connected with those around them.   Children with Autism would be able to experience childhood and life with a greater sense of normalcy.

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities." 

-- Dr Seuss  

Research Process

I have chosen the topic of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) with a focus on children who have other disabilities such as a ADHD.  The topic intrigues me because I have most recently encountered children in my program who have been diagnosed as ODD and are being treated for ADHD, and children who are exhibiting extreme and often times erratic, defiant and destructive behavior in the classroom.  I have been very reflective because I want to provide these children every opportunity to grow in a positive, nurturing environment.  I am at times at a loss because the behavior can be overwhelming and difficult.  I was curious to find out if other conditions were present in children with ODD and if there was a connection that exacerbated ODD.   Within this research, I have also been searching for information and resources to provide teaching teams and parents with support and strategies as well better understanding of the behavior. 

I was uncertain at the start of the process because I thought it would be difficult to find adequate material on the subject.  Once you begin such a process, you are not sure if you are pursuing the process in the correct manner, or when finding appropriate research are you going to fully understand and be able to interpret what is being read.  For me, Google is a good place to start a very general and broad search.  I did this to see if my ideas on the subject were valid.  Doing research is not a new concept for me; however the topic of the research is far different.  My extensive research experience is in terms of historical research as it pertains to news events, sports events and historical events.  There certainly was not any interpretation of statistics nor did findings need to be applied to every day practice.  I am at an advantage during this stage of the research game.  I not only have resources from previous course work, but I also have the Walden Library link at my disposal.  I often use pro-quest and did during this process. 

In my research I was surprised to find that children with ODD have difficulty relating to peers and adults, rather than just having the inability to contort their emotions and reactions.  Children can be successful socially as well as academically, but appropriate use and exposure to different strategies must be in place (Schachar, & Wachsmuth, 1990).  

How did others approach the research process?  Did anyone find they had too much material?  How did you pull what was important from the material? 

References

Schachar, R., Wachsmuth, R. (1990). Oppositional Disorder in Children: A Validation Study Comparing Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Disorder and Normal Control Children.  Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 31, 1089-1102.

 

       

Support System

Supports on any given day can come to us in different forms.  I also find that I have supports in different parts of my life.  Supports provide me with a connection to peers, and a sense of belonging among those peers. Supports hold us up when we feel we can longer stand.  Being a director fairly new to the field of early childcare, I find it very difficult to let my guard down among staff so often times there is a sense of loneliness at the office; teams share a sense of camaraderie that is difficult to be a part of due to my role as a supervisor.  In addition I want to respect their sense of community making sure my teams do understand that I am available as a support system to them.  Thus far our relationship has worked well with the focus being the children and families in our program.  I also have done a great deal of learning through first hand experience and I have had to ask lots of questions so therefore my support have been individuals who have expertise in specific areas.  When I for example, have budgeting questions, I turn to our finance manager, or when I have recruitment and staffing issues, I turn to our human resources manager. 

My most trusted support system would have to be my mentor and former supervisor; she was the first person to hire me with very little teaching experience and she was the person to recommend me for a Director position six months after she hired me.  As a support, she was always available to provide information, to share stories, to entrust me with responsibilities and to collaborate with me on projects.  She has years of experience in the early childhood education field with lots of first hand information that she is always willing to share with me.  I can always call her to talk through difficult issues or to just pick her brain.  I know she is an ally in my corner who believes in me.  

Another support that carries me through the day would have to be the children; I rely on them immensely.  They come without judgments, are so giving of love and affection, and they are also so accepting.  No matter the tone of the day, good or bad, they will always put a smile on my face and center me back to where I need to be—they provide a lovely reminder of why I come to work every day.  

I utilize professional journals and web sites as supports to further expand my knowledge and expertise.  In addition, I attend classes and workshops to keep growing professionally.  Through these mechanisms of study, I too can be a support system for others in my professional and personal life.  I am able to share newfound knowledge as well as general information to help us grow in our field.  I approach each person and challenge with an open mind, and I feel I am reflective when teaching teams seek my advice.  As a support I always avail myself, taking time to learn and hear what others have to say, making sure I understand what is needed of me. 

Professional speaking, a challenging situation would be if I were without my Site Director at my school age program; she is one of most trusted colleagues who oversee our school age program extremely well.  She and I have a wonderful, sharing relationship with a clear vision of what we want our program to be.  When she is at the Center, I know the children will be cared for well, the families will be treated with respect and that she will be professional.   Without her, I would have to run both my pre-school as well as my school age program, spending each day at both Centers.  My schedule would consist of long days; open to close, lots of paperwork, lots of family interactions and lots of in-classroom time with the children.  Not only would I have to do lesson planning, I would have to facilitate projects as well.  I would have to work with my school age teaching team as well as supervise them.  I would emotionally need a shoulder to call upon to simply vent about the long days of work.  I would need more hours in the day to be able to complete all my paperwork and do it well.  I would need additional time to research lessons and lesson plan with the teaching team.  I would need adequate resource materials for lesson planning; I would need trusted teaching teams at my pre-school to have the peace of mind that the Center along with the children and families were being cared for properly.  I would rely heavily on a human resources person to be recruiting and pre-interviewing potential candidates.  I would also need supportive families at both sites who were not only understanding of the issues at hand but who were patient while a replacement was found. 

Without any of the above realistic supports (longer hours in the day just wouldn’t happen) I would feel somewhat helpless as well as very drained; the prospect of such a reality would be very lonely indeed.