Blog Assignment: When I Think of Research...

When I think of Research.......

When I began this journey in this course I thought I had some good prior knowledge, but come to find out there was a lot more that I need to learn.  I hvae gained a lot of Vidal information from taking this course. I learned about the different types of research, I learned what to look for instead of reading everything and trying to figure out what the research is about. I gained a lot of new vocabulary that helped me now to understand the language of research better.

Since I have learned about the research process I am able to relax more when I do research. I am able to go through an article and look for key information that will lead me to the main focus of the research and if what I am reading is legitimate or an appropriate resource. It is a lot easier to manage.

When it comes to planning, designing and conducting research I have learned a lot. The fact that I was able to learn how to do research or do background on the information that I wanted to study it made it easier to weave out the good from the bad resources. Once I had done that it was like the planning for the project was easier. I was bale to go through my topic and formulate what areas I wanted to focus instead of having just a broad topic. It allowed me to take a broad topic think about it, change somethings, add something even change my whole outlook before actually going into and conducting the research. All of these steps presented research to me as being not as complicated as I was making it; i just needed to learn how to better organize information that I was finding and my thoought process as well.

When conducting research I ran into the problem of understanding which type of research best fitted my research question and topic. After going back and review I now think that I should uses a mixed method approach because o f the way I will be obtain my information when conducting  my research (interview, anecdotal notes, direct and indirect observation etc..) I just had a hard time trying to figure out from the text which method of research best fit my topic. To better understand the method that I felt would be best for my topic; it really took me going back and looking and all the comments from our professor and rereading about each design.

This course has allowed me to look at Early Childhood  Professional's as strong minded and talented individuals. There are a number of things that we do as professional and not even realize it. This course has allowed me to see EC professional as being a researcher everyday because when you think about it we are observing and taking notes on our students so that we are able to better assist them. We are so unappreciated for the work we do.

I want to take the time out and thank everyone that has left comments on my page and have given me links to help me better find research on my topic of strategies to use in the classroom to manage behaviors of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. You all have been so supportive and such a big help through out this course. Thank You all so much, I really appreciate it.

Research Around the World

The Website I chose to review:
Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
                                                       http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php
                                                             http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

ECDVU Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Program

 

 The ECDVC is a program within the university The Early Childhood Development Virtual University.  This program addressing ECD capacity building and leadership development in Africa.  The program uses uses face-to-face and distributed learning methods including: residential seminars, web-based instruction, CD-Rom and print material support, and a 'community of learners' strategy within and among cohort countries. This program wants to improve on the  the quality of life for children and their families in Africa.

 Current Research Topic:

 Some of the current topic that are discussion across Africa are

•  Ghana-Development of an Integrated Early Childhood development training model 

  • Tanzania Building Community Leadership for Quality Sustainability in Madrasa Preschools
  •  Zambia-Assessing the quality of childcare
  • Nigeria-A Guide for Effective School and Parent Collaboration
  •  Tanzania-Improving Multisectoral Cooperation and Coordination in Support of Early Childhood Development Programs
  •  Leadership Skills Training for Administration and Parent Support Training for Caregivers
  •  Malawi-Assessment of Interaction and Stimulation in Single-Mother Low-Income Families 
  • Uganda- Professional Association in support of Child well Being.

  • Policies and Programs in support of childcare for working families

    •  Kenya: Assessing the Influence of Different Early Childhood Development Models On Pre-School Children’s School Readiness 
    • There are more topics that can be found on the website. 

• From exploring through this website it was interesting to find some of the same topics of research being discusses over there like it is in America. It was interesting to see that some of the issues that we are facing such as appropriate curriculum development, leadership skills training, parent involvement and cooperation. It is amazing to seed how some of the same issues carryout across the world. One interesting thing that I found was that this organization is connected to the world bank. I think that it is great that this program allows for  people to get there education on line and then go out and begin work in their own countries within Africa. Not only is this program in Africa it is spread out across the world as far as Canada. This program is striving to better educate people able the importance of Early Childhood education.

Research that benefits Children and Fasmilies---Uplifting Stories

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?


If I were to Imagine that I was a researcher I would choose the topic of  the effects of parent involvment in their child's education. The positive Contribution that I could imagine would be first the understanding of Eduction in general. The parents would gain the knowledge about why education is so important. Parents will learn that getting an education is the key to not just a child's future, but to everyone's future. Having parents being involved in their child's education will allow first for them to feel comfortable in place that there child is going to school. They will learn that by them being involved it will make the child feel more confident about how they are doing in school; it helps the have positive outcomes in education as the continue through the years, Having involvement from the parents shows the child that they care. Involment also helps with forming positive relations between parents, families and friends. Parents would gain understanding that by being involved in their child's education would prepare them to better assist their child at home with school work. parents would also learn how their involvement could have a positive impact on the development of their child. Through this research parents would have better knowledge about how and why involvement in their child's education is important. If this were to happen I believe that the number of parents being involved in their child's education would increase tremendously. There would also be more volunteering and participation in other school functions from the parents and children as well.

Your Personal Research Journey

My Chosen Topic:
After looking over my Journey thus far as a first year teacher, I decided that I wanted to conduct research in area that am currently having some issues with in my classroom right now. I decided that my topic would be on Managing behaviors of children with Autism.
I really would like to learn more about this topic because I want to be able to help children like this control their behavior and if I am able to aquire more knowledge about it this will also allow me to be able to improve on my classroom management skills. I want to learn more strategies that I can use to help control the different types of behaviors that I am experiencing with children that have Autism. 
I want to learn how to better manage behaviors that are repetitive and attentive. Classmates if you know of any great resources about dealing with behavior of children with Autism please leave me a comment with the site. I would so greatly appreciate it. I am open to taking any advise that you may have to offer.
 Working on the chart is teaching me how to better understand the language that is being used in some of the websites that I have started viewing, It is also helping to better analyze my thoughts in regard to the research that I am trying to conduct. 

 

Final Blog Assignment

Final Blog Assignment
Over the last eight weeks It has truly been a learning experience.  It has been great getting to know some one outside of the U.S., but there have been some challenges that have come along with it.  The first consequence I will have to say was not making contact at first with someone, but then about a week later I was able to make contact with someone. The next issue I had was that the contact that I had made with the Early education in Britain was going very great at first, but in the last two weeks I have been emailing my contact Chris and I have yet till this day heard anything back from him again. From the time that we did make contact I learned a lot about the early childhood system in Britain.  It is very similar to ours. There Early education systems focus on the ages of 2 to 8 years old. 

It was interesting to learn that in Britain they are facing almost the exact same issue/trends that we are being faced with in America. They are facing issues with funding and adequate provision of both places and high quality teaching and learning. Another issue that they are facing n Britain is the issue of poverty. Some differences that I found with this is the fact the the government really does not care to much for their poor; they continue to what every the need to do to help keep the entire country up and running they never take into considerations the effect that they are having on less privileged people in their country. Another thing that we have have in common with Britain is that they are still debating the issue of having highly qualified staff working in their nurseries and schools. They are also debating the issue of have set quality standards. It is so interesting to see how much the EC field has common factors that they are facing across the world.

One goal that i have would be to connect my classroom with a classroom in another country so that my students are able to see chow children learn in other countries. It would also give them the experiences of seeing children outside of their norm. I think that it would be a great global experience for my students and the students in the other country. It would be a great way to fins out different teaching strategies and methods that are used in a classroom across the world. 

This semester has been a great semester I wish all of my colleagues very well as they continue on their path through the program.  

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

I am happy that I did have the opportunity with connecting with someone out of the country. Chris Hussy from Early Education in London has shared with me a lot of information. it is amazing to see that we are facing a lot of the same issue in the early childhood field. He talked about one of the biggest issues in London is excellence and equity is at the center of things at this point in time.  He provided a lot of websites that provided a lot of different information: 

 

http://www.daynurseries.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/26/Debate-should-early-years-teachers-have-qualifed-teacher-status

http://sheila-nutkins-author.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/debate-about-ratios-and-qualifications.html

In addition, the regulator Ofsted has come under increasing fire for standardisation issues:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-24079951

http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/article/1214950/exclusive-ofsted-responds-big-conversation

And more recently, ‘school readiness’ has been at the forefront of agendas:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/10307682/Failure-to-acknowledge-the-concept-of-readiness-in-education-this-is-the-tragedy.html

http://edfaclib.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/guest-blog-post-too-much-too-soon-school-starting-age-the-evidence-3/

Finally – issues over improving the quality within the state sector and comparison to both PISA and other measurements:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/10317154/Good-school-bad-school-what-do-we-measure-this-by.html

Poverty is another issue that was discussed was poverty.

http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/families/childpoverty

In addition, this suggests ways in which this may implemented practically:

http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/families/childpoverty/sharinggoodpractice

   

This is some dialog between us both learning about one another and the EC field in his country:

 

Can you tell me more about your Early Education Program??

Early years education is generally seen as being from 2 to 8 years of age, although we as an organisation support birth to eight and above! Formalised education takes place either with childminders, or in nursery/kindergarten equivalents of various types, before children normally move into mainstream schooling in England at either age 4 or 5. There is an emphasis (in the main) on play and creativity, but also through the developmental stage that a child may undertake, and in turn, preparing them for school too.

How does the Education System Work in the U.K.?

Parents typically may send their children to a nursery or equivalent before formal school starts, this is often a sort of day care. Thereafter, schooling is compulsory from age 4/5 depending upon when their birthday falls – and such education is compulsory until the age of 18, unless there is adequate provision outside of a school environment. There are now many different types of school, depending upon the area, and there are both state and independent schools, which are either free to attend or fee paying.

What are some of the issues/trends that you all are facing with Early Education in the UK??

There are typically many issues, mostly centred on funding and adequate provision of both places and high quality teaching and learning. In recent time, the focus has been on 2 year olds. Interestingly now debate centres on what qualifications are required to teach within such schools and looking to make early years education more robust in this regard. Inevitably, there will be issues involving the other social and cultural factors that impinge on schools everywhere, such as inequality, that serve as barriers to success.

Even though My connect still has not emailed me back yet for this week I wanted to share the information that we have exchanged with you. Overall I leaned that we are facing some of the same issue in the Early Childhood filed. It goes to show how much in common you have with a person from another part of the world.I though it was interesting to learn that both here and in London we are dealing with the issues of poverty, funding, and quality programing. 

Blog Assignment: Sharing Web Resources

An area of the NAEYC website that I have not looked more into has been the newsroom area. Therefore I decided to explore this area and see what I could find. In the newsroom it presented articles of information about new projects that NAEYC as an organization has been working and it also has links to articles about what is going on around the world. Such as an Update of the Government shut down and how it is relating to Early Childhood Education. This article provided a lot of information that relates to the topic that we have been discussing in class this week. The article talks about how the government shut down is effecting vital programs for our young children and their families. The funding from Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)* may be cut for early childhood programs depending on the state. Some Head Start programs have had to shut their door because the never received funding from the grants that they were waiting on. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)* will not be awarding any new funds. Child Nutrition:will be limited funding available and providers will not be reimbursed for services until 2014 appropriations are made. The  Newsroom section ha a lot of information on different policy updates as well such as the Senate Appropriations Bill. 
Another section of the NAEYC website that I have found to be beneficial has been the family link. In this link it takes you over to a website that provides a lot of information for families. There is information about finding quality and accredited childcare (what to look for and sign of quality), information about child development, reading and writing, math and music. There is also a news letter families can sign up for and even though I do not have children of my own I will be subscribing to this newsletter as well. There is also a section where families can ask any questions they may have from finding care to dealing with behaviors. It gives them the opportunity to talk to some professionals. There are also articles about different strategies to help families with things such as siblings and roles that they play in the family. 
 Being that I am a Pre-K teacher I found a tab on the cite that is strictly for Pre-K teachers. I found a lot of articles that will assist me with dealing with challenges in the classroom and for better classroom management skills. I plan to join this organization by the end of the year so that I am able to subscribe to newsletters and other professional development websites, I have found this website to be very helpful with all of my current and future career goals. I feel it will be of great benefit to become a member. Browsing through the website some more I finally figured out how to subscribe to a news letter without being a member. So hopefully I will be receiving some great articles soon. 
 Overall I think this website provides a lot of great information for Early Childhood Educators and their families. I am learning that if you become a member then you will be able to have more access to journals and articles related to the field. There are only certain things that you can view as a non member, but there is still a lot of vital information.

 

Blog Assignment: Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

This week I did email my connect in the UK, but I have yet to get a response from him this week. On the Harvard University's Global Children's Initiative website there was a lot of valuable information. There was a statement made about about educating the high level decision makers and how being rich or poor should not make a difference. I though that this was such a true statement and how it made me think about the education system here in the U.S. 

I read an article about the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project. They  created the first comprehensive assessment tool in Zambia. With this new assessment tool they plan to focus on developmental areas that need  the support, and get better intervention strategies. I think that it is great that they are analyzing the information that they are receiving from these assessments in order to better help the generations to come.

I also read an article called Studying the Effects of Global Adversity, Two Generations at a Time.  This article talked about studying children at a younger age can provide better outlook into their future. There were children that were soldiers in the country of Sierra Leone and Theresa Betancourt is now able to study how mental health issues affect children as adults.

Sharing Web Resources

The organization that I have been working with is NAEYC (http://www.naeyc.org).

What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?
 Some sections were I found information relevant to my current professional development were: The week of the young child tab, Early Childhood research Quarterly journal, professional development tab, topics tab and the Teaching Young Children Journal for Preschool teachers, basically all the tabs. All of these areas can continbute to my professional development. They provided information on earning degress, articles about all of topics of early childhood education, ways to adovcate and information on types of accreditation that they offer. The even have a journal (teaching you children) that is specifically for Preschool teachers.

 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 found an article in the Teaching Young Children journal called Tips to Help Children Cope with Disasters. This article presented information about how to talk to help children have a place where they can feel safe an normal in an event of disaster. It also provided information about how you as a teacher can help reduce stress in your own life. This article made me want to find out more information about the topic that was presented. It brought up a lot of strategies that could become controversial if a person feels those methods will not work for everyone. 

 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?
 This website provides information to where you can go an attend conferences that are held by the organization to hear about the thoughts of neurosciencetists , politician or economist views of the early childhood filed and the way society views it. There the will discuss issues of funding and factors that contribute to why the early years are so important and so on. The website provides may resources for articles that you can look up. This organization has and uses the same perspectives and economist, neuroscientist and politician because they are a business. They accredited other people to ensure that they a providing quality care to children and teaching teachers that are receiving a highly qualified education. 

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

Afterreviewing this website I gained a lot of knowledge about  a lot of global issues such as:  the issues of funding for programs, children receiving quality care and staff being highly qualified. Under the Public polices tabbed I learn about a number of different issues and trends to advocate for such as American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, different states policies, funding, Quality Benchmarks for Cultural Competence  and Developing Kindergarten Readiness and Other Large Scale Assessment Stems etc...

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

After a rocky start of trying to make contact with someone over seas, I have managed to make contact with one organization. The organization that I have made contact with is called Early Education. This organization is located in the UK. I have been making contact with a person by the name of "Chris Hussey." He seems to be very happy and willing to help me through out this course. According to Chris, the Early  Education program is generally seen as being from 2 to 8 years of age, although  as an organization they support birth to eight and above! Formalized education takes place either with childminders, or in nursery/kindergarten equivalents of various types, before children normally move into mainstream schooling in England at either age 4 or 5. There is an emphasis (in the main) on play and creativity, but also through the developmental stage that a child may undertake, and in turn, preparing them for school too. 
As far as how the educations system in the UK work Chris replies, " Parents typically may send their children to a nursery or equivalent before formal school starts, this is often a sort of day care. Thereafter, schooling is compulsory from age 4/5 depending upon when their birthday falls – and such education is compulsory until the age of 18, unless there is adequate provision outside of a school environment. There are now many different types of school, depending upon the area, and there are both state and independent schools, which are either free to attend or fee paying.
 When it comes to issues/trends they are facing in the UK, he states that, 

"There are typically many issues, mostly centered on funding and adequate provision of both places and high quality teaching and learning. In recent time, the focus has been on 2 year olds. Interestingly now debate centres on what qualifications are required to teach within such schools and looking to make early years education more robust in this regard. Inevitably, there will be issues involving the other social and cultural factors that impinge on schools everywhere, such as inequality, that serve as barriers to success."

Poverty

This Week I have gained a lot more knowledge about the topic, "'issue of poverty".  I have learned that Poverty plays a key role in a child's education. Poverty is an issue that affects children all across the globe. I have leaned that the best way to try and eliminate poverty  in our communities is  by advocating to government leaders, senators, and etc to keep the programs that start children to learning at an early age.  In the UK which is the only country that I have made a connect with, 1 in 6 people live in poverty. Two children in every classroom in the UK are arriving at school having eaten no breakfast. Due to
government spending cuts, along with the rising cost of living more and more people are struggling to make ends meet. As I have learned many countries are facing the same issues with poverty across the globe.

Sharing Web Resources

Blog Assignment: Sharing Web Resources:

The website that I chose last we0ek was  NAEYC (http://www.naeyc.org). NAEYC is The National Associate for the Education of Young Children, There mission is "NAEYC's Mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources." NAEYC  goals are 
Their Vision for the organization is as followed:  Improving professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education, Supporting early childhood programs by working to achieve a high-quality system of early childhood education and Building a high-performing, inclusive organization of groups and individuals who are committed to promoting excellence in early childhood education for all young children. The organization offers a great amount of  resources and a lot of different topics to choose from. NAYEC'S Objectives are as followed:

• Providing professional development opportunities and resources for those who work for and with young children
• Convening individuals and groups with diverse perspectives to generate new knowledge and understanding of issues affecting the education and development of young children and their families.
• Setting and publicizing standards that promote excellence in early childhood education and early childhood professional preparation.
• Implementing systems to recognize early childhood education programs and early childhood professional preparation programs that meet NAEYC standards and guidelines.
• Building public understanding and support for activities and services that promote the healthy development and learning of all young children and their families.
• Advocating for public policies-and funding-to support a comprehensive system of high-quality early childhood education for all young children and families.
• Fostering the development of a network of high-performing, inclusive organizations that share the goal of promoting excellence in early childhood education for all young childrenakd

 This is an organization that you can join and become apart of. It allows excellence in high-quality early care and education.  This Organization accredicts childcare center that operate by their beliefs. The Website allows you to access education to best cellar books and provides access to different articles of a variety of topics it allows you to gain some professional development.

When looking for articles I found that you have to become a member which I plan to do a little later in the semester. But while browsing through the website I can across the topic of family involvement. Under this tab that provided information on their principles of  effective family Involvement, There are six that the organization is accustomed to :

• Principle 1: Programs invite families to participate in decision making and goal setting for their child
• Principle 2: Teachers and programs engage families in two-way communication 
• Principle 3: Programs and teachers engage families in ways that are truly reciprocal 
• Principle 4: Programs provide learning activities for the home and in the community
• Principle 5: Programs invite families to participate in program-level decisions and wider advocacy efforts
• Principle 6: Programs implement a comprehensive program-level system of family engagement

Since learning more about this organization I have began to understand how to work in the classroom better. It provides a lot of resources for me to go to gain more knowledge about different situations. Becoming apart of this organization would be of great benefit to me because it something that is stressed about In my State.
 

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Part 1: Establishing Professional Contacts
  For this part of the assignment I used http://www.naeyc.org/resources/partnership/globalalliance
to look for other professional colleagues in other countries. I emailed a person in Africa and In Haiti, But I have not heard any information back from either person. My Plan is to try emailing again on Monday and possible picking 2 other people to email in case I never receive an answer from anyone. in the email I explained that I was a student and an educator looking to futher my knowlege about their educational programs in their countries. I asked if they would be interested in discussing some of the issues and trends that they may be facing at this time in the Early Childhood Education Programs. If I'm not able to make contact with anyone by WED. I will have to render to using the alternate assignment.


Part 2: Expanding Resources

I chose to learn more about NAEYC because it is an organization that I started to become familiar with during my undergrad years. It is also a program that has accredited every childcare center that I have worked in including the Public School Setting that I am in now. I would like to become a member so I can gain accesses to their great resources. It is a program that is highly look among educators in North Carolina and I feel this would be a great benefit to me since I am an educator in this area. I feel knowing more about this program will help me to better implement their policies and standards in my classroom.

MY SUPPORTS

Daily Supports 

1.  Emotional Support

   • Each Day I have to call my mother or my mother calls me just to check on me and see how my day went at work.

     • Each day my boyfriend helps relax me mentally. He knows that I am an over thinker and tend to stress over situations easily sometimes. He is always there to tell me that everything is going to be alright after along day. He is there for me to vent to when I need to get things off my chest. He knows how to make me smile whenever I am down regardless of the situation.

       • Instagram and Face book are my social support just about everyday . This type of social media allows me to take my mind of negative things that may have happened throughout the day. Most of the time they help me to relax by giving me a good laugh from a video or picture. A laugh can brighten up your day and take your mind off the stressful things in life.

          

          

          Practical Support

         When it comes to practical support the only thing I use on a daily bases is a planner. I use a planner on my phone and an actual hard cover planner. In that planner I have all of my event that I may have scheduled for the day such as meetings or things that I need to get done. On my phone I have reminders to take my medicine or to return someones phone calls. 

         Physical Support 

         As far as my practical support I would have to say it would be my coworkers in the classroom with me at work. They help me get through the average workday at work. From watching the children, changing papers, assisting me in group time, helping with bulletin boards and so on. 

         Each of these supports allow me to make it through a typical day. They allow me to remember things and just make it through life. If I did not have these supports life would be very difficult. Not having support from significant others or family would make things very challenging. If I did not have these items it would be very difficult to function in life. Everyone needs some on to talk to about all situations in life. Without those type of resources it would be difficult to maintain confidence in your self. 

         
         

         Specific Challenge

         The challenge that I chose to share was having to do home visits with students and parents. This challenge is actually about to become a reality in a few weeks. I just got a new job teaching Pre-K in the public school system and one thing that is required for me to do is home visits. With this challenge I would need the emotional support from my mother and boyfriend, the physical support of my assistant and practical support I would need a schedule and list of address to tell me where and when to go too certain locations. I would need all the supports from my daily environment. Being able to have that emotional and social support will help me to go into these seditious with an open mind and they will allow me to go in confidently.  If I did not have any of these supports it would be very difficult to make it through the day. If I did not have my assistant there to help me with just advice on how to approach different situation I probably would go in extremely nervous. Not having the support of My mother and boyfriend would make it seem like I was in the situation all alone and it would be difficult to press forward. If I did not have the use of my planner I would not make it to any of my scheduled appointments and I probably would be without a job. Having these supports will allow me to go about different situation with a positive attitude and confidence in myself.