Thank you!

I want to send a bog Thank You to all my colleagues and professor that I have had the tremendous opportunity to share experiences, comments, and insights with over these past eight weeks. I feel that as I have personally participated in each week's assignments to look deeper into my own communication skills and abilities, I was able to gain more insight about myself and of others. I also thank you for all the feedback and comments! Best of luck to all on your continual path through the ECE program and in your current role in your ECE community!
Caitlin

Adjourning from a Group

The five stages of team development begin with forming a group, followed by storming or generating ideas, then norming group effectiveness, performing a task or goal, and finally adjourning and going off on the individual paths ahead (Abudi, 2010). Often times it's that final step of letting go and saying goodbye that becomes the most difficult challenge when a group becomes so close and involved in comparison to the challenges you may have faced along the way. I have been apart of groups and teams for numerous occasions - sports teams, college friends, study groups, project teams, family events, etc. When I read through the prompt for this week's blog, a couple of group experiences came first to my mind - one was my experience playing on a high school sports team, another was a college undergrad group assignment for a class I was taking, and also an annual occasion with my extended family. My first scenario with my high school field hockey team was probably the most powerful memory of adjourning from a group and also the most diverse at the same time. I played on the team from a sophomore to senior. The first year I was one of the underdog's, but as a group we worked well together on the field, battling through the pinches and sometimes coming down hard on each other, but our leaders portrayed respect of each teammate and an enveloping attitude to all the players, as well as the need for laughs, because when your goal requires closeness that's what you need to do to be successful (Abudi, 2010). It was because of their inclusion and strength in their leadership and direction that being on the team among friends and teammates meant more to me than just playing a sport. It was unfortunate that before during my senior year a second high school was built that I was redistricted to because the team was split and the norms we had developed broke making it difficult to rebuild new norms with strangers in such a short time. By the time the season ended and our concluding team gathering came, I was sad to see those three years of my life go by so quickly, but through all the distress of my final season, I had to let go with an unfortunate bad taste in my mouth. I feel like this personal example shows how when the strength of a group reaches above and beyond the goal of teammates, but delves into friendship, it becomes more than a physical, but also an emotional challenge to adjourn a part of our life that we've become so accustom that we forget how to live with missing pieces. Not that I had a choice because I was graduating, but this group was ironically the most difficult and easiest groups to leave. 
My second experience of working with colleagues to accomplish a goal as part of our coursework involved a lot less hardship. Of course our group was selected by the instructor so I had never personally met either of my group-mates, but we easily set out the group goals and delegated positions and tasks to accomplish. The motivation here was at a professional rather than personal level which made our roles and responsibilities of completing a common goal because we knew that our individual course grade depended on our individual performance. The was actually for a music appreciation class and the professor was very off-the-cuff and energetic so in the end we actually had to perform our assignment to the class which, as my communication anxiety scores concluded, absolutely mortified me, so that was definitely one group I was more than happy to get out of. I think this example proves that when you only get involved within a group at the surface it's easier to make that separation in the end. 
My last thought was of my family's childhood vacations where my father's 5 siblings would come together once a year to rent a beach house for a week and we all cram in with sleeping bags for 6 days. I didn't get so see them very often so this week was a really special time to gather and visit. Most of my family lives close by so I am able to see them from time to time, but it's always difficult to say goodbye to family members I don't see but once a year, especially when you build a close relationship in such a short amount of time. It's very bittersweet. 
Personally, at the finale of my coursework at Walden and the conclusion of the ECE masters program, I know there will be bit of a void, just because I won't be doing homework all the time, but honestly between my life at home and at work I don't think it will be a challenge. Working with colleagues through this program has been very different from my undergrad college experience simply because I don't physically go to a classroom and see the people in my class or the professor. I also took a leave of absence for some time so most of the colleagues that I began the program working with have since moved on to other classes beyond where I am now. I absolutely wish all my peers the best of luck with their future in early childhood!


References
Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Week 5: Recent Experience

I deal with people on a daily basis, from colleagues, employees, parents, phone calls, and school enrollment inquiries to family members, my spouse and young daughter, so relational conflicts can also have their moments in my day. I can pinpoint two different types of conflict I've had recently with two very different people in my life that I have had to apply two very important communication skills in order to effectively work through the situation. The first scenario involved a work decision that my husband and I had work out based on our needs and financial capabilities of our school and the second scenario involves a school employee that has had some issues in her position for the past few weeks. However, as different as both scenarios are, and as varying as the conflicts I face with others are going to be down the road, I feel that two vital skills that have aided in my communication with others is to consider others and their needs and to listen, listen, and listen. Marriage is certainly one story that takes two 110% efforts to make a relationship and family run smoothly and being able to care for the needs and desires of another requires empathy and understanding for that person's emotions, needs, and characteristics that make them who they are. In the conflict we had to work through regarding a financial business decision, in which we were each on opposite ends of the discussion, I kept in mind that considering both of our viewpoints and listening would help me better understand the situation.
With the employee that has had some complaints recently, I have really had to learn about her as a person to understand what her needs are and, although her concerns and hypochondria stems from her very germaphobic personality, I am beginning to understand her need to simply express her thoughts and opinions. This particular employee works with infants in our youngest classroom and has two young daughters that she goes home with every night, but honestly she does not have many people/adults to communicate with on a regular basis. Therefore, I've learned that her complaints aren't always vital, but they may just be her way of reaching out to communicate and I have made a better effort to consider her needs and to listen in a way that might help her deal with these issues in her professional work.

Communication Evaluations

As I was going through the three communication evaluations for myself and then had another person do the same evaluations based on their perception of my communication, public speaking, verbal aggression, and listening skills, I wasn't truly sure how the results would compare based on my learning experiences over the past few weeks and knowing that image can speak a different language then what we may assume we portray. All three scores for all three questionnaires were in the same category - for the Communication Anxiety I am considered Elevated, for the Verbal Aggression I am considered moderate and well balance, and for Listening I am considered to be people-oriented. I was surprised after going through the questionnaires with one of the people I had assist in this assignment because as I was able to watch the answers they selected and some of them were completely different answers that I would have selected for myself. So I really thought their results were going to differ a lot more from my own than they actually did. Although their scores for me were a little bit higher then mine they were still considered in the same scoring brackets. I suppose I was also surprise at some of the answers that others selected for me. For example, I know that speaking in public especially to a large group of people is one of my least favorite things to do and I get extremely nervous, even thinking back to all of my classroom presentations I did as a student from grammar school all the way up through my undergrad. So I was surprise as well that for some questions that asked about my "shakiness" when speaking in public other people did not perceive my nervousness as much as I thought, and certainly not as much as I actually feel when I'm speaking to a large group of people.
Over the past few weeks and after completing this week's assignments so far, I am definitely learning more clearly how diverse communication can be. You can communicate by talking with someone or people, you can communicate by how your dressed, by your physical features regarding your skin color, hair color, or gender, and on the opposing end, your communication skills are also measured by your ability to listen and receive information that's both verbal and nonverbal. There are just many factors that come together in the simplest chat to a formal presentation that will effect the message you're trying to get across as well as the message you are receiving. The three questionnaires also provided me more insight about myself, how I feel about my own communication skills, and what others perceive from my communication. I think now that I know a little bit more about what I display there are some areas that I would really like to work on in both my personal and professional life. In addition to gaining some personal insight from this week's assignment, I was fascinated that the two people who I had asked to take the questionnaires on my behalf became very interested in discovering what their own scores would be and ended up taking the tests for themselves afterward. Maybe this shows that, as individuals, we are more concerned about our persona than we think and by acting on our curiosity we might gain more knowledge about ourselves and the ability to improve our communication where needed.

Cultural Communication

Considering cultural diversity, I do feel that I communicate differently depending on a person's cultural identity based on characteristics like race, religion, age, sex, orientation, political beliefs, etc. For example, during my family's annual holiday gatherings, my uncle, who I really only see a few times a year, and his girlfriend come into town. Her personality is very strong-willed and she's definitely not afraid to talk about her opinions with anyone, such as her political beliefs, her standpoints on how to raise children, etc. I personally don't need to agree with her viewpoints, but I tend not to begin "small talk" with her because of her argumentative and confrontation nature regarding politics or to raise children is extremely overwhelming. Now that might be more of a personal choice because of an personality clash, but I do also feel I communicate considering others background, knowledge, and culture in how our communication is conducted. I certainly don't mean that I look differently at a person's whose cultural background is unlike my own, but I do want to make sure that I consider personal and cultural differences and how these characteristics might create specific needs.

Communication in Action: TV Show

The TV show I chose to watch for this assignment was The Office.
While watching the show in without sound you could certainly relate to the environment and relationships between characters. Based on the scene and attire of the characters, you could tell that they were coworkers working in a professional place of business (also given from the title of the show). At the beginning of the show one character seemed to be showing a lot of strong emotional body language in a one-on-one interview as if he were frustrated or disgusted. For example, he used rapid and large hand movements and his facial expressions showed his emotions in his eye, eyebrow, and overall sour look. When he then came in contact with another coworker he again displayed some of the same physical reactions to them after some dialogue, moving his hands quickly with he words as if to get his point across more effectively and clearly. This example certainly showed that the relationship at that moment was more negative, maybe then usual, and their was some tension and frustration between them.
After looking at one relationship example and conflict between a few of the characters I concluded that the overall environment was unorganized and frustrating for these characters. While a few were unfocused they began to negatively influence another causing him frustration and stress with getting his own work completed. Most of the interruptions placed on this one particular character were done in nonverbal ways. For instance, one coworker decided to sit in his chair while another borrowed his phone without consulting with him first. Additionally, verbal interruptions were also used where two other coworkers were talking loudly nearby creating a disruption. In general my assumptions regarding their relationships and communication occurring at that moment were accurate, as much of the nonverbal language perceived was very clear and strongly emphasized. I think that if I had been following the show for some time that I would have a better understanding of the character's personalities and relationships with each other in this environment. This example just shows that importance of our body language and what is not said is so influential to how our communication is perceived by others.

Week 1 Effective Communication: Who Do I Admire?

When I think of someone I know who communicates well, I think of my husband. Not to say that he talks a lot, but when he does talk he is considerate of the receiving person and that he/she has a good understanding within the conversation. In our small school facility, I watch him meet with new and prospective parents and families that would like to see our facility, meet our staff members, and get an overall better feel for our programs. He always begins with a warm welcoming, which when communicating with a person, helps to set the tone of the meeting. Now I don't have a photo of him, but he's a big guy - about 6'5" tall and can definitely hold his ground. To a child he looks rather intimidating, so especially for him it's important to consider how he is physically perceived by others. It's interesting how most of what we communicate to others isn't words at all, but is in our body language. He consistently keeps that in mind when he communicates with others as a way of creating a warm setting.
Another thing he does well is sets an appropriate channel for which communication is received and uses a respectful and responsible method of doing so. Although I live with him and have to make hundreds of decisions with him and communicate as a spouse constantly, but when I have the opportunity just to overhear a conversation between him and a new parent to come to our facility for a tour, much of his communication falls under the category of control (O'Hair, 2009). He portrays our school and answers questions in a way to best show these parents our programs and how his/her child(ren) would fit into the environment. What I love most about his tours is definitely his ethics and his honesty. He doesn't want to dazzle parents and families just to reel them in to pack on our enrollment, but he really wants to show what we can offer and sets a picture for them to decide how best a fit we are, sometimes even suggesting to look at other facilities for their own benefit if he doesn't see a good match through his own experience as an educator. One last thing he does is shares his experience and knowledge, as an educator, in his communication. I think this helps to develop an affiliation, not for himself, but instead for his cause (O'Hair, 2009).
Overall, my husband has effective communication skills that come from his caring and considerate personality as well as experience, that I would love to learn from and be able to adopt into my own communication.
References

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Professional Hopes and Goals

Over the past eight weeks I have really been exposed to a variety of topics and experiences in diversity. Our society is definitely growing in diversity so working as an educator in early childhood education will continue to bring new faces and cultures into my work with young children and their families. As I continue through my professional career in education, I hope to take with me my new awareness of how culture and diversity can affect people within a dominant culture different then their own. Looking at the community where I live, I do consider myself a member of the dominantly white area, but as I see more and more families enter our school. I think it's important to be opened minded about others and even though I may not fully understand every culture different than my own, I do want to continue to learn about how I can best work with individuals, taking into consideration their personal needs.
One goal that I would wish for the early childhood field in relation to diversity and equity would be that as we become more exposed to new cultures that our early childhood curricula standards also become more diverse to allow children to experience different cultures. I think that a positive exposure to diverse curriculum would help children to consider our society's differences in a positive light and hopefully learn to value and respect the differences we can share with each other as a culture.
Thank you to all my colleagues and Professor Kien for providing comments, responses, stories, and suggestions throughout the course. Best of luck to all!
Caitlin

Welcoming Families from Around the World

If I were working in an early childhood care facility and a family was immigrating to the United States from China and will be enrolling their young daughter at the facility, I would definitely need to prepare myself to learn about their family's culture and how to best welcome this young girl into a new environment.
In order to become more familiar with the Chinese culture, I would begin by taking time to read about the country through professional resources free of any biases, prejudices, or oppressive opinions. How families live, any traditional customs, and any other important factors about this country. I think that as a teacher to this young girl I would want to better understand how the education system and teacher-student relationships are conducted in China and incorporate those factors into my relationship with her. According to Chinese Culture, Social Work Education and Research the teacher-student relationship is hierarchically determined which makes learning and knowledge building more difficult, often times students do not receive adequate respect for their creativity or innovations, and because teachers are expected to have experience and wisdom, it is difficult for them to accept students’ ideas when they contradict their own (Chan & Chan, 2005). Experience is valued much more than creativity in China's education system, which is very different than what I have learned in the U.S. educational field (Chan & Chan, 2005). As a way of preparing the environment, I would bring in books and items for the other children in the class and myself to read together about her family's culture. One method of introducing this new student's culture into the classroom might be having her bring in just a few items from home that belong to her to share with the class. Although this is a hypothetical scenario, if language barriers come into play it would benefit both myself, the young student, and her family if I were to study about the Chinese language so that I could more adequately communicate with her and her family. One other stride I might take to help welcome this family would be to meet with them and talk about their expectations and needs for their daughter and provide any appropriate resources for their use at home to make their daughter's transition to the school smoother.
As we have discussed throughout this course, understanding diversity with respect to early childhood development can have so many beneficial aspects for growing children and their families. By becoming more culturally responsive in preparation for a young child moving from a different and unfamiliar culture would allow for more positive experiences for the child entering a new environment, more adequate communication between myself, the student, and the family, and would help to eliminate any preconceived biases or untrue assumptions about a new culture.
References
Chan, K.L. & Chan, C.L.W. (2005). Chinese Culture, Social Work Education and Research. International Social Work 48(4): 381–389. Retrieved using the Walden University Library SAGE Publications database.

Personal Experience with Bias, Prejudice, or Oppression

When I read through the blog assignment this week, one story that came to mind was one told to me and experienced by my husband's mother (my mother-in-law) who began an early childhood school 50 years ago, the same school that I work in today. Fifty years ago, she was working in the local public school district and saw that there were no facilities available for children to attend before the first grade level. She wanted to create a place for children to come during their early childhood years to help prepare students for their grammar school experiences as well as provide care for parents and families for their young children, being a single mother and widow in her mid-thirties. Although her intentions to open an early childhood school were more than admirable she was confronted and approached with criticism by some of the local public saying that she was stepping outside of the boundaries meant for women and providing a new method for women to leave the home and step into the workforce. All of the comments and disgust she received came from the male members of the community who, at the time, were biased against women working in a "man's" position, a time when the oppression of women was the dominant culture of society. Despite the confrontations she dealt with during the beginnings of her private school, she pursued her dream and developed a high quality and the most well known early childhood program in the area 50 years later. In this particular scenario, those people that would have to change would be those male members of the community who felt that women should remain as housewives rather than members of the workforce. Obviously times have changed dramatically as women have entered the workforce, opening business, and pursuing their personal employment goals.
Mentally placing myself in her shoes at that time, I can only imagine how difficult it would have been to follow a goal that it being outright put-down and frowned upon by other members of the community, her peers and colleagues. I think I would have felt suppression of my personal goals and desires to make a change in local education for the better. I can only hope that I'd find the same courage to step past the norm to do something that would bring a new idea and benefit to society. 

Microaggression

Although I had a harder time thinking of specific examples of microaggression that I've witnessed this week, but many times I have seen acts of microaggression between children in the classroom, similar to the examples seen in the readings from Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). I remember one time in our small full day Kindergarten classroom when two girls wanted to play "house" in the dramatic play center. When one of the young boys also wanted to join in with them in their play, the other boys in the class said "Oh, Rosbin wants to play with the girls!" You could see in his face that their comments triggered a concern in his mind as he made a defensive comment like "I'm not a girl!", but he continued his play with them and didn't seem to mind what the boys thought. Thinking back to that scenario now I can't help but wonder how this experience is effecting his opinions of himself within his group of peers and the identity he is forming. In the same classroom, 9 of the children were white and only one had come to the country recently from Guatemala and spoke Spanish as his primary language. He was a very eager student, willing to learn, especially the English language, and very interested in showing his abilities and interests to his teachers and classmates. He always wanted to be seen and part of the group, often making up stories about having siblings or pets at home to feel welcomed by his peers. I think after a while the other children caught on to his elaborate storytelling and began to seclude him from play, didn't want him to sit with them at lunch, and didn't want to include him on the playground. Now, Rosbin's personality accounts for a great many factors, including his family culture and dynamics. The other children in the class might not be specifically targeting his cultural background when they criticize his character traits, but they are creating a negative barrier between themselves and Rosbin that has and will continue to effect his development in many ways.
I once recall being a target of microaggression when our ice cream supplier delivered to our location one hot afternoon last summer and, although we had never met before, I happened to be the only person nearby to open the snack bar and sign for the delivery, so I introduced myself as the director and offered to help. He didn't like that. He immediately asked for my husband, who he had previously been in contact with, and when I said he wasn't available he was extremely standoffish and rather rude that I was the person he had to deal with at the time. I felt as if my being a woman was extremely displeasing to him and that he was offended and annoyed to have to work with a lesser person because of my gender. Overall my emotions were surprised, offended, confused, and building up to defensive against his behavior.  
Both of these experiences have shown me that discrimination, prejudices, and stereotypes can place a huge affect on individuals and groups of people who are targets of either intentional or unintentional microaggression. Although I was rather startled by this delivery man questioning my capabilities, I can only imagine that having to deal with forms of microaggressions on a daily basis would become exhausting physically, mentally, and emotionally.
References 
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J.O. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves.Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Culture & Diversity from Three Perspectives

The first person I asked to give me a personal definition of culture and diversity stated that culture is a combination of ones family, beliefs, history, and race, and diversity is the differences that people bring together to make up our society. A second person I spoke with focused their definition of culture and diversity specifically toward ethnicity and racial differences between various groups of people, and traditional values that people portray within a set group. Another person mentioned that culture was largely made up of relationships and the social environment that a person is raised and lives. They summarized diversity as the social variety of the differences that individuals and families possess and share as a whole.
These three perspectives on culture and diversity have some similarities as well as some different viewpoints on the topic. The first and third definition provided a more broad definition of the words, listing multiple characteristics such as race, beliefs, history, relationships, etc, and how these characteristics make our society a diverse people. Many of these cultural characteristics were shared by Gonzelaz-Mena as the melting pot of life aspects that make up who we are as a person (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). I tend to agree with this idea that culture is so personal, so independent, but that's also what gives our society its diversity. The second definition was a bit more focused on the ethnic aspect of cultural identity and how our vast races make our society to diverse. After just having spoken with three individuals that I know, it's become more clear that culture and diversity is personal and is thought of very personally as well. Our opinions are defined by our own culture and experiences, which will in turn also affect how we view others. I feel that we should always be open minded about our neighbors and willing to learn more about the various cultures that make our world so diverse.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). Culture and Diversity (2011) [DVD] Perspectives on Diversity and Equity. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Ngo, B. (2008). Beyond “culture clash”: Understanding of immigrant experiences. Theory into Practice, 47(1), 4–11.
Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database.

My Family Culture

If I were being moved to a foreign country after a catastrophic event, the first small, personal item I would bring with me that represent my family's culture would be a photograph of my family. One particular photograph that comes to mind was taken of my entire family at my wedding. I would explain to the people of the country I would be traveling to that this photograph is a physical reminder of my loved ones that helps me to keep them in my heart and my mind when I cannot be with them. Pictures and imagery are such a huge part of our culture, from old family photos to everyday digitals on Facebook. I know I enjoy keeping many memories through photo reminders. I would also bring one particular family heirloom that was handed down to me from my great-grandmother, a small Catholic Bible. I received this Bible from my great-uncle when she passed eight years ago and truly felt honored that she would want me to have something so dear of hers. This special heirloom handed down to me has significant meaning and an item that I hold very dear. The third item I would want to bring is a old tile mold that has the name of my grandfather engraved in the stone. He played a major role in building our current town and the local tileworks factory that is well-known in the Bucks County, PA area. This particular mold was used by my grandfather to mark his work and was given to my mother by the tileworks foundation as an heirloom when he passed.
If I was told that I could only keep one of the three items when arriving in this new country, I would absolutely feel torn as to which item I would bring, especially if I didn't know what would become of the other two items that are so important to me. Thinking about each one, I think I would end up choosing the Bible given to me by my great-grandmother. This Bible not only has strong reminders of her, but also of other family members and memories, not to mention they hold God's spiritual guidance to get me through such a trying time.
Overall, thinking about this hypothetical scenario has made me realize even more that culture is so much more than skin deep. It is a typical conception that culture is race, ethnicity, or where you come from, but culture is also about relationships, memories, and family values that you grow old with. 

Final Thoughts about Building Research Competency in ECE

Throughout the Building Competencies in Research course, I feel as if I have had an immense amount of exposure and guidance through research techniques, methods, considerations, preparations, ethics, conduct, and more. My previous exposure to any type of research had really only revolved around the scientific community and the structure used in science to develop and implement experimental studies. I was surprised by the qualities of educational research that are utilized in studies on young participants, such as child and parental consent, ethics of conducting study, methods and options for collecting data, etc.
My thoughts about conducting research were really confined by a different way of setting up an experiment. Although the structure of many of the articles we read throughout the course had similar structure, including an introduction, methods description, results, discussion, and conclusion, I was introduced to new concepts in research in the education field. For instance, the methods of collecting data, whether quantitative or qualitative, as well as the use of sources through triangulation were new concepts. I also found that the term interpretivist can play a significant role in studies, as it can become a challenge for researchers to divide their opinions, projections, and initial thoughts when collecting information through observation and, particularly, personal interviews. It is often difficult to divide our human nature to hold to personal opinions, speculations, predictions, and viewpoints when hypothesizing about a topic, however it is an important factor to maintain knowledge and regulation of throughout a study in order to obtain accurate results.
Over these 8 weeks, one of my first challenges was determining a topic that would make sense and theoretically work for this simulation study. As the course moved on however I felt as if the information, readings, and articles we were assigned provided a tremendous amount of background information regarding how studies are properly planned and executed when it comes to working with children in an educational, social, etc. environment. On a more personal note, unfortunately this semester also challenged me on time, but I feel like I was able to maintain management of assignments to the best of my ability.
I think that after taking this particular course, my exposure to early childhood has really opened to a new light of childhood studies through formal research. Their are definitely many factors to keep in mind when studying children that are vital, not only to the research aspect, but more importantly, to the children, parents, and families that are participating. The study examples that I have read about these last 8 weeks are much different than my previous experiences studying plants, animals, bacteria, viruses, etc. They deal with something much more fragile - real lives that are easily influenced and affected by outside sources. However, through the benefits I've already witnessed, research on early childhood education has an immense amount of benefits to the field that will continue to create positive environments, programs, and learning for young children.
Thank you to everyone who read and posted on my blog. I appreciate all your comments, thoughts, and suggestions for my future research in ECE!
Caitlin   

Australasian Journal of Early Childhood

The website for Early Childhood Australia (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/) provides many links to early childhood research, including Early Childhood news, Every Child magazine, and Everyday Learning Services. One particular resource of early childhood research, the Australasian Journal of Early Childhood (AJEC), is Australasia's foremost scholarly journal and the world's longest-running major journal within the early childhood field (Early Childhood Australia, 2010).  Some of the recent topics discussed in research articles include early childhood curriculum and the consideration of Aboriginal books in literacy, curriculum guidelines through comparison of New Zealand and England, and children’s transition to school in Sydney, Australia from Bangladeshi parents. It was refreshing to see the variety of research topics being completed in Australia’s early childhood field. One article I came across discussed the impact of children choosing free literature typically promotes positive family and social interactions between story characters and that family members took an active part in the family’s literacy through reading at home.  It was also insightful that there are many topics and areas of early childhood that play a big role in the formation and development of curriculum, such as popular culture, child play, literacy, school readiness, and culture.

References

Early Childhood Australia. (2010). http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/australian_journal_of_early_childhood/about_ajec.html

Research that Benefits Children and Families: An Uplifting Story

One topic that jogged my memory and interest this past week is the devastating physical and emotional hardship of childhood leakaemia. My husband's aunt, Dr. Patricia Buffler, the Dean of Nursing at the University of California Berkley, has been the head of research on childhood leukaemia and recently found that their are significant benefits to children attending day cares and schools during early years and the prevention of leukaemia. Through Dr. Buffler's interview with BBC News UK, she explains how early exposure to illness and experiencing coughs and colds will actually boosts a young child's immune system against more severe illness, such as leukaemia - a malignant blood disorder (Buffler, 2008). She summarizes that by attending a playgroup, a child's risk of developing one common type of leukaemia is cut by about 30% according to research (Buffler, 2008).
This current research being conducted on childhood leukaemia, that involves children in physical studies, has a great benefit to all those with this childhood illness. By studying the impact of children being involved in playgroups and day care programs, with minimal exposure risk, we can help prevent the bigger risk of such a horrific disease. Dr. Buffler's research at the University of California has certainly provided further insight into this severe childhood illness. 


References
Buffler, Patricia. (Speaker). (2008 April 29). Daycare 'cuts leakaemia risk'. [Interview]. UK: BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7372568.stm

My Personal Research Journey

The topic I chose for the research simulation is the development of fine and gross motor skills in early childhood. Specifically, I would like to reflect more on the following three subtopics: pattern of normal development of fine and gross motor skills for children between the ages of birth to two years, methods of promoting positive muscle growth and skills through types of movement activities in the home and school, and how surroundings and relationships influence developing muscle function during early childhood. Personally, I have a scientific background through my undergraduate studies in college, and I find the growth and development of the human body, especially from such a young age, to be fascinating. Already, I have read through a few professional articles on the topic of how motor skills are best learned, practiced, and refined through early childhood and have grown more interested in finding out more on how this area of early chlidhood development can be applied in my field and program. I have background in researching for projects and papers, but some of the simulation processes is a new experience.

After completing the research chart, which was a new process for me, I feel as if it helped me to organize my thoughts and the information provided. I think it is a great organizational tool when reviewing resources for research. From the Professor Davis’ comments, there were a few areas that I could review again and make changes to for the future. I think I tend to elaborate in certain areas beyond what may be needed - an area of writing I would like to simplify - so this assignment put that idea into perspective for me as I continue my research. If anyone has any suggestions for me regarding the simulation research project, my topic, or resources that have benefited you - please feel free to share!

Caitlin

(Blog 2)

Consequences of International Communication

My primary connections to an international early childhood program was through Jessica Liddell from Alberta, Canada and frequent e-newsletters from Zero to Three, in addition to frequent research on international organizations that help to maintain and support early childhood education around the world and information posted by colleagues on discussions and blogs.

Through discovering new information about the ongoing of international early childhood education, I have learned a lot of how other countries perceive and develop early programs for children and families. Additionally, I've definitely been exposed to the various struggles countries face with providing opportunities for young children and families to receive care as well as the positive pushes forward that countries are pursuing for the young population. I also discovered new information about support organizations that assist early childhood facilities with managing areas such as child development and curriculum standards and funding.

It is truly amazing to take in information about the conditions in other countries and consider how much the United States has to provide and benefit young children and families. Families living in developing nations, that lack structured education, safe and sanitary living conditions, and even fresh water, struggle to provide adequate care for their children, which is why the work of organizations to support early childcare on an international scale, such as Zero to Three. Through my personal communication with Jessica and my research on various organizations, and feel that I can also bring a ton of new ideas and concepts to our facility to enhance our program and the opportunities for our students and families.

One goal for the early childhood field could be to increase the awareness of international issues and continue to provide needed support in developing areas of the world, where education has taken a back seat to other problems, by providing the resources, personnel, and knowledge necessary for the care and education of children, parents, and families. 

A big thanks to my professor and colleagues for sharing and supporting new information and experiences these past 8 weeks. I wish everyone the best of luck as you continue through the MCECS program and look forward to sharing again in the future!

Caitlin

Jessica Liddell, Mother Earth's Children's Charter School

This week my international contact, Jessica Liddell, a Kindergarten teacher and special education coordinator at Mother Earth's Children's Charter School in Stony Plain, AB, Canada, posed her responses to the questions posted.  

What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work?

Our province is currently undergoing major revisions in our education model and a shift is occurring in how programs are being delivered.  There are several large initiatives and projects being rolled out right now and two in particular will have major implications on our early childhood programs.  One project - "Action on Inclusion" is focusing on how students with special needs are supported in regular classrooms including how funding is distributed, how special services are accessed, how teachers are trained to support exceptional learners, etc.  There is both excitement and some anxiety as the details for this unfold.  There has also been an Early Childhood Development Mapping Initiative that is about midway through it's five year roll out.  This promises to reveal insights into regions of the province and where students are at developmentally (Socially, emotionally, physically, readiness skills for school, etc.) during their Kindergarten year.  Reporting from other countries as well as other provinces in Canada that are already using this data collection method reveals some pretty interesting statistics so I am excited to learn more as we move further into the project in our area.  On a more localized level, our school regularly faces challenges regarding perceptions about ECS programs.  In Alberta, Kindergarten is not mandatory and we still have many families that are not fully committed to the value of regular attendance.

What opportunities and/or requirements for professional development exist?

Our school staff have participated in many PD opportunities addressing our major school focuses for the year.  We have begun to utilize Martha Kaufeldt's brain based and thematic approaches in our planning as well as a new literacy model and so that has been where most PD has occurred.  I love having opportunities to learn from others and so I have been supported in visiting other exemplary Kindergarten classes each year.  I am still quite new to the profession - this is my fourth year however my university training was not in early childhood but actually special education and so I have much to learn about working with the littles!  There are some amazing opportunities for professional development available, and I feel fortunate to work for a school board that is quite committed to supporting my participation in opportunities that I feel would enhance my skill set.

What are some of your professional goals?

As a non-native person working in an Indigenous charter school, I am committed to learning about and understanding the culture and the history of the population I am working with. 
Our school strives to recognize the gifts and talents of students in a holistic sense and so in addition to working at building relationships with students and their families that will support nurturing of those gifts and talents, I also strive to build my toolkit of strategies and practices so that I can create learning opportunities that are meaningful and appropriate for the individuals I work with.

What are some of your professional hopes, dreams, and challenges?

The reality of the students that I work with in some cases is very tragic.  There are some circumstances that these 4 and 5 year olds are in that I cannot begin to imagine how they remain resilient and hopeful.  I HOPE that I provide a safe and caring place for them to feel special and loved,  I DREAM that these amazing children will forever see themselves as capable learners and will become incredible leaders,  I am often CHALLENGED by not enough hours in the day.

I hope this is helpful and if you have the time I would be interested to hear more about your program and your responses to these topics.
Thanks - Jessica

After doing some research, I found that Martha Kaufeldt presents motivational presentations and dynamic workshops throughout the U.S. and Canada that address the fundamentals of Brain Compatible Learning, Differentiated Instruction and Integrated Curriculum for all grade level staff (Kaufeldt, 2005). I think this is a terrific addition for a program's educators as part of professional development. I also enjoyed reading that the professional goals of their program is to recognize the gifts and talents of students in a holistic sense, build relationships with students and their families that will support nurturing of those gifts and talents, and incorporate more of the natural and indigenous environment and history into their curriculum as a way of enriching the lives and education of each child. 

Jessica's personal goals provided a connection to my own personal experiences as a new member of the early childhood field. We both are reaching out in our positions to learn about these young children, to take on positive and hands-on participation in enriching the lives of each child we serve, and grow as a professional in the early childhood education community.

References
Kaudfeldt, Martha. (2005). Begin with the Brain. Retrieved from http://www.beginwiththebrain.com/index.php

Analyzing Organization Website

The Zero to Three website not only has a ton of information, but also links to other site for organizations, including four main links on the home page for Early Head Start, National Training Institute, Military Family Projects, and National Infant and Child Care Initiative. The first link for the Early Head Start leads to their website which includes EHS program locations, activities and upcoming conferences, news, and the mission of this federally funded community-based program for low-income families with infants and toddlers and pregnant women to promote healthy prenatal care, development of young children, and family functioning.

This week, I took a closer look at the Zero to Three Care and Education pages regarding the need for positive early learning experiences to foster their intellectual, social and emotional development and lay the foundation for later school success (Zero to Three, 2011). Zero to Three specifically mentions the growing number of infants, toddlers, and young children who spend more of their day with people other than their parents - including program caregivers, babysitters, family members, and friends. With that in mind, they promote that it's important for parents and families to understand the pros and cons to look for the type of child care facility best suited for their child. For instance, there's public and private center-based centers, family, friend, and neighbor arrangements, personal nannies and sitters, etc.

In the e-newsletters I receive from Zero to Three, hot topics are discussed from news going on in early childhood education around the country. For example, this week Alison Gopnik questions if too much direct teaching in Pre-K limit kids' curiosity. The pressures of reaching high academic levels and readiness for primary school through teacher directed learning is suppressing the time allotted for creativity and imagination in prekindergarten programs. Developmental scientists are studying the basic science behind learning and what we know about how teaching affects learning (Gopnik, 2011). 

Zero to Three promotes both federal and state polices that push for equity for children and families to receive proper early childhood care and services, including Title IV of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (H.R. 3221) authorizes the Early Learning Challenge Fund, a new federal funding stream to promote State early care and education systems for children birth to five (Zero to Three, 2011). 

References

Gopnik, Alison. (2011). Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School: New Research shows that teaching kids more and more, at ever-younger ages, may backfire. Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/id/2288402/pagenum/all/#p2

Zero to Three National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2011). http://www.zerotothree.org/