Research Around the World

What are some of the current international research topics?

• exploring learning and teaching through play
• the use of technology
• physical activity
• children's behavior

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

• I found the different everyday learning topics to be interesting because they can be used in the classroom and with my child at home. Some topics were bullying, feelings, play and learning, and helping children grow.

What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

• Topics dealing with technology I found to be interesting because that's what I'm doing my stimulation on and I have started reading up more on.

website

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

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

If I possessed the means and the knowledge to conduct my research studies about any topic in early childhood education, I would choose behavioral disorders in children. I have always wondered why so children have this disorder while others don’t.  Year after year more research shows why children suffer from this and how parents can help their children. Some parents ignore the warnings early on because they don’t want to believe it or just feel as if their child will grow out of it. There would be so many positive contributions to this because parents would help their children early on and help them before they enter school.

Personal Research Journey

At first I didn't know which topic I wanted to research but after careful consideration I found something of my interest. I decided to research technology and learning as it relates to children in the early childhood field. I’m interested in this topic because technology is all around us and that’s what used most in today’s society. Children are using computers at very young age now and having a child who loves technology I wanted to research more about it. For my subtopic I chose the affects it has on children.

After starting my research chart I’m learning how to gather my thoughts and how to find articles for my research. I’m hoping that my colleagues will give me advice on my research process. Please feel free to email me or comment on my blog.

Final Blog Assignment

• Learning about different international early childhood fields have been very interesting because of the websites you gave us to look into. The information was very easy to find and I enjoyed learning it. 

• Wish I could have came into contact with at least of my international contacts, but even though I didn't I still learned so many things. The United States should look at how other countries perceive early childhood. 

• The Zero to Three website has been something I fell in love with and given to my co-workers, thanks for giving me the resource.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts___Part 3

I never received a response from my two professionals but I wish I could have had the pleasure to talk with them. I did the website and learned some very interesting things on it as well. Hopefully in the future I can meet some professionals from around the world in my other classes.

• The website supports early childhood development policies and a child’s lifelong learning.
• The website has natural sciences, education, social and human sciences, and culture.
• They discuss different topics such as women and girls education, lifelong learning systems, teachers, and skills for work and life.

Sharing Web Resources

I explored some of the links and they lead me to different links related to their organization. Some of the links I found was the American association of colleges for teacher education, certification map, association of teacher educators, and the Australian early childhood association.

I chose to research the American association of colleges for teacher education and I found that out you can become a member, what they advocate for, and the things they research along with policies.

I haven’t received a newsletter they do their by seasons. I didn’t find any new information on the website that I chose.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

I haven’t received an email yet from the people I emailed but I looked at the Harvard website. I learned about the Zambian early childhood development project that measures the effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children’s development in Zambia. I learned a lot of things about this site because I had never heard of it until now. They have a council that’s committed to evidence based approaches. They have forum that seeks to explain why public investments should be made in the early childhood years. They have many learning opportunities and student employment opportunities as well.

Sharing Web Resources

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

Awards and funding opportunities are relevant to my professional development because I’m currently in school and this would help me pay for school. The conference that they are having this year will also help me better myself in this profession keeping up-to-date.

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

I didn’t see any new controversial issues going on right now.

·         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?

The conference theme this year “Beyond Standardization”; they want to enhance and facilitate early childhood faculty research and professional development.

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

I learned that there was an association called The Alliance of Early childhood Teacher Educators.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

I haven’t come into contact with my EC professionals from other countries and the websites aren’t working either but I did some research on childhood poverty in Honduras. It’s the second poorest country in Central America; more than half of children have malnutrition and mortality. Major diseases that affect Hondurans include malaria, typhoid, influenza, tuberculosis and pneumonia (Food for the Poor, 2014).

Sharing Web Resources

NAECTE

http://www.naecte.org/

The goal of the program is to promote the professional growth of membership, to enhance, and facilitate early childhood faculty research and professional development. They advocate for improvements in early childhood teacher education and communication network for early childhood teachers educators.

One thing that caught my attention was the scholarships that have been created in honor of certain people for students who are attending college to help children. I feel that‘s a wonderful because a lot of students don’t have the funds to attend college.

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Part One

I emailed two individuals that lived outside the United States, one in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Philippines. I chose these two countries because I’m interested in learning about their early childhood programs. I haven’t received an email yet but hopefully I will by the end of the week.  

Part Two

I chose the NAECTE website because it’s geared towards early childhood educators. After reading the newsletter I felt that this website was right for me. I plan on joining this organization by the end of the semester to stay informed about different issues.

My Supports

My family is my biggest support system and I don't know what I would do without them. My mother is my biggest cheerleader and she will go to the ends of the earth for me. My family supports me in anything that I choose to do in life and I thank God for them. They help me with my first child especially if I need a babysitter.

My boyfriend is my big support as well; when it snows outside he makes sure I get to work because he drives.  He helps me out around the house with house work.  I love this man with all my heart and glad that he is in my life.

My coworkers are my support system also we help each other out so much. We cover each other's rooms when they are short staff and take each other children in the afternoon. We support each other even in our personal lives without my coworkers it would be harder to take days off or just get a break.

I'm currently pregnant with my first child and although I have a adopted child if I didn't have the support of my mother I don't know what I would do. My mother is my heart and if I was to lose her I would be lost in the world.  My mother means the world to me and I can't imagine life without her. I cry just thinking about losing her and how it would be without her.

My Connections To Play

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation”-Plato

“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning”-Diane Ackerman

Play and its Importance

The role of play during my childhood was extremely important and was something that I looked forward to everyday as a child. Play was encouraged by my family members and teachers as well because we went outside everyday when it wasn’t raining or to cold. My mother would take us to the park during the summer and brought us different items to play with outside. I use to cry if I couldn’t go outside and play with friends.

I feel that play today is totally different than it was when I was growing up. Today children don’t like going outside they rather stay inside and play video games. Children today have health problems due to not being active outside and when I was growing up you never heard of a child not wanting to be outside.

Although I am grown I still enjoy going outside when I’m free because sitting in the house all is not me. Although I have more responsibility as an adult I find time to enjoy outside with my child even if it’s just sitting outside enjoying the breeze.

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because it’s vital connection to your life and make up a part of you. Without relationships help you get through hard times and you grow as a person. Without positive relationships you feel alone in the world and nobody to share your life with.

I have positive relationships with my mother, mother-in-law, my aunt, my boyfriend, my best friends, my daughter and my sister-in-law.

My mother is my best friend we can talk about anything and she is a role model to me. In my eyes she’s a super woman because she raised my brothers and I without the help of our fathers.

My mother-in-law we have a bond that’s unbreakable, I’m the daughter she never had. She encourages me keep on pushing even when I feel like I can’t do it.

 My aunt is my second mother I can trust with my life and she is always there even when nobody else can be found.

My boyfriend is my best friend and lover, we been down to ride with each other for almost eight years now. We laugh and cry together, we are like Bonnie and Clyde.

My best friends trust me, never judge me, and appreciate me. We can tell each other anything and even though we don’t talk everyday when we are together we pick where we left off.

My daughter and unborn child have taught me unconditionally love. They have shown me what it is to be patience and determined. I would give my life for these two. My sister-in-law is like my daughter as well and I treat as my own, her and my children make me the woman I am today.

Relationships become partnerships because you equally invest your time with each other.

The relationships I have taught me importance of establishing a positive relationship with others. You can’t become a good educator without have positive relationships especially in this field.