The topic I chose to research is the connection between play in Kindergarten and later social-emotional development. I chose this topic because I have seen that many Kindergartens are doing away with free play in order to cover all the areas of the Common Core State Standards. I feel that we are doing a great disservice to our children by not allowing them the opportunity to explore social relationships through free play. It is through play that children learn how to cooperate with one another as well as amicably solve social problems. I realize that preschools do a great job of this, but not all children attend preschool before starting Kindergarten.
My frustration with this research project has been in coming up with supporting literature. There are many research studies about the benefits of play in preschool, but not many current ones that look at Kindergarten. I would appreciate any suggestions of where to look.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Learning about the international early childhood field
One consequence of learning about the international early childhood field is that poverty is an issue with children around the world and no one has the answer on how to combat it.
The second issue is that children are important and need to be treated with respect. In Paraguay, the consequences of this were that parents were more likely to keep yards hazard free, kept their children cleaner, and provided a special spot for toys. Further consequences of this would be that parents would spend more time interacting with their children and that family engagement would increase.
The third issue is the need for quality child care for all children. As stated by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, “The care that infants receive, whether from parents, extended family members, neighbors, or child care professionals, lays the groundwork for the development of a wide range of basic biological processes that support emotion regulation, sleep-wake patterns, attention, and ultimately all psychosocial functioning.” The consequences of this are that while there are many programs and policies for those with limited income, there is little provided for middle-income parents who don’t qualify for assistance. These policies also do not address the time constraints of working parents.
Learning about international issues and trends in early childhood made me realize that some places in the world are not as far along in their early childhood system as we are in the US. On the other hand, some European countries are much further ahead of us as far as the importance placed on early childhood and the programs offered. My goal for the field as far as international awareness is that we need to communicate with colleagues from other countries in order to share what we know to those who are still developing their early childcare systems and learn from those who are who are ahead of us.
The second issue is that children are important and need to be treated with respect. In Paraguay, the consequences of this were that parents were more likely to keep yards hazard free, kept their children cleaner, and provided a special spot for toys. Further consequences of this would be that parents would spend more time interacting with their children and that family engagement would increase.
The third issue is the need for quality child care for all children. As stated by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, “The care that infants receive, whether from parents, extended family members, neighbors, or child care professionals, lays the groundwork for the development of a wide range of basic biological processes that support emotion regulation, sleep-wake patterns, attention, and ultimately all psychosocial functioning.” The consequences of this are that while there are many programs and policies for those with limited income, there is little provided for middle-income parents who don’t qualify for assistance. These policies also do not address the time constraints of working parents.
Learning about international issues and trends in early childhood made me realize that some places in the world are not as far along in their early childhood system as we are in the US. On the other hand, some European countries are much further ahead of us as far as the importance placed on early childhood and the programs offered. My goal for the field as far as international awareness is that we need to communicate with colleagues from other countries in order to share what we know to those who are still developing their early childcare systems and learn from those who are who are ahead of us.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3
Because I have not yet received a response from my international contacts, I visited UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education” webpage (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/).
Some of the insights I gained about issues related to international early childhood education that relate to my professional goals have to do with inequity of funding and program access, quality of curriculum, and parent education.
The inequity of funding and program access across countries reminded me of how the funding in the United States works. Federal block grants are available to states, but each state sets its own budget and criteria for early childhood services. While the federal government provides funding for Head start, it is still up to the local agencies to apply and allocate funds. This relates to my goal to become a stronger advocate for children and Early Childhood programs by working with policy-makers to ensure quality preschool programs are available and sustained.
Another issue that relates to this goal is the push for universal preschool. When reading about the new Early Childhood Development center initiative in Gambia and the idea of universalizing school for 6 year olds, I was thinking about the current push in the US for universal preschool. Gambia decided to not universalize because of issues of sustainability. While I believe that access to preschool should be a right for all children, the question of how to sustain such an endeavor in the US has to be addressed.
The centers in Gambia were going to be located within primary schools. There was some concern that they will be pre-primary education, focusing on preparing children for formal schooling, rather than child development. This topic too relates to my goal of becoming a stronger advocate for children. The program I teach at is also located within an elementary school and through the years there has been pressure to be more academically focused in order to prepare the children for Kindergarten. Thankfully, I have the support of our Early Childhood Specialist to back up what I am doing in the classroom.
Finally, one of my revised professional goals is to be a better parent educator. In the publications section of UNESCO’s website I found materials on parenting education workshops that I could easily ‘tweak’ and use with my parents.
Some of the insights I gained about issues related to international early childhood education that relate to my professional goals have to do with inequity of funding and program access, quality of curriculum, and parent education.
The inequity of funding and program access across countries reminded me of how the funding in the United States works. Federal block grants are available to states, but each state sets its own budget and criteria for early childhood services. While the federal government provides funding for Head start, it is still up to the local agencies to apply and allocate funds. This relates to my goal to become a stronger advocate for children and Early Childhood programs by working with policy-makers to ensure quality preschool programs are available and sustained.
Another issue that relates to this goal is the push for universal preschool. When reading about the new Early Childhood Development center initiative in Gambia and the idea of universalizing school for 6 year olds, I was thinking about the current push in the US for universal preschool. Gambia decided to not universalize because of issues of sustainability. While I believe that access to preschool should be a right for all children, the question of how to sustain such an endeavor in the US has to be addressed.
The centers in Gambia were going to be located within primary schools. There was some concern that they will be pre-primary education, focusing on preparing children for formal schooling, rather than child development. This topic too relates to my goal of becoming a stronger advocate for children. The program I teach at is also located within an elementary school and through the years there has been pressure to be more academically focused in order to prepare the children for Kindergarten. Thankfully, I have the support of our Early Childhood Specialist to back up what I am doing in the classroom.
Finally, one of my revised professional goals is to be a better parent educator. In the publications section of UNESCO’s website I found materials on parenting education workshops that I could easily ‘tweak’ and use with my parents.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Sharing Web Resources
I still have not received a newsletter from The Global Fund for Children. The website doesn’t contain many links to other websites. The few that it does have are to corporate sponsors and foundations.
I thoroughly searched through the section of the website that describes The Global Fund for Children’s impact. In the last year alone they reached 1 million children and hope to bring their total to 10 million by 2015. This means that thousands of children are going to school instead of to work and thousands more are protecting themselves from HIV, escaping the bonds of slavery, and getting the childhood they deserve.
Since 1997, the Global Fund for Children has invested $25.6 million in more than 500 grassroots organizations in 78 countries worldwide. They specialize in maximizing our donors’ investment in the developing world. Here’s how:
- They Find What Works-Program officers use their regional expertise to scout out the most promising organizations operating in marginalized communities. An annual pool of more than 2,000 organizations is whittled down to about 150 that they visit, of those approximately 50 new grantees are selected to be funded.
- They Invest Strategically-They identify innovative groups as they emerge, and over the course of three to six years, help them to grow and thrive using flexible, strategic investments.
- They Spread the Word-Their first job is to find community-based organizations that are changing children’s lives—then help them grow with management support, training, and leverage.
- They Check Our Work-They track their grantees’ development. Each of their grantee partners produces measurable outcomes, whether it’s helping more migrant children stay in school, getting more girls to understand the risks of HIV/AIDS, or providing more counseling sessions to child trafficking survivors.
- They Keep Their Costs Low-Their grantees operate on a shoestring budget—and they follow their model, maximizing every dollar and putting the money where it counts.
In Luhansk, Ukraine GFC partners with the Association of Disabled Young People of the Eastern Donbass, or AMI-East for short which provides educational opportunities for children with disabilities.
In Washington DC, GFC supports the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project (HCPP). The number of children at DC General shelter has reached an astounding 600 up from about 200 children in 2011. HCPP works directly with many of these children, providing weekly activities, healthy snacks, and opportunities to play and learn at DC General and various emergency shelters and transitional housing sites in the District of Columbia.
The new insight I gained doesn’t have to do with the early childhood field but I was very surprised. First, I didn’t know that January was National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The most astounding fact I found out is that child trafficking is a huge problem in the U.S. It is estimated that 90% of runaways in the U.S. end up trafficked into the commercial sex industry. Over 100,000 children are subject to child trafficking every year in the U.S. alone.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2
Since I still have not heard back from my international contacts, I visited Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website. On this website I learned about many initiatives that they are taking part in around the globe. Three areas they are focused on are Brazil, Zambia, and Chile.
In Brazil, the Center is launching Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância which works with Brazilian scholars, policymakers and civil society leaders. Translating and adapting the Center’s existing print and multimedia resources for a Brazilian audience. Some of the work they are doing is to build a scientific agenda and community of scholars around early childhood development, synthesize and translate scientific knowledge for application to social policy, strengthen leadership around early childhood development, communicate the science of child development in the Brazilian cultural context, and translate and adapt the Center’s existing print and multimedia resources for a Brazilian audience.
In Zambia, the center is working to increase evidence available on early childhood development in sub-Saharan Africa. They are working with the Zambian Ministry of Education, the Examination Council of Zambia, UNICEF, and the University of Zambia to create the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project (ZECDP). Their goal is create a new comprehensive instrument for assessing children’s physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development before and throughout their schooling careers. The ZECDP collaborators hope that the data collected as part of this project, as well as future work in this area, will not only improve understanding of child development in this context but also help identify key interventions towards improved outcomes in a rapidly changing developing world.
In Chile, the center is working on a collaborative program called Un Buen Comienzo (UBC). The goal is to improve early childhood education through teacher professional development with a focus on improving the quality of educational offerings for four-to-six-year-olds, particularly in the area of language development. This project is also designed to intervene in critical health areas that improve school attendance as well as socio-emotional development, and it seeks to involve the children's families in their education.
The work that is being done in Brazil, Zambia and Chile is all being completed so that equity and excellence of early childhood programs is present. For example, in Brazil the hope is that adapting the Center’s model will create more effective programs and policies. The longitudinal study in Chile has never been carried out in any other country in Latin America and will place Chile at the forefront of demonstrating the impact of a high-quality early education. The work being done in Zambia will be a model for all developing countries.
In Brazil, the Center is launching Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância which works with Brazilian scholars, policymakers and civil society leaders. Translating and adapting the Center’s existing print and multimedia resources for a Brazilian audience. Some of the work they are doing is to build a scientific agenda and community of scholars around early childhood development, synthesize and translate scientific knowledge for application to social policy, strengthen leadership around early childhood development, communicate the science of child development in the Brazilian cultural context, and translate and adapt the Center’s existing print and multimedia resources for a Brazilian audience.
In Zambia, the center is working to increase evidence available on early childhood development in sub-Saharan Africa. They are working with the Zambian Ministry of Education, the Examination Council of Zambia, UNICEF, and the University of Zambia to create the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project (ZECDP). Their goal is create a new comprehensive instrument for assessing children’s physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development before and throughout their schooling careers. The ZECDP collaborators hope that the data collected as part of this project, as well as future work in this area, will not only improve understanding of child development in this context but also help identify key interventions towards improved outcomes in a rapidly changing developing world.
In Chile, the center is working on a collaborative program called Un Buen Comienzo (UBC). The goal is to improve early childhood education through teacher professional development with a focus on improving the quality of educational offerings for four-to-six-year-olds, particularly in the area of language development. This project is also designed to intervene in critical health areas that improve school attendance as well as socio-emotional development, and it seeks to involve the children's families in their education.
The work that is being done in Brazil, Zambia and Chile is all being completed so that equity and excellence of early childhood programs is present. For example, in Brazil the hope is that adapting the Center’s model will create more effective programs and policies. The longitudinal study in Chile has never been carried out in any other country in Latin America and will place Chile at the forefront of demonstrating the impact of a high-quality early education. The work being done in Zambia will be a model for all developing countries.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
The NCCP (National Center for Children in Poverty) February update newsletter includes current statistics on low-income children in America. There are fact sheets that breakdown statistics into the following groups: Children under 18 Years, children aged 12 through 17 Years, children aged 6 through 11 Years, children under 6 Years, and children under 3 Years.
There is also information about the Young Leaders Open House, an event being held in NYC where people can about how Child and Family Poverty in America affects us all, and what is being done about it in the research and policy arenas.
Finally, the newsletter asks for people to give what they can to the NCCP Annual Fund.
While checking out their Facebook page, I noticed that NCCP had shared a link that was very relevant to me. It was a link to the Michigan Kids Count report: Rural areas also face child poverty, well-being issues. This is relevant to me as I teach in a rural district in Michigan that is one of the most poverty- stricken in the state.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Childhood poverty in India
Since I still have not heard back from those international professionals I attempted to contact, I selected to learn about childhood poverty in India from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org. Here are some of the insights that I learned about India.
In India, drought and environmental deterioration have significantly undermined livelihoods and exacerbated poverty. Responses to these contribute to poverty cycles that include pressures on children to work, undermining their education and health. Children from 10-15 percent of households migrate for work, usually with parents, but sometimes alone. Income from migrant children's work constituted up to 45 percent of the poorest households' income. India accounts for 20 percent of the world's out-of-school children. It has the largest numbers of working children in the world, with nearly a third of children below 16 years working.
The focus in India is to get the children from poor families into primary schools, increase the retention rate so that more children finish primary grades, and upgrade the quality of the schooling they receive. In health, the country is facing high rates of communicable diseases, malnutrition, and maternal and perinatal illnesses, predominantly among poor people. Almost half of all children under the age of five are malnourished and 34 percent of new-borns are significantly underweight.
Gender biases limit girls' life chances. The cycle of disadvantage starts at birth and continues through childhood to motherhood and the next generation. It is reflected in the inferior health and educational status of women, the high maternal mortality rate, the neglect of the girl child, the declining sex ratio, and girl's lower rates of school enrolment and subsequent higher participation in the child labor force.
These insights have shown me that poverty around the world looks very different. In the United States, we have laws limiting child workers, requiring school attendance, and protecting gender equality.
In India, drought and environmental deterioration have significantly undermined livelihoods and exacerbated poverty. Responses to these contribute to poverty cycles that include pressures on children to work, undermining their education and health. Children from 10-15 percent of households migrate for work, usually with parents, but sometimes alone. Income from migrant children's work constituted up to 45 percent of the poorest households' income. India accounts for 20 percent of the world's out-of-school children. It has the largest numbers of working children in the world, with nearly a third of children below 16 years working.
The focus in India is to get the children from poor families into primary schools, increase the retention rate so that more children finish primary grades, and upgrade the quality of the schooling they receive. In health, the country is facing high rates of communicable diseases, malnutrition, and maternal and perinatal illnesses, predominantly among poor people. Almost half of all children under the age of five are malnourished and 34 percent of new-borns are significantly underweight.
Gender biases limit girls' life chances. The cycle of disadvantage starts at birth and continues through childhood to motherhood and the next generation. It is reflected in the inferior health and educational status of women, the high maternal mortality rate, the neglect of the girl child, the declining sex ratio, and girl's lower rates of school enrolment and subsequent higher participation in the child labor force.
These insights have shown me that poverty around the world looks very different. In the United States, we have laws limiting child workers, requiring school attendance, and protecting gender equality.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
THE GLOBAL FUND FOR CHILDREN
The Global Fund for Children (https://www.globalfundforchildren.org)
works to transform the lives of children on the edges of society—trafficked
children, refugees, child laborers—and help them regain their rights and pursue
their dreams. Since 1997, they’ve
reached 8 million children worldwide.
They find and invest in grassroots organizations that enable
the most vulnerable children in their communities to thrive. Their model can be summarized in three steps:
scout (seeking out organizations that serve the most marginalized children in
the world), support (they invest in undercapitalized organizations that provide
critical services to vulnerable children), and strengthen (through management
assistance, capacity building, and networking opportunities to help them become
sustainable resources in their communities).
In a recent blog “Voices from Hay al-Gharbeh” By Emmanuel
Otoo on December 26th, 2012, the author discusses poverty in Lebanon. It is estimated that 8 percent of the population
lives in extreme poverty while an additional 28 percent are considered below
the poverty line. There are also huge
disparities in poverty demographics, with a heavy concentration of poverty in
certain regions and increased poverty in urban areas, especially around large
cities like Beirut.
Tahaddi, a GFC partner, works to address these challenges by
providing children and women in Hay al-Gharbeh, a shantytown in Beirut, with
access to quality education, psychosocial support, and basic health services.
The children are given the opportunity to learn and play in a safe environment
and are guided and socialized to become productive and responsible adults.
The author visited and spent time with over 100 vulnerable
boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 16 who are receiving various forms of
support from Tahaddi. The children quizzed him about the United States and
taught him key words in Arabic. They
shared their dreams and aspirations with the author and shared that they are
receiving the needed guidance from Tahaddi to enable them to achieve their dreams. One 9-year-old girl said that when she grows
up, she wants to help children who are sick to be well and those who are hungry
to have food. When asked why, she said, “Sickness and hunger make children
unhappy, and so I want to do that to make sure children are happy all the
time.”
Tahaddi’s strategy centers on providing support to
vulnerable children and youth affected by conflict and poverty, including those
with disabilities. The organization currently serves over 110 beneficiaries.
Tahaddi provides community sensitization on the rights of children, supports
families in obtaining the legal documentation necessary to access basic
amenities, and operates social inclusion, mentorship, youth empowerment, and
enterprise and livelihood programs.
GFC selects grantee partners such as Tahaddi based on their
demonstrated potential to actively engage their communities and find
sustainable solutions to the issues facing vulnerable children and youth. They serve
as a resource for these grassroots organizations and, through their financial
investment and other services, help to strengthen the capacity of their
partners to enable them to continue addressing emerging issues long after their
support ends.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources
To locate and establish contact with early childhood professionals outside the United States, I visited the UNICEF website and contacted local representatives in New Zealand and Bolivia. I have always been interested in New Zealand and Australia and decided on Bolivia because one of my current students was born in Bolivia (her mother is a native) and they still have many family members there. I thought this relationship could provide me with additional resources/information on the region. I have not heard back from either e-mail yet and may have to contact others if I don't hear back soon.
Because of my ancestry, I was interested to see what the European Early Childhood Education Research Association website had to offer. While the website contains lots of research papers, it doesn't really discuss current issues or much as far as "hands-on" work. I next checked out the Center for Child Care Workforce website. This is a very interesting website for professionals in the early childhood field. They discuss such topics as wage issues, professional development, and ways to make early childhood professionals voices heard. This still wasn't exactly what I was looking for, so I checked out The Global Fund for Children's website for an international look at early childhood. When explaining what they do, they said, "we transform the lives of children on the edges of society—trafficked children, refugees, child laborers—and help them regain their rights and pursue their dreams. In other words, we do all we can to let kids be kids—no matter what their circumstances." This was something that definately interested me and I can't wait to dig further into their work!
Because of my ancestry, I was interested to see what the European Early Childhood Education Research Association website had to offer. While the website contains lots of research papers, it doesn't really discuss current issues or much as far as "hands-on" work. I next checked out the Center for Child Care Workforce website. This is a very interesting website for professionals in the early childhood field. They discuss such topics as wage issues, professional development, and ways to make early childhood professionals voices heard. This still wasn't exactly what I was looking for, so I checked out The Global Fund for Children's website for an international look at early childhood. When explaining what they do, they said, "we transform the lives of children on the edges of society—trafficked children, refugees, child laborers—and help them regain their rights and pursue their dreams. In other words, we do all we can to let kids be kids—no matter what their circumstances." This was something that definately interested me and I can't wait to dig further into their work!
Saturday, December 8, 2012
My Supports
Some of the emotional supports that I have in my life include my boyfriend and his children. They show me love and affection when I’m down, they laugh with me, and they’re happy for me when something good happens to me. My friends also provide emotional support in that they listen to my issues, share a laugh with me, and are happy when things are good. My parents show their support by demonstrating that they are proud of my accomplishments. Finally, my dogs provide me love no matter what I say or do.
One of the biggest practical supports in my life is my associate teacher. She helps me plan for our classroom, supports decisions that I make, and offers helpful suggestions. Money is a practical support in that it allows me to meet my needs and some of my wants. Technology such as phones and computers support me to communicate with others and get information that I need. My boyfriend and his daughters support me because they help around the house such as getting themselves dressed, helping with dinner, picking up after themselves, etc. I don’t feel that I require much physical support. The only thing I could think of was my car which gives me the freedom to get me where I need and want to go.
The benefit of these supports is that they help me meet all my needs and wants. If I didn’t have these supports, my life would be extremely difficult. I wouldn’t be able to do my job as effectively as I do now. If I didn’t have money, I wouldn’t have my house or my dogs. If my family and friends weren’t part of my support system, I would not have made it through college, and probably not even through high school.
If I were blind, my supports would change dramatically. Some of the supports I have in my life would be unnecessary while others would become more necessary. I imagine that my emotional supports would remain the same. However, my practical and physical supports would be very different. I would have to lean much more on my associate teacher for feedback on what the students are doing and I would not be able to complete my observations of the students in the same way. I would have to rely much more on listening to the children. I wouldn’t be able to use computers like I do now and would need more support around the house from my boyfriend and his daughters. I would require the assistance of a Seeing Eye dog in order to maintain the same amount of freedom that I experience now. If I didn’t have these supports, I would not be able to work and therefore would not have the monetary support that I have now.
One of the biggest practical supports in my life is my associate teacher. She helps me plan for our classroom, supports decisions that I make, and offers helpful suggestions. Money is a practical support in that it allows me to meet my needs and some of my wants. Technology such as phones and computers support me to communicate with others and get information that I need. My boyfriend and his daughters support me because they help around the house such as getting themselves dressed, helping with dinner, picking up after themselves, etc. I don’t feel that I require much physical support. The only thing I could think of was my car which gives me the freedom to get me where I need and want to go.
The benefit of these supports is that they help me meet all my needs and wants. If I didn’t have these supports, my life would be extremely difficult. I wouldn’t be able to do my job as effectively as I do now. If I didn’t have money, I wouldn’t have my house or my dogs. If my family and friends weren’t part of my support system, I would not have made it through college, and probably not even through high school.
If I were blind, my supports would change dramatically. Some of the supports I have in my life would be unnecessary while others would become more necessary. I imagine that my emotional supports would remain the same. However, my practical and physical supports would be very different. I would have to lean much more on my associate teacher for feedback on what the students are doing and I would not be able to complete my observations of the students in the same way. I would have to rely much more on listening to the children. I wouldn’t be able to use computers like I do now and would need more support around the house from my boyfriend and his daughters. I would require the assistance of a Seeing Eye dog in order to maintain the same amount of freedom that I experience now. If I didn’t have these supports, I would not be able to work and therefore would not have the monetary support that I have now.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
A favorite quote about childhood
One of my all time favorite quotes regarding children is the following:
If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much.
-Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund
If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much.
-Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Testing for Intelligence
I believe that it is important to measure all aspects of a child. Because learning and aptitude may change through life, just measuring a child’s linguistic or problem-solving performance at one given time doesn’t give a clear picture of what the child may be capable of.
Unfortunately, standardized tests are aimed at children who are strong in linguistics. A child has to be able to read the questions, internalize and understand what is being asked, and answer them. They don’t take into account a child that may understand the material but need to express it through another way. A perfect example of this is when I taught eighth grade science. We were studying the states of matter and I allowed my students to demonstrate in any way they chose what they learned. Some chose to write, some drew, and others chose to “act” the states out as a group. The important thing was that I could assess which students understood states of matter and which didn’t. Had I assessed this with a traditional “paper & pencil” test, some of these students may not have been able to demonstrate their knowledge.
Howard Garner and his multiple intelligence theory show that children can be intelligent in many different ways. They may be stronger in logical-mathematical thinking, musical, spatial, or bodily-kinesthetic. Only through performance assessments (such as the one I described above) can you truly measure what a student has learned.
In France, the "baccalaureat" used to be a narrow examination with focus on humanities and mathematics. But as French schools became more diversified, it has become a differentiated with 28 different options and 23 different sets of questions. At age 15 to 16, students begin a three-year, specialized course of study. The exam includes essay-type questions in the core subjects (history and geography, French, and philosophy) and students take additional exams in their area of concentration (philosophy and liberal arts, economics and social sciences, or mathematics and the sciences). Some subjects, usually languages, also include oral exams.
Unfortunately, standardized tests are aimed at children who are strong in linguistics. A child has to be able to read the questions, internalize and understand what is being asked, and answer them. They don’t take into account a child that may understand the material but need to express it through another way. A perfect example of this is when I taught eighth grade science. We were studying the states of matter and I allowed my students to demonstrate in any way they chose what they learned. Some chose to write, some drew, and others chose to “act” the states out as a group. The important thing was that I could assess which students understood states of matter and which didn’t. Had I assessed this with a traditional “paper & pencil” test, some of these students may not have been able to demonstrate their knowledge.
Howard Garner and his multiple intelligence theory show that children can be intelligent in many different ways. They may be stronger in logical-mathematical thinking, musical, spatial, or bodily-kinesthetic. Only through performance assessments (such as the one I described above) can you truly measure what a student has learned.
In France, the "baccalaureat" used to be a narrow examination with focus on humanities and mathematics. But as French schools became more diversified, it has become a differentiated with 28 different options and 23 different sets of questions. At age 15 to 16, students begin a three-year, specialized course of study. The exam includes essay-type questions in the core subjects (history and geography, French, and philosophy) and students take additional exams in their area of concentration (philosophy and liberal arts, economics and social sciences, or mathematics and the sciences). Some subjects, usually languages, also include oral exams.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Consequences of Stress on Child Development
My foster son is a prime example of what stressors like violence do to people. He experienced a lot of violence when he was young from his mother, father, teachers, foster parents, and older children. He was beat with brooms and baseball bats by his mother, had a foster parent push him down the stairs, and had a teacher slam him to the ground and hold him there while calling him racial slurs. He had a gun pulled in his face by a stranger and has been beat up while sleeping on numerous occasions. All of these things happened before he turned 14. Because of all this violence, he has a terrible temper and as a young child was sent to counseling by his mother. It didn't help his anger issues. He was put on medication and went through anger management twice, neither helped. His only way of coping with all the violence around him was to absorb it and try to find an outlet. Unfortuantely, that outlet was by picking fights with peers and starting arguements with teachers and parents. Now that he's older, he has found some more acceptable outlets such as exercise and martial arts but still has to work to control his temper when dealing with difficult situations.
In Brazil, children face many issues. There are many Street Children (either children who work the street, children who are runaways, abused, alienated children from deprived and poverty stricken families who are unable to maintain normal family units, or children who are orphans and abandoned children who parents may have died from war, illness or simply been unable to look after the children because of their family circumstance) and most of these are expected to be killed before they are 18. On a daily basis they face hunger, military police beatings, drug addition (often glue), becoming involved in stealing, prostitution, drug running, and gunfights.
The government is trying to eradicate poverty through taxation and public works projects and has promised to reduce ecomonically inequality before Rio de Janerio hosts the 2016 Olympics. The rich in Brazil hold charity events like the Zero Hunger drive aimed at providing food. The public sector too has started addressing poverty by creating jobs in some of the poorest neighborhoods.
In Brazil, children face many issues. There are many Street Children (either children who work the street, children who are runaways, abused, alienated children from deprived and poverty stricken families who are unable to maintain normal family units, or children who are orphans and abandoned children who parents may have died from war, illness or simply been unable to look after the children because of their family circumstance) and most of these are expected to be killed before they are 18. On a daily basis they face hunger, military police beatings, drug addition (often glue), becoming involved in stealing, prostitution, drug running, and gunfights.
The government is trying to eradicate poverty through taxation and public works projects and has promised to reduce ecomonically inequality before Rio de Janerio hosts the 2016 Olympics. The rich in Brazil hold charity events like the Zero Hunger drive aimed at providing food. The public sector too has started addressing poverty by creating jobs in some of the poorest neighborhoods.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Immunizations
A very good friend of mine has three little girls that have never received vaccinations so I asked him about his decision not to immunize. He stated that he doesn’t feel it’s necessary to risk his daughters’ health by giving them vaccines. He believes that too many parents are over-medicating their children and doesn’t want his children exposed to diseases they probably would not naturally come in contact with. As he lives in the United States, this statement is probably true. Many of the diseases we are immunizing against are pretty much eradicated in the U.S. However, with intercontinental travel and commerce, they could still be exposed.
Many parts of the world are still fighting against these diseases. For example, Polio has had major breakouts in Tajikistan, Brazil and Angola in the past two years. Measles have broken out in Tanzania and Sierra Leone. In these outbreak areas, vaccinations are the best option for most of the population to control the diseases.
Back to my friend in the United States, I agree with him that his children may be better off not being immunized. Did you know that The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has paid out over $1.5 billion dollars in damages to families for injuries and deaths following a vaccine reaction? Or that every year the Food and Drug Administration receives 12,000-14,000 reports to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) of hospitalizations, injuries and deaths following vaccination? With so many reactions to vaccines, particular individuals may be saving their lives by not getting immunized. Sometimes the vaccine can even cause the disease it’s supposed to be protecting against. The live polio vaccine causes approximately 10-20 cases of polio each year. Other times the vaccine is ineffective. I personally know two young ladies who received the HPV vaccine and still ended up contracting it. It definitely makes you re-think vaccines.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Personal Birthing Experience
Because I have no children of my own, I decided to write about the birth I most anticipated, the birth of my niece Penny. I was working toward my bachelor’s degree and about to leave for class when I got the phone call that my sister-in-law was heading to the hospital. As a college student I couldn’t afford a cell phone so I headed to class not knowing what was happening. At the break, I explained to my professor that I couldn’t wait any longer and I left for the hospital.
I arrived at the hospital still in the dark about what was happening. I asked for my sister-in-law’s room number and went right there. As I opened the door, I saw my sister-in-law standing up with my brother supporting her. She said, “Go!” and I found the waiting room where my sister, mother and father as well as her sister were waiting. They told me she had been in labor for a while and was having a hard time. Soon my brother poked his head in and explained that his wife didn’t want anyone with her yet. We then waited about two more hours before he finally came back in to tell us that she had given birth to a healthy baby girl. We waited more then made our way to the nursery to see our little girl. My sister-in-law was trying to get some rest, so we left.
The following day I got a phone call that my sister-in-law was to be released from the hospital but Penny had been moved to the neo-natal ward of another hospital. Apparently Penny had inherited her mother’s skin disorder which does not allow her skin to sweat and when they put her under the heat lamps it dried out her skin so much that the skin on her neck cracked open. Because of the open wound, she had to be moved to the neo-natal unit for a few days. Having to wait to bring her home was hard on everyone, especially her parents who were the only visitors allowed to see her in the hospital. But the days went by and soon she was able to come home.
While researching childbirth delivery in other countries, I learned that most expectant moms in the Netherlands are referred to a midwife by their family doctor. The women then choose whether they want to give birth at home or in a hospital. All expectant women are required to pick up medical supplies necessary for a home birth just in case. If a woman chooses a hospital birth, the midwife will determine when it’s time to go to the hospital. Even at the hospital, epidurals are only given if it’s convenient for the anesthesiologist or if an obstetrician deems it necessary.
If a baby is born in the hospital early in the day and there are no complications, both mother and baby may go home in about two hours. Then the home care begins with nurses visiting the home for seven days to provide medical care, cleaning, cooking, and basic parenting skills.
This is very different from what I experienced with my sister-in-law first because of the option of home or hospital delivery, the possibility of a two hour hospital stay, the lack of epidural, and then the home care lasting for a week.
Because I have no children of my own, I decided to write about the birth I most anticipated, the birth of my niece Penny. I was working toward my bachelor’s degree and about to leave for class when I got the phone call that my sister-in-law was heading to the hospital. As a college student I couldn’t afford a cell phone so I headed to class not knowing what was happening. At the break, I explained to my professor that I couldn’t wait any longer and I left for the hospital.
I arrived at the hospital still in the dark about what was happening. I asked for my sister-in-law’s room number and went right there. As I opened the door, I saw my sister-in-law standing up with my brother supporting her. She said, “Go!” and I found the waiting room where my sister, mother and father as well as her sister were waiting. They told me she had been in labor for a while and was having a hard time. Soon my brother poked his head in and explained that his wife didn’t want anyone with her yet. We then waited about two more hours before he finally came back in to tell us that she had given birth to a healthy baby girl. We waited more then made our way to the nursery to see our little girl. My sister-in-law was trying to get some rest, so we left.
The following day I got a phone call that my sister-in-law was to be released from the hospital but Penny had been moved to the neo-natal ward of another hospital. Apparently Penny had inherited her mother’s skin disorder which does not allow her skin to sweat and when they put her under the heat lamps it dried out her skin so much that the skin on her neck cracked open. Because of the open wound, she had to be moved to the neo-natal unit for a few days. Having to wait to bring her home was hard on everyone, especially her parents who were the only visitors allowed to see her in the hospital. But the days went by and soon she was able to come home.
While researching childbirth delivery in other countries, I learned that most expectant moms in the Netherlands are referred to a midwife by their family doctor. The women then choose whether they want to give birth at home or in a hospital. All expectant women are required to pick up medical supplies necessary for a home birth just in case. If a woman chooses a hospital birth, the midwife will determine when it’s time to go to the hospital. Even at the hospital, epidurals are only given if it’s convenient for the anesthesiologist or if an obstetrician deems it necessary.
If a baby is born in the hospital early in the day and there are no complications, both mother and baby may go home in about two hours. Then the home care begins with nurses visiting the home for seven days to provide medical care, cleaning, cooking, and basic parenting skills.
This is very different from what I experienced with my sister-in-law first because of the option of home or hospital delivery, the possibility of a two hour hospital stay, the lack of epidural, and then the home care lasting for a week.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Ethics in Early Childhood
While reading over NAEYC's Code of Ethical Conduct, three ideals really stuck out to me personally. Two of them seem to be in conflict with one another. The first one is I-1.5-- to create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contributions. This has always been my first priority as a preschool teacher. But some years the safe and healthy setting isn't just the physical environment but also the children within the environment. If a child is hurting other children in my class, then I have not met my ethical requirement of a safe setting and the hurtful child may have to be removed. However, this may be in conflict with the second ideal that stuck with me which is I-1.8--to support the right of each child to play and learn in an including environment that meets the needs of children with or without disabilities. A child with emotional issues has the same right to play in the environment as a child without. However, I have had some children in my class that hurt others because of their emotional issues even with interventions and training in appropriate behavior. So which ideal do I promote first? If I exclude the child with emotional issues, am I violating their right or am I violating the rights of the other students if I include this child?
The third ideal that really struck me was I-2.3--to welcome all family members and encourage them to participate in the program. I feel that this has always been my strongest area when it comes to working with families. Over the years I have had grandmothers, mothers, fathers, cousins, and aunts that have participates in the program in different ways. I have always had an "open door" policy when it comes to families and have never turned a family member away.
The third ideal that really struck me was I-2.3--to welcome all family members and encourage them to participate in the program. I feel that this has always been my strongest area when it comes to working with families. Over the years I have had grandmothers, mothers, fathers, cousins, and aunts that have participates in the program in different ways. I have always had an "open door" policy when it comes to families and have never turned a family member away.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Additional Resources
New America Foundation Early Education Initiative
http://earlyed.newamerica.net/
Natural Resources: Early childhood Listserv of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
natural_resources2@listserv.unc.edu
Center for the Study of Social Policy
http://www.cssp.org/reform/strengthening-families
Course resources
Position Statements and Influential Practices
Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.
Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being
Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
Websites:
World Forum Foundation
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
World Organization for Early Childhood Education
http://www.omep-usnc.org/
Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/
Early Childhood Organizations
National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/
The Division for Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org/
Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/
WESTED
http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
Harvard Education Letter
http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
FPG Child Development Institute
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
HighScope
http://www.highscope.org/
Children's Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/
Center for Child Care Workforce
http://www.ccw.org/
Council for Exceptional Children
http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
Institute for Women's Policy Research
http://www.iwpr.org/
National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
National Child Care Association
http://www.nccanet.org/
National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/
Pre[K]Now
http://www.preknow.org/
Voices for America's Children
http://www.voices.org/
The Erikson Institute
http://www.erikson.edu/
Professional Journals
YC Young Children
Childhood
Journal of Child & Family Studies
Child Study Journal
Multicultural Education
Early Childhood Education Journal
Journal of Early Childhood Research
International Journal of Early Childhood
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
Developmental Psychology
Social Studies
Maternal & Child Health Journal
International Journal of Early Years Education
Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.
Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being
Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
Websites:
World Forum Foundation
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
World Organization for Early Childhood Education
http://www.omep-usnc.org/
Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/
Early Childhood Organizations
National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/
The Division for Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org/
Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/
WESTED
http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
Harvard Education Letter
http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
FPG Child Development Institute
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
HighScope
http://www.highscope.org/
Children's Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/
Center for Child Care Workforce
http://www.ccw.org/
Council for Exceptional Children
http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
Institute for Women's Policy Research
http://www.iwpr.org/
National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
National Child Care Association
http://www.nccanet.org/
National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/
Pre[K]Now
http://www.preknow.org/
Voices for America's Children
http://www.voices.org/
The Erikson Institute
http://www.erikson.edu/
Professional Journals
YC Young Children
Childhood
Journal of Child & Family Studies
Child Study Journal
Multicultural Education
Early Childhood Education Journal
Journal of Early Childhood Research
International Journal of Early Childhood
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
Developmental Psychology
Social Studies
Maternal & Child Health Journal
International Journal of Early Years Education
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Words of inspiration and motivation
Service
is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something
you do in your spare time.
-Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund
We do not have a money problem in America. We have a values and priorities problem.
-Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund
If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much.
-Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund
The best economic development strategy is investment in early childhood.
- Art Rolnick, senior vice president, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Every dollar spent on preschool produces a 12 percent real rate of return – a number that, in the private sector, would start a venture capital stampede.
- Art Rolnick, senior vice president, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
One little sparkle will make the difference for me.
-Raymond Hernandez, Executive Director, School of Early Childhood Education, University of Southern Caliornia
I'm not here to save the world. I'm here just to make a difference in the community that I'm working.
-Raymond Hernandez, Executive Director, School of Early Childhood Education, University of Southern Caliornia
It's not all about you. You gotta take your ego out of it and think about what's best for this child.
-Renatta M. Cooper, Program Specialist, Office of Child Care, LA County Chief Administrative Office
-Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund
We do not have a money problem in America. We have a values and priorities problem.
-Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund
If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much.
-Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund
The best economic development strategy is investment in early childhood.
- Art Rolnick, senior vice president, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Every dollar spent on preschool produces a 12 percent real rate of return – a number that, in the private sector, would start a venture capital stampede.
- Art Rolnick, senior vice president, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Personal Childhood Web
Phyllis, my mom-She was very nurturing and was always there for us-even today when I have a problem, I tend to call my mom for advice.
Paul, my dad-He worked hard to provide us with the things we needed. Today he still works hard but also finds time to help me with my own projects and/or car repair.
Lynne, my sister-She is two years older than me so she always looked out for me. We shared the same neighborhood friends growing up and played the same games. Today we still play the same games, except they are online.
My maternal grandmother Helen-She was always showing caring and concern to us. Everytime we drove from her house I remember her waving and saying, "Love you much!" When I was in my teens, I spent some time with grandma baking before the holiday. We made her famous cinnamin rolls and we didn't use a recipe (grandma had it memorized). Now that she's gone I wish I would have had her write it down.
Paul, my dad-He worked hard to provide us with the things we needed. Today he still works hard but also finds time to help me with my own projects and/or car repair.
Lynne, my sister-She is two years older than me so she always looked out for me. We shared the same neighborhood friends growing up and played the same games. Today we still play the same games, except they are online.
My maternal grandmother Helen-She was always showing caring and concern to us. Everytime we drove from her house I remember her waving and saying, "Love you much!" When I was in my teens, I spent some time with grandma baking before the holiday. We made her famous cinnamin rolls and we didn't use a recipe (grandma had it memorized). Now that she's gone I wish I would have had her write it down.
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