Developing Research Competencies

Taking the Developing Research Competencies course at Walden University has helped me develop a new respect for research that is being done in the early childhood field. Researchers have many responsibilities involved in planning and implementing research projects. They must ensure that all participants are treated fairly and understood, and they should take steps toward increasing the validity of the research study. Each part of the research process involves a lot of time and work. I never realized how many different options needed to be considered and how much time the planning alone could take.

I find myself looking at research from a whole new perspective. Previously, if I found a research study that claimed to prove something I accepted it as truth. Now, I read more about the details of the research project in order to determine the validity of the study and whether the information should be generalized to the larger population. The study of early childhood is really a science, involving professionals that ask questions and plan ways to answer questions with the support of valid research. Not an easy task!

I learned that it is of utmost importance to protect the safety and wellness of participants involved in research, especially children. Risks and benefits need to be evaluated from the start, and participants need to have a choice whether they participate. Participants should be given power to withdraw and opportunities to truly express themselves. I also learned how important the planning process is in order to ensure that the project is feasible, ethical, and transparent allowing others to duplicate and evaluate the project (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).

One challenge that I encountered during this course was in understanding the different terms and concepts about research. It was very helpful to read the discussion posts each week and I am grateful to have such smart and capable classmates. Thank you for all of your help this term!

Reference:

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood

research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York,

 NY: McGraw-Hill.

Research in Australia

I chose to explore the Early Childhood Australia website at http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/  

I was surprised to see that many of the current issues in Australia are very similar to the current issues here in the United States. Some of the current research and media releases that I saw were related to the cost of childcare, funding for childcare, quality of childcare, e-bullying, and professional development for professionals in the field. I thought it was interesting that Australia is using a similar system of “Quality Improvement Plans” as are being implemented in many states here. Professional qualifications are also in the spotlight according to the following quote:

“As you are undoubtedly aware, from 1 January 2014 the National Quality Standard (NQS) requires that anyone who wishes to be recognized as an early childhood educator must have completed or be actively working towards the minimum Certificate III in Children’s Services. For people who have been working in the sector for many years but don’t have formal qualifications this may seem daunting, others may not see the value in becoming qualified.” (Early Childhood Australia, 2014).

When I looked up information about how to obtain the Certificate III in Childcare Services it was a bit confusing because they use a different system of tracking credits than we do in America, but nevertheless it is something that requires further education even for professionals that have already been experienced from working in the field.

Another interesting topic to read about is cultural awareness. There is a focus on the website for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander involvement and cultural awareness.

Reference:

Early Childhood Australia. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/  

Research that Benefits Children and Families

"Exercise is ADHD Medication"

I recently came across a research study that found that exercise may help the brain focus on individual tasks easier. "The medical journal Pediatrics published research that found kids who took part in a regular physical activity program showed important enhancement of cognitive performance and brain function" (Hamblin, 2014). This research study helps to explain the many benefits of exercise especially for children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The more research we have for this, the more support we may have for physical activity programs in schools. In my opinion, we need more attention brought to this topic to help raise well-balanced healthy children and families. According to the article, "another study found that a 12-week exercise program improved math and reading test scores in all kids, but especially in those with signs of ADHD" (Hamblin, 2014). "A very similar study in the Journal of Attention Disorders found that just 26 minutes of daily physical activity for eight weeks significantly allayed ADHD symptoms in grade-school kids"(Hamblin, 2014).

All of this research could greatly benefit children, if schools create more daily opportunities to be physically active and exercise. Many children that are prescribed amphetamines or other ADHD medications may not need the medication or have to deal with the common side effects that the medications bring with them. What could be wrong with a little daily exercise?

Reference:

Hamblin, J. (2014). Exercise is ADHD medication. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/09/exercise-seems-to-be-beneficial-to-children/380844/

My research journey so far ...

“The issue that many beginning researchers face is not finding a topic but selecting one from all their ideas and the possible directions they might take” (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010 p. 24). I definitely found this to be true the last couple of weeks. It is difficult to come to the final decision on a topic. Furthermore, without having completed a research project like this before I am unsure how much to narrow down the research topic and what type of resources I will need available. I am worried that the time frame to complete this project is very short compared to the work that it may take. According to this week’s reading, this step of refining a research topic is pivotal, and it is better to simplify the research question too much than not enough (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010). I chose to research technology and media influence on young children. I chose this topic because I work with high school students who sometimes have a very difficult time keeping electronics put away. I think that technology has become such a big part of our daily lives it is important to understand its influence on young children. After completing the abbreviated literature review I found the following key points from reading the current research on the topic:

1) Children can learn from educational media if it is quality programming, but not infants and toddlers under the age of two.

2) It is important for children to view television in moderation rather than too much.

3) The content and quality of the screen time is of utmost importance in relation to the effects on the child.

4) More research is needed to determine how screen time effects children under the age of two.

5)It is important that screen time does not interfere with time to play, read, interact with others, etc.

6) How the child interacts with the media is an important factor to consider.

7) Adult-directed media and violence in the media have negative affects on children including slower learning and behavior problems.

If anyone has any resources on this topic, I would greatly appreciate any input. 

References:

Barr, R., Lauricella, A., Zack, E., & Calvert, S. L.  (2010). Infant and early childhood

exposure to adult-directed and child-directed television programming:

Relations with cognitive skills at age four. Merrill – Palmer Quarterly, 56(1),

 21-48. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/230106685?

Kirkorian, H. L., Wartella, E. A., & Anderson, D. R. (2008). Media and Young

Children's Learning. Future Of Children, 18(1), 39-61.

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood

research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New

 York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

National Association for the Eduaction of Young Children. (2012). Technology and

interactive media as tools in early childhood programs serving children from

birth through age 8. Retrieved from

 http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/PS_technology_WEB.pdf

Zimmerman, F. J. (2007). Early television – widespread, with uncertain

consequences for children’s development. Pediatrics for Parents, 23(7), 4-5.

Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/200482321?accountid=14872

Building Research Competencies

The next course in the Early Childhood Studies program is titled "Building Research Competencies." I am preparing to choose a topic to research and excited to learn more about researching.

Summary

Learning about child development from an international perspective throughout this course has helped me to become more culturally responsive. In order to be culturally responsive, I must keep an open mind to differences and by learning about other cultures it reinforces this behavior. It is important to learn about cultural diversity in order to understand the issues that children face today. In order  to truly be a child advocate, one must understand more about children from around the world. I found it very interesting that many parts of the world are working towards similar goals in the field of early childhood. We face different obstacles, but with having similar values and by using current research about the importance of the early years in regard to brain development and the impact of toxic stress we work together to support and protect children everywhere.

One personal goal that I have from this course is to continue to learn more about the issues that children and families face around the world today. By paying attention to the news or visiting some of the websites I learned about in this course, I can stay more up to date on current events related to the global field of early childhood.

UNESCO's "Early Childhood Care and Education" website

From exploring the UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education” webpage I learned about a few new things this week that are happening around the world in Early Childhood Education.

1- “On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170  declaring 11 October as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world”  (www. unesco.org).  I thought this was really cool and enjoyed reading about what is being done to help create equal opportunities for girls around the world.  Here is a video to watch about a project being done in Senegalese:

2- Under the Access and Equity tab, I found out about an Education for All (EFA) initiative. “Participating countries committed themselves to “expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.” Governments were particularly urged to expand equitable access to quality early childhood services underscoring the importance of instituting policy in favour of the poor” (www.unesco.org).  Education for All tries to promote early childhood education as being a part of a child’s basic or primary education. The importance of early childhood needs to be understood and valued before governments and businesses invest in it.

3- Visiting the UNESCO “Early Childhood Care and Education” website helped to remind me how important child advocacy is. It is key to making improvements and promoting equity and access to quality early childhood care and education around the world.

Reference:

United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2014).  Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Exploring the NAEYC Website

Featured on the NAEYC website this week is an article titled “10 NAEYC Program Standards and Accreditation.” This relates to the topic of Equity and Excellence in a couple of different ways. First it explains the standards that the NAEYC created to promote quality in child care programs for accreditation. “The standards define what NAEYC—the world’s largest organization of early childhood professionals—believes all early childhood programs should provide” (NAEYC, 2014). The article explains the ten standards to parents so that they better understand what a high quality child care program, preschool or kindergarten should look and feel like. The standard categories are: relationships, curriculum, teaching, assessment of child progress, health, teachers, families, community relationships, physical environment, and leadership and management (NAEYC, 2014). By educating parents on what quality should look like, parents are more likely to expect programs to meet the standards and select a program that is of higher quality.

On the position statements link, the position statements on diversity and assessing English Language Learners in the early years address the topic of equity and excellence as well. I also found a whole new section of the website specifically geared toward families by clicking on the “For Families” link at the top of the home page. NAEYC For Families webpage offers parents a variety of resources including advice from other parents on a blog, music, a newsletter to learn more information about a specific age group and more. There are a wide variety of articles written by T. Berry Brazelton, M.D. and Joshua Sparrow, M.D. that offer parents advice on many different topics including mealtime and having an only child.  Under the “Topics” tab at the top of the home page, there are even more articles on topics related to promoting your child’s development. Another page on the website allows families to search for local NAEYC accredited child care programs and offers many different articles about selecting quality child care. The NAEYC For Families web page seems to be an excellent resource to share with families.

Reference:

NAEYC For Families website. Retrieved from http://families.naeyc.org/

NAEYC. (2014). The ten NAEYC program standards. Retrieved from  http://families.naeyc.org/accredited-article/10-naeyc-program-standards#sthash.MPqzJHa9.dpuf

Global Research on Surviving Child Adversity

On the "Global Children's Initiative" website this week I read about research that is being done to understand the long-term impact of children around the world surviving adversity in childhood. The first study I read about is currently being done to learn more about children that became child soldiers in Sierra Leone during the civil war and to understand more about how that is affecting their current relationships and family situations. By learning about the impact of major adversities, researchers hope to create ways of helping and developing effective intervention strategies. "In Sierra Leone, for example, 'We’ll be able to understand the longer-term adult functioning of people who’ve been through a range of toxic stress exposures—and the impact on their intimate partners—and understand the dynamics of parenting and child-rearing where interventions might be helpful"(Lawton, 2014).

The second study that I read about is being done in Rwanda to research the affect on children in families where the parents have HIV. According to the research, many parents view the disease as a "death sentence" affecting the way they interact with their children. In turn, "their children can harbor lingering fears and misunderstandings about HIV infection—in some cases, afraid to touch their parents or eat from the same cooking pot" (Lawton, 2014). By learning about these family situations, researchers hope to help parents meet the needs of their children (Lawton, 2014).

“There are very few prevention-oriented interventions in global mental health for children,” Betancourt notes. “And doing that work earlier in a preventive model is going to be so much more cost-effective than waiting for [children] to get severely depressed and suicidal, or drop out of school. Then, you’re trying to undo those very severe sorts of consequences” (Lawton, 2014).


This article opened my eyes to some of the severe adversities and stress that children and families around the world are facing. Much of the research I read about is focused on children and families in the United States, but I think this research being done globally is very important to fully understanding child development and learning about ways to help children fro around the world.


Reference:
Lawton, M. (2014). Studying the Effects of Global Adversity, Two Generations at a Time. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/faculty_and_staff/faculty/faculty_spotlights/theresa_betancourt/

"The Common Core"

The NAEYC, remains a strong voice and guiding point for early childhood professionals to turn to for research-based knowledge and information. The NAEYC website has many topics that address current issues and trends in education. The topic of “Common Core State Standards” stood out to me this week on the website. The Common Core affects children in grades K-12 and may begin to affect what is expected to be taught at the preschool level. The Common Core is a set of national standards that has been accepted by most states. The idea is to make the standards for English Language Arts and Math consistent across the nation for each grade level and for completion of high school (NAEYC, 2012). I teach at the high school level in Oregon, which has adopted the standards beginning this school year, and the standards have been the topic of many professional development meetings. It is a change that requires much adjustment and worry for our students trying to pass a new standardized test for graduation. Are the standards too high? Are all schools provided the same resources and means to meet the standards?

The article, “The common core state standards: Caution and opportunity for early childhood education,” focuses on the impact that the Common Core may have on the early childhood field and discusses concerns of early childhood professionals. “These [unintended] consequences include concerns about the allocation of time and resources to support the content of the Common Core relative to areas not included in these standards, and about the means by which schools will assess children’s progress in meeting the standards” (NAEYC, 2012 p. 4). Will the Common Core create a large push for language arts and math to be the main focus in pre-K programs across the nation? Are the standards developmentally appropriate? “Especially critical is maintaining methods of instruction that include a range of approaches—including the use of play as well as both small- and large-group instruction—that are considered to be developmentally appropriate for young children” (NAEYC, 2012 p. 7)

Reference:

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). 2012. The Common Core State Standards: Caution and Opportunity for Early Childhood Education. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Childhood Poverty

Unfortunately, I never heard back from the international early childhood professionals that I reached out to through e-mail. So I visited the UNICEF website to read about childhood poverty. I chose to read about poverty in Mexico, because it is so close to the United States and seems to affect our country a great deal also.

Although the economy in Mexico is slightly improving, poverty is still prevalent in the country. “In 2010, 46.2% of Mexico’s residents lived in poverty – a figure that rises to 53.8% among children, who are overrepresented among the poor. Nearly 14% of Mexican children under five are stunted – a figure that is higher in rural areas and reaches nearly 33% among indigenous children” (UNICEF, 2013 p. 1).  The rural areas of Southern Mexico have the worst poverty, with higher under-five mortality rates and maternal mortality rates. Access to health care and sufficient nutrition remain a problem especially in rural areas. “Chronic malnutrition amongst children remains high: 13.6% of under-fives in 2012 (1.5 million) and 27.5% in rural and indigenous areas in the south” (UNICEF, 2013 p. 2). Another problem resulting from poverty is a child’s access to an education. Many children living in poverty in Mexico have to work instead of going to school, making it almost impossible to ever change things for their personal future (UNICEF, 2013).

Reference:

UNICEF (2013, Apr 3). Mexico: Government and UNICEF launch ground-breaking

study addressing child poverty. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/media_68584.html

UNICEF (2013). UNICEF Annual Report 2013 — Mexico. Retrieved from

http://www.unicef.org/about/annualreport/files/Mexico_COAR_2013.pdf

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Website Resource

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

http://www.naeyc.org/

The NAEYC website is an excellent resource with information about a broad range of topics related to the early childhood field. “The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children” (http://www.naeyc.org/content/about-naeyc). The NAEYC provides professional development opportunities, including a national conference for early childhood professionals and by becoming a member you can receive a periodical with research articles related to current topics and issues.

The organizations policy statements are available on their website and provide a great resource for creating your own policies and for learning about what is considered best practices on topics varying from technology to school readiness and literacy. One issue that caught my attention was the position statement on “responding to linguistic and cultural diversity”  (NAEYC, 2009).  The statement reminds early childhood professionals of the importance of maintaining the child’s home language and the value of involving parents in the program. It is a teacher’s responsibility to make sure families feel respected and valued (NAEYC, 2009). Another position statement that caught my attention was on the topic of violence in the media. The statement explained that the research shows that exposure to violence in the media has three proven negative effects on children, “children become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others; they may become more fearful of the world around them; and they may be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others” (NAEYC, 1994 p. 1). Although this information is nothing new, it is still resonates with me because of how much television most young children watch. My family watches movies at home but we do not watch T.V. and it is always surprising to me when I do watch television somewhere away from home. Even the commercials are so violent sometimes. My daughter has not been exposed to much television and is very sensitive to action and drama in movies. Most Disney movies are even too scary for her to watch. I think it is sad what some children are exposed to by television.

Resources:

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (1994). Media Violence in

 Children’s Lives: A Position Statement of the National Association for the

 Education of Young Children. Retrieved from

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSMEVI98.PDF

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2009). NAEYC: Where We

 Stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved from

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

Expanding Resources and Contacts

This week I attempted to contact a few professionals in the Early Childhood field from around the world. I used the list of professionals off of the NAEYC Global Alliance website and emailed professionals in China, Georgia, Nigeria, South Africa, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Singapore. Unfortunately, about half of the emails came back with a notice of "undeliverable." I am waiting to hear back from the others that went through, but I may have to do the alternative assignment.

I recently became a member of the National Association for Education of Young Children, but had not found the time yet to explore the resources on their website. So I am excited about this assignment. I have found many useful articles in the Young Children magazine that is sent out to all the members, and so I chose to further explore the www.naeyc.org website throughout this course. Today I logged in as a member of the organization and found access to many new resources.

My Supports

Many different supports help me through my daily life. I have a husband who helps support me and our daughter financially, emotionally and physically. Both my husband's family and my family combined offer moral support and although they don't live close by they would be available in an emergency situation. We have many friends that help us through our daily lives also, sometimes we need someone to talk to, or to babysit for a short time, or to borrow something, or to give us a ride somewhere. It is nice to have friends to call on for help and also to return the favors to later! Friends and family are the biggest supports in my life.

I teach Early Childhood Education to high school students, and I am the director of the high school's child development center. At work I have a few teachers in my department that are always available for advice and sometimes just for encouragement. When I started this job a couple years ago, co-workers were there to teach me the ropes and make sure that I had everything I needed. They were very helpful and wanted me to succeed. I still couldn't do my job today without the help of my co-workers.  Working with special needs students; I rely on the special education department for information, tools and sometimes extra staff in my classroom. In terms of classroom management, I rely on the administrative staff for support at certain times. The staff at the high school works as a team to help each other whenever we can.

I have known many families over the years that have dealt with the battle against cancer. If I were ever to face that challenge, I would rely even more on friends, family, and co-workers. I would need people at work to take over some of my responsibilities and at home I would need help caring for my family and for myself. I hope that I do not have to face the challenge of a serious illness. If I did I would need help getting to doctor's appointments and treatments. I might need help paying for the high costs of the medical bills also. It is hard to imagine all the ways something like that would impact my life but I just wouldn't be able to handle all the things I currently do. Other people would have to take over some of the responsibilities. I am lucky to have family and friends that I think would be there to help.

My Connections to Play

"Mastery is the goal. Competence is the reward. And play is the means. Play is children's work. Through toys, games, role plays, and imaginative use of equipment and materials, children develop physically, intellectually, linguistically, emotionally, and socially."

"Play is the great equalizer. It is universal, natural human pursuit."

Reference:

Rivera, M. (2009). The powerful effect of play in a child's education. Education Digest, 75(2), 50-52.

As a young child, I remember wanting to play all the time. It was a natural part of growing up, that I can't imagine living without. Through play, I developed friendships, stayed active, and learned about the world from my older siblings. Growing up in a large family, there was always someone to play with and we always had neighbors that we got together with as well. We lived out of town in the country for much of my childhood and the neighbors, my siblings, and myself explored the area on our bikes a lot. We rode trails, packed lunches, explored abandoned homes, picked berries, and more on our bikes. We talked and developed friendships while we enjoyed the outdoors together. While riding bikes we would talk to each other, making conversation and learning from each other. Other games that we enjoyed playing and did so over and over again through the years are baseball and capture the flag. We always had enough kids to break up into teams and play games that would last all day long. Playing capture the flag was exciting and involved lots of strategy, spying, and running around! 

My parents supported play by making sure that wherever we lived we had opportunities to play outdoors. Every time we moved, one of the first things my dad would do was build a play structure with swings, a slide, and a fort. They always made sure that our house was a safe place for us to live and freely play. Today my role in play is to support my daughter by interacting with her in her favorite play times. She is five and loves pretend play. She loves to play in her bedroom and loves to dance. I provide opportunities for her to play with friends and provide a safe environment for her to explore and play in. I also have to limit her time watching television. Even with how much my daughter loves to be active and play, I have found that television and electronics can be very addictive. I think it is one of the biggest changes that I have seen working with children and teenagers. The role of electronics is very powerful and changes many of their social interactions. They are not as active and many of their interactions are not face-to-face anymore. For my daughter, I hope to find a good balance between play and the media. I understand the importance of play and love to watch my daughter interact with other children and express herself through dance and play. 

I believe that play is important for all ages. Everyone needs to have personal interests and fun physical activity in their lives!

Here are a few pictures from my childhood. Bikes allowed us to explore and play structures allowed us to  develop play schemes and games easier.

Relationship Reflection

Relationships create meaning and shape everyday experiences for people of all ages. For children in particular relationships are of extreme importance. "All learning takes place in the context of relationships and is critically affected by the quality of those relationships" (Edelman, 2004 p. 1). Currently, I have many relationships that affect my daily life. When I think of healthy relationships, I think that loyalty, trust, compassion, respect, empathy, love, stability, and predictability are just a few of the things that hold them together. My husband and daughter are the most important relationships in my life right now, and they shape all of my day-to-day decisions and actions. My friends, extended family, co-workers, students and students' families are other relationships that affect my life.

Relationships are important to me because people in a relationship support each other and uplift each other. They help each other through difficult times, and they bring joy to each other in times of happiness. Relationships are not easy to maintain. Every relationship that I have ever been in takes time and effort to maintain. It takes work to make it grow, but a positive relationship is worth all the hard work. Communication and compromise have been key to maintaining my relationships.

My relationships at work and my relationships at home affect each other greatly. As much as I would like to always keep them separate, both are such a big part of my life it is impossible. My professional experience working with students, families, and co-workers has taught me patience and emotional control. I feel that it has benefitted my personal relationships at home greatly. Having positive and strong relationships at home motivates me to maintain a positive attitude at work and keep striving for improvement. I am dedicating this space on my blog to the relationships most important in my life, my husband and daughter.

Reference:

Edelman, L. (2004). A relationship-based approach to early intervention. Resources and Connections, 3(2). Retrieved fromhttp://olms.cte.jhu.edu/olms/data/resource/1144/A%20Relationship-based%20Approach%20to%20Early%20Intervention.pdf

Quotes about Child Development

“Young children are open to all senses and opportunities to explore.”

Dr. Alison Gopnik

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). Early childhood development: Studying child development: Lessons learned. Baltimore, MD: Author.

I chose this quote because childhood is an amazing and fragile time in human development. Children experience new things daily and it is important for caregivers to shape and mold those experiences.

A few of my favorite quotes from the famous Dr. Seuss book, Oh. The Places You’ll Go!:

“You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Each day is valuable in a child’s life, and I love this book for thinking about how important our youth is.

“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

I believe with a strong foundation in childhood, people can make the right choices later and get through anything.

How to assess intelligence?

Many experts in the field of education believe that people have multiple intelligences, or essentially they have strengths and weaknesses in different areas of their knowledge and abilities. According to Howard Gardner, there are nine different types of intelligences: language, math, music, spatial, body movement, social, self-understanding, nature, and existential. According to his theory, people have some ability in all nine intelligences, but are usually stronger or weaker in some areas. Understanding Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences can help educators understand a child's learning style better and adjust teaching strategies accordingly (Berger, 2012). I believe people are all smart in different ways, just like Howard Gardner explains with his theory on multiple intelligences. It is difficult for a test to measure a child's intelligence, when that intelligence is so complex.

Since 2002, with the creation of George W. Bush's "No Child Left Behind Act" standardized testing in the United States has increased drastically. The law first required each state to test students on a yearly basis. Now students are tested in multiple subjects at different times throughout their formal education, and some of the tests are beginning to have very high consequences, such as a high school student not receiving a diploma or closing down schools that aren't testing high enough (standardizedtestsprocon.org). I believe that the standardized testing required by states is too expensive and too time-consuming. It takes away from other important subjects and areas of development. It creates a lot of pressure on teachers and students to do well on the test and many students experience test anxiety or just aren't good test-takers. The best way to test a child's knowledge and abilities is to let the child's individual learning style determine how he/she should be "tested."  "According to late education researcher Gerald W. Bracey, PhD, qualities that standardized tests cannot measure include 'creativity, critical thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence, curiosity, endurance, reliability, enthusiasm, empathy, self-awareness, self-discipline. leadership, civic-mindedness, courage, compassion, resourcefulness, sense of beauty, sense of wonder, honesty, integrity'"(standardizedtestsprocon.org). If I were to hire someone for a job, I would want to know about the things that Gerald W. Bracey describes, not how high the person scored on a math or reading test. Measuring the individual progress of a child is important so that we know if the child is learning and we can provide supports when necessary, but a standardized test is not the answer.

When thinking of testing, the first country that comes to mind is China because we have compared ourselves over the years to China by using test scores of the students in China, linking this information to "quality of education." When researching the topic, I found it surprising that The Chinese Ministry of Education is working to reduce the use of standardized testing in their schools. The reform prohibits testing in the early grades and creates more limits on testing for 4th grade and up. Furthermore the test scores are not allowed to be used for a quality rating of the school. Although they are working to change education policies it will take time for the changes to occur. The public overall is in support of the reform, but many may not believe that it will change things. "After all, many similar policies had been issued before with very little effect because ultimately students still have to compete for college admissions with test scores in Gaokao or college admissions test. More importantly, test scores have been so deeply rooted as the measure of educational quality and have been used to make significant decisions in education that it is impossible for parents, teachers, schools, and government officials to accept other measures" (Strauss, 2013).

References:
Berger, K.S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6^th ed.). New York, NY: Worth 
          Publishers

ProCon.org. (2013) Standardized Tests: Is the use of standardized tests improving education in America? Retrieved from http://standardizedtests.procon.org/?print=true

Strauss, V. (2013, Oct.). China's 10 new and surprising school reform rules. Washington Post. Retrieved from www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/30/chinas-10-new-school-reform-rules-reduce-standardized-testing-homework/

Stress and Child Development

Every child has some stress in their  life, whether it's about making friends or learning a new skill. Unfortunately, sometimes children grow up with an excessive amount of stress that could hinder their lifelong development, especially if they don't have a supportive and nurturing caregiver to help them through it. According to research studies, "children exposed to traumatic or stressful events have an increased probability of developing major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity" (Berger, 2012).

When I was about ten, my family lost everything we owned, bought a motorhome and drove across the country to "start over." My parents, five brothers, three sisters, and myself packed one backpack of belongings each and said goodbye to everything familiar, not really knowing what would happen next. We ended up driving to Alaska all the way from Florida. My parents sold everything they could before we moved in order to have a little cash to get started with. Fortunately, people were kind and my dad was motivated to find work. I knew we didn't have much and things were very stressful for many years. Other people helped, neighbors and community members mainly. I didn't ask for things or complain about things, my parents were stressed enough and needed help with my younger siblings. At the age of ten, I was pretty flexible with the changes and with my family all going through the same things, I didn't feel alone.

According to the article, Poverty, Family Stress and Parenting, written by Zahid Shahab Ahmed "economic deprivation leads to depression and stress in parents and ultimately dysfunction of the family" (Shahab, 2005). In my situation, the burden of the stress fell on my parents. My father became depressed and felt like a failure. My parents started fighting a lot and things got stressful due to their struggling relationship. When I was sixteen they divorced which opened a whole bunch of other stressors and that time a lot of the burden fell on me as the oldest child living at home. According to the Family Stress Model, long-term poverty creates family stressors and leads to lasting effects on the child's health and development. Although my family never went hungry or lived on the streets, the poverty affected us in other ways.

While researching poverty in other countries, I found that children in other countries may experience very serious side-effects of poverty such as:
-malnutrition
-little or no education
-child labor
-no access to safe water
-and lack of medical care.
"In Sierra Leone, 840 women in every 100,000 die in childbirth."
"In Italy, 4 in every 100,000 die in childbirth."
"Only 17% of the women in Sierra Leone use contraceptives compared to 88% in Norway."
(www.poverties.org)

The lack of education and medical care  make it almost impossible to break free of the poverty. The children are stuck in a cycle of living day to day and going without necessities.

References:

Ahmed, Z.S. (2005) Poverty, Family Stress & Parenting. Retrieved from: 
http://www.humiliationstudies.org/documents/AhmedPovertyFamilyStressParenting.pdf

Berger, K.S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th Ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers

Poverties.org Research for social & economic development. (2013) Causes & effects of poverty on society, children & violence. Retrieved from: http://www.poverties.org/effects-of-poverty.html

"Breast is Best"

There are many advantages to breastfeeding, both for the mother and for the baby. It is free, sterile and the perfect balance of nutrients for the baby. Research shows that breastfed baby's get sick less and have lower rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease as adults. For the mother, breastfeeding lowers the chances of getting osteoporosis and breast cancer, as well as increases bonding with the baby and requires less preparation than formula (Berger, 2012).These are just a few of the benefits; the list of benefits to breastfeeding could go on and on.

Although doctors around the world recommend breastfeeding, the statistics are not that impressive. "In the United States, 75 percent of infants are breastfed at birth, 46 percent at six months (most with other food as well), and 22 percent at a year (virtually all with other food and drink)" (Berger, 2012). When researching information about the rest of the world, I found that "exclusive breastfeeding in the first four months of life varies from 1-90% depending on where the baby is born" (Osman, 2009). Many factors help determine whether a mother chooses to breastfeed, some include: "cultural beliefs, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, education, urbanization, modernization, and local feeding practices" (Osman, 2009).

A 2007 study done in Lebanon demonstrates how cultural beliefs can influence breastfeeding habits. "A study of breastfeeding prevalence in Lebanon in 2005 showed that while the initiation of breastfeeding is high, exclusive breastfeeding at one month was only 52% and declines further at four and six months. In that study, women cited insufficient milk, maternal or infant illness, the baby refusing the breast, and the baby being "old enough to stop" as the main reasons for stopping breastfeeding" (Osman, 2009). The 2007 study, created a hotline for new mothers to call with questions and concerns regarding breastfeeding. After analyzing and recording the phone calls, researchers found that the Lebanese woman had many cultural beliefs that interfering with successful breastfeeding. Many of the questions that came in to the hotline were in regards to the quality of the breast milk. Whether they could hurt the baby, depending on what foods they ate, if they were sick, or if the baby had jaundice. "Several mothers called the hotline for assistance to figure out whether their milk was "good" or "bad"" (Osman, 2009). Many concerns also revolved around producing enough milk or not producing enough and supplementing early on with formula. Some women thought that they could transfer pain from the breast milk to the baby. The study found that support from family and doctors is an integral part to establishing a healthy breastfeeding pattern for the mother and baby (Osman, 2009).

Breastfeeding is not necessarily an easy task to accomplish and maintain. From personal experience, breastfeeding can be very time consuming in the beginning to establish. It takes some practice from the mother and the baby to learn how to work together. Many questions and concerns can arise and having support from family, friends, and professionals is very important. I feel that breastfeeding is very rewarding and creates a special bond between baby and mother that I still cherish today with my own daughter. I teach early childhood education to high school students and when learning about child development, we cover information about breastfeeding in class. Every year, some of the students are uncomfortable with the idea of breastfeeding and say things like they think it is "gross." After reading about another culture, it makes me realize that they may have some beliefs about breastfeeding that are getting on the way of understanding the complete picture. I will definitely, share more from other cultures in class next year and ask more questions if a student make a negative comment. They may just have some misinformation like the some of the women in Lebanon.

References:

Berger, K.S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th Ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers

Osman, H., Wick, L., & Zein, L. (2009) Cultural beliefs that may discourage breastfeeding among Lebanese women: a qualitative analysis, International Breastfeeding Journal, 4:12, DOI:10.1186/1746-4358-4-12. Retrieved from: http://www.internationalbreastfeedingjournal.com/content/4/1/12

Week 1- The Birth of the Baby

Reflecting back on the birth of my daughter, I feel lucky the way things worked out. Everything went according to plan. My daughter was even born on her due date! My husband and I went to the hospital as contractions became more intense and about six hours later we had a little baby girl, delivered by my doctor without any complications. My husband was by my side through the entire process. I think his favorite part, besides first seeing our new baby, was helping the doctor cut the umbilical cord; he remembers how strong it was. After Ruby was born, my husband called our closest loved ones to announce the birth and share the good news. We stayed in the hospital for 24 hours to ensure recovery and a healthy start for our daughter. A few close family members and friends visited in the hospital, bearing gifts and well wishes. Family came and went for the next couple weeks to meet the new baby and help out a little. From our perspective all these events seemed like completely normal things. My husband took about a week off work, then had to return to the daily grind. I took more time to care for our new daughter and allow my body to recover from the pregnancy, but still continued on with the everyday chores and tasks. Things didn't go back to normal, but things changed for the better. We all learned new routines and learned about ways to bond with each other.

While researching another culture, I found that Chinese woman traditionally are supposed to rest for 30 days after delivery of a baby to ensure balance and good health. This resting period is referred to as the "sitting month." According to the tradition, women are not allowed to bathe or eat cold foods and drinks. Typically an older female relative comes to help for the month, and the new mother is encouraged to do very little but rest. Another tradition is that the female relative helps with the delivery process, instead of the father. During the pregnancy the woman is also advised to rest and eat nutritiously in order to have a healthy pregnancy.

I think that American woman are encouraged to take time off to rest, recover and take care of the new baby, but there are not as many rules to follow. Really woman are encouraged to go back to daily routines while including baby in those routines and adjusting to baby.  American fathers are encouraged to be a part of delivery, for example cutting the umbilical cord and remaining in the delivery room whenever possible for support. They are also encouraged to help take care of the baby and the mother after delivery.

As a professional in the early childhood field, I realize that it is important to learn about other cultures in order to understand child development from a broader perspective. We can't assume that all families that we work with share the same values, traditions and beliefs. By learning about other cultures we can understand families more clearly and learn about the reasons why people may do things a little differently than we do.

References:

Lim, L. (2011) For Chinese moms, birth means 30 days in pajamas. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2011/07/20/138536998/for-chinese-moms-birth-means-30-days-in-pajamas

New York University, (2006) Medical Chinese: Pregnancy and Child Birth. Retrieved from http://edinfo.med.nyu.edu/mc/culture/Pregnancy.html

Congratulations!

Dear Colleagues,

Congratulations on finishing the first course in the Early Childhood Studies Master's Degree Program. The accomplishment feels great, and I have enjoyed getting to know each of you through the discussions and blogs. Thank you for all your support and positive feedback!

-Mary

Ethical Responsibilities in the Early Childhood Field

The Division of Early Childhood and the National Association for the Education of Young Children have each developed a code of ethics to help guide early childhood professionals in their daily workplace attitudes and decisions. In this blog post I am going to describe three key factors from the codes of ethics that guide my daily work.

First key: the individual child's development.

The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment states, "Our paramount responsibility is to provide care and education in settings that are safe, healthy, nurturing, and responsive for each child" (NAEYC, 2005).

The Division for Early Childhood states, "We shall build relationships with individual children and families while individualizing the curricula and learning environments to facilitate young children's development and learning" (DEC, 2009).

These two statements help me stay focused in my job. It is important to remember that everything we do should revolve around what is best for each individual child's development. Each child is unique and deserves to be understood, loved and nurtured.

Second key: the importance of family.

The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment states, "Because the family and early childhood practitioner have a common interest in the child's well-being, we acknowledge a primary responsibility to bring about communication, cooperation, and collaboration between home and early childhood program in ways that enhance the child's development (NAEYC, 2005)

The Division for Early Childhood states, "We shall empower families with information and resources so that they are informed consumers of services for their children" (DEC, 2009)

Partnering with families is of vital importance in early childhood education. Learning how to connect families with resources and keep communication strong and positive between the program and the families is one of my personal goals this year. I am working to identify and partner with community resources to assist parents, especially teen parents,  in meeting the needs of the children. I am fairly new to the field and feel that I have a lot to learn, but this is an area that I am focusing on.

Third key: collaboration with co-workers.

The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment states, "Based upon our core values, our primary responsibility to colleagues is to establish and maintain settings and relationships that support productive work and meet professional needs" (NAEYC, 2005)

By majoring in Early Childhood Studies with a specialization in Administration, Management, and Leadership at Walden University, I hope to gain strong leadership skills and help create a positive workplace for my colleagues. By working together as a team, my co-workers and I can better serve children and families that we work with.

References:

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf


The Division for Early Childhood. (2009, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved April 15, 2014, from
http://www.dec-sped.org/

ECE Resource Collection

Below is a list of resources provided by Dr. Dartt, an instructor at Walden University for the Foundations in Early Childhood Studies course:

Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.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.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
• Websites:
• • World Forum Foundation
    http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP's mission.
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/
    Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.

Selected 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/
• 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/
• 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.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/

Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

• 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

Additional Resources to check out:

• Brazelton Touchpoints Center
• http://www.brazeltontouchpoints.org/
• Ooey Gooey, Inc- A Silly Name, A Serious Message
• http://www.ooeygooey.com/
• Education World, Early Childhood Activity Bank
• http://www.educationworld.com/a_earlychildhood/archives/activity.shtml
• Early Childhood News: The Professional Resource for Teachers and Parents
• http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/