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