6162 Final Blog Assignment

 

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for your professional and personal development:

Learning about different international organizations and exploring their websites ignited my passion within the field!  Although much attention is needed in regards to issues that impact early childhood, it is beautiful and inspiring to see that people are coming together and working hard to make positive changes for children, families and the field worldwide.

Since taking this course and reading how much of an impact that different issues have on young children and families, I find myself more engaged with the topics covered in this course than I ever have been before.  By digging into the resources I have been exposed to issues on a more in-depth level, and that cultivated my desire to learn even more.

Learning about international early childhood issues made me reflect on the issues that we have in the United States.  I thought about what is being done and how many children and families it affects worldwide.  I have a deeper understanding of the fact that most issues are not isolated, but that they affect children and families everywhere.
 

One goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations:

To continue to stay abreast of worldwide issues that impact young children, their families and the early childhood field, including seeking out and maintaining international early childhood professional relationships to use as a resource.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3 (Alternative Assignment)

http://en.unesco.org/



"UNESCO advocates for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programs that attend to health, nutrition, security and learning and which provide for children’s holistic development. It organized the first World Conference on ECCE in September 2010, which culminated in the adoption of a global action agenda for ECCE called Moscow Framework for Action and Cooperation: Harnessing the Wealth of Nations. As a follow-up to the World Conference, UNESCO works in partnership with Member States, partners and other stakeholders to encourage timely and effective implementation of the Moscow Framework so that all young children develop their potential to the fullest." (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/)

 

The fist insight from the website that I will share is a section that is located on the right hand side, opposite of the early childhood sections that are listed.  Every section (Access and Equity, Quality, Investment and Financing, Coordination and Integration) has a Related Information component that offers links to articles relating to the specific topics.  For example, while in the Investment and Financing section, I clicked on a link titled Partnership with Non-Public Actors: Singapore's Early Childhood Policy which brought me to a UNESCO policy brief. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001494/149486e.pdf    This article was very interesting, discussing how there are no public preschools or child care centers in Singapore and how children enter primary school at age seven.  It also mentioned that when child care centers became non-pubic that all families became entitled to receive subsidies that cover about thirty percent of the fees, and that additional assistance was available for lower income families.  It is stated that the subsidies that all families are entitled to for child care were intended to make it affordable, and to expand early childhood services.   

The second area I looked into was the Quality section.  It discussed the factors that go into a high quality program and the importance of teaching the whole child.  It also mentions the potential challenges of implementing a curriculum with pressures from primary formal schooling and families.  All of what is discussed in this area is very relevant to this course. In particular to this week when it discussed how diverse pre-school educators are and how proper training is an essential piece of a high quality program. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/quality/

The third insight from the website is from the Related Information component of the Quality topic section, and is a related article called The Early Childhood Workforce in Developed Countries: Basic Structures and Education. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001374/137402e.pdf  This UNESCO policy brief about the workforce in center-based early childhood services and the education of its members discusses the education of teachers (pedagogues) in other countries who work with young children.  The brief continues discussing challenges facing countries that are trying to require more education, one being that the public will have to overcome the view that early childhood workers are not “substitute mothers.”   

Sharing Web Resources III

 

 

The most recent emails from ZERO TO THREE contained the new 2015 State Baby Facts.  Fact sheets are provided for every state and they present infant and toddler data in the framework of good health, strong families, and positive early learning experiences. The goal is provide a snapshot of how babies are doing in each state, to hopefully increase investment in programs that help improve the lives of infants, toddlers, and their families.  The link brought me to the webpage where I was able to look up any State Baby Facts sheets (http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/state-community-policy/infant-and-toddler-state-fact-sheets.html).   

Naturally, I looked up California, the state in which I live in now and Massachusetts, the state that I grew up in.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t too shocked with the research and ranking of California compared to the national average because of our earlier assignment in this course.  It was then that I first learned of the population impacted by poverty and lack of supports available.  Sadly, California ranks fortieth in the well-being of children 0-18 (http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/state-community-policy/baby-facts/california-baby-facts.pdf).  I understand that many factors go into the ranking and that there is still so much that needs to be invested in with support for young children and families but I was pleased to see that Massachusetts ranked number one in the well-being of children 0-18 (http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/state-community-policy/baby-facts/massachusetts-baby-facts.pdf).  The fact sheets are very informative and useful, but I was really impressed with the Toolkit that is available (http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/state-community-policy/baby-facts/related-docs/state-baby-facts-2015-toolkit-final.pdf).  ZERO TO THREE uses the Toolkit to show you how to use the State Baby Facts and ways to support young children through additional resources, social media, email, and writing to a newspaper or submitting a press release.  They give you actual examples of what you could post on social media and letters that you only have to plug in your particular information.  On this page, you also have access to the State of Babies in 2015 and the 2012 State Baby Facts for comparison reasons.  If you follow the link to the State of Babies in 2015 it describes in detail through a sixteen page report the factors that were looked at, and provides maps to show you how the states compare to the national average.  These particular resources that I shared complement the topics in this course and provides an in-depth look at the factors that contribute to the national averages, and how each state compares.  This is definitely a resource that I will use and recommend for other professionals in the field. 

 

My Supports

When I think of the supports in my day to day life I automatically think of the people in my life, technology, and my dog.  The people in my life consist of my husband, my parents, my friends and my Navy family.  The technology would be my phone, computer, and specifically email, texting and Facetime.  I also consider my dog, Mojo, to be one of my supports. 

My husband offers me the most support, he is always ready to listen and give advice and helps me through any challenge.  He is creative and has even found ways to be supportive when we cannot be together.  Although my parents are pretty far away they are still very supportive and are only a phone call away.  We still see each other a few times a year and they love visiting in the winter to get out of the frigid New England winter, I mean, to see my husband and I.  I have a few very close friends and although we don’t get to see each other often we always are there to talk to each other or send a quick text to check-in with each other.  My husband is an Officer in the Navy so our Navy family is scattered all over the world. These are the people who, at this point in my life, have offered me the most amount of support apart from my husband.  The military is a different way of life, you move to places where you know no one and then when you get to know people one of them is certainly getting ready to move.  I would say that I have met some of the most amazing people in the military and associated with it.  The friendships are established fast, unlike any other relationships I have had.  It is as if when I meet other military families we all know that we have to make the best of the time we have now and that we are all in the same situation.

                 Technology is another support, but I can imagine that it would not be as big of a support as it is if my husband was not in the military.  When he is out to sea or deployed, technology is a big piece that keeps us connected.  When he is in an area that supports wi-fi it is amazing to see his face and be able to look at him and have a conversation.  When he is able to text me it is also wonderful to have a real time conversation with him and be able to go back and forth.  We also send cards and letters to each other but email is how we communicate most with each other.  Through these means of technology we communicate to each other and it allows us both a sense of security that we are ok.

                  Last is my dog Mojo, a wonderful little companion.  I enjoy his company all the time but I especially appreciate it when my husband is not here.  There is something comforting in having him there when I get home and when he snuggles up with me while I do school work or watch a movie.  He also keeps me active and reminds me that we have to go outside multiple times a day. 

 

                I cannot imagine any of these supports not in my life but for the sake of this assignment I will think about my life without technology.  I can only imagine that saying god-bye to my husband would be harder if we did not have access to technology.  When I talk to some of the older spouses and how they relied only on letters and maybe a phone call when their significant others were in port, I can only feel blessed about the technology that we have available.  Without technology I would worry more, maybe be emotionally distraught and most likely rely on my other supports more.  Even nowadays the ships are not guaranteed to have a functional internet connection, and the system can be down for days depending on their assignment.  I have to remind myself not to become frustrated, that I have to appreciate it and how most of the time it allows me to be connected with my husband. 

 

 

 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2 (Alternative Assignment)

 

I decided to search through podcasts within the BAM Radio Network which was developed by early childhood professionals and today is the largest education radio network in the world, offering programming from top education organizations and leaders.  I came across many podcasts, but this one in particular stood out to me because of the interconnection it had with my focus in one of this week's resources on the inequity of those who teach children.  Like some of the resources from this week, the podcast discusses how teacher turnover impacts more than just the teacher and the child. 

http://www.bamradionetwork.com/teachers-of-the-year-radio/2979-when-teachers-quit-what-happens-to-kids-schools-education-equity

 

When Teachers Quit: What Happens to Kids, Schools, Education Equity

Jonathon Crossley is the 2014 Arkansas Teacher of the Year noted for transformational improvements in student outcome averages.  He is a proud first generation college graduate who is passionate about educational equity. In this episode, Jonathan is interviewed and discusses why teachers leave the field, the impact on high poverty schools and a key factors that could get more teachers to stay.


I really appreciated Jonathan's passion about keeping highly educated teachers in schools, especially in low income districts. He describes education equity as a great civil rights issue in our generation.  He mentions some key factors that can help retain teachers and suggests that teachers have true authentic conversations with their administration about what they are interested in and have a passion for and come up with ways to integrate that in to the teacher's work.  He gives the example of a teacher having a passion for drama or the outdoors and to see how you can find ways to get that into the curriculum.  He states that it can help teachers feel more invested and satisfied with their work.  Jonathan also says that it would be in a teacher's best interest to look at and have an understanding of their state's Department of Education's equity plans.  Another recommendation is that teachers "open their classroom doors" in that they welcome help from other teachers and work together to gain new insight on how they can improve or share ideas to help each other.  He says how lack of collaboration and isolation restrict teachers and that this pushes them out of schools.  With this thought he discusses the importance of observation, observing others and having others observe us, and allowing for opportunities of teacher leadership and peer growth through constructive criticism.  He ends the podcast by stating how important it is that teachers stay well informed and educated.  He recommends the following resources that have been powerful in his career:

    

Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, in decades of research on achievement and success, has discovered a truly groundbreaking idea—the power of our mindset.

Dweck explains why it’s not just our abilities and talent that bring us success—but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset. She makes clear why praising intelligence and ability doesn’t foster self-esteem and lead to accomplishment, but may actually jeopardize success. With the right mindset, we can motivate our kids and help them to raise their grades, as well as reach our own goals—personal and professional. Dweck reveals what all great parents, teachers, CEOs, and athletes already know: how a simple idea about the brain can create a love of learning and a resilience that is the basis of great accomplishment in every area.

Bill Gates: Teachers need real feedback

https://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_teachers_need_real_feedback?language=en

Until recently, many teachers only got one word of feedback a year: “satisfactory.” And with no feedback, no coaching, there’s just no way to improve. Bill Gates suggests that even great teachers can get better with smart feedback — and lays out a program from his foundation to bring it to every classroom.

The Teaching Channel, where you can see hundreds of videos of inspiring teachers.
https://www.teachingchannel.org/?national=1

Jonathan mentions a specific teacher, Sarah Brown Wessling, and although her videos are relatable they pertain more to older children.  I searched for preschool and kindergarten resources and there are several valuable resources that I may use in the future.