Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Describe at least one example of a microaggression which you detected this week or remember from another time. In what context did the microaggression happen? What did you think and feel when you observed the microaggression or when you found yourself as the target of a microaggression?

The example I have is one that I was involved with but did not notice it right away.  This week I attended a meeting for a military spouse’s board that I am on.  During the meeting the treasurer informed the board that her husband had just received orders so they would be moving before the organizations 2015-16 year would be over and that we will need to find a new treasure to at least finish out the year.  Right away one of the board members said “we should see if VeeVee would like to be the treasurer, I bet she would be good at it.”  Veevee is one of the only active members who is Asian, and by the board member assuming that she would be good as the treasurer I felt like this was a racial microagression.  The board member does not know VeeVee but is assuming that she is good with numbers/math.  I did not realize this as a microaggression until later in the meeting and I did suggest another active member who might be interested in the position (the woman happened to not be Asian).  I suggested that we ask a few different people if they would be interested because we do not know any of them well enough to know if they would want the position or be good at it.  I felt upset that some of the women on the board would stereotype or make an assumption about someone we do not know.      

In what ways did your observation experiences this week affect your perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people.

This experience opened my eyes as to how often microaggressions happen and how nonchalantly they seem to be part of people’s conversations.  Even though I did not recognize it right away, I was trying to think that if I did not read about this week and was not looking for microaggressions would I have just not recognized it.  I believe that the other members did not recognize it for one of two reasons; either they, too, assume all Asians are good at math or they feel that it was actually a compliment.  I think that many people do not always recognize microaggresseions because it seems to be covered with some type of compliment.  I now know that I need to be aware of what I am saying, along with recognizing when other are using microaggressions and be willing to enlighten others as to the assumptions or stereotypes they are making.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

For this assignment I spoke with my husband and a few friends, all of which are at least in one way culturally different from myself.  I asked a few extra people just to make sure that I had at least three and then I couldn't decide which ones to select so I will include them all.

Definitions of Culture:

Culture is the culmination of ancestry, customs, traditions, practices and behaviors that dictates who we are and how we act.

So I went to sleep last night fleshing out what culture means to me and realized I was only capturing it from a personal stance as an afro-latina, and not the term itself, and my mind had a full out conversation covering the many ways culture is applied outside of my identity, such as with rape culture. In the end, for right now, culture has 2 definitions for me: 1) the rituals, language, art, and energy tied to one's historical practice of their ancestors. 2) the unspoken practice of habits tied to someone's environment, that individuals may or may not be an active participant of.

Culture is what we have been inculcated with based on the values of our families and community organizations (church, military, etc).

Culture is the common world view that associates you with a certain area/region/country or group. It shapes how you view the world and how the world see's you.

Definitions of Diversity:

 Diversity is the recognition of the collective uniqueness of people and the traits that make them unique or different from each other.

Diversity defies boundaries: diversity of age, sex, gender, thought, experience, etc

Diversity is best defined by the lack of similarity. In terms of social science, it is a dissimilar cultural basis

I believe that all the aspects that were mentioned in the definitions were discussed and studied. I realized that some aspects that were omitted are how culture even impacts our body language and parenting styles.  Reflecting on what other people’s definitions of culture and diversity are provided me with another example of how when asking people the same questions, the answers are going to be different due to their personal experiences.  Depending on what people consider as important to culture and diversity and impacts them, that is what they included in their definitions.

My Family Culture

A description of the three items and what each of these items means to you

A Cookbook- this particular cookbook was given to me by my father and was originally owned by my grandmother.  It has all of the traditional Swedish recipes that my grandmother would cook for us.  Although I was not a fan of some of the recipes, I enjoyed trying everything because I could see the joy in my grandmother’s and father’s face when we all were able to enjoy dishes together from when both of them were growing up.  Even though I do not cook from it often, it seems to be one of those things that I just cannot part with every time my husband and I are trying to consolidate for another move.

Ring- my wedding ring is one thing that I would want to take as it is a daily reminder of the best days in my life and a reminder of the important commitment that I made to the most important person in my life.  It also reminds me of the important job I have as a military spouse, even when we can’t be together I can glance at it and I am flooded with beautiful memories.

A Dala Horse- these are wooden horses originating in Sweden.  They are hand carved and brightly painted horses of all different sizes that children play with.  Although children still play with them they are often used as decorations.  I can remember my grandmother giving me Dala horses to play with when I was young and when I got older, before she passed away, she gave me two beautiful ones that have belonged in the family for years.  I have always imagined explaining what they were to my children someday and watching them play with the horses.  In some sense they remind me of how much I want to be a mother.

Your feelings if, upon arrival, you were told that you could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items you brought with you

I can only imagine that this would be devastating to be forced somewhere new and then be told to give up what few possessions you have.  The whole situation would be very emotional and I would feel as if they were also taking part of my dignity. 

Any insights you gained about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise

At first this assignment seemed very difficult to me because I like to think that material objects do not represent my family culture.  That my family culture is guided by certain beliefs and morals that run deeper than picking an item.  However, my husband was discussing this with me and asked me, what are some items that no matter where we move and it is time to consolidate and pack that I cannot part with.  This is how I thought of these three items and after reflecting on why I cannot part with these items I realized that these are the items that for me represent and celebrate my family culture.

When I Think of Research...

• What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

I have gained many new insights about research but becoming aware of research terminology has been the most helpful.  In the past I would skim over research/studies and not exactly have a clear understanding of it due to the complexity of the vocabulary.  Each week I was able to learn of a new concept and the vocabulary that went along with it, which was very helpful in being able to learn in sections.

• In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

My ideas about research have changed because I have a better understanding of the process that goes along with creating a study and the importance of showing the validity of research by many processes, including the different types of triangulation.

• What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

I am now aware of the many steps that go into planning, designing and conducting research.  I realize now how important it is to consider the rights of the participants and because the participants in this case are children, the family is also involved at a minimum of gaining consent. 

• What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

I believe that one of the most challenging weeks of the course is when we discussed ethics (Chapter 5).  I feel that this is challenging for myself and others because no one should be causing harm to a child, but in situations where a child may be dying, to what extent do you allow research to be done to try to extend their life if it may cause harm?  Another thought with ethics, if a child is put into a condition that would not be made up, for example in the story of Genie, as researchers it is important to not cause more harm to her by trying to collect data about her.  I would have to say that I learned to read more about research studies and look at each case individually evaluate if it is ethical research.

• What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

My perceptions have changed because I am able to read a study and make my own judgements on the validity of it.  I do not read research and believe it is valid, I have a process that involves researching about it.  Some of the steps I now take are that I see who the researchers are, I check to see who the participants of the study are, what methods are used, and what the researchers use to show the validity of the study.   

Research Around the World

This international early childhood organization that I selected to explore is the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA).

http://www.eecera.org/

What are some of the current international research topics?

In the most recent journal (Volume 23, Issue 3, 2015) the topics of studies/research were all somehow connected by the topics of gender.  Here is a sample of some of the article topics:

Gender balance in ECEC: why is there so little progress?

Does gender make a difference? Results from the German ‘tandem study’ on the pedagogical activity of female and male ECE workers

Behavior management strategies: beliefs and practices of male and female early childhood teachers

Doing gender and professionalism: Exploring the intersectionalities of gender and professionalization in early childhood education

Men in childcare services: From enrolment in training programs to job retention

 

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

            EECERA seeks to advance in research while still keeping roots or guided by the traditional early childhood theorists.   I learned that the European Early Childhood Education Research Journal (EECERJ) is the only European early childhood journal cited in the prestigious Social Science Citation Index (SSCI).  The SSCI is very selective and only includes “four journals with an early years' focus, and of these four, only one is produced in Europe, the EECERJ.”     

What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

            The “Most Read Articles” and the “Most Cited Articles” sections are of interest to me, on topics that colleagues have picked for their research simulation and topics that relate to the Walden courses I have taken thus far.  I recommend checking the sections out.  I feel overall that the website is user friendly, it is easy to explore the journal issues.  You are able to explore the journal issues and see all of the article titles and their abstracts.  However, unless you are a member you only have limited access to see the full articles listed as “free access.”

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Imagine that you possess the means and the knowledge to conduct research studies about any topic in the early childhood field. Imagine further that you are not restricted by the reality of the present. What topic would you choose?

If I had the power to conduct any research study it would be on the quality of food within the United States and how it affects the learning, behavior and quality of life of children.  Research in this area has become popular recently, but I would do a long term, large scale study.  I would look at thousands of children across all demographics, their diets, behaviors and quality of life.  After that year long period of study, every child (except a control group) would be provided a healthy, non-genetically modified diet for a year.  A researcher team and I would then reevaluate each child’s behavior and quality of life at the end of the year.  This process would also require that the families actively participate and provide feedback.  I would want a very knowledgeable team to conduct the study, and this would include working directly with Robyn O’Brien who has been called food’s “Erin Brockovich.”  She is working to shed light on how the changing landscape of food and health are impacting the food industry and our economy.

Imagine that your study will make a major positive contribution to the well-being of children and/or their families.  What can you imagine the positive contribution(s) would be?

I can imagine that my study would show that children will become better behaved, they will be more attentive at school, obese children will lose weight, children will be healthier and their quality of life will improve. 

I would hope that this information would be important to politicians and the FDA, and that it would be enough to show the importance of removing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) from our food sources within the United States.  .

Finally, I would hope that it would encourage families to start taking steps towards eating a less processed diet.

 

 

 

 

http://robynobrien.com/

http://robynobrien.com/robyn-obrien-tedx/

My Personal Research Journey

My research topic is Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom

The three subtopics are:

1. Benefits of technology within preschool and kindergarten aged classrooms.
2. Barriers to incorporating technology into preschool and kindergarten aged classrooms.
3. How technological tools can support a learner-centered and play-oriented early childhood curriculum as well as teacher directed group learning.

The subtopic that I selected to focus on is the benefit of utilizing technology in the early childhood classroom.  However, I feel that in order to research and provide comprehensive information on this subtopic I also need to include some elements of my second subtopic, the barriers commonly faced with technology integration in the early childhood classroom.

I chose this topic because I feel like it is a current hot issue.  Within my preschool classroom I utilize different types of technology but do not have any actual computers for the children use.  On a daily basis I have access to a camera, video recorder, ELMO projector, Bluetooth speakers and overhead projector.  I carefully integrate all of these forms of technology to enhance the lessons or teachable moments I have with the children.  I use interactive stories with the children that feature them as the characters in the books.  I record plays and the children watch them afterwards.  By the end of the school year, they are directing the plays with very little guidance.  Both the books and plays are projected from my laptop to the projector.  I use the ELMO projector for items that we find outside that we want to project on the big screen so we can all look at and discuss together.  During free choice, the children also enjoy writing something or drawing a picture to show their friends on the big screen, which is another useful function I have found with the ELMO projector.  Parents are required to volunteer throughout the year and technology makes it possible for parents who can not get time off from work or who are deployed.  I have been able to record a parent reading a book after school or have had a deployed parent email me a video of them reading a story.  I am able to project that onto the large screen and the children are able to have their parent read a story to the class.    

One way I have used a short clip to enhance a lesson about apples was to show the children a short one to two minute clip of children going to an apple orchard and picking apples off of a tree.  We talked about what they saw.  They noticed that some of the children needed help to reach the apples, and that the children had to pull the apple or twist it to get it off the tree.  This did not replace any part of the lesson, it helped to enhance it.  The children still listened to and comprehended a story about apples, felt and tasted apples and cooked with them.  The short clip allowed the children to see an apple orchard, notice the apples on the trees and how the children harvested them.  The children also noticed the faces that the children made when they bit into the apples and we guessed from their facial expressions whether the apples were sweet or tart.   

This is only a small sample of the ways that I have successfully integrated technology into my classroom.  I am also aware of the frustrations, barriers and lack of support for ordering classroom electronics and technology that early childhood educator’s face.  I am very fortunate to work at a school where the principal provides me access to these materials along with the required support and budget.  I am one of the few preschool classrooms in my district to have made significant advancements in classroom technology integration, and I try to embrace and appreciate that privilege. 

I am curious to hear if any of my classmates have access to classroom electronics or other technologies that have helped with their teaching.  If so, what and what is an example of how you use it?