When I Think of Research

The insights I have gained about research from taking this course are the facts of importance of validity, having an independent and dependent variable, and having equity in research.

My ideas have changed about the nature of doing research by me learning the steps to take for conducting research. I always thought you just went out and collected data. I didn't realize that you needed an outline or a timetable for research. This was a new idea for me.

The lesson I learned are basically as I said in the previous statement. I learned that it was important to plan an outline and design how you will gather data, how you will select participants, who will participate, etc. This was all new for me. I just thought it was an issue to research and you went out and did what you had to do to find it. The timetable thing makes sense because if you drag it on a long time, it could change results.

Some of the challenges I encountered were the aspect of remaining neutral and putting aside biases. WHen you come into a research topic, you kind of start thinking about how you feel about the subject or what your take is on it. I faced these challenges by reminding myself the research hadn;t been conducted yet so I needed to put the opinions to the back of my head and concentrate on the facts that I gather. This is easier said than done. Way easier said than done!

My perceptions of an EC professional have been modified by raising the awareness of the importance of our profession to children. It also raised awareness of the importance of our future. We have an amazing task ahead of us that requires us to be dedicated to the children of today, tomorrow as they are our future. Research is something that is really needed to ensure that we offer our children the best opprtunities possible. Research is also important to the fact that we need to offer those opportinites in the best way available.

Research Around the World

Early Childhood Australia:

* What are some of the current international research topics?

1. Play based learning

2. Is discussion relating to sexuality in Early Childhood dangerous business?

3. Researching with/for whom? Stepping in and out of practitioner research.

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

I saw something that said Long Day care. I fond out that it is basically the same as our daycare here in the United States. It is daycare for children of working families. It can also be care before and after school.


* What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?
I saw things on the site that are very similar to what we have here in the United states. They are selling scarves and different toys for children. It was neat to see that they do some of the same things we do to educate our young children. There was a whole list of books and different teaching aids available for purchase. The website was real interesting and I saved it in my favorites so I can refer to it from time to time.

Uplifting Stories

The story that came to mind of me is our Conscious Discipline that we have been studying with Becky Bailey. This is an alternative form of discipline that has been researched and it is making positive impact on children. This form of discipline puts the focus on the child and the child's feelings. One of our children was a real problem in the classroom. He was real defiant and violent. We began implementing this Conscious Discipline at the beginning of the school year. The teacher and assistant are using all the techniques and even shared them with his mom so she could implement them as well at home. This boy has made a complete turn around! This is almost the end of the school year and it has made a difference in his life. This is one positive effect that I can see from their research. I am not as involved in the Conscious Discipline as the teaching staff is, but I am eager to get more familiar with it. Has anyone ever heard of it before? Does anyone live in Florida, because I believe that is where it is based?

Research Simulation

The topic I chose is Increasing Parental Involvement. I chose this topic because I have problems getting parents involved in our Head Start classrooms. It would make such a difference in the education of the children if parents would get involved. The questions that I had to go over in my head for the assignment were so many. I did enjoy coming up with them because it made me think about what is it I really want to know? I am also interested in knowing if anyone has any ideas for increasing parental involvement not just in the classroom but at home. This would involve using methods of teaching at home and being involved in homework and school extension activities?
My questions for researching increasing parental involvement are:

1. Why are parents reluctant to get involved?
2. What are some strategies that have been successful in involving parents in the past?
3. Should we offer an incentive to entice parents to be involved?

Anyone who has suggestions or comments on these questions please feel free to comment. Also, if you know where I can find resources for answers to these questions, please leave them here for me. Thanks!

Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 3

I am having trouble with my international contact. All of a sudden I am not hearing anymore from him. I am not sure if he is extremely busy or if he is no longer there. The email hasn't bounced back so I know the address is still good. I did however meet a person Monday night at a parent workshop that was held at my son's school, (Also the school where the Head Start class I work in is located). She isn't international but she is in another state. This person I talked to had a wealth of information for me. I had printed out this assignment for the blog, so I was asking her some of the questions. She is a parent trainer, and also trains teachers and teacher assistants in the Early Childhood professions. She said the issue regarding quality childcare that they are talking about is training. Of course she is in the training field so they are most concerned about the development of staff. She said they find the primary reason programs do not train staff is because of budget. However this is so important for maintaining a high quality center.
They have several different opportunities for professionals. One of them is the CDA-Credential. The program that she works with offers that for groups and will send out professionals to oversee staff working on the credential. They also offer private trainings on a variety of topics focused on specific needs of programs.
Her professional goals are to travel, meet and train as many Early Childhood Professionals as she possibly can. She feels this is the key to transforming our childcare standards to higher quality. Her dream is to see a set of Standards put into place for all child care centers that want to be licensed. She also wants to see a system of checks and balances so that we know the centers are abiding by the standards.
I really enjoyed the chat with her that happened by chance. I don't believe in coincidences, I feel God sent her my way because he knew I would need her. I also got her card so maybe our teaching staff can be trained by her.

Sharing Web Resources

Some of the links I explored went to training events that NAEYC offers. I also saw one link that told about special projects and initiatives that were happening all over the US. The one area that I explored was Week of the Young Child which is this coming week, April 10-16, 2011. I chose this to explore because I am so excited about it! We are planning activities here at our Head Start program in recognition of the week. It gave suggestions for activities you could do and places you could share what you're doing. There were also themes you could use for your celebrations. I do not receive an e-newsletter from this site. The thing on the site that adds to equity and excellence in child care would be the trainings. They also offer a training guide to go with their journal that they mail out. These things could improve the quality of the care children receive by training the Early Childhood professionals who are members of or visit this site. The other insight I gained from exploring this website is more information about Week of the Young Child. It gave me some more ideas of things we could do next week. I also learned the theme is "Early Years are Learning Years" and the site listed some sub themes and my favorite was "Play: Where Learning Begins". I will be consulting this site more next week. Lots of good stuff!

Exploring Global Children's Initiative

I had to do the alternate assignment this week because I haven't heard from my contact in South Africa. He hasn't responded to my email this week. In looking at the website Global Children's initiative, I discovered

1. Other countries around the globe are facing the same issues we face in the United States. Such as poverty, hindering the learning process.

2. I also see that other countries have the holistic approach to child development. This is what I pulled from one part of the website.

"Much progress is needed to successfully raise the commitment to an integrated approach to early childhood health and development in global and national policy circles. A particular challenge in this area is the multidisciplinary nature of comprehensive approaches that bring together all the domains of child development."

Child Health is very important in the development of children.

3. Here is another thing that I found similar. The effect of stress on the children around the world is a growing issue as well. The following is another interesting point that I felt I should share.
"Healthy social and emotional development can be derailed in early childhood by a wide range of stressors and environmental influences interacting with genetic predispositions. Indeed, the foundations of many mental health problems that endure through adulthood are established early in life. In some cases, significant impairments in mental health that occur in young children can have serious consequences for early learning, social competence, and lifelong health."

I enjoyed being able to see training opportunities on the site. I also subscribed to the newsletter and events that are being held at Harvard.