Time Well Spent

 

 1.  What is one important thing you have learned from these 8 weeks in the Capstone Course?

 Throughout the past 8 weeks I have learned many valuable things from the assignments, Dr. Teri, but most importantly my colleagues. I learned the importance of networking and building relationships with people who have a similar passion as me. If I say I made it through these 8 weeks I would be lying. My classmates have supported me tremendously each week. I learned from them and I hope they were able to learn from me.

2.  If you could change one thing about this course, what would it be?

One thing I would like to change about this course is for us to have an actual internship where we can begin implementing our Capstone Project. Although, I know that I can begin implementing on my own, it would be great to share our progress and success with our classmates. A section of the Capstone Project could be the beginning stages of our challenge/solution and if we are able to achieve any of the goals.  

3.  What is some advice you would like to pass on to future Capstone students that will help them be successful in this course?

I would advise future students to read, read, and read. Everything you need to know is in the announcements, emails, and newsletters. If you have any questions do not be afraid to ask Dr. Teri. Also, make sure to be active in the discussion groups and check back on a regular basis. Your colleagues help you answer the questions you might have. Do not wait until the last minute to do assignments. Do them in advance so if you have any questions you will receive feedback in time. Lastly, when thinking about your challenge, choose a topic in an area you are passionate about.

4.  Something I'd like Dr. Teri to know:

Dr. Teri, I want to thank you for your support and for making this course easy and comfortable for me. I’m sure I felt nervous just like most of my classmates when this course began, but after the first two weeks I was no longer nervous. Your videos and announcements were very detailed and I can tell that you truly want us all to succeed. Thanks for being a kind, caring, and encouraging professor. It has been great ending this journey with you!

Wow! I cannot believe I have come to an end on this journey towards receiving my Master’s degree. Looking back over the course of this program, I smile because I feel accomplished. I remember how excited I was in the beginning, yet anxious and nervous. This would be my first online program and I worried that I would not do well. When I began this program I was planning my wedding and a year later I became pregnant. I almost thought of taking a break, but I wanted to challenge myself and I am glad I did. I met great people and had a great support team. This program was not difficult due to the help and support of all my awesome colleagues and professors.

I have learned so much throughout this program, but there are three learning's that meant the most to me.

1. Building Relationships. I have learned that I cannot do everything on my own. It is important to share and learn with others. Building relationships with colleagues is important and beneficial. From the beginning to the end, I felt a connection with all my classmates. You have all inspired me in a way and reminded me why I chose to take on this journey. The relationships that I made through this program, I would love to continue. This lesson has also helped me in my career to work at making better relationships with my colleagues and any one I meet with similar interests as me.

2. Never stop learning. Every week I learned something new in this program. I not only learned more about the early childhood field, but I also learned more about myself. There is something new that comes up in this field and it is important to stay on top of the changes. I learned to read and engage myself on current issues and trends in the field.

3. Passion. From our Foundations course to our Capstone Project, passion is one thing that has remained constant. It is important to be passionate about the field you are in. Having passion will motivate you to do the best in what you. Passion will also push you when it seems to be challenging and frustrating.

Long Term Goal

One long term goal I have is to travel to Nigeria and work on setting up a school for special needs children.

Dr. Teri, Thank you for being such a great professor. You have made this course go by smoothly. Your thoughtful announcements, newsletters, emails, and advice on every assignment have been very helpful. Thank you for always responding to emails on time and explaining any confusion I had. I appreciate it very much!

To my colleagues,

I am very grateful for each and every one of you for helping me complete this journey. There is absolutely no way that I could have done this one my own. I have learned so much from each of you. You all have been so kind, encouraging and supportive. Your kind words inspired me and encouraged me to not give up. I wish you all much joy and success as you continue on this journey in the early childhood field. I know that you all will be great in all your future endeavors. Once again, thank you so much for everything!

Please keep in touch:

My personal email is Dorcas.adekola@gmail.com

I also have a personal blog, which I haven’t had time to keep up with, but now I have time to resume blogging. The link is www.kemichronicles.blogspot.com 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

This week I explored international early childhood organizations. I enjoyed looking at what others are doing outside of the United States of America to make a positive change in the lives of young children.

The first organization I looked at is the World Organization for Early Childhood Education (OMEP). I was interested in OMEP because I have heard about them before and the projects they do are geared towards improving early childhood education worldwide, but also improving the overall well-being of children worldwide. OMEP was established to improve the interests and well-being of children all over the world. They also aim to advance early childhood education and care. OMEP has national committees in over 60 countries. Some of the projects they partake is supporting a preschool in Jamaica by sending books and materials, creating journal books for children in different countries, contributing to a library in Jamaica, and collaborating with UNICEF in the development of OMEP’s water, sanitation, and hygiene initiative in early childhood settings. There are currently no job opportunities, but there are opportunities to become a member.

Another international organization I am interested in is UNICEF. I always knew about UNICEF because as a child I used to collect money to help children all over the world. I did not know what they did exactly, but I knew that they were an organization that helped children. UNICEF believes in nurturing and care of all children. Their purpose is to work with other people to overcome obstacles of poverty, violence, disease, and discrimination in children. They promote girls education, and advocate for all children to be immunized. One job that interested me is the position for Child Protection Specialist. The Child Protection Specialist is responsible for for the planning, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the UNICEF MENARO Justice for Children component. Some of the skills I would need are fluency in Arabic and eight years experience in national and international levels in child protection. The position is for placement in Jordan and is a full time and long-term position.

The third international early childhood organization I am interested in is the Early Childhood Development Institute (ECDI). ECDI is a nonprofit organization that aims to promote optimal child development for children in Nigeria. This program interests me because their work is focused in Nigeria which is my home country. Some of their goals are to promote public awareness of early childhood development, provide pre professional development training for teachers, promote parent capacity to support their child’s development, and develop community resources to support early childhood.

Working internationally would be a great opportunity and learning experience for me. I have always wanted to help children on an international level. Working internationally would also allow me to learn what others are doing to make a difference in the lives of children outside the United States. 

Website Links

http://www.omep-usnc.org/

http://www.unicef.org/

http://ecdinitiative.org/

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

The early childhood field goes beyond the local and national level. There are opportunities at the national and federal level as well. I researched a few, but there are three that really interested me.

The first is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The NAEYC provides opportunities for early childhood educators to develop professionally and improve the quality of early childhood programs. They also create public awareness on issues affecting the lives of young children and their families. One thing they value is collaboration, which is important when belonging to a Community of Practice. One position they have available is to be on the Council for NAEYC Accreditation. Council members serve for a three year term and monitor the work of the NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation. They did not list any skills or prerequisites needed, however, I am certain that I would need to know and understand NAEYC’s criteria for accreditation.

I am also interested in ZERO TO THREE, National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. ZERO TO THREEE is a nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals, and policy makers knowledge on child development. They also promote the understanding of issues affecting children and their families. ZERO TO THREE interests me because their work focuses on all aspects of development of children, which is physical, social, emotional, intellectual, and language. I researched job positions available and I am interested in the Senior Program Associate position. This position is for the Early Head Start National Resource Center department. The Senior Program Associate provides training and technical support to Early Head Start programs. The Senior Program Associate will also support marketing efforts, provide administration support to Conference and Meeting teams, and work with the Senior Training Specialist. One skill that I would need for this position is knowledge in HTML4 and CSS2. I would also need to brush up my Photoshop and Illustrator skills. 

Lastly, I am interested in the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI). The NBCDI collaborates with leaders, policy makers, professionals, and parents around issues that impact African American children and their families. This organization is committed to improving the quality and life of African American children. I chose this organization because I never knew it existed, and being of African descent I am also interested in the issues concerning African American children. Currently, they have one job opportunity available for the position of President and CEO. I am not interested in this position at the moment, but I will still list the skills I would need if I were interested. To qualify for the position, I would need to have and advanced degree and 15 years experience in a leadership role. I would also need experience in resource development, experience in public policy impacting low-income children, and knowledge of historic and current issues related to child health and development, family development, and educational outcomes.

Website Links

http://www.naeyc.org/

http://www.nbcdi.org/

http://www.zerotothree.org/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The early childhood field is more than just daycare centers and preschools. Early childhood education is anything related to the care and learning of young children. Early childhood organizations can be found at the state or local level. Being new to Texas, I have been exploring roles and organizations in the early childhood field on a regular basis. There are a few organizations that I have found interest in.

The first organization is the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). DFPS works with communities in Texas to protect children, the elderly, and the disabled from abuse, neglect and exploitation. DFPS also helps protect the health and safety of children in daycare centers. They also do child care licensing and prevention and early intervention. This organization appealed to me because they do their best to protect the interests and needs of children. They do not only ensure child care centers are up to date with licensing standards, but they also ensure children in foster homes are protected. One job with DFPS that interests me is the Residential Child Care Licensing Inspector. One skill that I would need to completely fulfill this role is to have knowledge of the Texas Child Care Licensing Act, Family Code, and other laws and regulations I am not familiar with.

I am also interested in the Task Force for Children with Special Needs. The task force was established to improve the efficiency of services for children with special needs. They develop five-year plans to address the needs of children with chronic illnesses, mental illness, and developmental illnesses. They are administered by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. This organization interests me because they ensure to provide access to reliable information so they can receive the best support to meet their children’s needs.  They also provide referral and respite services for families.

The third organization I am interested in is the Texas Special Children’s Projects.  This is a charity organization serving special needs children and adults. Their mission is to enrich the lives of handicapped, disabled, and special needs individuals by providing various projects throughout the year. Some of the services they provide are activities for children in hospitals and facilities, and sponsoring field trips and special events. I was attracted to this organization because it reminded me of the autism organization I used to work for. They provide free services to all participants. They have not listed any employment opportunities, but they are always seeking volunteers.  

Website links

http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Jobs/default.asp

http://www.txspecialchildren.com/page/Services-provided-3.aspx

https://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/about_hhsc/AdvisoryCommittees/TaskForce.shtml

Passion to Action

I created a Wordle for the first time describing issues I am passionate about in the Early Childhood Field. It was my first time creating a Wordle and I had fun playing around with fonts and colors.

You can view it here or below

Hope you like it...Thanks!

Thank You

Hi Everyone,

I just would like to thank you all for taking your time to read my blogs during this course. Sharing with you all was always great and receiving feedback was always encouraging. I am glad to have shared with you all and I wish you all the best as we continue on this journey. I know you will all be great professionals in the early childhood field. Thanks again!

ADJOURNING

The closing final stage of groups can be great or not so great. Depending on who was in the group or why the group ended may determine how hard or easy it will be to say good-bye. I have been involved in various groups where I have had to say good-bye. I do think that high performing groups are hard to leave because these groups have accomplished great things together. Sometimes in high performing groups you may not want to experience any other groups for fear of low performance in another group.

One of the hardest groups for me to leave was my high school track team. I was a member of the winter and spring track teams since I was a freshman. I got very close to my teammates over four years. We trained together, cried together, lost together, won together, had lunch and dinners together and much more. To make parting easier we had a senior banquet where each senior received their final varsity letters, pins, certificates. We also shared our accomplishments over the past four years. It was a great way to end the year and say good-bye to everyone before we all went off to college.

I think I adjourning from the groups of colleagues I have formed while working on my master's degree in this program will be bitter sweet. I have learned so much from my colleagues and I will miss interacting with them in the classroom; however I know that I can still keep in touch with them after the program. I will make sure to share my email and any other contact information so that I can continue to share and learn with my colleagues. Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it is a time to reflect on accomplishments and failures (O'Hair & Weimann, 2012, pp. 257). Without adjourning there will be no closure and future groups will not know where they can improve if working on a future project.

References

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York:Bedford/St. Martin's.

Conflict Resolution

A disagreement I constantly experience at work is between my co-teacher and myself. I tend to be a neat freak and she is the complete opposite of me. I like to have the classroom set up a certain way and throughout the day I organize and clean. I put the toys and books on the appropriate shelves. However, my coworker could care less about organization. She will just put toys anywhere and it really frustrates me. I have expressed my concerns to her and she always tells me that she will try, but she does not. One day we (all colleagues) were talking about organization and I called her messy and she got really offended, I right away but she was upset with me for awhile. Learning conflict resolution strategies now might have helped me resolve the conflict in a more practical way.

One strategy that I have learned is response which is from the 3R's. I could have discussed her messiness at another time and not at a team meeting. No one asked me about anyone's organization skills but I let my frustration get the best of me. I usually keep my responses to myself but I couldn't take it. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but I did.

Another strategy that I learned is cooperative strategy. Cooperative strategies would help us think of a solution that would benefit both us. Instead of calling her messy, I could have expressed my concerns about the classroom and sat down on how we can work on keeping the classroom neat and orderly.

Communication Similarities and Differences

                                                

The communication assessments this week taught me a lot about perceptions. I learned that those close to me have very similar perceptions about the way I communicate. In terms of communication anxiety, I perceive myself the same way they perceive me. 

What surprised me the most was my result for the verbal aggressiveness test. My score was described as someone who is argumentativeness which attacks a person’s position or statements and involves personal attacks and can be hurtful to the listener. My husband and sister both perceived me not so aggressive as this way but for some reason I perceived myself as more aggressive when answering the questions. When I read the description of the results from their test I felt that their results describes me better than significance. I feel that I do maintain good balance between respect and consideration for others viewpoints. I also try my best not to attack people unless I disagree with something they may have said. 

This week I learned that sometimes our responses to people's viewpoints can affect our communication skills. If you verbally attack someone they may never want to speak to you again. Although you may get a shocking result on an assessment it does not mean that you should accept the results. The score may show a small percentage of a skill in you that can be positive and negative and it is up to you to see if you want people to perceive you that or not. 

Communication and Cultural Diversity

I often find myself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures. Most of my family and friends are Nigerian and when I am around them I find myself speaking in a Nigerian accent. I also tend to use more eye gestures and hand gestures that is very common among Nigerians. Also, I tend to not use proper English grammar when communicating with them.

At work I am surrounded by people of diverse backgrounds. I notice that I use less eye and hand gestures. I also speak more politely and with proper English. I am calmer when speaking with my colleagues, whereas at home or with family I can be louder and raise my voice if in disagreement.

Three strategies I can use to communicate more effectively with these groups:

1. I can work on not raising my voice with anyone even if they are my family. I do not like it when I get loud and neither does anyone around me.

2. Another strategy is that I can try to be more comfortable at work. I should focus more on having a positive and effective communication with my colleagues instead of how they will react if I use hand or eye gestures. Most of us are very comfortable with each other so I can try and be more comfortable when communicating.

3. One last strategy is that I can listen more and be more aware of the communication skills of others. If I am in disagreement I can listen to what others are saying before raising my voice and trying to get my point across. Raising my voice can also negatively impact my communication and may not be the communication skill of someone else. If I am the only one raising my voice then I am not communicating effectively. 

Sound Off, Sound On

Sound Off

For this assignment I watched an episode of Drop Dead Diva. There seemed to be a lot going on in the show. I can tell that there are two main characters. One is a skinny blond hair girl who seems to care about the way she looks. When the show started she was trying on a dress but from her facial expressions she wasn't sure about how she looked or fit in it and it appeared that she asked her significant other how she looks and he gave her a hug and kiss so I’m assuming he told her she looks great. She also looked as if she was interviewing to be on a show similar to Price is Right because she was studying the models. She is driving and applying makeup and also on the phone I can see her mouth moving and the Bluetooth headset in her ear when she crashes into a truck carrying oranges. Next, there is a brunette lady who is slightly obese at an office who seems to not care much about her looks.  She seems to get along with one coworker who I think is her secretary because she helped her get a few things and they seemed comfortable near each other. There is another coworker who seems to think she is better than the rest from the way she looks at them. The brunette spills coffee and walks out her office to get a napkin when she sees the rest of her colleagues hiding from a man with a gun. She seems worried but walks toward the armed man. When she walks towards him she trips over a bag and he shoots her.

They show the blonde girl in what appears to be heaven because everything and everyone is in white. She presses a return button on a computer keyboard and she disappears. Next we see the brunette girl in a hospital going through surgery; she wakes up, and looks in a mirror and from the look on her face and her mouth she seems to be screaming. I assumed that it is the blond girl in the brunette girl’s body.

Sound On

My assumptions about the characters and plot based on my observations were correct. The blonde girl was a model auditioning for the price is right. The blonde girl did care about the way she looked. The brunette girl did not care about the way she looked and she did work in a law firm. One coworker was her secretary and the other coworker did think she was better than the rest of them. They did both die and the blonde girl did end up in the brunette’s body.

I think my assumptions would have been right on target if I had been watching a show I already know because I would already know the characters. I would know what each character does, how they react when happy or sad and who they are close with. Nonetheless, even though I have never watched the show paying attention to their facial expressions helped me to understand the character’s communication and what was going on during the show. 

Competent Communicator

A person who demonstrates competent communication is my pastor. My pastor’s name is Jide Lawore. He has been a pastor for over 7 years and I always admire him when he speaks. He is a great public speaker. My pastor speaks eloquently and always annunciates his words; it is also easy to understand him whenever he speaks or preaches. When my pastor communicates, he makes eye contact and makes you feel at ease. He doesn’t speak too fast or too slow and he always offers explanations if you do not know. He is also humorous and not uptight whether he is speaking to you in private or in public.

I would definitely want to model some of my own communication behaviors after my pastor. I get shy sometimes, but my pastor always seems so comfortable when communicating. He is bold and he draws your attention when he speaks. The more I watch and hear him speak, the more I want to be just as competent as he is. 

Professional Hopes and Goals

When I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds, I hope that I can provide them with a feeling of warmth, respect and acceptance. I hope that I can be an example of what it means to be an anti-bias teacher. I hope that i can also show children and their families the beauty of diversity.

My goal in the early childhood field in regards to diversity, equity and social justice is to continually educate myself on diversity, equity and social justice issues in the field. My goal is to also promote awareness to my colleagues and other professionals in the field on these topics. I believe diversity, equity and social justice are very important topics and all early childhood educators should take courses on the subject.


This has been a very rewarding and exciting class. I do not think it would be as much fun learning if not  for my colleagues. I personally want to thank you all for educating, inspiring and sharing with me. I have learned so much on diversity, equity and social justice because of all of you. Everyone shared great anecdotes throughout the weeks which helped me to learn more about the differences and similarities we all share. Thank you all so much and good luck in all your future endeavors and much success as you continue this journey in early childhood.

Welcoming Families Around the World

Country of Origin

The name of my family’s country of origin is Brazil. Brazil is a country located in South America. I do not know much about Brazil. The setting will be an early childcare center.

Five ways I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family:

1. I will do a lot of research online and by going to the library about Brazil. I will like to learn more about the daily life in Brazil.

2. I will also try to familiarize myself with the school system in Brazil. I will find out how the early childcare system in Brazil is run. I will do this so that the child and family will have a smooth and comfortable transition.  

3. I will also try to learn some of the basic greetings from Brazil and buy a dictionary in case the family does not know English. The main language spoken in Brazil is Portuguese so I will also ask my mother’s friend who is Portuguese to teach me a few of the greetings.

4. I will also try to learn some songs from Brazil especially children’s songs so that I can teach to the rest of the class.

5. Lastly, I will decorate the classroom with greetings and pictures of Brazil to welcome the child and family to the center.

Brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family:

I hope that these preparations will welcome the new family not only to the child development center but also to America. I hope to learn much more about a country that I do not much about. These preparations will also help the other children to learn about a new culture; it will also prepare the children to not be biased or prejudiced towards the new child. It will be a great learning experience for myself and the other kids in the class. 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

A memory of an incident when I experienced bias was an event that took place at a church I attended for a conference. The church was a predominantly Nigerian church; however, the conference was for other churches with different ethnic backgrounds. When it came to lunch, they served us Nigerian food which consisted of rice and a chicken that is tough to eat. I heard a few people complaining about the food and asking why people always insist on having Nigerian food at these events. A few people even mentioned it when there was a Q&A portion that people need to understand that not everyone likes or wants to eat Nigerian food and they should make sure to cater to everyone.

The incident diminished equity because the church assumed that everyone would enjoy eating the Nigerian food. There were no other options for lunch. You either ate the rice and chicken or you would be hungry. A few people had to buy food outside when they paid a registration fee that included lunch.

The incident brought up feelings of irritation. Although I am Nigerian I do not always want to eat Nigerian food. Also, I felt the frustration of those who did not want to eat the food. I would feel that there should have been more options for lunch and all those in attendance should have been taken into consideration.

In order for this incident to turn into an opportunity for greater equity, the church which hosted the event and the food coordinators would have to change. The church must understand that not everyone who is coming to the conference will be Nigerian. Those coordinating food must also change the notion of constantly serving Nigerian food at their functions. The church as a whole must be more open-minded to outsiders coming into their church.

Practicing Awareness of Mircroaggressions

One example of a microaggression I detected this week happened this morning at a wedding I attended. It was a beautiful multicultural wedding. The groom is Cuban and the bride is African-American. We were at the reception and the party began. The DJ began to play a variety of songs from old school to new school. After about an hour the DJ began to play Spanish music. At this point, one of my friends exclaimed “Duh, of course they would play Spanish music; I’m surprised they did not play it earlier”. At first, I laughed at her statement. After awhile I actually thought what she said and realized it was not funny. I told her that just because he is Cuban may not even mean that he likes Spanish music or that Spanish music must be played at his wedding.  She told me that she did not really mean the statement and that she had not really thought about what she said. She actually apologized and we went on with the party.

                                     

This experience made me realize how often and quickly microaggressions happen. I also realized that sometimes we may not realize that our comments are stereotyping or discriminating. Many people do not think about what they say before they say it. I was reminded that sometimes when microaggressions happen they are not truly intended to hurt anyone. Society is so used to making jokes and comments about people who are not like us. The experience reminded me to think before I speak and be careful of hurting other people. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culturey

From the three people I interviewed, their definition of culture were different. However, each person described diversity as to having some variation. 

Younger Sister -Nigerian American

My definition of culture is the way a group of people share commonalities. How they perceive things, think, react/respond, and associate with themselves, others, and the world.

Diversity is when a variety is present. When different people and races are together in one area or location. It can be when you have different traditions, cultures, and ways of living are merged, combined, or together.

Older Sister-Nigerian American

Culture is a way of life that represents a person or a group. Culture does not have to be a permanent way of life, however. One can choose to embrace another culture outside if his/her cultural background.

Diversity is the product of mixing people of different cultural backgrounds. Diversity works best when the various cultures are able to appreciate the other.

Colleague -Israeli/Syrian/Irish Female

Culture to me are different ways of.living due.to traditions, the environment and sometimes religion. I think all these factors contribute to different cultures.

I think diversity is variations of different people, places and things.

From the definitions I received there were a few aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied so far. Those aspects are a person's thoughts, reactions, associations with others and the world, way of life, tradition and environment. These aspects of culture and diversity are all ways some individuals may choose to identify themselves. My younger sister defined diversity as ways of living that merged or combined. Similarly Derman-Sparks & Edwards (2010) described culture as a sense of connectedness. 

One aspect of culture that we have discussed that was omitted from the responses was family culture. Louise Derman-Sparks defines family culture as how a particular family is in the world, the rules of their behavior, the family’s beliefs, values, goals for their children and parenting (Laureate Education, 2011). None of them seemed to touch on the fact that culture also represents family. They each mentioned traditions and culture as a way of life. I believe that not understanding someone's family culture can play a role  in understanding that person's way of life and or thinking. 

Hearing my sisters and colleague's definitions of culture and diversity allowed me to take a step into their views on the topic. Their definitions coincide with my definition of culture and diversity. It was interesting to see that my sister's responses were similar. None of their answers were wrong, but each was unique. I have come to a better understanding that people do have an understanding of what culture and diversity is; none of them hesitated to give me a response. I was glad that they do have an understanding and that they were all open minded. 

References 

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children      (NAEYC). Retrieved from:             https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2F webapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2817       923_1%26url%3D

My Family Culture

Wow! If this catastrophe happened to me I would initially be devastated. To leave a place i call home to a brand new place with a culture entirely different than my own would be sad and overwhelming. Nonetheless, I would be very grateful to at least have my family with me.

The three items I would take with me would be my wedding album, wedding DVD and iPod.

I would bring my wedding album because it was a very special event with all my family and friends. I had two weddings: A Nigerian traditional wedding and a traditional church wedding and reception. The pictures will remind me of that event and some of the fun things we do in my culture. I would bring my wedding DVD because it's another reminder of the day my life changed. Hearing my family and friends and seeing their joy would always remind me of them. Seeing the Nigerian dancers would be another reminder of my culture. Lastly, i would bring my iPod because I love music! I have all types of music especially the music from my country. Listening and singing along is calming and soothing especially during rough times.

Clip from my wedding: Me & husband are in purple headties in middle

If I were told that I could only keep one item out of the three I would be very confused and upset. It would be very herd to decide which item to keep since they are all very dear to me and are filled with memories. Each item has a different meaning to me, but they all represent me. To not hear songs that I love would be sad. To not have photos and videos of recognizable people would be heartbreaking. I am not sure that I would be willing to give up two items.

It was very hard to even choose three items. I had to look around my house and there were so many things that I would want to take with me. From this exercise, I was reminded of what my family and friends mean to me. It also reminded me of my love for music. I do not go a day without listening to music. Not having my music or ability to at least see the faces of those I love would bring tears to my eyes. All these three remind me of who I am and where I come from.

When I Think of Research...

This course has taught me much about research especially in the early childhood field. From this course I have come to an understanding about the importance of research in the early childhood field. Research helps us understand past and current trends in the field. Research explains issues in the field we may have little or no understanding of. From this course I have also gained an understanding of the steps taken to design a research project. I have learned about the different types of research designs as well as different research methods.

My ideas about the nature of doing research have changed in a few ways. Before this class, I did not know how much time, thinking and planning goes into conducting research. I thought research was much simpler than I came to realize.

When it comes to planning, designing and conducting a research I learned a lot. I have learned the importance of developing a research question. I have learned different instances where you may or may not need to use random sampling when selecting participants. I have learned what it takes to make a research valid. I have also gained a better understanding on the importance of consent especially concerning research with children.

The most challenging part of this research journey was choosing a subtopic and research question. From the beginning of the course, I knew which topic I wanted to research; however, the difficulty came after selecting subtopics. My general topic was autism. I then decided to focus on different development skills in Autism. When I finally selected a subtopic I had to narrow it further down; which I decided to be cognitive skills. My next challenge came in deciding what about cognitive skills which drew me to language development and sentence formation. Once I figured this all out, I thought I had a good research question based on what I have learned. However, my research question was too basic. I changed it a few times but it was still not great. I met this challenge by taking suggestions by Dr. Dartt and re-reading how to form a research question. Dr Dartt helped me greatly with this challenge.

From this course, as an early childhood professional I will look to research, but not conduct research. I have come to understand that research is not for me. I know that it is important to know what research is being done in the early childhood field and use research when needed. However, in the future I do not plan on conducting any research projects.

Lastly, I am grateful for this experience. It was a challenge at times, but I have learned a lot especially from my peers. Thank you everyone and I wish you the best as you continue this journey in obtaining your Masters in Early Childhood Studies. 

Research Around the World

I chose to explore the Early Childhood Australia website. The link for the website is http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/. I chose this site because I do not know of any current issues or trends in Australia. I also wanted to see if there are any similarities between Australia and America. Their mission is to advocate for the rights, quality and equity in issues concerning children from birth to age 8. Early Childhood Australia is also the national umbrella organization for children’s services in Australia.

I clicked on the tab early childhood news to find current research topics in Australia. I found one article titled, “Fair, inclusive, quality education every child’s right; Early Childhood peak bodies welcome increased support for children with a disability”. This article discussed that quality early education and care is a right for all children. The article discussed how support should increase so that children with disabilities will be able to benefit from a quality education. I also explored the Every Child Magazine section of the website. I read an article on asthma and asthma management. The article was more of an information resource for families. The symptoms of asthma were discussed as well as the Emergency Asthma Management which provides directions and risk reductions for those with asthma. The article also discussed ways Australia can become more Asthma friendly.

It was very interesting exploring this website. They had a wealth of information available. They have a section called Early Learning Series. Here you can find resources to enhance learning for young children whether you are a parent or caregiver. They had so many different resources organized by topic including promoting positive behavior, confidence and coping skills, fussy eaters, sensory learning and math to name a few, there are much more topics. I clicked on the sensory learning topic to read more about it. I actually thought that the information was free so I was a little surprised to find out that you have to purchase the information on sensory learning or any other topic; however, they do provide sample chapters.

I randomly came across the Early Childhood Australia position statement on Children of Asylum Seekers. The position statement mentioned that half of the world’s refugees are children. The paper discussed that many refugee children enter Australia legally and illegally. They listed a list of principles and recommendations which should be applied to support the interests of refugee children and asylum seekers. One recommendation I liked is that these children should be allowed access to the same education that Australian children receive.   

For those who would like to stay updated with the organization they have a newsletter called the Voice which you can subscribe to for free. They also have their magazine Every Child which you can subscribe to as well but for a fee. 

Reference:

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/