As I reflect back on the last eight (seven as I write this) weeks of this course, I first want to say to all of my colleagues in this course Thank you. Thank you for responding and sharing with me both in blogging and in discussions. I hope that each of you has learned something from me as I have taken away something from each of you. As we each continue on our individual journeys in case we don't meet again in another course, I hope that we all reach our goals and achieve our dreams making a difference in the lives of the children we meet along the way.
The first thing that was really enlightening for me in this course was how some countries that I previously had thought (for example, China) were very well educated, have their struggles just as we do here in America. Quality programs are a big deal both here in America and abroad as the strive to find and keep well educated, well prepared staff is different based on location of job. If a certified teacher can become employed in a school district for a salaried position, that same certified teacher is going to be less likely to take an hourly position at a private preschool.
In addition to quality, I also reflected as I explored the various websites, on how access to early childhood education in some of the underdeveloped countries may not be as frequent as in better developed countries due to cost or barriers in the understanding of the importance of early childhood. I cannot imagine, because I have not lived it, how difficult it is in another country to educate children, even when the desire is in place. This is an even more revealing revelation for me in how fortunate we have it here in America. Yes, we have our own issues to face in early childhood but we do have programs in place and are striving to improve upon them.
Along with the quality of programs, I was also pleased through the websites to learn that with the gain in awareness for early childhood that the United States is working with other countries to develop, implement, and improve the education for early childhood. I know from the news that on a political standpoint we have such things as the United Nations where we work together, but to know that our collaborative efforts extend into the education of the children is fantastic.
What I learned about myself is that the different nationalities moving into this country are requiring a little more from the educators. I need to most definitely pursue the learning of Spanish for the area in which I live and in doing so I hope to learn more to make all children of all nationalities that I may encounter or that may enter my classroom comfortable enough, even if there is a language barrier, to learn successfully.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Part 3 Getting to Know International Contacts
As someone who did not succeed through email or podcast in establishing connection to another early childhood professional, I have again completed the alternate assignment for this week.
Although I have completed the alternate assignments, I can say that each week through exploring websites I have not previously known existed, I am learning new information and gaining in my knowledge of early childhood both here in America and abroad.
The website this week, from UNESCO's early childhood care and education page proved to be yet another site to find new information.
What I found first was the topics we have discussed during this course, 1. access and equity 2. quality 3. investment and financing 4. coordination and integration. I browsed through each of these tabs and the one thing I found was that there was a box on the right hand side with 'related inforamtion' containing articles related to each topic and involving different countries around the world. It still amazes me the number of countries that are just recently learning how valued early childhood is for the future. For example, the proposal of mandatory funding for preschool education in Brazil, was one article I found.
Secondly, I found the coordination and integration tab to be a bit confusing, maybe it was just me, but I do not fully understand what it means to split early childhood up as they were referring to. I will need to research this some more unless there is someone else who did this alternate assignment that could help better explain why? Thanks
Finally, what I did enjoy in the other two sections under the early childhood theme was that the other two areas, quality and access, stated what we have learned throughout this course. We need to insure that all of the children, even those in poor areas, have access to education and that a quality program makes the difference.
What an affirmation this week to the material we have studied, the papers written, and the collaborations we have had with each other in discussions and blogging.
Although I have completed the alternate assignments, I can say that each week through exploring websites I have not previously known existed, I am learning new information and gaining in my knowledge of early childhood both here in America and abroad.
The website this week, from UNESCO's early childhood care and education page proved to be yet another site to find new information.
What I found first was the topics we have discussed during this course, 1. access and equity 2. quality 3. investment and financing 4. coordination and integration. I browsed through each of these tabs and the one thing I found was that there was a box on the right hand side with 'related inforamtion' containing articles related to each topic and involving different countries around the world. It still amazes me the number of countries that are just recently learning how valued early childhood is for the future. For example, the proposal of mandatory funding for preschool education in Brazil, was one article I found.
Secondly, I found the coordination and integration tab to be a bit confusing, maybe it was just me, but I do not fully understand what it means to split early childhood up as they were referring to. I will need to research this some more unless there is someone else who did this alternate assignment that could help better explain why? Thanks
Finally, what I did enjoy in the other two sections under the early childhood theme was that the other two areas, quality and access, stated what we have learned throughout this course. We need to insure that all of the children, even those in poor areas, have access to education and that a quality program makes the difference.
What an affirmation this week to the material we have studied, the papers written, and the collaborations we have had with each other in discussions and blogging.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
More from Shared Web Resources
As I have viewed the www.nieer.org website more through the last few weeks, and received the newsletter via email, I have gained new information about not just the state of New Jersey (where the website is based out of) but other states as well. Through the access tab, I found articles related to the access of preschool to children in other states. I found an interesting link to an article published in Mississippi about how preschool is a key to economic development. How interesting that we were just discussing the role economics plays on early childhood or that early childhood plays on economics? Another link under the research in quality through nieer.org was an article on increasing the certifications of pre-K teachers in West Virginia. The links I found led to more information either by nieer.org itself or through other resources from other states. I am finding it interesting to explore the website and learn how similar and different the circumstances and curriculum in other states. This brings up the point of establishing standards for all states in regards to preschool. If one state is teaching math, and another is only teaching letters as a hypothetical example, how can we call that equity in programs? We can't, so I would support national standards for preschool so all states provide a more equitable preschool experience. There are additional articles in the newsletter I received a week ago about how preschool will affect economics and social development, thus affecting equity.
The website, www.nieer.org, I chose in the beginning is still proving to be a good choice for me as it is constantly updating (almost daily) what's new, links research to articles in other publications that are recent, and thus far I have been able to locate at least one article pertaining to our current topic at hand.
The website, www.nieer.org, I chose in the beginning is still proving to be a good choice for me as it is constantly updating (almost daily) what's new, links research to articles in other publications that are recent, and thus far I have been able to locate at least one article pertaining to our current topic at hand.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Getting to Know International Contacts - part 2
While I was hoping by now to have reached someone through a podcast or email, I have to no avail received contact back from anyone outside of my current class. However, through the alternate websites made available I am gaining in my knowledge of happenings in early childhood. When I looked at the 'Global Children's Initiative' by Harvard I was interested to find that there is a push to connect the United States with the rest of the world in the knowledge we have of early childhood. For example, the Global Children's Initiative is working in Brazil to enlighten them on child health and development in hopes to increase policies and investments for children. The initiative is working in Rwanda with the mental health of children affected by HIV/AIDS in some way. I cannot believe the amount of work we here in America are doing to work with other countries to insure that children in early childhood are valued and cared for more, not just here in the US but all over. Finally the initiative is looking into the effects of a crisis on children. For example, children in post-earthquake Haiti or children who are malnourished. I truly enjoyed this site, because while I value our own children here in the US, I understand that other countries may not have the tools or knowledge to place the same value on children and through the help of the Global Initiative, I believe we are helping to achieve a greater understanding and increase the value children have throughout the world.
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