When I think of Research.....

Week 8 Blog Assignment: When I Think of Research...

 

            

     From this course, I have gained the insight that “Researchers must understand and address ethical issues that arise in research, including the need to protect the interests and ongoing welfare of research participants” (Naughton, Rolfe, & Blatchford, 2010, p. 4).  From the outside looking in, I would not have thought past getting participants in a study.  I now know that protecting the rights and confidentiality of the participants of a study is important. 

     My ideas about research have changed because I really thought research was beyond me.  When I pictured a scientist researching a topic, I expected to observe an older individual who worked in laboratory wearing a white coat who only had knowledge of his experiment.  This course has definitely changed my mind about researchers.  It has taught me that I can research topics with the proper training.  From this course, I will bring “non-judgmental questions and responses.”  It is important that a researcher or interviewer do not show emotions when related to particular responses by participants in a study.  I have been told that I wear my emotions on my face.  I have a lot of “Wow” moments. I have learned that to be effective I should practice direct observation rather than indirectly. 

     Some of the challenges I encountered during this semester was always that I wish I had more time to research topics and to work on my assignments.  This course proved to me to be fast paced because I did not know anything about research, therefore, whatever I was expected to do, I really had to research before I began my assignments.    Even with that aspect, I enjoyed the challenge.    

 To my colleagues, this semester has been a grand one! I appreciate your comments in my blogs and discussions.  At times, I thought I was going to give up but I didn’t because, in the back of my mind I could feel your support.  This semester has been a trying one for me.  I had to take a medical leave of absence from my job due to personal issues.  At that point, I really wanted to throw in the towel but I can honestly say, sitting at this computer and working on my Walden assignments gave me the relief and therapy that I needed to continue.  As we embark upon this festive season, please take note to enjoy the simple things in life that you have a reason to be thankful for.  The rising of the sun, the laughter of your children, peace of mind, and hope that tomorrow will be a brighter day.  Peace on Earth and Good will toward men!

Reference

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Research Around the World

     Before this course, I did not realize that research among children internationally was such a hot topic.  I researched http://www.eecera.org/journal.  This European Early Childhood Education Research Association was composed of simply research journals.  I was able to locate several interesting articles about children and research.   “Introducing children’s perspectives and participation in research” was the first article I was lead to. This topic interested me because of our Week 5 Discussion.  Question one part B, “What should researchers know about children in general, child development, and/or children’s families before collecting data from children through interviews and/or through observation?  Focusing on the section and answering the question that researchers should know that listening to children in research is essential.   The author of this article expressed, “The underlying philosophy of each article is that all young children have the competence to engage in research as sophisticated thinkers and communicators and that the inclusion of children’s views are pivotal if we are to understand their life worlds” (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/1350293X.2011.597962). I think this is an particularly important fact that researchers should know about children.  “The view of children as citizens relates also to a new image of the child as a competent participant in research” was stated by the authors of the course text (Naughton, Rolfe, & Blatchford, 2010). It appears to me that it is evident, if one wants to collect information about children; children should be allowed to contribute in the research. 

     From exploring this website, I learned that the European Early Childhood Educators Researcher Association (EECHERA) has a Special Interest Group (SIG).  This group consists of a system of a group of researchers from dissimilar institutions disciplines and countries who desire to join forces around a specific theme or issue in early childhood education and care.

 The aims of SIGS are:

• “to generate critical reflection on that theme or issue;

• to encourage the emergence of cross-national perspectives;

• to support innovative and reflexive research on current ECEC issues and themes through international collaboration.” (http://www.eecera.org/documents/pdf/sigs/sigFaqs.pdf)

     From this site, I noted that some of the back issues were free to download whereas more current journal issues were available to purchase.  I found issues online dating back to 1993. I was not sure of how or why some issues were free while others were not.  On this site, the authors contend that this organization holds the largest early childhood research conference in Europe.

Reference

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/1350293X.2011.597962

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

http://www.eecera.org/documents/pdf/sigs/sigFaqs.pdf

Research that Benefit Children and Families

Option 2:

   If I were able to research a topic that would benefit young children and their families, the topic would be “Predictors of Behavior Problems.” This subject became exceedingly personal to me in my early years of teaching.  I taught a group of students who were labeled “Behavior Disorders--BD.” The toughest job, I ever had.  The class was comprised of nine boys ranging from five years to twelve years old.  All students had an initial exceptionality diagnosis of Development Delays. Fights galore, attempting to jump out of the window, hiding in tree branches and removing clothes were just a few of the obstacles that my para and I faced on a daily basis. Those boys were out of control! I had not experienced this type of student.  I sought advice from my mentor who advised me to “Pray.” I was looking of a way out, so I gratefully received her advice.  It helped because I made social skill primary then academics.  That was in the days when teachers were able to do what was best for their students. 

     As I researched this topic, I came across an article that had a direct link noted in the title. “Early Predictors of Behavior Problems: Two Years after Early Intervention” which spoke the sentiments of what I was thinking.  The author listed three common findings linking difficult behaviors to primary years:  “The first was reported that as early as age 3, chal­lenging behaviors were associated with certain syndromes and conditions. The second found that children who are delayed in their development have difficulties in the self-regulatory skills necessary to maintain appropriate behavior. The third said family factors have been associated with challeng­ing behaviors exhibited by children.” (Darcy, 2009, p. 4)

     I would spend my time delivering evidence that these really are the causes of behavior difficulties/problems in young children.  I think that if these options can be further supported, I would be able to present my research-based evidence to the Department of Education so that my team and I could restructure Early Childhood Education in the United States in that we would allocate more money to partnerships with families of young children.  I believe that a child who can learn basic social skills and academics would be less of a burden to our society in the future. 

 

Reference

Darcy, B. M., & Penny Hauser-Cram. (2009). Early predictors of behavior problems. Journal of Early Intervention, 32(1), 3-16. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1053815109349113

 

My Personal Research Journey!

Colleagues,

     I have chosen to research Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) because I am a special education teacher of children with significant disabilities.  For the previous school year, I had a total of eight students with multiple exceptionalities that were grouped together.  My class was quite diverse in that, some of the students were able to move about the campus unassisted while others had to be escorted from time they entered the campus until it was time for their departure.

     In particular, I had four students who were diagnosed ASD.  For the purpose of this class, I will refer to them as Alley, Balley, Caley and Daley. Alley was on the low end of the spectrum, she was a non-verbal third grader who was suspected to be on the pre-k level.  I was challenged to teach her “on-grade level” needless to say she didn’t get very far.  The only thing she wanted to do was search for music on the internet while chewing any wiring within her reach. She was aggressive and would often throw objects when she couldn’t get what she wanted.  Balley, a sixth-grader, on the other hand was also non-verbal, hated computers/electronics and was stimulated by turning pages of a magazine or book. He could write his first name but often complied with writing tasks while yelling and laughing.  Caley, a third grader, was also non-verbal all she wanted to do was clean up.  I often lost papers because she would put paper into a pile and move it to some unknown location.  Dally, a fifth grade student was able to maneuver about the campus without assistance.  He moved extremely slowly. By the end of the school year, he was able to complete 1^st grade work without assistance.  He would create toys from paper with precision.  Imagine trying to teach these students in one setting with disabilities as diverse as the ones I have mentioned. Four students diagnosed with Autism, four completely different challenges.  The task for me was extremely challenging but of the students enrolled in this class, I absolutely loved working with the Autistic children—no matter what their challenge.

     On a more personal note, I am adopting a set of twin boys who were abandoned by their drug addicted mother since birth. At about one year old, I noticed that one of the boys was not reaching developmental milestones.  I spoke with the pediatrician who explained to me that it was probably because he received more illegal drugs during gestation.  He recommended I watch him closely and take advantages of the services he had set up.  I took his advice but nothing changed with him.  After he had received the prescribed services from Early Steps, his case was turned over to the local special education department in our school district.  He was serviced by a team of special providers, a special education teacher, a speech therapist, an occupational therapist and an adaptive physical education teacher.  During this time he was also diagnosed by a neurologist as “Autistic Spectrum Disorder.” I am convinced to provide the best quality of care to my child; I need to be abreast of any research in the area of ASD.  In conclusion, these are some of the reasons I have chosen to research this topic.

RESEARCH, AM I READY?

Research, am I ready?  Of all of the courses taken at Walden U, this is the course that has challenged my thinking since I noticed it on my list of courses to take for the Master's Program.  Before I started this program, I challenged myself to excel at whatever I am faced with to earn this degree.  The time has now come for me to accept the challenge.  I am ready, are you? Let's take this part of the journey together and help each other by being supportive to one another.  Good Luck and Happy learning!

Final Blog for EDUC 6162

     According to my International contact, Tamalin Harper, who says “The South African constitution, through the Bill of Rights, makes provision for children’s socio-economic rights, including the right to basic education and protection from neglect, abuse and exploitation. However, South Africa still has a long way to go to effectively meet the needs of the majority of children.” “More than half of South Africa’s children live in severe poverty, which jeopardises the realisation of their rights as contained in the South African Constitution” (Du Plessis & Conley, 2007). The government assists families when they are too poor to afford education and their basic needs.  Sometimes this is achieved through subsidies and/or grants. Research has shown that grants have contributed towards food, education as well as basic goods and services for millions of children across the country (Kibbel, 2010).  Mrs. Harper says “Some of the prominent challenges and obstacles facing ECD facilities include absence of learning materials and resources, especially within the classroom setting, minimal funding, lack of qualified teachers, inadequate security for children whilst at the ECD facility, as well as poor toilet amenities.”   She also expresses “Despite of the government’s efforts to alleviate hunger and food insecurities,” the challenge still remains.  According to Mrs. Harper’s sources, “Hunger is highest among Black African children with 17% of the total Black African child population living in households that reported child hunger compared to 13% of Coloured children, 2% Indian and only 1% of White children.” These statistics raise a red flag to me as a professional because children are merely products of adults.  Personally, I feel as though no matter what country one resides, they need to be taught to responsibly use birth control methods to reduce the preceding statistics.   Additionally, in 2009 in South Africa, 7 million children lived in households that did not have direct access to clean drinking water, and there had been very little improvement in children’s access to water between 2002 and 2009” (Kibbel, 2010, p. 102). Mrs. Harper gave me great information about the state of the Early Childhood Sector (ECS) in South Africa and I appreciate her willingness to take the time to cooperate and assist me/us in learning about ECS in her country. 

     From learning with my international contact, I realize that early childhood educators all over the world have a need for qualified instructional personnel in this field.  It is disheartening to me that even though very young children need a solid educational foundation to build on all other academic successes, there is a great demand for qualified persons to meet these needs.  I would like to pose this to my classmates.  If you know someone who loves young children and are perhaps willing to study early childhood education, please persuade them to do so.  We need them more now than ever. 

     It has been a wonderful eight week journey with you –Dr. Longo and colleagues.  I appreciate your willingness to learn, explore, support and research the many Issues and Trends in Early Childhood education.  My favorite part of the class was to view the clip of the Gonzales family because it allowed me to view immigrants from another perspective.   

References

Kibbel, M., Lake, L., Pendlebury, S. & Smith, C. (eds). (2010) South African Child Gauge 2009/2010. Cape Town: Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town.

Du Plessis, P. & Conley, L. (2007) ‘Children and poverty in south africa: The right to social security’ Educational Research and Review, 2 (4): 49-59.

Getting To Know Your International Contact Part 3

Professional goals, hopes, dreams and challenges of Tamalin Harper of South Africa

·         As a professional what are your future plans?

I am coming to the end of my working career soon. I want to continue as long as possible to plough back years of experience, knowledge and skills into a new generation of educators

·         What would you like to see cultivated in the early childhood development sector?

I would like to see professionalism from those working with children and then recognition of that by all those who regard this as child-minding.

·         How can or how will you influence positive change in the ECD sector?

                I lecture and do on-site mentoring and assessment.

·         How will you make the change?

             Passion, conversation and good practice to emulate.

·         Have you seen any changes as a result of your efforts?

              Not as much as I would like – but yes.

·         What have been your challenges in the ECD sector?

Convincing even well-educated persons of the foundational value of ECD and the life skill s that are built through this work

Lack of willingness to make or collect resources if necessary to ensure a good programme of activities for children

Lack of commitment in those who have been fortunate enough to be trained – often at no cost to themselves.

·         What would you like to see in the future for the ECD sector?

    

               A system that recognizes experience and skills without necessarily a paper qualification

              Understanding of the value of play as a methodology and therefor slower move to more formal  methods or requirement for young learners.

·         On a more personal note, what encouraged you to go into the field of ECD?

       Having my own children and seeing the hunger for knowledge and speedy progress very young children make in a suitable environment.

Sharing Web Resources Week 6

Sharing Internet Resources

http://www.pewstates.org/

The link I chose to explore in the PEWS site was this one which referenced home visiting.

http://www.pewstates.org/projects/home-visiting-campaign-328065

Why home visits? The review expressed that some of the most costly social problems are rooted in early childhood.  The article notes home visits for the first three years of life (a critical developmental period) leads to fewer children in social welfare, mental health, and juvenile corrections systems, with considerable cost savings for states. My twins were provided with services from the state, “Early Steps” which helped me tremendously with obtaining services for my children.  They received a program coordinator, special instructor, occupational and physical therapists, adapted physical education teacher and a vision therapist. With the help of God, friends and these services, my children received services that would not have known about.  Home visits are valuable asset to children and families.

Please view this video clip of a home visit.

http://www.pewstates.org/news-room/press-releases/watch-a-home-visit-85899379777

Next, I was lead to this link.

http://www.pewstates.org/news-room/press-releases/michigan-creates-data-driven-standards-for-home-visiting-85899409215

This link shares how Michigan mandates that home visiting programs track and measure outcomes such as fewer preterm births, reduction in child abuse, improved family self-sufficiency and increased school readiness. Also, the law ensures that the state’s investment in home visiting goes to proven, effective programs.

From that link, I was lead to
http://www.pewstates.org/research/reports/medicaid-financing-of-early-childhood-home-visiting-programs-85899401369

This site recognizes a variety of funding streams that support home visiting programs.  Then says Medicaid has the ability to reach so many recipients who are at risk can finance home visiting services for eligible mothers and children at risk.  I though this report was quite interesting because it would provide services needed for families to thrive.  I pictured home visiting as a professional telling the family what to do but from my experiences and what I have viewed in this report, the professionals demonstrate to the parent healthy parenting skills.  It also states that within Medicaid services are various mechanisms that are available to support home visiting programs.

By scaffolding through this site, I have become familiar with different views of home visiting.  I have gained information on the funding aspect, professional aspect and a recipient’s aspect.  I learned that home visiting is a popular means to help get families on track of raising their families.  Also, people who receive home visits obtain help with other aspects of their life, like education and job searches.  Good site for early childhood educators to visit!

FYI

FYI from Tamalin from South Africa

These are some things she thought I should know about South Africa:

Economic environment

Working in communities that live in circumstances of extreme poverty is a constant challenge. The families we work with have serious and persistent concerns about food, clothes, shelter and other expenses related to daily life. Quite often, the last worry on their minds is whether they should send their children to an ECD centre, how many books they should be reading with their child and which education activities are more stimulating.  These are also the families that are unlikely to be able to afford to send their children to an ECD centre or purchase educational equipment such as books, puzzles and blocks.

We always aim to plan our programmes and workshops with these families (and their needs, concerns and struggles) in mind. We use incentives, such as food parcels, to attract participants to workshops; budget for stipends, so that we can offer a financial incentive to parents travelling to our programme events and turn learning into a fun activity, so that families make the time to learn together, and enjoy it.

Poverty: Literacy, numeracy and lifeskills

Some young children grow up in environments and circumstances where parents are able to devote considerable time to their early education needs. In these homes books, magazines and newspapers are readily available and are read to children. Counting games and pre-numeracy activities take place which encourage the development of numeracy. But, for families affected by poverty, the situation is very different. With little time and few (if any) resources these parents are not able to provide the optimal environment for the development of literacy, numeracy and life skills.

Additional information (consequences of poverty and economic return on investing in ECD)

Young children in South Africa grow up in circumstances of extreme poverty. This is the case both in urban settlements and rural areas. This poverty has many consequences; the most immediate being illness, stunted growth, lagging cognitive development, poor nutrition and general lethargy. These children enter grade 1 poorly prepared for schooling and as a result they fail and drop out of the education system never to return. The effect is seen at matric level where only 35% of all children starting grade 1 make it through twelve years of schooling.

One way of overcoming these effects of poverty is to provide good quality early childhood development (ECD) programmes for young children with support to their families.

International research, corroborated by research in South Africa, shows that a good quality preschool experience has many positive effects on young children. Children who attend a quality preschool programme:

·                Do better at formal school

·                Are less likely to get involved in crime

·                Are more likely to be employed

·                Are less likely to need costly remedial education

·                and for girls, are less likely to become pregnant whilst a teenager.

Quality early childhood development programmes are a means of eradicating poverty. By providing a range of services at early childhood development centres and by providing ECD stakeholders with information on early childhood development we can significantly improve the quality and quantity of early childhood development and education for young children in South Africa.

Many children are extraordinarily disadvantaged in South Africa. Research in South Africa and internationally indicates that the early years are critical for development. The research shows that quality early childhood development learning and care leads to higher levels of physical, cognitive and emotional wellbeing and better rates of lifetime learning and productivity. The early years have been recognised as the ideal phase for the passing of values that are important for the building of a peaceful, prosperous and democratic society. Early and appropriate provisioning and interventions for children at risk can often reverse the effects of deprivation and make it possible for children to grow and develop to their full potential, thus reducing the need for remedial services to address the developmental lag and social problems later in life.

As a country, South Africa needs a much greater investment in education at the level that produces the greatest social and economic return - the early years – and reaps the benefits all the way through the education system.

Week 4 Sharing Resources

What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

1. For this week’s Blog Assignment, I chose to visit http://www.pewstates.org/. I reviewed the research and analysis section of the website. One article I chose to read is entitled “Using Pre-K Advance Education Reform Opportunities for State Advisory Councils” (http://www.pewstates.org/research/reports/using-pre-k-to-advance-education-reform-85899378028) because I am interested in what councils say about closing achievement gaps and improving school performance.   The article verified that high quality pre-k programs have a vital role in improving student outcomes and will be stronger if states connect policies between pre –K and early elementary grades.  Some states have already have jumped on the bandwagon utilizing funds from the Early Learning Challenge.

Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

2. a. PEW reports that nearly 51 million people are not registered to vote. That is amazing to me because I value my right to vote.  PEW says that is 1 in 4 people are not registered. (The reason, I enjoy this website is because it has a variety of information, it is like reading the newspaper not like viewing a website that covers only one central topic.) 

b. I viewed what looked like a chart with printed statistics called an infographic. This infographic displayed information on the topic Child Abuse.   In a brief moment I was thrust into statistics about what age abuse takes place and how an alternative call home visiting program can diminish these stats. This was more powerful that any 10 page report I have ever read on the topic.

http://www.pewstates.org/research/data-visualizations/child-abuse-prevention-month-infographic-85899376583     

What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

3. In this letter to the editor, “Money Spent on Early Childhood Education Would Be a Wise Investment” by Terry Alexander expresses  is what we have been talking about in class this week.  The author says for what we know about brain development we would be wise to utilize our tax dollar in a child’s early stages of life.  This article gives views from economists, neuroscientists and politicians regarding finances, taxes and brain development. 

http://www2.scnow.com/news/2012/mar/26/letter-editor-money-spent-early-childhood-educatio-ar-3484797

What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

 http://www.pewstates.org/news-room/video-library/pre-k-now-marking-a-decade-of-pre-k-milestones-85899379929

4. I viewed this awesome informative video entitled, Pre-K Now: Marking a Decade of Pre-k Milestones.  Professionals speak of their beliefs about pre-school education envisioning a day when all children have access to a high quality program no matter what their socio-economic status.  One person says that she hope a day comes when pre-K is as essential as 7^th, 8^th grades and so on. Another person says that there is no science that places artificial barriers between grade levels.  Bottom line is that research supports  pre-k education and that it holds its ground and prepares children to learn.  View it for yourself, it’s a must. 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

     In week one, Dr. Longo provided us with Blog Resources to pursue our International contacts.  After several efforts to make contact via e-mail, no one was responding to me but I did not give up hope.  Finally, I received an e-mail from Tamalin Harper from South Africa who said she would be willing to be my international contact.  She is employed by the National Early Childhood Development Alliance of South Africa.  I did not send the e-mail to her but the director, Mr. Eric Atmore who in turn gave her the assignment of corresponding with me. 

     Ms. Harper attached a journal article written by their team to the e-mail.  The article is entitled, “Challenges Facing the Early Childhood Development Sector in South Africa” authored by Eric Atmore, Lauren-Jayne Niekerk & Michaela Ashley-Cooper on 15 June 2012.  The name of the journal was not included in the e-mail but I have been trying to locate it through Walden University Library and staff. 

     On the issue of poverty, the article says, “more than half of South Africa’s children live in severe poverty, which jeopardizes the realization of their rights as contained in the South African Constitution”   (Du Plessis, 2007). Additionally, another author states “children living in poverty are extremely vulnerable, discriminated against, and isolated.” Furthermore, Atmore says, “monetary poverty is closely connected to poor health and well-being, as well as to limited access to education, nutrition, healthcare services and safe environments” (Atmore, 15 June 2012). Through the support of the government, financial support is provided for poverty stricken families through social assistance programs.  This grant, Child Support Grant, is the largest child poverty alleviation program in South Africa and contributes towards food, education as well as basic goods and services for millions of children across the country (South African Child Gauge, 2010).

     From this article, I realize that poverty is a very serious issue for the world.  Early childhood educators, should be perplexed by the complexity of poverty.  Poverty affects so many areas of a child and family’s life.  I just began to think about some of the children who I personally know who live in poverty.  For starters, my school duty station is the cafeteria.  I see the children as soon as they exit the bus.  They come to school hungry and uncared for by having dirty faces and dirty uniforms.  As the one of the first adults they see when they come to school, I have learned to do a quick hygiene tactic with them.  I hand out wipes and combs as needed.  I have collected extra hygiene supplies over the years and sometimes, I just have to purchase it.  I then escort them into the cafeteria for breakfast.  With the help of my co-workers, we have made an extras table.  Children are encouraged to take all food items then place the unwanted items on the extras table for children who may want additional items.  I feel as though it is hard enough to concentrate when one has poverty issues at home, so the least we can do is make sure they are well fed to start  the school day. 

References

Atmore, E.,  van Niekerk, L., & Ashley-Cooper, M., (2012). Challenges facing the early childhood development sector in south  africa.

Du Plessis, P. & Conley, L. (2007) ‘Children and Poverty in South Africa: The Right to Social Security’ Educational Research and Review, 2 (4): 49-59.

Statistics South Africa. (2010) General Household Survey 2009. Pretoria: StatsSA.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (2009) The State of the World’s Children: Special Edition. New York: Brodock Press.

Sharing Web Resources

Sharing Web Resources

 The organization I choose is the Pew Center on the States “Good policy depends on good information”. (http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067) The PEW Center on the State completed a 10 year study which is challenging the states to change the face of education to include  pre-K education and move away from K-12 grade levels. Why should this be done? In the information provided  on the site, researchers say that vital learning happens before the age of five.  The information continues by stating “to ensure that all children fulfill their potential as individuals and citizens, we must re-imagine public education as a system that begins not with kindergarten, but with quality pre-k, and builds on that foundation to raise performance in later grades”.

     The article which resonated with me was “Children’s Dental Campaign.” The author stated “tooth decay affects 60% of kids and untreated, the consequences can be painful and disruptive to learning and daily activities.” Also, the Dental Campaign promotes cost effective strategies to provide high quality care to children whose household income is low.  A few of the efforts included  to increase services are access to fluoride water, ensuring that Medicaid is efficient and expanding the number of professionals who provide dental care. Additionally, PEW works with a variety of agencies, lawmakers (national and local) targeting states in which policy changes can dramatically improve children’s lives.

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Colleagues,

     I was really excited about this assignment.  In our Foundations course, we studied how people in other countries address topics, like poverty, divorce, breast-feeding, water, etc.  I learned so much! This assignment reminds me of having a pin pal in another country.  I composed a letter and e-mailed it to ten contacts because I wanted to make sure I had a minimum contact list after I get responses.  Alright, I haven’t received any responses yet but I am hopeful that I will get at least 3 solid contacts.  One thing I was worried about was the contact language.  Even though I speak English, I wonder if my contact will need to translate my letter or do they speak English?  I guess I will have to wait for that.

    In order to establish contacts, I utilized the Blog Assignment Resource provided by our instructor. I opened this site :The Global Alliance of NAEYC has e-mail addresses for early childhood professionals worldwide: http://www.naeyc.org/resources/partnership/globalalliance.  Once I was there, I chose a country and used the e-mail addresses listed.  Now I am anxiously awaiting responses. I have e-mailed so many contacts that I am hopeful that I will not have to use an alternative assignment. 

      I also chose Pre[K]Now: A Campaign of the Pew Center on the States
http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/initiatives_detail.aspx?initiativeID=31672(Newsletter: http://www.preknow.org/signupform.cfm) to study in this course.  I chose this site from the Early Childhood Websites listed in the Blog Resources. 

 

 

FYI:

Dear Colleague,

I am a graduate student in the United States of America who is studying Early Childhood Education. I am studying via an online education at Walden University.   I am interested in current trends in the field of educating youth in your country.   If it is possible, I will be contacting you once a week for the next 8 weeks concerning your country’s education system. I am a primary school teacher who studies children with disabilities. I have been teaching for 17 years and am very interested in how other countries educate.   I realize what we do is important to the economic structure of  both of our countries because after all, “Our Children are our Future.” 

Can you please help me to get to know your education system for youths from birth to 8 years old?  I can be reached via school e-mail: yolonda.honore@waldenu.edu. Thanks for your time and cooperation.  

Thank you,

Yolonda Honore'