International links

One personal consequence of learning about my international contacts' experiences is to realize that many issues such as underfunding are international. This gives me hope that if we work together there is the possibility for change. One professional consequence is that I have gained a different perspective on issues like poverty. I am much more grateful for what I have here. Small problems seem to pale in comparison to what some people face. Another consequence that is professional and personal is that my passion has been reignited. I will advocate for quality education for all.

I think a goal should be to be aware of the situations in other places. I tend to focus all my attention on my classroom and my school. As a profession we need to broaden our focus and share good practice everywhere.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts - part 3

Both of my contacts were able to respond to this week's questions. My sister in Canada has many opportunities for professional development available to her. The district and the school run between 6 and 8 pd days per year. There are workshops after school hosted by the district. Each teacher completes a growth plan every year that is reviewed with the admin staff. There are limited funds available for out of city/province pd opportunities. My colleague in Hong Kong notes that the richer private schools have many quality professional development opportunities. Smaller schools have less resources to work with.

In Hong Kong an issue that my colleague brings up is the push for student learning to be self-directed, for learning to be authentic and truly inquiry based. She works in the environment of the IB Primary Years Program both as a teacher and a member of the school evaluation visit team. The program strongly encourages this type of learning. She relates that to achieve this there must be an environment that "creates a safe space for teachers to innovate and test out new ideas" and that this takes time and effort from everyone involved.

My sister's professional goals are to improve in areas like guided reading, digital files and portfolios, use of the interactive whiteboard and communication with parents. She dreams of smaller class sizes, less paperwork and more support. She is challenged like many of us by a vast array of needs and not enough resources. The professional goals of my colleague in Hong Kong are quite different. She would like to focus on inquiry based learning and do some research into the development and fostering of basic skills using this approach. She wants to find a way to balance 'toolbox' lessons with inquiries, so that children will be able to use the new 'tools' of learning in their inquiry. Her hope is to understand the inquiry learning method in depth and be able to share that knowledge with others. Her biggest challenge is exhaustion. Working with young children requires a ton of energy. You need to model excitement for learning and motivate them to want to learn. She then goes home to her own children, one of whom is currently the same age as the children in her class. Her professional dream is to be a published author and retire from everyday teaching. She would like to share her enthusiasm and knowledge in other ways like as a story-teller or running writing workshops. She, like many of us, is tired of the constant paperwork and bureaucracy involved with teaching.

Sharing Web Resources - part 3

 The website that I chose was the ACEI site. I've only received one newsletter to date. One of the outside links that I found was to the site www.education-transforms.org. This site shows with clear graphics and concrete examples the ways that universal education affects economies, health, population and the environment. It was updated and relaunched to coincide with the UN general assembly in September that was looking at new developmental goals for post-2015. It ties in well with this week's topic as it shows that education impacts many areas of development.

       The section of the website that I chose to explore is called "Global Gateway: International Comparisons and Scenarios". It highlights the different international assessment tools that are currently in use such a PISA, PIRLS and TIMMS and gives current updates on the results of these assessments. It also spotlights different countries that show excellence in education and countries that are moving towards excellence. There are links to all the different assessment websites. One that I found interesting was the PIRLS report. PIRLS stands for Progress in International Reading Study. The report has many sections and one is devoted to looking at the effect an early start in literacy can have on the results. The report states "[a] supportive home environment and an early start are crucial in shaping children’s reading literacy." (Mullis, Martin, Foy & Drucker, 2012, p 10). This confirms what I've read in other articles that argue the importance of early education.

      Being an international site, there are many stories and links to international projects to provide education to all children as well as national projects in different countries. This has shown me that the push for excellence and equity is a worldwide fight. Education is a cornerstone to development. As such, developing countries are working hard to achieve an educated population. In countries that are already developed, equity and excellence are also ways to fight poverty and ignorance. True democracy relies on an educated and informed voter to make a choice.

References

Association for Childhood Education International, (2011). Global gateway: International comparisons and scenarios. Retrieved from http://acei.org/global-gateway/international-comparisons-and-scenarios

Mullis, I., Martin, M., Foy, P., & Drucker, K., (2012). PIRLS 2011 International Results in Reading. Retrieved from http://timssandpirls.bc.edu/pirls2011/downloads/P11_IR_FullBook.pdf

UNESCO, (2013). Education for all global monitoring report. Retrieved from http://www.education-transforms.org/en/

Getting to know your international partner - part 2

Unfortunately this week I have not received a reply from either of my international contacts. Instead I did the alternative assignment and explored the website for the Global Children's Initiative through Harvard University. Here is the link: http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/

The Global Children's Initiative was launched by the Center on the Developing Child to advance the integration of approaches to health, survival and development in the earliest years of life worldwide. They are working to build "a portfolio of activities in three domains: early childhood development, child mental health and children in crisis and conflict situations" (2013). The stated goals of the center are to help educate high level policy makers about the science underlying child development, to support multi-disciplinary research projects and to build leadership in the field.

Two of the projects that caught my eye were a study about how an anti-malaria campaign in Zambia is impacting child development in the region and a project that is helping to bring high-quality education to Chile's four to six year olds in Santiago. Both projects will provide longitudinal data that can then be used to fuel policy and further study.

I also found a podcast from Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) called "Early Childhood Classrooms of Excellence". What struck me most about this podcast was the emphasis that was placed on developing early literacy skills in pre-school. Several times the interviewee said that children needed to be ready to read in kindergarten. Although the program they talk about does include some learning through play I find this a disturbing trend. Pushing children to read before they are developmentally ready can have serious long term effects. Some children will develop an aversion to reading and will then spend their school career finding ways to avoid it.

References

Harvard University, (2013). Global children's initiative. Retrieved from website http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/

Intercultural Development Research Association, (2008). Early childhood classrooms of excellence. Retrieved from website http://www.idra.org/Podcasts/Resources/Early_Childhood_Classrooms_of_Excellence/

Sharing web resources - part 2

This week I was looking at the publications that are linked to the website I chose. I found a publication called "Childhood Education". This month's issue is all about character education. The articles look at programs for character education from around the world. What interested me even more was a link to "A Celebration of Childhood Education". This link provided "thought-provoking articles from past issues" (Association for Childhood Education International, n.d.). Two of these articles caught my attention because I found the titles interesting but also because they seemed to fit in with this week's issue of scientific, economic and political arguments for the funding of early childhood education.

In the article "The Changing Culture of Childhood: A Perfect Storm" the author points out three interrelated elements that are challenging the institute of childhood. These three elements are the standardization of schooling, the dissolution of spontaneous play and the impact of poverty. When discussing the standardization of schooling, Frost examines how the No Child Left Behind Act is putting pressure on schools, teachers and children to achieve high standards to the detriment of creativity and individuality (2007). The high stakes testing that accompanies NCLB has created an idea that play must be sacrificed in order to be ready for the tests. This and a complicated and inconsistent document outlining national playground safety standards have led to many children not having the time or the creative space they need to play without direct adult supervision. The issue of poverty is also a huge factor in the change in childhood.

The second article I read was also about a change in childhood. It looked at how parental fear can keep children from playing in the same way as during the golden age of childhood between 1950 and 1975. Parental anxiety increased with more information instead of decreased. One argument I found particularly interesting was the role of expert in parental anxiety. Sutterby finds that "These experts have played a part in increasing parental anxiety by making parents uncertain of their own common sense." (2009, p 291). I see this in the families that I work with. Expert advice says that when a child has an elevated temperature they are sick. So the child stays home even though he is bouncing around and playing as normal.

I found the article on parental anxiety especially enlightening. Teaching at an international school gives me a glimpse into many different cultures. I can see what behaviours in children and in their parents may be cultural and which behaviours are universal. Parental anxiety is different in each culture.

References

Frost, J. (2007). The changing culture of childhood: A perfect storm. Childhood Education, Summer, 225-230. Retrieved from http://www.acei.org/childhood-education/a-celebration-of-childhood-education.html

Sutterby, J. (2009). What kids don't get to do anymore and why. Childhood Education, Annual Theme 2009, 289-292. Retrieved from http://www.acei.org/childhood-education/a-celebration-of-childhood-education.html

Conversation partners - part 1

I had two conversation partners respond to my request this week. The first is a former colleague of mine. She has lived and worked in many places and now calls Hong Kong home. She has a very different perspective on the issue of poverty. The area where she lives is very rich. It used to be a resort. Even with all the money around, poverty is present in the area. She sees it in the "aunties" and "uncles" who clean the streets and empty the garbage cans. They are usually older people who have no children to look after them. The residents including the children don't see these 'invisible' people. Another 'invisible' group of people are the mostly Filipino helpers who act as nannies, cooks and cleaners.

She also talks about a different kind of poverty that the children experience. It is not monetary or a lack of things. It's a poverty of attention. Many children see very little of their own parents. They are raised by the hired helpers who worry about losing their jobs. Because of this there is very little discipline for them. This means that the children are used to getting their way. One impact this has is to create problems at school. The children have difficulty doing things for themselves and try to get attention from the teacher in any way they can.

There are no programs for the poor in her area, mostly because they are the invisible part of society. A specific issue that concerns her is the discrepancy between poverty in the developing world and in the developed world.

My other contact is my sister who lives and works in Canada. She sees poverty in the school supplies and clothing of the children. Some children lack the basics. While there are many programs in place to help people living in poverty, children sometimes still go without. Her concern is how people can break out of the cycle of poverty. When you have no money for post-secondary education, you then get a lower paying job repeating the cycle of poverty.

The most interesting point I found from my conversations this week was the different perspective on poverty. My colleague said that some of the poverty that is present in her native New Zealand is not child poverty but child neglect. When there is money available but is spent on things that are not necessary or to upgrade instead of buying things the children need poverty is a result but neglect is the cause.

Sharing Web Resources - Part 1

The site that I chose is called Association for Childhood Education International. The link is http://acei.org/
This is an organization that works "(t)o promote the inherent rights, education, and well-being of all children in their home, school and community." (www.acei.org, 2011). They help to develop and implement programs, encourage professional development for the people who work with children, and help coordinate the different groups that work for children's rights. They believe in the uniqueness of each child, the universality of principles such as dignity and respect, that quality of education is important and that there is equality both in the educational setting and in the accessibility to education.

One issue that caught my eye in the newsletter was a study about recess. The study showed "that a safe, healthy and organized recess environment" (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2013) reduced bullying, increased feelings of safety and helped children to be more ready to learn. This issue is interesting to me because we are pushing for more play time in my school. In the last 5 years, there has been a move towards more academics in the early years. This has led to increased pressure on the teachers and the students. It has also resulted in a decline in social and emotional development. We are arguing that by increasing play time and being actively involved with the children during this time, we can reverse this trend. This study seems to show the results that we wish to achieve.

I think this work could also apply to diversity in schools. By reducing bullying and promoting cooperation, you would also be promoting acceptance of differences. This could lead to less racism and sexism.

References

Association for Childhood Education International, (2011). Principles/Governance. Retrieved from website: http://acei.org/about-us/principles/governance.html.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, (2013). Does better recess equal a better school day? Retrieved from website: http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/acei/downloads/rwjf406050.pdf

Establishing professional contacts and expanding resources

I am in a lucky position for this assignment because I don't live in the United States. This made the task of finding professionals abroad much easier. I have spoken with one of my colleagues at school. She is considering if she will have to time available to work with me on this. I have also sent e-mails to 2 former colleagues, one who now lives in Hong Kong and the other in Switzerland. I am waiting to hear back from them. My sister is a grade 1 teacher in Canada. I have asked her if she would be willing to be my discussion partner. From these four people whom I know and respect, I hope to find at least 1 who is willing and able to work with me for this course. I have received 2 replies, both in the affirmative, one from Canada and the other from Hong Kong.

To choose my website I first focused on the international sites listed. Although I know there are many good programs and research happening in the US I want to expand my knowledge of programs in other countries. From the list I chose 4 that caught my attention either because of the region they serve or because I recognized the organization. Looking through the 4 sites I decided to focus on Europe. I'm currently living in Europe and feel that I should learn more about the issues and trends facing early childhood education here. I finally chose the site Association for Early Childhood International because I feel that it will give me the most useful information from which I can benefit. The link is http://acei.org/ For me the most important aspect of my choice was would the information on the website be applicable to me.

My supports

In my daily life I am lucky to be surrounded by supports. I live in a suburb of a large city so access to all amenities is easy. The supermarket is across the street. The metro station to get the train to work is a 5 minute drive or a 20 minute walk. I have a family doctor, a chiropractor and a massage therapist within walking distance of my home. My home is safe and well designed. All these physical supports ensure that I can live my life free from fear and secure in the knowledge that anything I need is available to me. I also have supports in the form of a stable job for myself and my husband. We do not need to worry about paying the mortgage or getting groceries. There are also emotional supports in my life. My husband is my rock and I'm very lucky to have found him. I am secure in his love for me and in my love for him. I know he supports me with whatever I want to do. As a case in point, this master's program is difficult for him to understand. Book learning and school were never that important to him. Even so, he supports me in whatever way I need in order for me to complete my course work. My family, although they are far away, are another form of emotional support. Just knowing they are there gives me strength. My work colleagues, many of whom are also my friends, provide professional support. They understand what is happening because they are right there with me.

The challenge that I chose is an invisible one. Depression is more prevalent than many people realize. The Canadian Mental Health Association describes depression as someone who "is grappling with feelings of severe despair over an extended period of time." (2013). Symptoms include a loss of interest in activities and withdrawal from social situations. A lack of energy and either insomnia or excessive sleeping can also be signs of depression. Changes in appetite, feelings of sadness, anxiety and guilt, complaining of not feeling well with no identifiable cause and, in extreme cases, thoughts of suicide are all symptoms of depression. The supports needed for this condition are a diagnosis from a doctor so that it is recognized and addressed. As a person with depression I would need a qualified person to whom I could talk without fear. I would also need emotional support and acceptance from my family and friends. I would need understanding and accommodation from my employer. Without these supports, I would most likely deteriorate and be unable to lead a normal life. In a worse case scenario, I might try to kill myself because I see no other way out.

References

Canadian Mental Health Association. (2013). Facts about depression and bipolar disorder. Retrieved from http://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/facts-about-depression-and-bipolar-disorder/#.UbxuTMsaySM

My Connections to Play

In our play we reveal what kind of people we are.

Ovid
Roman poet
43 BC–17 or 18 AD

Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.

Diane Ackerman
Contemporary American author

The true object of all human life is play.

G. K. Chesterton
British author
1874–1936

Wooden blocks

Ice skates

 

Bicycle

I don't have a lot of real memories of my early childhood before age 8. One memory that does stick out is learning to ride my bike. My dad ran behind me for hours, up and down the sidewalk in front of our house, holding the back of the seat to keep me balanced. I was the only one he had to run for. By the time my sisters and brother were learning to ride, I was their teacher. We often played outside in the summer. We were lucky to live opposite a green space so could run around without fear. My younger sister arrived when I was 4 and a half so I was often told to go and play. I'd build elaborate structures using blocks and books, create traffic jams with my cars and dress my Barbie for a night out. My mom would play with us and so would my dad on the weekends. We were encouraged to explore.

Play today is less free for children. Many parents, especially in big cities, feel that for their children to be safe they need to be in a supervised activity. These activities are also seen as a way to speed a child's development. While we used to roam the neighbourhood until dark, this is not often the case now. While some caution is justified, I think it has stifled childhood in some ways. Playdates are useful but not everyone can make them. Parents who work are less likely to want to have extra children in their home. While many schools in the US and Canada are reducing play time during the day, the Netherlands still values play especially for very young children. There is not as much fear about letting the children play outside. There is still a growing number of children whose main source of play is tv and video games but I do often see children playing at the park, unsupervised.

Play is an important form of tension release in adults and children. It's important to have some element of play in every life. That can mean different things to different people. For my husband, it means walking somewhere with his camera. For me, it includes playing computer games and being silly with the children in my class. Playing with your kids when you are a parent is a good way of maintaining a close relationship. It allows your kids to see that you values play and that, even though you are responsible for them, you can have fun with them too.

Early childhood quotes

God didn't use a mold when he made me. I'm a freehand baby!  - Anonymous

A child has a bigger picture and an untold story too. They may be worried, anxious, stressed, sad, or concerned. They may not have the words to express how they are feeling. Their behaviour and actions is their way of dealing with their story.  - Easy Peasy Kids

Early childhood assessment

Measuring and assessing children, especially young children, is a highly controversial topic. School boards and governments are calling for accountability in education and often use standardized testing to achieve this. Most standardized tests are not a good assessment of skills that don't fall under the academic heading. Looking at a child holistically means that all areas of development be looked at. Howard Gardner has developed nine intelligences (Berger, 2012). Each child is stronger in some and weaker in others. Most children excel in one specific intelligence. Assessment should include all the intelligences so that a well rounded snapshot of the child can be developed.

In the UK, the public education system has implemented an assessment called the Early Years Foundation Stage profile. This profile is a checklist that focusses on three main areas of development; communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development. This system relies heavily on observation and recording the observations. It appears to give a broad range of information to teachers and parents about a child's development.

References

Berger, K.S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth
       Publishers.

The Foundation Years. (2012) Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (EYFS) 2012.
       Retrieved from http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/early-years-foundation-stage-2012/

Divorce

I have been very lucky in my life as have my family and friends. We have not had to deal with any major stressors in our early lives. Recently though, my sister has finally decided to divorce her husband. My nephew is 7 years old and is dealing with the breakup of his parents marriage. The back story for this is important. My sister and her husband were on the point of splitting up 8 years ago according to my mother. Then they got pregnant. They were living in Mexico at the time. My brother-in-law is Mexican. My nephew was born there. He was a difficult baby and developed an intolerance to lactose in breast milk. Before he was 1 year old, the family moved to Canada. My sister went to work and her husband stayed home with my nephew. All of these factors put stress on the marriage as did the personalities of the people involved. My nephew reacted to the stress in the house. He was a difficult eater and learned early to play his parents against one another. Now that his parents have been apart for almost two years, his emotional turmoil has eased somewhat. He still has to deal with parents who do not work together very well but he is visibly less stressed. Research has shown that staying together for the sake of the children causes more harm than good. If the marriage is going to break up, then sooner is better.

Air pollution is a global problem and is proven to contribute to health problems. In young children air pollutants can also cause changes in behaviour. Beijing, China is one the worst offenders when it comes to air quality. In January, Beijing has had 20 days of hazardous levels of pollution. The government has recently called for stricter controls for emissions to come into effect in 2017. They have also required domestic oil refiners to upgrade. These measures should help future generations.

References

Bloomberg News, (2013,  Feb 7).  Eye-stinging Beijing air risks lifelong harm to babies. Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-06/eye-stinging-beijing-air-risks-lifelong-harm-to-babies.html

Li, J. (2006). For the sake of the kids: divorce and children's behavior problems. Conference Papers - American Sociological Association

Immunization

I chose immunization for my topic this week. This topic has been in the news in the last year because of controversy surrounding possible side effects of getting children immunized. I firmly believe that all children should get immunized. Why take a chance that a preventable disease could harm your child? Small pox was eliminated because of immunization. Other diseases like polio are extremely rare in the US because people are vaccinated against it. The CDC argues that by vaccinating we are protecting our future (www.cdc.gov/vaccines).

Immunization has been in the news recently as well because of attacks on workers administering a polio vaccine in Pakistan. Pakistan is one of three countries in the world where cases of polio still occur. Afghanistan and Nigeria are the other two. The vaccine is 99% effective if a full course of 4 doses is administered. The Pakistan workers were going house to house to vaccinate the children who live there. Gunmen fired on teams in 4 separate attacks. Six people died as a result with others injured. It is believed that the Taliban are responsible. They have stated that they believe the vaccination program is an espionage effort by the USA. India has recently announced that they will start a polio eradication campaign this year. More than 170 million children under the age 5 will be immunized. I find it hopeful that countries are taking this seriously. There is no need for children to suffer from this disease.

I will use this information to encourage parents to immunize their children. I have many cultures in my classroom and this means different attitudes towards immunization. Learning about how vaccines work and the success rate means that I can confidently recommend that parents participate when they ask for my advice.

References

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines

Birth

I have chosen to have no children of my own. My sisters both live about 4000 km away so the only birth I have ever been present for was my own. I obviously have no memories of the event. My mom has always teased me that it was the first and only time I was early for any event. My dad told me I was born in a snowstorm. I was born in a hospital in Edmonton, Alberta. I am the oldest child in my family so for my parents it was a first. My dad was with my mom for the delivery. My mom and I stayed in hospital for 2 or 3 days. From the lens of child development birth is an important step. The bond between mother and child is begun. In my case, the stereotypical family was created. Parents always count toes and fingers, make sure the nose and eyes are placed properly, and see that all the body parts are present. Even in this age of images in utero, seeing is believing.

I now live in the Netherlands. I have heard many birth stories from my colleagues here. They all gave birth at home with a midwife. Their husbands were part of the process and they were up and about within hours of the birth. Although the birth itself is never without worry, work and pain, a home setting gave these moms a relaxing place that was familiar to them. I don't believe that either way of giving birth is better than the other. I think it is a choice a couple should make. In some births, the older siblings are also present and part of the process. In terms of future development, I think the bonding with the parents is more important than the actual birth except in cases that have complications. When there are complications, I think medical care is vital in shaping the path the child's development will take.