Perspectives on Culture and Diversity

This week I asked three people two questions: 1. What is your definition of culture? 2. What is your definition of diversity? I enjoyed this assignment because it allowed me to get an idea of how other people view culture and diversity, which was interesting.

I will start with my mother’s answers. I like going to her for answers because she always shares something new and insightful.

1.Wow, okay. Culture is a group of people who share the same beliefs and way of living.

 This is a pretty simple answer and goes along with what I have been learning about culture. Her answer is not specific but it is correct and to the point.

2. Diversity is learning and accepting other’s cultures.

 This too is a basic description and supports what I have been learning about as it relates to diversity. In our conversation I added that individual people can be diverse as well as groups or classrooms.

            The second person I interviewed is of Jewish descent and my director at my preschool. I value anything she has to say.

1. Culture is the unique attributes of a person or group of people that help guide their decisions and behaviors. It is one’s way of life.

This also backs up what I have been studying about culture. She did not get specific so these aspects of her definition of culture where omitted; things similar to how Nadiyah Taylor, from the video from week 2, described culture: the way one moves and makes eye contact.  

2. Diversity is accepting and respecting  the differences in everyone. It is being part of a group of various cultures. Diversity is a really good thing. It enhances the learning environment.

This is a good answer that supports my understanding of the term. She included a thought that supports how it applies to my work in the field.

            

            The third person I interviewed was my neighbor. His responses were simple as well.

1. Culture is the way people do things and live.

He gave a correct answer that basically goes along with my studies. Again it is not detailed so this tells me that he only has a simple view of it, yet knows that it is complex and just not sure exactly how. I enlightened him on the more complex, deeper definition that we have been learning, such as that it is more than just what we see on the outside.

2. Diversity is the mixture of different people. It is showing love and appreciation for other cultures.

I like this definition because while it is similar to the other definitions, it includes “how” the definition means that it is acceptance. Showing love and appreciation are more ways of accepting others. Again this supports what I have been learning. It needs more specifics though to truly support what I have been learning.

This was a meaningful assignment for me because it showed me that some people don’t understand the complexity of these terms. I feel that they know that the complexity is there, they just can’t put it into words. It took them a minute to answer so I know they thought about it but they were short answers and I kind of had to pull it out of them. They agreed with everything I said as I was elaborating on their answers.

My Family Culture

Our post this week is our response to this scenario: A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

The first item I would bring is my grandmother’s wedding ring. This ring was passed down to me and it is one of the most treasured items I have. The second thing is my binder with all my ancestry and my pictures. The ancestry information goes all the way back to the 14^th century and includes pictures of my ancestors from the 19^th century. My great aunt gave me this binder and it will be good to share how my family came to be and my heritage. The third thing is a huge bag of yarn to create things. I have been crocheting since I was a young girl and I love to make just about anything I can: blankets, clothes, cloths, ect…

Upon finding out that I can only take one thing with me, I would take my grandmother’s ring. I have read my ancestry over and over again and spent many hours researching it. If that information needed to come up again, I could muster up some of it from memory. I cannot replace the ring so it is more important to me.

This has been an intriguing subject to ponder on. It has been somewhat difficult to pick out the items. It was also eye opening in that I have a better understanding of items and their importance in my life and in a time like this.  I hope that my items and family culture that I bring will help this new country and the people in it.

Reflections on my 4th course Building Research Competencies

As I reflect on this course, I am enthused at the amount of insight and knowledge I have gained in these short 8 weeks. I have a deeper understanding of the nature of research in general and especially how it relates to child development and education.  I plan to continue beyond this course in learning about this area of early childhood in my professional development, staying conscious and open to the topics and skills in research design, planning, implementing, and the whole subject of research in general.

One thing I learned the most about that I feel will significantly help me in my career and professional development is my improved ability to read research articles. I have a greater understanding of the outline of research and I get more knowledge from them. Also, having a better understanding of the research process, terminology, and ethical concerns helps me to get more from my reading.  

One challenge I experienced in learning about research is the starting process. I feel that finding a specific enough topic, hypothesis, design, and all the other details needed in the beginning of how the research is to be carried out is the hardest part. The rest, to me, seems easier and kind of falls into place once you have the plan (given that the plan executes smoothly).

I am a better early childhood professional because I have a better idea of how to study children and child development. I also feel that I can do a better job of informing parents of the latest research and studies in child development. I hope one day I can actually do a research study. Throughout this whole course as I have read the resources and my colleagues’ posts, I have been reminded of a research project I did in middle school to learn about the basics of research. The knowledge I gained in my middle school class kind of all came back to me, including the tons of note cards I had to write on lol. This has been beneficial in helping me “get” the research process and all the topics of research we learned about in this course as best I can.

I am so very appreciative of my teacher, Dr. Johnna Darragh, and my fellow classmates from this course. You are all very smart and knowledgeable and have provided useful information, insights, and feedback for me. Some of you I was excited to see from previous courses and I am glad I have met some new people! I hope to see you all in the next class and wish everyone the best of luck in the rest of this program!

Research around the world

I really enjoy learning about the early childhood issues, practices, and topics of focus from all parts of the world. It is good information to take in and use as I see suitable in my practice and development. I find that the topics and issues are so diverse yet at the same time so similar.

http://www.eecera.org/

After reviewing the website for the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA), I discovered that this association shares various subjects and concerns within the early childhood field that many European countries face. These include the child care business in England, challenges to academic rigor on the European education system, various areas of child development, parental influence, and character building in the child during early childhood. The three latter subjects are interesting in that I can apply them to the children in my room. My parents and co-workers can use this information to help them understand child development. There were also articles on child care in Africa and Norway. So the subjects covered regions other than in Europe. I am glad to know this website and will refer to it often in my studies and work.

Research That has Helped Me and Others in my Field

             This week, I want to share some research that has been eye opening for me, my co-workers and the parents we serve. It was introduced to us during a professional development meeting last year. This meeting focused on infant care and how much we influence infants. I know it helped me to be a better caregiver, helped the parents to be more informed, and helped us to build a stronger relationship with the families.

              We already know an infants genes are a significant contributor to how they deal with the world and how they learn. Infants have personalities and they make their own choices. This new research reverts back to that age old debate: Nature vs. Nurture. More specifically, this article states that it is both and focuses on how much one's environment and innate abilities effects their development. "While much of the research examining brain-functioning has been done with animals, new technologies are enabling more non-invasive research to be done with humans" (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2001, p. 2). One main point of the article, that helps caregivers in the child care center, states that when an infant is born with genes that drive him/her to be aggressive, easily frustrated, or submissive, their caregiver can help on the nurturing side by making sure they build a strong bond to help the child learn to deal with these strong emotions. It is a sort of balancing act. It also iterates that babies are much more capable that previously thought. They understand what we say to them and it is these interactions that shape how well they develop and learn during school-age (CWIG, 2001).

               This article was published in 2001, so it is not new information yet it is enlightening to the parents who read it and anyone getting into the early childhood field. It is classic information any early childhood professional can appreciate. The debate still goes on and research still focuses on the level of effects for each side of the case. One researcher I like to follow and who studies this debate is Alison Gopnik. Who we learned about in EDUC 6005. This article addresses very interesting topics and has great information!

References:

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2001, October). Understanding the Effects of Maltreatment on Early Brain Development. www.childwelfare.gov. 1-21 Retrieved from http://dcfs.co.la.ca.us/katieA/docs/Maltreatmnet%20on%20Early%20Brain%20Development.pdf

Building Research Competencies: Week 1

My Research Simulation

         This week, I am asked to share one general topic that I want to learn more about. I am interested in learning more about the health of infants and young children as it relates to the early childhood field. I want to know more about this topic because I have not studied it much and I face this issue often at my job. I am currently an infant teacher and I have experienced babies with many different forms of diaper rash and skin allergies. Each of these rashes requires very different types of care and medicine to treat. On one occasion recently, I went to change a babies diaper and I noticed it had a hernia in its lower abdomen. It didn't seem to bother the baby and his mom came right away to take him to the doctor. He will have surgery to fix the problem in a few months when he is older and until then I will need to stay informed about how to help him as best I can as his caregiver. 

               While I am not a doctor, I am someone who is there for an infant until a parent arrives or until we know more about how to fix the problem. One subtopic I want to learn more about is allergies and how to handle them. We all know about nut and milk allergies and I want to learn about all allergies. I have never encountered a child suffering from an allergy but I have taught and worked with infants and children with allergies. Has anyone reading this had to deal with a child suffering from an allergy? What were the signs and how did you help the child? I hope to learn more about how to prevent an allergy breakout and how to help a child suffering from an allergy. Maybe child care centers need to go green and chemical-free and stop using Clorox water as cleaner. Has anyone gone chemical-free in their home and seen a positive change in their allergies?

                 Another subtopic I am curious about is helping young children with undiagnosed ADD and ADHD. I have encountered many children with difficulties focusing and hyperactivity. Most children get diagnosed with these disorders at age 5 yet toddlers and preschool aged children show symptoms and deal with the same issues as diagnosed school-aged children. I think it would benefit teachers to understand how to communicate effectively with parents about the symptoms and unique challenges their children face during these young years. Again natural, chemical-free, and prescription-free remedies can help. I plan to find more information on the different ways to help young children with these challenges. 

                  Lastly, I want to learn more about the regulations and rules teachers and directors have to follow in regards to the care of children with these health issues. For instance, parents have to correctly fill out a medical form for diaper rash ointment. From what I understand, every form expires after 7 days and the parent has to fill out another one if he/she still needs the parent to care for the child. If it is not filled out, then the teacher is not allowed to use it on an infant. A new regulation from the Alabama DHR is to have a form to apply Vaseline. If you are preschool teacher and have dealt with this, what did you do? Do you know if this is a rule in your state? It is good to stay up to date in your state with the newest standards and regulations in dealing with children s health issues.

                 I have enjoyed this class thus far and am eager to learn about these topics, the topics of my colleagues and how to research better. Please share any resources you think might be helpful in helping me learn more about these issues. Thanks!

 

My International Contacts Experience

           I have gained new insights and have clearer viewpoints on the issues and trends that effect children living in other countries. My international contact from Morocco helped me understand how diversity, poverty, inequity, and policy affect her area. The most interesting thing I learned about the field in her country is their emphasis on language. Many countries have a big drive for their children to learn two or more languages at an early age. This is a wonderful thing because the world is growing more and more diverse. Knowing more than one language helps to be successful and communicate with more people.

          Some consequences of learning about the international early childhood field are the new insights gained. I learned new ways to approach teaching. One example Heidi shared with me is that she uses project-based learning and the flipped classroom model. Here is a link to a description of the flipped classroom for anyone who does not know: http://www.forbes.com/sites/pascalemmanuelgobry/2012/12/11/what-is-the-flipped-classroom-model-and-why-is-it-amazing-with-infographic/

          Another consequence is learning about different cultures and the diversity of the world. One resource (that is not an international contact but teaches about parenting in other countries) that I find very informative is the movie Babies. It is a documentary showing the parenting styles and techniques of four families; very interesting to watch.

          A third consequence is gaining a support system of other professionals. It is good to have someone available to give advice and have someone who can relate to you. It is nice to be able to share experiences from across the globe. These experiences can even be share with the children you serve thanks to Skye and other video chat services. It is such a great way to reach out and see more of the world. I have always liked to say that traveling allows one to read the entire book instead of just one page.

          I want to thank every one of my colleagues for sharing their wealth of knowledge with me. I have enjoyed every post in the blogs and discussions. I hope to see everyone in future courses!