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!