As another course comes to an end...

I want to thank all my colleagues for all of their support and exeriences that they have shared throughout our course together. Best of luck in your future courses! 4 more to go!!

Grouping at Walden

I can honestly say that all of my groups where I have been placed through my experience at Walden have been high-performing. I have felt connections with each of my colleagues that I have had opportunity to share with. I have seen many of the same colleagues in each of my courses as I move forward so I have not felt hardship when leaving a group because I have confidence that my next group at Walden with be high-performing as well.

“Norms are recurring patterns of behavior or thinking that come to be accepted in a group as the “usual” way of doing things.” (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012) Each of the groups that I have participated in have had clear established norms. Each class that I have had so far at Walden is very similar to one another. Every class requires a discussion board posting(s), responses to the discussion board, application assignment, and a blog assignment as well as responses to the blog. Walden has established the norms for us and many of my group members that I have had have followed each of the norms established.

The first group that I participated in was hardest to leave because I did not know what to expect from the next class and/or group. I understand that many groups eventually disband so I deal well with adjusting and moving on. (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012) My first group was where I was introduced to the program and some of my colleagues so it was a nervous step to take. As I moved on it was another step in my career that was nerve-racking but it worked out with the support of my high-performing groups.

I have experienced closure and best wishes from my colleagues as we finish one class and enter the next. I have received personal emails as well as feedback from discussion and/or blog postings about sharing work with other throughout our course together. This helped with closure in the group.

I imagine that I will adjourn from my group of colleagues that I have formed while working on my master’s degree in this program by exchanging emails. I plan to communicate with my colleagues by sharing stories as well as helpful tips as we advance in our career. I have learned so much from my colleagues thus far so I imagine

Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it enables people to have closure and move on. “The group members reflect on their accomplishments and failures as well as determine whether the group will disassemble or take on another project.” (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012) Adjourning also gives the opportunity for groups to decide if they want to expand by continuing to work together in another group/organization.

Using Conflict Resolution

Recently, I have been experiencing conflict with someone in my personal life.  One strategy that I have learned that may help me resolve the conflict productively is the Win/Win Approach. “The win/win approach is about changing the conflict from adversarial attack and defense, to co-operation.” (Conflict Resolution Network, 2013)  I think that if I try to make compromises and see the situation from both perspectives then we will be able to come to a win/win situation.

Another strategy that I have learned that may help me resolve a conflict is to work on building a empathy for one another. “Empathy is about rapport and openness between people. When it is absent, people are less likely to consider your needs and feelings. The best way to build empathy is to help the other person feel that they are understood.” (Conflict Resolution Network, 2013)  If I can work to show this individual that I understand where they are coming from, then empathy will be built.

Resources:

Conflict Resolution Network. Retrieved from http://www.crnhq.org/pages.php?pID=12#skill_3

Communication Evaluations

The first person who evaluated me was my boyfriend. His evaluations were very similar to how I evaluated myself. I believe the reason for this is because he knows me better sometimes than I even know myself. The Communication Anxiety Inventory results were the only results which were different from my own. I am a “situational” anxious person. Rich’s perception of me is that I have an elevated level of communication anxiety. The perceptions of me as a communicator differ from how Rich perceives me because I sometimes think I am less nervous than I actually am. I think that it is a good thing that I do not let my anxiety in situations completely take me over.

The second person who evaluated me was my director at the child care center where I work. I was impressed with how my director saw me as a communicator because as an Assistant Director, I am consistently communicating with others. I learned that I show an efficient way to communicate. I learned that even thought I may feel anxious about communicating at times; I am able to control my anxiety when it matters most. The perceptions of me as a communicator differ from how my director perceives me because I perceive myself as not as effective of a communicator that my director perceives me. It is comforting to know that my boss looks at me as a sufficient communicator.

The one thing that surprised me the most was how impressed my director is with my communication as a whole. It makes me happy to know that my hard work of communicating with others is paying off. At times, it is difficult to communicate effectively with others. I think by continuing to communicate with many people on a daily basis, I will begin to feel more and more comfortable communicating in different situations.

I learned that I am a “people-oriented” communicator. It is important that when working within the field of early childhood education that I efficiently communicate with people on a daily basis. Familiarizing myself with diverse individuals will continue to help me be grow as a “people-oriented” communicator.  

I also learned that I can have verbal aggression at times which can offend other people. I need to pay close attention to the comments that I make when communicating with others because the last thing I want to do it offend another person.

Communication

Yes, I do communicate differently with my colleagues at school, members of my neighborhood, people I interact with at work, as well as with my family. Depending on the group of people I am with and how comfortable I feel, depends on how outgoing I am. At specific times, I find myself feeling uncomfortable with people of diverse cultures.

In the work environment, I have been working in a management position. I have more interactions with individuals of other cultures which is helping my overall understanding of communication with people of diverse race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, varying abilities, and so on.

With my family, I am always very comfortable. I act most like myself when I am with my family and friends.

I am the type of person where it takes me a while to trust someone before I open up. So in my neighborhood, I am a very quiet and laid back person because I do not know my neighbors too well.

Interactions in the T.V. show “Two and A Half Men”

Interactions in the T.V. show “Two and A Half Men”

The television show that I do not normally watch is “Two and a Half Men.” For this assignment, I “DVRed” an episode with the sound off. Based on the ways that I saw the characters on the show interact with one another, I made an assumption of who had close relationships and how the characters were feeling throughout the episode based on their non-verbal cues.

For this show, there is a lot of intimacy throughout some of the episodes. Based on the nonverbal behavior, I noticed a lot of sexual attraction between Charlie and the females he interacts with. I also noticed the woman who takes care of the house to look angry or upset throughout the entire episode. I notice the smirks on Jake’s face, which had me thinking he was getting into mischief. I also noticed the awkwardness and nervousness of Alan from his facial expressions and overall demeanor.

The assumptions that I made about the character and plot based on the ways I interpreted the communication that I observed was that there are close relationships between some of the characters in the plot, Charlie has many interactions with females, Berta is unhappy, Jake is mischievous, and Alan is awkward.

I think that if this was a show that I normally watched, I would have been more accurate. Even though that I did have a good idea of the characters throughout the show, I would have been able to describe why the characters felt the way that they did or why they had one facial expression but felt a whole different way.

Communication is Key!

The person that I am going to write about is the director of the center in which I work. My director demonstrates competent communication with myself, the assistant director, the teachers, and the families at our center. She is a very open-communicator and has formed relationships with each person who is a part of our center’s community. She makes sure to greet families each day, talk directly to the family members by first name, addresses the children as well as the needs that they may have, respond to the teacher’s needs, and keeps everyone updated and on the same page. Each and every day, I learn something knew from this person. I follow a lot of what I learn from my drirector but I also put my own twist on many particular issues that arise. I am in the learning process and she is helping me by the communication that I see on a daily basis.

The end has come :)

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that as I work with these families, I am able to make them feel comfortable. I hope that the diverse families that I work with understand how much I care for them. I hope that the families feel as if I am someone they can come for if they need support or have a question regarding their child’s care.

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is as an early childhood professional - who works with other early childhood professionals on a daily basis - I want to make sure that other’s understand the importance of diversity.  I have been sharing articles that I find to continue to inform the staff members at my center how important it is to be aware of the impact that diversity has on children. It is also important to understand how to deal with issues that arise that relate to diversity of others. By setting a goal to try to continue to inform other early childhood professionals with information that I learn, I am able to reduce the issues related to diversity, equity, and social justice in the early childhood field.

I would like to thank all of my colleagues who have shared their feedback, stories, and insights throughout our course together. I learn much more than what a book could teach me from each of you. Best of luck to you in your future! I hope to share future classes together at our time here at WaldenUniversity.

The "family" from Algeria

The name of “my family’s” country of origin is Algeria, Africa.

Five ways I would prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards the family is the following:

1.)    I would research the country itself – where the country is located, demographics of the country, etc.

2.)    I would look into the educational program that is held within the country and make comparisons to our education program as well as finding the differences. This would be important because it would allow for important information to be passed along to teachers so that they are able to know what to expect from the child(ren) in an educational setting.

3.)    I would want to look into finding out if the family/child(ren) can speak/understand English. Depending if the family/child(ren) can speak the English language, I would have to figure a way to translate so that I can explain to them in their language the policies, procedures, and payment method of our center.

4.)    I would look into finding out about the countries cultural background and the specific ways that the individuals from this country interact and communicate with others on a daily basis. There may be certain gestures that this country uses in order to communicate and it is important to understand this as a person who will be working with these people and having no idea of the countries origin.

5.)    I would also prepare myself and the teachers by making sure that the teachers are aware of the child(ren) and the country at which they are coming from. In each of ouir classroom we have pictures to represent diversity and the children in our classes. I would ask the teachers to add pictures to help the child(ren) feel welcome in our classroom.

 

I would hope that these preparations will benefit myself as well as the family by opening up my horizons to more diverse groups of people as well as showing the family how the leaders at our center want to connect to them at a personal level.  I would hope that my preparations begin as a positive learning experience for myself as well as the family.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

An incident where I witnessed a group of people as the target of bias, prejudice, and oppression actually occurred this past week. Last night I went to the Philadelphia’s Gay Men’s Choir Christmas Show. I went with a few close family members and the show was absolutely amazing! Earlier in the week when I told an acquaintance that I was attending the show as my Friday night event, I had a response which was the target of bias, prejudice, and oppression against gay men. The individual made a comment that referred to gay men in a very negative way and questioned why I would ever attend an event such as this.

The way that this person looked at this show as a negative event to attend because it was surrounded by the gay community is representative of diminishing equity. This person did not look at it this event as a Christmas show which was based upon the wondering music of the season with very talented human being performing the joyful music of the holiday season.  It was an injustice comment that was made and example of what the LGBT community deals with on a daily basis.

During this incident, I felt very angry and offended for the individuals who performed so wonderfully last night. How dare a person who has no idea how much dedication and time these men put into the show question me on why I would want to go support and see this show? I also felt sad for the person who made this comment because they I was able to realize that they must not fully understand the meaning of diversity.

The individual who made the negative comment would have to branch out and learn the meaning of diversity in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity. Next time. I will possibly invite this individual to come see the show with me so that they are able to experience the fabulous performers and this would perhaps take away from the negative outlook this person has on the LGBT community.

Detecting Microaggressions

An example of a microaggression that I detected this week is a gender microsaggression. I was at work and a teacher walked into the office. We began to have a discussion about how there was trash around the dumpster that needed to be picked up. We have been having trash issues with the cleaners so I am usually the person to clean up the mess. The teacher suggested that we ask our only male teacher that we have because “He is a male and it should be his job to clean up the trash.” Of course, I would never have asked the only male teacher to clean the trash just because he is a male so I did it myself. I realized now looking back that I experienced a microsaggression. In that situation I told the teacher who made the comment that there was no way that I would ever do that.

This experience has led me to believe that microaggressions happen more then I realize. Many are unintentional and not meant to hurt the other person’s feelings but can easily if not well-thought-out. Discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes are very serious and need to be taken into consideration as soon as possible. Within the work place it is very important to try and eliminate any type of negative behavior /comments toward others.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

1.       Culture is a way to express beliefs and traditions.

Diversity is a mix of different cultures and nationalities in the same community.

 2.       Culture is traditions of certain ethnic groups.

Diversity is the differences in traditions or ways of life.

 

3.       Culture is generally accepted customs within a certain demographic.

Diversity is the varying culture within one given demographic.

 

The aspects of culture that are included in the aspects that I received are the following: expression of beliefs and traditions within ethnic groups and customs within a certain demographic. The aspects of diversity that are included in the aspects that I received are the following: mix of different cultures into one community, different traditions, different ways of living, and the varying culture within one given demographic.

 

There were no answers that I omitted for this assignment.

 

Thinking about other people definitions of culture and diversity has influenced my own thinking of these topics because I have further realized that finding one accurate definition of either culture or diversity is difficult. There is so many specifics that are involved in the meaning of culture and diversity. I think that is why I am continuing to learn more and more on the meaning as I continue my course work here at Walden.

 

My Family Culture

The three items that I would choose are the following: my grandmother’s wedding ring, my grandfather’s Purple Heart medal, and a picture of my family.

 

I would explain to others how my grandmother’s wedding ring is important to me because it symbolizes the love that my grandmother and my grandfather shared. I was very close with my grandparents my entire life and they taught me many of the things I know today.

 

I would explain to other how my grandfather’s Purple Heart medal is important because it is a representation of how he fought for my country which is where I am from. It reminds me of his dedication and work ethic that he represented throughout the World War II. 

 

I would explain to others that a picture of my family is important because I am able to remember the times we share together. My family is the most important thing to me in my life so I feel like a picture would help me feel at home if I had it with me.

 

If I was told upon arrival that I could only keep one of the three items I would be devastated. I cannot even imagine how I would feel if I had to leave my country and leave everything of importance behind. This assignment has taught me that it was difficult to narrow down to three items of what I would keep with me to represent my culture. Many of the things that I have symbolize my family culture because it is who I am as a person.

Closure to Building Research Competency

I have learned a large amount of information from this course in regard to research. I have learned that in order to conduct a research study, the researcher has to prepare in depth. I never realized the amount of time and effort that a research study takes before this class.

My ideas have changed about research because I now realize how much work that a study takes to prepare and complete. I also realize how important it is to follow the procedures in a study in order to correctly gather information.  The lesson that I learned about planning, designing and conducting research in early childhood that I learned is that it takes a lot of dedication and preparing in order to plan, design, and conduct the correct way.

Some of the challenges I encountered was thinking of the way to word the research question itself. I felt my topic was very broad so it was important to narrow down the topic. I met my challenge throughout learning how to research throughout the readings and feedback from my fellow colleagues.

Early Childhood Australia

“Early Childhood Australia will advocate ensuring quality, social justice and equity in all issues relating to the education and care of children from birth to eight years.” (Early Childhood Australia, 2012)

Some of the current Australian research topics addressed are the early childhood framework, school readiness, children’s transition to schools/grades, children’s health, children’s obesity, baby and toddler sleeping, sustainability, global warming, and climate change. There was a vast majority of research topics which touched base on many of the topics we focus on in the United States related to early childhood education.

I found it interesting that the website has the state/territory branches separated and describes the goals of each state/territory branch. I also found it interesting when I read the paper, “ECA Position Paper on Children of Asylum Seekers, Children of Refugees and Children in Detention”. It was interesting to see the perspective of Australia for children who are refugees. The paper discusses how children’s needs should/can be met and how individuals in Australia can help these children have special protection and care. “Half of the world's refugees are children. They need special protection and care.”

I found The Research in Practice Series was very interesting and worth taking notes on. “The Research in Practice Series is a practical, easy-to-read resource, offering effective new approaches for those challenging issues which arise in the care and education of young children.” The books are a resource for individuals who work within the early childhood field. The series focuses on the ‘hands-on’ aspects of early childhood education. I believe that ‘hands-on’ is so important to incorporate into the field of early childhood and is the core of children’s learning.

Resource:

Early Childhood Australia - http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

 

 

Conducting a Research Study

The one research study that I would conduct is a study of the impact that television has on children – mentally, emotionally, and physically. Within this study, I would focus primarily on children who have parents of the upper-middle class, who have very busy life styles. I would want to find out the percentage of children who have television take up most of their free time outside of school. I want to find out how many of these children have social issue concerning their ability to communicate with others and hold friendships and/or are in the percentage of obesity.

The positive contributions of this particular study would be the result of having the upper-middle class realizing the negative impact that television has on children. I would hope that this would positively influence parents to have their children become active and involved in society.  I understand that these studies have already taken place but I think it would be interesting to be able to conduct a study and choose the children to focus on relating to their mental, emotional, and physical abilities.

Research Simulation Topic

Hello all!

The subtopic that I decided to focus on during my Research Simulation for the duration of the course is the following: How building relationships with family members can positively affect a child’s life. I chose this topic because I believe that it is extremely important to have open communication with family members when working within an educational setting. I want to find out ways to handle situations when family members place their involvement in their child’s schooling as a last priority on their list of importance.

Throughout my research thus far, I have learned that it is important to take into consideration the demands of parents/guardians time and the expectations that are held to a parent in our society. I have also learned that teachers/leaders in the educational field should not expect family members to know how to be involved/judge a family if they are not involved. It is important that we as educators focus on the families strengths and look at the family communication in a new light.

I just received my first position in management in the early childhood field. I am going to be an Assistant Director in a day care center. I would like to ask my fellow colleagues a question – can you give me any advice on what to do in building relationships with families as a new leader in the center? Also, do you have an advice on how to deal with difficult parents/guardians? Any advice at all to give a beginner related to building rapport with family members within a center? Any information/advice is very much appreciated!

Final Blog ~ Consequences & My Goal

The first consequence of learning about the international early childhood field is I have broadened my understanding of the way in which early childhood programs are run in other parts of the world. It was interesting to be able to compare international programs to many of our programs that are run here in the United States. I was able to gain an understanding of schooling in different parts of the world which overall, helped me have a better understanding of our world.

The second consequence of learning about the international early childhood field is I was able to read about the connections that many colleagues had with ECE professionals in different areas of the world. It was interesting to hear the perspective of other early childhood educators in the field. I also felt a connection through their responses because many of the educators are in the field for the same reason as I am - to change the lives of children we are surrounded by.

The third consequence of learning about the international early childhood field is I formed a relationship with many of my colleagues through the connections and research that we prepared. We learned from one another if it were unintentional or intentional. I was able to learn about new resources available, international early childhood programs, and feel connected with early childhood educators in other areas of our world.

One goal for the early childhood field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations is that we continue to work together for the children. Every voice counts. If we continue to learn from each other about the resources and commitments we can make through the field then we are able to grow together to ensure quality education and care for children across the world. We must take a step towards making a difference in the field. I believe it will all pay off one day.

UNESCO

While exploring the website for UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) I gained some new insights about issues related to international early childhood education that relate to my professional goals. UNESCO works to build peace with individuals and is a worldwide network with headquarters in Paris (France) and 52 field offices, as well as six Institutes and two Centres which specialize in education. UNESCO specializes in education and at the same time, I specialize in early childhood education. UNESCO touches the lives of children around the world. Having an impact of the lives of children is a professional goal of mine so I can relate to UNCESCO.

I have learned the mission of UNESCO, which I believe is very powerful. I also feel that I can relate to their mission in my professional goals as an early childhood professional. The mission of the UNESCO Education Sector is to: 

·         provide international leadership to create learning societies with educational opportunities for all populations.

·         provide expertise and foster partnerships to strengthen national educational leadership and the capacity of countries to offer quality education for all.

·         work as an intellectual leader, an honest broker and clearing house for ideas, propelling both countries and the international community to accelerate progress towards these goals.

·         facilitate the development of partnerships and monitors progress, in particular by publishing an annual Global Monitoring Report that tracks the achievements of countries and the international community towards the six Education for All goals.  

The one goal of the UNESCO relates to my professional goal because it aims to work as an intellectual leader. As a member of Walden University within my master’s program I am working to become an intellectual leader in the early childhood education field. I am learning the background of the field as well as many resources that are available to me so I am able to further my knowledge in the field and work to become an intellectual leader.

The 1990 Jomtien Declaration for Education for All stated that learning begins at birth. A decade later, the 2000 Dakar Framework for Action reaffirmed the importance of early childhood by including the development of early childhood care and education as the first of its six main goals. It is very rewarding to hear that early childhood care and education if held at such high importance. I work as a member in the early childhood field because I want others to understand the importance and the impact education has on children in the early childhood field.

Overall, I believe that many of the goals that are set and accomplished through UNESCO can relate to my professional goals. Individuals who care about the education of children realize the importance of focusing on early childhood education and the impact it has on children.

Resource:

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/

NAEYC ~ Week 6 Blog

One of the outside links from the NAEYC organization website that I have not yet explored that I decided to explore is the June/July 2012 issues of Teaching Young Children (TYC). The link led me to a description of the TYC magazine and the current issue. Each issue of the TYC magazine provides useful, research-based ideas that preschool educators can use in their classrooms. This issue includes articles about gardening, family-friendly practices, sorting activities, and using graphic organizers. (NAEYC, 2012)

Another outside link from the NAEYC organization website that I have not yet explored that I decided to explore is the Young Children magazine. The one issue that I explored is “Finding the Education in Educational Technology with Early Learners.” Young Children is an award-winning, peer-reviewed professional journal published bimonthly by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. (NAEYC, 2012) Young Children issues are organized around topical clusters that devote special attention to issues in the field of early childhood education. (NAEYC, 2012)

The one area which I chose to be my focus is the membership section of NAEYC. This section describes how to sign up to become a member of NAEYC and the advantages you receive as of member of NAEYC. There are 6 reasons stated why to become a member of NAEYC. The six reasons are the following: Get great content, Save 20% off NAEYC books and resources, get discounts off conferences, build your network, change the world, and become a leader. This section also includes a list of benefits of becoming a member of NAEYC as well as FAQs listed for those individuals who may need some question answered. This section also lists the resources that are available at discount through a membership of NAEYC.

Yes, NAEYC does have information which relates to the understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education. There are training videos as well as an abundance of resources which correlate to the equity and excellence in early care and education. There is also a very helpful resource called the National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development, which helps guide professional development through research, policies, and practices. Walden University is actually a sponsor to the institute which is something that made me very proud of the school that I attend.

http://www.naeyc.org/institute/

I have learned and come to the realization of how important professional development is in the field. Professional Development is a continuum of learning and support activities designed to prepare individuals for work with and on behalf of young children and their families, as well as ongoing experiences to enhance this work. (NAEYC, 2012) These opportunities lead to improvements in the knowledge, skills, practices, and dispositions of early education professionals. (NAEYC, 2012) NAEYC has a variety of learning opportunities designed for early childhood professionals. I believe these opportunities will help early childhood professionals understand equity in the field and the definition of excellence: Online learning programs on “must-know” topics, Intensive Training-of-Trainers sessions on critical early childhood subjects, Training DVDs for self-study or group instruction, and NAEYC’s annual Conference and Institute for workshops, networking, and more.

Resources:

http://www.naeyc.org/ecp/dvd

http://www.naeyc.org/institute/