Week 8 Blog Questions Answered

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course? I have learned that while doing research, it is important to be remain as objective as possible which is hard for me when conducting observations; therefore, I know that it would be hard for me if I was doing actual research. Other insights include the fact that there are different ways of doing research. I was only aware of the two that are the most prevalent. I was exposed to the mixed method of research through my reading.

In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed? In my opinion, research can be a tedious job--proving and disproving hypothesis can be time-consuming. I have always been weary of doing research because there are so many steps to consider and if you don't know what you are doing, then of course, that could pose a problem.

What lessons about planning,designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn? The planning of the research is the most difficult for me. During the planning stages, there are a couple of things that has to be done before designing any portion of the research. For the most part, I learned that I must identify a problem or a topic. The problem has to be one that is researchable. Sometimes it helps to see if the problem or the topic chosen has been researched before. If it has, that information may be used as a resource. After that, a hypothesis should be formed a research proposal is constructed.

What were some of the challenges did you encounter? The one thing that challenged me was the hypothesis. I had to reword the hypothesis. I also had to determine which method would render me the best results. I also had to constantly keep in my mind that subjectivity is the key factor. It is all about the facts and not emotions.

What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional has been modified? Of course, my perception of becoming an early childhood professional has been modified because I never realized that there was a great deal to take under advisement. I didn't take into consideration that there was so much research in this particular area of education but then again, if we are to get the besdt practices, then there has to be a great deal of research.

"Analysis of International Websites"

The international website that I chose to explore was http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au. This website was interesting to me because it dealt with early childhood in Australia. It is not everyday that we hear about Australia so I felt that it was necessary to expose some of the great things that was found on the website. Some of the hot topics that were featured were code of ethics, best practices in early childhood education, and teaching through play. Of these hot topics, the one that I think is important and is a topic that plague most of today's classroom is the teaching through play topic. Teaching through play is important because it is one of the most beneficial ways in which children learn. If we take the act of play out of the school system, we are doing the children a disservice.

The new insight that I gained was centered on the concept of emotional and social skills and how it contributes to the overall learning experience of the child. "Emotional skills are about learning to manage and express feelings appropriately. Social skills are about relating to others." In the classroom, I think that if the child's emotional and social well-being isn't on the level that it is supposed to be on, then there will be problems in the classroom.

The other noteworthy thing that I learned--not really learned, but it sparked my interest because code of ethics is important in the job and in a school setting. Obeying the code of ethics helps to keep us in line so that we can continue to serve our students.

"Chosen Researchable Topics"

I chose option 2 and the topic that I chose to research was Asperger Syndrome. I chose to this topic because my cousin was diagnose with the condition and what I found out was the fact that it was a social disorder. My cousin is not able to function socially and that created a problem in the classroom because he is surrounded by people. At one point, they took him out of the general classroom setting but I have been told recently that he is back in. He has had people to coax him into trying to talk but any progress is minimal if any. I think that if we, as educators, were trained on how to interact with students such as these, we would be better equipped in handling them. More research would make assessing students who are this way easier and it would help the teachers and the students know what to expect.

"Topic Chosen for Simulation"

I originally chose student and teacher interaction. I narrowed that down to three subtopics and the one subtopic chosen was incorporating real-life scenarios into the classroom. I think that this chosen subtopic is one that will allow the teacher and the student to get to know each other and by doing this, they may be able to create a more positive learning process. On a personal level, I find that there are times where teachers become so busy with preparing students for the test that they lose sight of the big picture. The big picture is the idea that children learn more when they feel as if they are a part of the learning process. I can also remember sitting in class and feeling as if the lesson was not relevant to me as a child. I would like to make my own teaching more relevant to the life of the student rather than being driven by the information found within the textbook.

Consequences of Learning About the International Early Childhood Education Field

Before taking this course, I wouldn't have dreamed of doing the research into other cultures to find out how they conduct their early childhood education field. Now, I would like to think that I am well-informed of some of the countries standards and traditions. The consequences that I have formulated are ones that are positive. Some of the positive consequences that I see that has the capacity to influence me personally and professionally would be the following: Knowing about other cultures has allowed me to become more culturally sensitive, I am also more empathetic to the needs of those who are impoverished and I see the value of just being informed--sometimes we are ignorant to those things around us because we are not informed.

The goal that I have made in response to the international early childhood education field is to continue in my quest to become more informed on those things dealing with education. Although the United States is a little more different in the treatment of education and children, I think that we can learn a lot from other countries. It also helps us as teachers to become more sensitive to the needs of others--so that we may see everyone that crosses our paths as human beings rather that puzzle pieces or pawns in the game of life.

"Additional Information Gained This Week"

I took a detour from my original website and decide to go a little further. I recently learned or rather, heard of, the Common Core Standards. Essentially the common core standards are an answer to each state having different tests. Now, with the common core standards, at least 45 states will be tested based on the same curriculum or standards. I am not sure if this is a good thing although it does gives a level uniformity. For students who are a part of this early childhood (k-3)curriculum, the assessment process is right around the corner. For all others, it may be years before they are introduced to it. The standards, like most assessments, don't take into consideration socio-emotional development, or motor and physical development. During a period of life where children haven't evolved or found an identity, we are placing another change/challenge before them. I have said it once and will say it again, we are raising children, not miniature grown-ups. What ever happened to allowing children to socially interact with children and having to learn through playing? If you all want to view the article, I read it on http://www.washingtonpost.com

"Further Investigations On Chosen Websites"

The Global Alliance of NAEYC is one of the outside links that had yet to explore was explored tonight. On this particular website, there is a Week of the Young Child link. The purpose of the Week of the Young Child is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs. The 2011 Week of the Young Child is April 10-16. There was also a link entitled "Play: Where Learning Begins." This link re-enforced everything that I knew about the act of play. It states that "Play is a vital part of early childhood education and development. When children explore, experiment, and interact through play, they learn about how the world works." Some other interesting information was offered that could be beneficial to parents and teachers such as the establishment of common-core standards, and a discussion of teacher quality and quality programs.

The website that I had originally chosen was The Association for Childhood Education International. One piece of new information was their report on improving teacher training programs. It captured my interest because we need to have appropriate teacher training programs. The article talks about "providing quantified sources as a potential starting point for major form." This particular piece interested me because we need to have more programs such as this one to insure that we get the best teachers in place for the job to do the job that we need them to do.