What I Learned

This course has really opened my eyes to how extensive a research study can be! I have always associated the word research with the following steps: choose a topic, read three resources, and write an essay describing what I learned. This is way off base from the research done in the early childhood field. I now look at research as a means to prove or disprove what is considered best/worst practices in education.

I am still intimidated when I think of completing a study myself, but I feel better prepared if  I was called upon. I am excited that I am better able to understand current research.

I have enjoyed learning with, and from, my classmates as we have travelled through this journey. Many of you are very inspiring to me. Good Luck in the future!

Research Around the World

I chose to explore the European site. I was excited to find that a major topic for research on this site is the importance of play in early education. I found several journal articles documenting the study of play in different areas. One area was the comparison of make-believe play to academic skills. Another area was the importance of outdoor play with emphasis on safety and making connections with the environment.
I was excited because this is the exact sub-topic on which I have chosen to focus my research simulation. I will be using some of these journal articles for  reference!

Dream Research Study

In my quest to find the BEST curriculum for my daycare I would like to complete a study comparing the effectiveness of different approaches in preschool on school success/readiness. In order to design the most effective and highest quality program, I would like to have specific data on the programs that are already in place that I can use as guidelines.

This study would follow the proI gression of children in three different programs. In my area I would choose Montessori, Country Home Learning Center, and La Petite Academy,

Montessori schools are designed to allow children the freedom to choose activities and types of learning they will participate in everyday. La Petite Academy is more regimented and focuses on children producing a product in learning centers as an assessment for learning. Country Home Learning Center uses a variety of teaching styles and activities and offers some measure of child choice in learning.

My study would follow one class from each program for several years to determine which program, if any, best prepared the children for school success.

The benefit to families and children would be the ability to provide the best possible early education! The benefit to society would be children ready for success in school!

Until I am able to conduct this study, I am going to design a program that is a combination of all of these. Based on current research, it seems that the best education is a well rounded one!

My Personal Research Journey

The topic that I have chosen to research more fully is age appropriate curriculum.  I chose this topic because I will be opening a daycare/preschool soon and I want to be able to guide my colleagues in designing effective curriculum.

Three sub topics that I would like to research in relation to curriculum is the importance of play, strategies for building secure attachments, and specific learning games, activities and songs. I feel that these sub topics are important aspects of curriculum.

I have used many of the sites that I copied to this blog during the first course. They have been an excellent resource. I now understand why professor Longo had us do that!

　

Importance of learning about international issues in Early Childhood Education

The major consequence that researching early childcare around the world was the similarities that I found. I really thought that the level of care and the types of care would be extremely different than the United States. What I found out was that the countries that I researched have many of the same issues and follow the same practices as we do here. The one difference I did find was the level of involvement of the government in these countries. The government plays an importance role in funding and regulating early care programs. The United States could learn from them in this respect.
Another consequence was the impact that looking at different programs in depth had on my beliefs about best practices. I learned some very interesting approaches to early care, some of which I intend to steal.
Finally, personally I have had a rekindling of my passion for procurring high quality early childhood education for all children. Which has spurred on my goal to discover ways to help all children have the education they need.
I have enjoyed reading your blogs and learning with you!

International Issues regarding Quality of Early Childhood Education

Until recently, care and education have long been seen as separate entitites in Ireland. Children were provided care that focused strictly on health, safety and welfare. The State provided this care for disadvantaged or at risk children with the sole purpose of helping the child receive proper health screenings and nutrition.
With the adoption of the Siolta: The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education, Ireland has changed its focus to serving and developing all children in early care. This document can be found at http://www.siolta.ie/media/pdfs/final_handbook.pdf The Declaration of the Right to Education spurred the completion of this document.

While reviewing the World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education, where The Declaration of the Right to Education was written, I found a statement that I disagreed with. The consensus at this conference was that the private sector should not get involved in the funding of early child care and education. The conferences attendees agreed that funding should be provided and regulated by the government. Their reasoning is that private funding would increase the gap in equity. They felt that the richer children would receive more funding and better opportunities. I disagreed with this thinking . I believe that businesses should be educated on the importance of servicing low income and at risk children with the same quality of education. If this happens the businesses will reap the benefits of an improved workforce.

Exploring Early Childhood Links

The naeyc has a wealth of additional information for which they have provided links. One link that follows the issues that we have discussed this week is http://wwwfamlit.org/ This is the link for the National Center for Family Literacy. One thing that I have learned this week was the prevalence of immigrants not utilizing the early childhood programs available to them because they did not understand the eligibility guidelines. One major way to fight illiteracy is to work with the whole family. The NCFL provides many resources for teachers and families. Some of these resources are a national conference, professional development opportunities, policy and advocacy for literacy, and grant opportunities.

Another resources I found was a self assessment and planning tool for early childhood programs. The link provided a rubric with guidelines for developing and assessing programs. The professional is led through very specific information for scoring themselves. Then they are called to create an action plan to improve upon the guideline. I felt this would be a very good tool for beginners as well as seasoned teachers. In order to provided an excellent and equitable program for all children, it is crucial to continually self-assess.