My Family Culture (Week 1)

Imagine

~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 thing I would take is my ipod. This device is light and portable. It holds pictures, videos, and music. Inspirational and gospel music is apart of my culture. I use gospel music to express trial tribulations that I have experience through dance. I have been on my church dance ministry for over 14 years and I couldn't imagine life without music that inspire, motivate, and builds up my character. I would save as many pictures and videos that I can of my family so I can look back on the memories. Although I have memories in my mind it would still be good to have visual pictures to show other people of how my culture interact, dress, eat, and live.

The second thing I would bring family recipe book. This item is very important because it has the foods that my family eat. I'm sure everyone can make bake mac and cheese but its something about when momma makes it that gives it that amazing taste. I feel that this would be important to bring so the other cultures in the country can experience my culture food and this allow my family to eat our culture food. Pot roast, collar greens, mac and cheese, and yams is some soul food I must have at least twice a month. 

The third thing I would bring is my bible. Although I have deep knowledge of this book and its probably accessible every where I feel that I couldn't travel to another country without it. The Holy Bible has been apart of my culture since I could remember. Even as a child going to church they had children's bible that consisted of short stories from the original bible. My culture strive to live a life that is pleasing to God and the bible is guide to help be better Christians. Since my family is going to another country I think it would be important to bring the bible so we could all study together. 

So now I get to this country and they tell me I have to choose only one of my items. Picking three was already hard. Ok ok ok.... So I think I would choose the ipod. Since I can't take the family recipe book or the bible I would take photos of as many recipes as I can. My mother would be with me and I'm sure we could create as many recipes as she can remember. Since this is a new generation Ipod I would hope I'm able to get internet connection and therefore I can download the bible. Its nothing like a hard back but electronic version is just as good.

This exercise was hard and challenging because I really had to think of things that resembled my culture. I knew right away that the bible and gospel music was a major part but I had to think of ways to get it to the next country. In addition I realized just how much i love eating....HA!!! I had to say something about food. I truly love eating soul food but I also enjoy eating Caribbean food. This exercise made me appreciate the things I have and not to take nothing for granted because this situation could very well happen. Also, I asked my family members what items they would brings and their responses were hilarious. However, this assignment showed me how each person viewed our culture and we had the opportunity of creating another family memory.

When I think of Research.......

1. What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

I have gained many insights from taking this course. One of the main things I learned is to how create a research topic, form it into a research question, and create a hypothesis. In the beginning, I was like I'm just using the same question for everything. I wasn't aware of the difference between the research question and the hypothesis. As I was forming my question I realized that initially the question was too broad and I learned how to narrow it down to be very specific. My research question was "How does standard learning in early childhood effects children social, cognitive, and emotional development"? My hypothesis was "Standard learning in early childhood can have an impact on a child social, cognitive, and emotional development". I learned that a hypothesis is an explanation of something observed or a prediction of something we expect. Also, I gained insights about informed consent with children and adults. I learned that when researching different cultures it is important to know who the consent must come from. In certain cultures the consent may not come from the parents but rather the leader or head of the tribe of the culture.

2. In what ways has your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?  

Ha! In the beginning I was a wreck....Let me tell you....The first two Application Assignments I was like oh boy this not going to work. This might be the first class that cause me to lose my 4.0. I started to pray and even ask people around me what they knew about research. Initially, I'm thinking research is nothing but being in science labs with goggles, lab coats, and gloves. My mind frame was presenting something on a three panel scientific board. My perception of research has changed significantly. Research doesn't necessarily have to do with science. I learned from this class that research can be used in any field. I gain knowledge of participants and how they should be chosen. Previously, I didn't even think that people used children for research. I thought that using children for research would be too much on the child. I have a better understanding of why people do research and that research can either be a good thing or bad.

3. What were some of the challenges you encountered- and in what ways did you meet them?

First off let me just say....I literally read the chapters in the textbook over and over again until things started to make sense to me. I goggled words I didn't know because not all the definitions were in the glossary in the back of the text. The textbook as well as discussion question responses really helped me in completing this class. Some of the challenges I encounter was sampling process, understanding the difference between dependent variable and independent variable, choosing which data collection source would be best for my research. The textbook, application worksheet explanations, and Dr. Todd responses helped to overcome my challenges. I looked at different examples of the variables before coming to an understanding of the difference. When I was struggling with the sampling process I think I didn't really take into consideration what exactly the sampling process consisted of. I just thought oh pick some kids out and call it a day. However, currently I know that the sampling process is very detailed.

4. What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

 As an early childhood professional I have notice how essential it is for researchers to conduct studies that will not harm, deceive, or break any confidentiality agreement. I understand now how biased researchers can harm children as well as the early childhood field. As an early childhood professional I know that my heart is into children but when conducting research I should be careful not to let my personal views interfere with results of the study. When dealing children especially for me I always want what is best for them but I learned that not all researchers in early childhood have the same mind frame as I do.

In closing, I would like thank my colleagues who took time to read my discussions. I really hope i didn't bore you with how lengthy they were. Your feedback really helped in getting a better understanding of research in early childhood. Dr. Todd thank you for your patience. I can only imagine your thoughts in helping to shape my outline. I feel more confident now to do research compared to how I felt eight weeks ago. The course textbook is definitely a book I want to always keep in my library. I had a great time reading everyone blogs and I hope that you guys share more things outside of the class.

Happy Holidays to everyone. Take these next two weeks to relax your brain from writing papers, answering discussion questions, and writing blog entries. I'm sure everyone could use this break. Until next time.....

Research Around The World

I choose to read about articles from the Early Childhood Development Virtual University. They had several research topics such as:

• Improving the quality of childcare through parenting enrichment and Training on Trainer: The Eritrean Model
• Involving Fathers in Early Childhood Care and Development
• Assessment of Interaction and Stimulation in Single-Mother Low-Income Families
• Leadership Skills Training for Administration and Parent Support Training for Caregivers.

I took a closer look at the "Involving Fathers in Early Childhood Care and Development" because I feel like all children need both parents present especially boys. While mothers tend to take on both roles there will come a time in the child like where they will seek the love and affection that only a father can give. Boys need there father present to show them how to become a man and be a provider for the family.

In this study the focus was on fathers, their involvement in the child upbringing, and if cultural beliefs had any influence as to how involved the father was to the child. The study was done in different villages in Nigeria. As I read the article, I realized that there are many factors as to how involved the father is with the upbringing of their child. Men are considered the bread makers of the family in most cultures in Africa while the wife stays home and tends to all the needs of the house. Lack of parenting programs is another factor because many men are following the tradition of how they were raised. Not saying that the tradition is right or wrong but first time parents need help especially if the grandparents are not present. In addition, I learned that grandparents involvement have a significant difference on how involved fathers are with their children.

I learned just from this one article to be grateful for all the people who helped in the upbringing of my childhood. In some homes in Africa the children are living with numerous of people due to father being a polygamist. Since the father has so many children and wives it is rather hard for him to be dedicated or involved in all the children upbringing. I learned that girls in small villages are deprived from going to school because they have to learn at a early age how to submit themselves to others, care for younger siblings, and do house chores.

The website Early Childhood Development Virtual University offers 6 one-year programs to help people who want to get more educated on International Child and Youth Care for Development. The programs are offered to individuals who have or don't a degree that is recognized by the University. All the programs seem very information just from reading what the course offers. I think its great that this websites is helping to better the lives of the children.     

Research that Benefits Children and Families-Uplifting Stories (Week 3)

If I had the ability to conduct a research I would chose ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). This disorder hits home for me because my nephew was diagnosed with it. However, his parents had little no knowledge about the disorder and I believe that just because he had behavior problems his parents just assumed that had this disorder. ADHD seem like the most common thing people are saying their children have in my community.  I really feel that parents should be sure about labeling their children with different conditions because if it is the wrong label it can harm the child in the future. Previously, I have did research on ADHD to familiarize myself with the conditions and and how to treat a child with this disorder. Below is a link that gives you information on symptoms, different types, getting tested and treatment. Understanding ADHD- ADHD in Children

In choosing this topic I feel the major contributions to children and families would be the following:

• Properly identifying which type of ADHD the child has
• Provide adequate results with how to handle a child with ADHD
• Provide a clearer picture of what signs to look for when determining if a child has ADHD.
• How to administer the proper treatment with a child
• Determine if the child need additional treatment outside of the medication that is provided

These contributions will benefit families and children because they will have a better understanding of exactly what ADHD is. Every child case is different which means that their symptoms and treatment will be different. As I begin to look further into ADHD I realized that are several types of ADHD. Many parents are not even aware of these types. It seem like once the child is diagnosed as ADHD that is all the parent know. It is important to know how much dosage of medication to give a child because the wrong dosage can cause an allergic reaction or the child can begin to become addicted to a high dosage that never needed in the first place.

Since my research will not have restrictions of the present I would use children who have been diagnosed with ADHD as well as children who parents think they child has ADHD. Some parents have the tendency to just think they child has the disorder because of types of behavior that another child possess. In conducting this research it is my hope to show parents that some of the children just have a behavior issue and not necessarily have ADHD. This will also prevent many children from being diagnosed with a disorder that they don't have.

My Personal Research Journal (Week 2)

Greetings to all my colleagues in this research class. First let me say I feel this class will be challenging but I'm still looking forward to walking away with an A. I'm not a research fanatic and I'm use to just finding two or three scholarly articles and calling it a day. I already have had a headache with my research topic but hopefully some or many of you can help me clarify exactly what I'm trying to research.

The Topic I chose is standardize learning. I'm not sure if that is too broad because I'm having such a hard time finding resources for this topic. I chose this topic because I see so many child care centers taking play out the classrooms and changing the curriculum to more standardize learning. While I do believe that children need to learn, I also feel that play shouldn't be eliminated from there schedule. As I begin to do the research I see myself moving from standardize articles to elimination of play in the classrooms. So do I change my topic or keep the same? I'm really disturb at why play is being eliminated because their are so many researchers that says play helps children learn. I'm curious as to who really benefits from standardize learning. In my last class I really showed interest in this topic because my nieces and nephews are in Mastery Charter Schools and they never have gym or outdoor play. They are in a structured learning environment for 8 1/2 hours. I feel that this is wrong because children learn differently and they tend to get frustration with school because someone is always constantly teaching teaching and teaching. In addition, standardize learning doesn't even allow teachers to be creative and teach outside of the curriculum. Ok I feel like I'm just venting but I just wanted to give you all a sample of how feel about standardize learning.

My personal experience with the stimulation process has been like a roller coaster. While I am learning about the ways of finding a good reliable resource I am also trying to understand the language of the research. I can't even remember the last time I looked at a research study. While I am very familiar with the topics in the research model it just gives me the feeling of being back in high school. I can see now that everyone has an opinion but some people are lazy in doing research and they might begin the process but not finish it. Lastly, I understand what I need to know about credible resources.

The insight that I want to share is don't be a procrastinator in this research class. Since we are researching topics I feel that you can't wait until the last minute to do assignments. I am a person that works best under pressure so I tend to do my assignments during crunch time. As I look over the assignments for this course I am mentally preparing myself to put additional time aside to work on these assignments. So I encourage my colleagues to don't be like me and allow yourself time to ask questions or get feedback for others.

Currently, I don't have any resources to share but I am open to suggestions, feedback, criticism, and anything else that will help along on this research journey. 

Early Childhood Education Internationally Week 8

Issues & Trends in Early Childhood will forever be course that I will never forget. It is amazing how fast this course went. Seems just last week I was stressing about finding an international contact and passing this course. However, I learned a lot about different issues such poverty, equity and excellence, changing demographics and diversity as well as policies and economist. I have a clearer picture of how other countries teach children, what professionals need to teach, and what trainings are available for early childhood professionals.

~Three consequences of learning for international early childhood are as follow:

• I have a different attitude towards the education system in Philadelphia due to learning about Germany education system. In Germany kindergarten or preschool is not free and as a result so many children are entering elementary school academically behind because they are home. While I always came down on my community education system I'm learning to be apprecative because at least parents are not paying out of pocket expenses for there child or children preschool and kindergarten education. Also, I learned that child care funds are nearly impossible to receive for families who children are beneath the age of 3. Germany feels that mothers should be at home during the early years of a child life.

• I have learned about Awareness, Affordability, and Access and these three issues has motivated me to become a child advocate. During one of the week assignments it was really heart breaking to hear about how different cultural families who come to the U.S don't know how to find funds for childcare, find high quality child care centers, or how to apply for public assistance like food stamps and medical care. I'm in the process of finding places that will allow information pamphlets on the premises. People from different cultures come to the U.S. for a better life for themselves and their children. They should be aware of everything that will guarantee their child to have a successful life. 

• I have also leanred many things from my international contact Dr. Anika. She has truly helped to appreciate things more in the U.S. She also gave me an understanding of the process of becoming a teacher in Germany. Its crazy how in the U.S. government officials slack on making sure teachers are qualified while in Germany the policies are much harder. I think people in the U.S. abuse the freedom that they have in not providing the best education for children. Also, I learned different ways to raise awareness with policy makers and government officials. Dr Anika has great passion for children just like myself. i truly enjoyed speaking with her through emails.

~One goal in reference to international early childhod

• The one goal that I feel is important is for EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION to take place across the globe. I feel like people are taking but nobody is listening. It is imperative for policy makers, government officials, parents, children, teachers, community leaders, and child advocates to begin speaking out about issues and then begin to resolve them. I learned that parents don't speak out of embarrassment and the thought that nobody cares, government officials don't really assess the issue, and some teachers have a I dont care attitude due to lack of compensation. In order for change to happen everyone needs to come together with one voice and one sound creating change for children.

All the issues pertaining to early childhood can be eliminated if everyone start working together and not against each other...... 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 3 Week 7

In preparing for this week discussion I asked Dr. Anika various questions pertaining to quality issues that her country may be experiencing. We discussed what opportunities or requirements exist for early childhood professionals, her professional goals as well as her professional hope, goals, and dreams.

Dr. Anika Schmidt discussed that in Germany issues that are being discussed about quality in early childhood education are the lack of programming for children between the ages of newborn to three, decrease in training for staff members due to budget cost, and improvements that need to be done in regards to special education children. Dr. Anika Schmidt stated that she was concerned about the children (newborn-three) who are denied programming because the government believe that children are suppose to be home with their mothers. In addition, mothers of children newborn to three are faced with lack of work because the government don't have policies that allow there children funding or programs to attend. Dr. Anika believes that the government is not being fair and it should be choice for the mothers as to whether or not she wants to stay home or work. Furthermore, Dr. Anika is concerned that children who start early childhood programs after three may take longer to adjust to settings and have attachment issues. Germany requires early childhood professionals to have a bachelor's degree and Praktikum (internship) before working with children. Inspections and evaluations to facilities are done every 4 to 6 years. Dr. Anika says that outside of the requirements the government decrease the availability for training because their were not enough funds available. She discussed that if individuals wanted to have a deeper understanding of their profession the government encourage them to attend more classes at the university. Lastly, she spoke about how the government needed to improve programs that addressed the needs of  special education children. She discussed how their are too many children between the ages of 5 and 6 who are absent from school due to professionals not being able to address their needs. The government is dragging their feet in providing services for at-risk/and special needs children.

Dr. Anika expressed that their are opportunities for early childhood professionals to continue their education in either a Master's or Doctorate program. In addition, their are partnership research opportunities at leading public universities under government grants. She has one professional goal and that is work hand in hand with government officials to change policies for mothers and children. She believes in equal education for all children. Before she retires she wants to produce a book about cultural comparison of legislation in early childhood education.

I have truly enjoyed speaking (email) Dr. Anika. I feel that we are both passionate about creating change for children. I really love the fact that she is writing a book and she wants it produced before she retires. Just from the conversations that we had it would really be nice to visit Germany and for Dr. Anika to visit the US.