Research Around the World

The website for Early Childhood Australia, the equivalent to our US based National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), has a lot of valuable information to offer (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/) . In the area of research, I was particularly interested in their Research in Practice Series. The first thing that caught my eye was the description “practical, easy to read” and “effective new approaches”. Both aspects are essential to making research relevant to all early childhood providers and teachers; many of whom would not choose to read the technical research abstracts but would certainly seek out a resource that helped them understand and manage a child with challenging behavior. At the same time, emphasizing the importance of research-based decision making in the field.

Some of the topics of interest include brain development and specifically how the brain develops in sensitive and critical periods of development. The importance of play-based learning is also a topic of major interest here in the US, especially with the rise in standards potentially threaten the early childhood classroom in this area. A third topic of interest is the Australian and British research into childhood obesity. America is one of the most obese countries and numbers of obese children continue to rise with long-term ramifications to the health of a generation

Especially noteworthy was a recent media release announcing major reform of Early Childhood as of January 1^st, 2012. The reason this perked my interest is because in the mid 1980’s, Australia also went through major reform; initiating a quality rating and improvement system. Many of our states are just now initiating something very similar. Perhaps we should be looking at Australia more closely so as to avoid the pot holes they have already worked their way around. I am all for saving us some headaches and getting it right from the start.

Imagine...

…And I’m not restricted by reality? When I read this I knew immediately the kind of positive impact I would want to have on children and families. I have been in the field of infant-mental health as well as being a foster and adoptive parent for 10 years. I have seen some heartbreaking situations where lack of proper attachment in the earliest years, and even months, has resulted in long-lasting damage to the social-emotional health of children.

I imagine a study that would introduce and test a new type of intensive therapy that would be able to reverse the clock on attachment disorders; to take back what was stolen through lack of attentiveness and proper nurturing.  This therapy promises to reignite, like turning on a switch, the ability of a child to feel again; empathy and connection with others. The child’s resilience would be enhanced allowing sustainability of the therapy results despite remaining in their homes; with parents who may lack the skills to sustain attachment. Even those children that have been institutionalized as apparent lost causes would have a chance for recovery; a chance for a do-over and potentially changing the trajectory of the next generation.

Imagine… A study of this magnitude!

Finding My Way in the Dark...

I feel as though I have been tip-toeing through my research journey; as if making my way through a dark room with unknown obstacles. My steps are shuffled and my arms are outstretched, hoping not to brush up against anything unsettling. The steps we’ve taken so far in identifying an interest area and narrowing the focus have even felt too wide a stride at times, like I’m not quite ready and being given a little shove from behind. It’s not a comfortable feeling. I had some difficulty this week in identifying resources that pertain to my topic of interest: The use of effective questioning in building children’s critical thinking skills. I have had an interest in this area since I began doing quality assessments in Pre-K classrooms several years ago and specifically working with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) (Hamre, Goffin, & Savre, 2009). Looking specifically at teacher-child interactions and questioning. I found that most teachers have difficulty maintaining quality. 

I am not finding a whole lot that pertains directly to early childhood. I am not certain I am using the library searches correctly and probably need to call and talk directly to a librarian for assistance. I don’t have an issue with stopping for directions when in my car so I’m not sure why I’m hesitating in my online travels.  I will feel so empowered having conquered this 8 weeks!

Hamre, B., Goffin, S., Savre, M., (2009). Classroom assessment scoring system (CLASS) implementation guide: Measuring and improving classroom interactions in early childhood settings. Retrieved from http://www.teachstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/CLASSImplementationGuide.pdf