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

International Awareness

Several positive consequences have resulted from my study of early childhood through international contacts and websites. First, I have been made aware of the history, current state of quality care of several different locales across the globe. This has opened my eyes to the similarities and differences of our own early childhood system. Second, I have become aware of many resources through my coursework and via classmates postings that I can use to increase my knowledge and stay abreast of the EC field on a global level. Third, I have become comfortable approaching and conversing with virtual strangers from a variety of early childhood professions. To be honest, this was nerve wrecking at the start. I was thrilled to find a couple of approachable professionals, willing to share all about their home land, even those areas that are unflattering. This honest dialogue allowed me to learn a great deal about these places and to surmise that people are people regardless of what side of the globe they wake up on. It is the unusual feeling of bringing the world closer but also realizing how massive it truly is.

My goal would be to for global connections to be a mandatory part of every early childhood professional development program. This of course would require there be more continuity between early childhood professional programs and as we learned in this course, this far from reality (Buysse, Winton, & Rous, 2009). Perhaps that’s a small goal wrapped in a larger one. 

Buysse, V., Winton, P. J., & Rous, B. (2009). Reaching consensus on a definition of professional development for the early childhood field. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 28(4), 235–243. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/docview/233599247/fulltextPDF

International Contacts-Part 3

Alec Duncan of Child’s Play Music (http://childsplaymusic.com.au) completed his degree in Children Studies nearly 20 years ago. He worked for 10 years in child care but chose to leave that part of the field when he realized he had compromised what he believed to be developmentally appropriate practice through the pressures of policy and paperwork. He found himself burned out but still passionate about children, so began his own program, Child’s Play Music; working with children from 16 months to 8 years introducing or reintroducing play-based learning in the schools and daycare centers. He has literally met tens of thousands of children and inspired hundreds of teachers and carers in Perth, Western Australia.

Regarding quality, it wasn’t until the mid 1990’s that Australia began to look beyond basic safety standards to quality early education. They implemented a quality rating system which greatly reduced the number of “truly dreadful care” according to Duncan (Personal contact, May 2, 2012). Quality has increased with these efforts but Duncan believes that the highest of quality programs are still relatively rare, mainly because quality is really hard work. His words below encompass much of our recent discussion for Week 7!

If you are a person working in a difficult and demanding profession that is very badly paid and which is perceived by the public as being (essentially) baby-sitting it is unsurprising that many staff lose motivation.  And it is also unsurprising that staff turnover is massive - people leave the profession permanently in droves every year, to the point that the industry can't get enough qualified workers to fill all the positions available; as fast as they train new staff, experienced staff are leaving at a faster rate!  And it is also unsurprising that attracting applicants of a high standard to the profession is extremely difficult, for all the same reasons (Personal Contact, May 2, 2012).

A new integrated National regulation/accreditation/curriculum system that is being rolled out right now and a mandatory curriculum, the Early Years Learning Framework, is in place.  Info on the EYLF can be found on the following fact sheet: http://www.deewr.gov.au/Earlychildhood/Policy_Agenda/Quality/Documents/EYLF_FactSheet.pdf

A good deal of professional development is available, both governmental, related to the EYLF and also by thousands of providers and businesses offering every imaginable sort of training; seeing their opportunity to make a profit through the new National Regulations.  

                He freely admits he will never go back to child care, loving what he does now. Like Alec on Facebook for a periodic dose of inspiration! (www.facebook.com/ChildsPlayMusicPerth) Or check out his YouTube videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/childsplaymusic

Sharing Web Resources...

Membership is an area of the Early Education website I had not yet investigated http://www.early-education.org.uk/. Early Education has been in the business of supporting early care and education professionals for 90 years.  Individual and group are the two types of membership available to professionals. Early Education members receive an Early Education journal, published 3 times a year and  e-news email briefings providing summaries and announcements from the field. Members also have access to a national branch network and Special Interest Groups. Members are entitled to significantly reduced rates to attend courses on the training and professional development program, conferences and seminars. There is even an option to purchase a lifetime membership.

There are no specific elements of the site that deal with equity or excellence aside from training opportunities regarding quality and developmentally appropriate practice. Every child deserves an early education experience like this.