Week 8

International Reflection

1.   As a result of the podcasts and information shared by others who were able to contact an early childhood professional in another country I have a deeper understanding of the issues that face the field of early childhood across the world.  It seems that all countries face many of the same issues that we explored in this class. 

2.  The World Forum (http://worldforumfoundation.org)  podcasts and information were helpful in providing information about individuals who are making a difference in the lives for children in the U.S. and other countries. 

3.  The websites that I explored include:

·      Poverty Research and Policy Centre website (http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/).

·      Center for the Developing Child (http://developingchild.harvard.edu)

·      National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) (www.nieer.org)  

·      UNESCO (http://unesco.org)

Each of these website provided many useful resources that deepened my understanding about early care and education on other countries, the challenges they face and initiatives that show promise.  Each of the websites also included links to other sites that provided additional information about issues facing the field.  I was also able to learn more about some of the specific factors affecting issues like poverty and access to early education.  For instance, I discovered that the move towards a more democratic and capitalist way of doing business resulted in the loss of government jobs for many.  I also learned that in some countries like China, do not offer free education for its children.  I also learned about a tiered system for determining the professional requirements for early childhood professionals based on their role and the age of the children with whom they work which could be a helpful in bridging the gap in the United States between care and education. 

International Goal

The one goal that I have for the field of early childhood related to the international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations is that we find an effective way to share information and strategies.  While there are efforts to do this with the leaders of various countries, it is important that those on the front line have a forum for the exchange of information, mentoring and reflection.  

Week 7

Part 1:  World Forum Radio

This week, I listened to Episode 5: Irma Allen on the World Forum Radio.  Irma Allen is Chairperson of the Swaziland Environment Authority (the equivalent of the EPA in the United States), and a member of the World Forum Nature Action Collaborative for Children. In her podcast, Ms. Allen describes an early childhood program in Swaziland that focuses on nature and the environment.  This initiative also trains teachers and community people to be teachers in these outdoor classrooms.  She explains how the curriculum develops based on the environment.   For instance children study dew at different times of the day while at other times, the focus is on the weather.  This approach promotes a greater respect for the environment and life lessons.  Ms Allen also describes the impact of this program on a former student.  Despite the fact that the child was an orphan when he attended this program, he remembers feeling welcomed and cared about. He also carried with him an appreciation of his country and environment.  I did not get a response from Ms. Allen.    

Reference:

World Forum Radio (n.d.). Episode 5:  Irma Allen. Retrieved from http://worldforumfoundation.org

Part 2:  Exploring the UNESCO website

This week, I explored the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Early Childhood Care and Education website page.  As I explored this website, I found information related to several of the issues we have discussed over the past few weeks as well as information related to the definition of quality in relation to early childhood professionals as well as information related to my professional goals. 

·      One of the insights that I gained from exploring the information on the website dealt with the topic of teacher educational requirements.  The quality of the early childhood work force primarily in European countries was discussed in the policy brief The Early Childhood Workforce in ‘Developed’ Countries: Basic Structures and Education. In this brief, Moss (2004) describes the need to respond to the divide between care and education and the impact on educational requirements. Moss (2004) described a possible solution to this divide by using a tiered system for determining the professional requirements for early childhood professionals based on their role and the age of the children with whom they work.   I also have included some information that I found on a link about the need for teacher policy.

Student learning is influenced by many factors. Research on student learning shows that

 _The largest source of variation in student learning is attributable to differences in what students bring to school – their abilities and attitudes, and family and community background

 _Of those variables potentially open to policy influence, factors to do with teachers and teaching are the most important influences on student learning. In particular, the broad consensus is that “teacher quality” is the single most important school variable influencing student achievement

 _Many important aspects of teacher quality are not captured by the commonly used indicators such as qualifications, experience and tests of academic ability. Teacher characteristics that are harder to measure, but which can be vital to student learning include the ability to:

 _convey ideas in clear and convincing ways

 _create effective learning environments for different types of students

 _foster productive teacher-student relationships

 _be enthusiastic and creative

 _work effectively with colleagues and parents

(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2011, p. 1).  

·      Another topic discussed on the website addressed the issue of inequity.  The information referred to the division between care and education in the field of early childhood that has “resulted in split systems’ discontinuities and inequalities between childcare and early education sectors due to differences in access, availability, resourcing and quality” (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, n.d., Study on the integration of ECCE, para 1). This information gave me the chance to learn more about how other countries approach funding for and access to early care and education. 

·      Information related to the system of early care and education in other countries provided insight into how complex this system can be as well as possible solutions for coordination and integration.  The website points out that in most cases, various levels of education, health and social affairs systems are involved in early care and education. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation website discusses the need for a coordinated system across all levels.

Reference

Moss, P. (2004, October). The early childhood workforce in ‘developed’ countries: Basic structures and education. UNESCO Policy Brief on Early Childhood.  United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation.  Retrieved April 11, 2012 from http://www.unesco.org

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation. (n.d.). Study on the integration of ECCE.  Retrieved April 12, 2012 from http://www.unesco.org

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2011, September). Teachers matter:  Attracting developing and retaining effective teachers.  Retrieved April 12, 2012 from http://www.oecd.org

NIEER Website Week 6

The website that I am researching for this class is the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) www.nieer.org  

Outside Links

This week, I followed a link from the NIEER website to the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute website.  According to the website, the mission of FPG is to “ensure that all children have a strong foundation for academic success and full participation as caring and responsible citizens of a multicultural world” (Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Advancing knowledge. Enhancing lives, n.d., para 1).  This website includes topic areas such as the National Professional Development Center on Autism  Spectrum  Disorders and the Center for Early Care and Education Research – Dual Language Learners (CECER-DLL).  This site also has many resources including webinars several of which focus on the topic of the creation of a professional development system for early childhood teachers. 

Researching One Area in Depth

The one area of the NIEER website that I decided to search thoroughly was one titled Facts and Figures.  The following sections can be found under the Facts and Figures tab:

·      Hot Topics.  This section includes videos, presentations and documents on topics such as Seeing the Learning in Play: Using Performance-based Assessment to Document and Enhance Learning in Play and The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Recommendations for Addressing the Needs of English Language Learners.

·      Latest Research.  This section includes reports on topics such as Preschool Program Improves Cognitive Control and Benefits of Early Childhood Interventions Across the World: (Under) Investing in the Very Young.

·      Presentations.  This section includes presentations on topics tanging from Worldwide Access to Early Childhood Programs: Where Do We Go From Here? to Hispanics, Language and Immigration: Gaps in the Early Years

·      Frequently Asked Questions.  This section has a series of questions and answers on a number of topics such as Assessment and Governance and Accountability.  A sample question from the Assessment section is “What support is available to help center based and home day care providers with curriculum development that implements preschool standards?”

·      Fast Facts.  This section focuses on a wide variety of facts about everything from the cost of providing quality preschool education.

·      Expert Database. Contact information for experts in the field

·      Links

This section provides links to other websites based on specific topics such as Policy and Quality and Standards

Link from the Newsletter

One of the links in the newsletter dealt with the topics we explored this week was Building the Workforce Our Children Deserve.  From this report, I learned more about some of the challenges of creating a comprehensive system of professional development for Early Childhood teachers.  Rhodes & Houston (2012) note that “Many barriers exist in the system of ECCE professional development (many call it a “non-system”): inadequate job definitions in federal workforce databases, separate funding streams for different types of programs, low wages, high turnover, limited evidence of effectiveness of teacher education and training” (p. 2).  Rhodes & Houston (2012) also point out the need to inform parents, policy makers and the public about the benefits of comprehensive system of professional development for Early Childhood teachers. 

Additional Insights on the Topic of Equity

The most recent newsletter contained 2 articles related to the long-term benefits of high quality early education experiences and the need for highly qualified and educated early childhood teachers.  The NIEER website contains many different types of information related to the topic of equity such as a report entitled Limited Preschool Access Dims Success for Latino Children—And California’s Future. One of the resources that provided additional insight into the topic of access to early education came from an article entitled Leave no (young) child behind: Prioritizing access in early childhood education. In this article, Ludwig & Phillips (2012) discuss the “very difficult tradeoff that policymakers must make in thinking about how to spend an additional finite pool of early childhood funding” (p. 50).  I gained insight into the arguments for increasing access or increasing quality. 

Reference

Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute.

http://www.fpg.unc.edu/index.cfm

Ludwig J., & Phillips, D. A. (2010). Leave no (young) child behind: Prioritizing access in early childhood education.  Investing in Young Children:  New Directions in Federal Preschool and Early Childhood Policy.  Retrieved from http://nieer.org/pdf/Investing_in_Young_Children.pdf

Rhodes, H., & Houston A. (2012). Building the workforce our youngest children deserve.  Sharing child and youth development knowledge 26(1)