One last reflection of Issues and Trends

While I was not able to establish any professional relationships with international colleagues, I was pushed to explore issues in the early childhood field beyond that of my community and country, and to see what was out there in other countries. In listening to podcasts and exploring websites I learned about the early childhood field in other countries. Though countries are all in different places in their path to early learning, it is evident that the importance of the early childhood field in regards to care and education is being recognized. While the U.S. focuses on equity and excellence, sub-Saharan Africa is looking at the implications of focusing on health in child development, and Italy has programs such as the Reggio Emilia program that uses children’s environment and natural curiosity to learn. I also saw how organizations are forming links between countries, to assist one another in research and development of programs, and to learn from one another. Just as it “takes a village to raise a child” I believe it will take the uniting of nations to raise the early childhood field to be a priority on educational and social agendas. A third consequence of learning about the international early childhood field is simply learning about who is out there. Endless amounts of research, opinions, professionals and supporters are available to a professional in the field. In knowing that, it seems there should be no situation or issue that I could feel overwhelmed with, as there are many avenues of support. I have also felt that way with my colleagues in this program, from new acquaintances to those who I have shared classes with before. There are professional and personal relationships being established that I have no doubt will continue beyond the class and this program.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts- Part 3

This week I listened to a podcast on World Radio Forum (http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio/) in which Susan Lyon, Director of the Innovative Teacher Project in San Francisco, California, discussed her work in the early childhood field. In 1994 she started the Innovative Teacher Project, in which many schools (public and private) network together and through walking through each other’s schools and holding roundtables use Reggio Emilia-inspired teaching practices to grow professionally. Through this program many schools have thrived, using environment to support healthy child learning and growth.

I then explored UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education” webpage (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/). In reading about their idea of what goes into a quality early childhood, the UNESCO stated that not only does a program help children transition into formal schooling by supporting linguistic and academic areas, but a quality program also fosters confidence and motivation to grow and learn, which are characteristics often pushed to the side in the attempt to prepare for academic success (even though these traits boost academic success). I was very interested to read the idea that the last year of pre-primary schooling (what we would consider preschool, I suppose) may not always be best served through formal school settings (such as public schools) as this “dilutes the importance of holistic development” because the focus moves toward academic preparation. UNESCO’s strategy of how to implement changes in policy that promote early childhood care and education are to use phasing, to gradually increase supports and services, and to use partnerships, such as health services in order to connect better with families.

These tidbits I learned this week, from the podcast and UNESCO’s website gave me more insight on my goals. Lyon’s Innovative Teacher Project and UNESCO’s partnerships with other providers/networks both are ways to build connections with communities and grow professionally. UNESCO’s ideas of the purposes of quality early childhood programming maintain that teaching with the idea of the whole child in mind is what children need to become successful in school and beyond.  Learning how to work closely with families, community services and supports, and other early childhood professionals not only benefits my professional growth but also the children that I work with.

Sharing Web Resources

The website I am following, the National Institute for Early Education Research, has many different links covering a variety of early education topics. There were not many obvious outside links in NIEER, however many of their research and articles are from other organizations, such as the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and news articles from various magazines, journals, and newspapers.

I did look into an area of the site dedicated to English Language Learners, and found many different research articles, publications and presentations. There were technical reports on the reading and math trajectories of English language learners in elementary school, comparisons of dual-language and mono-language immersion programs in preschools (interestingly, both approaches resulted in academic gains, though the dual-language immersion produced gains in English and Spanish vocabulary). I could have spent hours on this section alone, and will use this as a reference in the future, I can already tell!

I also looked into a power-point presentation titled, “Hispanics, Language and Immigration: Gaps in the Early Years” and was interested to read that Hispanic children with English-speaking background (such as a parent who speaks English) is likely to have small achievement gaps when beginning school, and maintain small gaps, while those coming from non-English backgrounds and immigrant families start out with large achievement gaps which are reduced over time. Both groups are generally stronger in the area of reading than math. The implications of these findings are to push for policies that support high quality preschool programs and the use of dual-language programs to support children from both these groups- both ways to increase equity and excellence in early education.

The e-newsletter from NIEER also had relevant links to the issues we have been studying- particularly the availability of preschool for those in need. NIEER linked to an article on the “Bloomberg BusinessWeek” website that discussed Michigan’s need for more preschools to serve at-risk children, as currently about half of 4-year olds who qualify for preschool services do not have a space in a preschool classroom. And who is pushing policymakers to fund more preschool? Business owners and organizations. This coalition is pressing the state to use alternative funding measures, such as earmarking future tax dollars and prioritizing funds that already exist to include supporting preschoolers, as these businesses and organizations are realizing the need for preparing children academically and supporting healthy growth and development as essential for their future success in school and adult life. It was encouraging to read about actions that are taking place after so much research and suggestions about what policymakers should be doing.

What I like about NIEER is the wide net they cast when covering topics in the early childhood education field. There are opinion pieces, research pieces, and news articles, all well organized on the website, so it is easy to find research relevant to issues we are studying week by week, class by class.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts- Part 2

This week I listened to a podcast on the World Forum Radio that interviewed George Forman, Emeritus Professor at the University of Massachusetts. I then explored Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website (I have had no luck in getting responses back from professionals so far, which is frustrating, but I will continue on!)

George Forman discussed how he was intrigued by children’s reactions to discoveries, giving the example of a boy who was dragging a log across the yard, and upon standing it up on its end and letting go finding that the log did not fall. Forman wanted to know why this discovery brought a “look of delight” to the boy’s face, and so set upon studying how children think. He described that children’s learning and knowledge should be described as a verb, not a noun. Children’s thinking focuses on how things change or do not change, rather than just labeling (which is often what teachers focus on). Viewing learning such as he described promotes higher levels of thinking and helps children reflect on how they think. Forman also described, briefly, his experience with programs in Italy, where children focused on using fantasy play, narrative, and discourse to understand new concepts.

On the Harvard University website I ready about the united efforts of many organizations into launching a program that will use science about child health and development to strengthen programs and policies regarding children and their families. Among the aims of this project are providing policymakers with the education about children’s health and development so they are able to make well-informed decisions. In sub-Saharan Africa measures are being taken to learn about child development, particularly how the anti-malaria campaign is effecting Zambian children’s development throughout their childhood years. The January 2012 newsletter features and article calling for the creation of a framework that uses knowledge of biological and social sciences that aid in strategies that not only enhance early childhood policies and practices, but lead to long term benefits in adulthood. Such a framework could be implemented globally.

In listening to George Forman, and perusing the Harvard website, it is clear to me that despite cultural, political, or other differences, there is a global need to use science to support early childhood policies and programs, and that such policies can create benefits that last through adulthood. It is interesting to read that other places are in the midst of reform in the early childhood form, despite the differences of specifics. George Forman’s podcast particularly drew me to reflect on equity and excellence in early childhood programs. His exploration into how children think and learn underline the importance of providing learning experiences based on play and exploration in early childhood programs, as this leads to higher-level thinking and engages children through their natural curiosity and innate drive to discover.