Week 3 Blog

If I had unlimited resources I would research a Reggie Emilia environment(classroom) verses a traditional preschool classroom. The Reggie Emilia approach to learning says that the classroom is the third teacher. Reggie Emilia classroom are natural classroom, everything can be made or it was found outside. The learning is hands-on and parents are required to participate in their child's learning. Since children learn though play why not give them a classroom with real things that they see everyday like leaves, sticks, cd's, umbrella's just to name a few.

 

 

Children in a traditional preschool classroom have hands -on experiences, but the things in the classroom are ordered out of catalogs and are not things that they see outside of school. The materials are not life sized like real pot's and pans that go into the kitchen. The classroom is not a natural environment so to speck or a green environment. In the traditional classroom parents are not required to participate and I think that parent participation is key to a child's learning.

Research

The research topic that I have chosen is curriculum in preschool. I think that curriculum is very important and having the most effective curriculum available is a must. I chose this topic because my daughter is in an early childhood program and the curriculum that is being used in her school is important to me. I also am an early childhood educator and I am curious to research the different curriculum that is used in a quality early childhood program.

This process was a little uncertain for me at first because I had trouble nailing a topic down, because I was pondering over several. Hopefully this topic will be an eye opener and in turn make me a better educator. I am open to any and all questions , comments, and concerns that my colleagues may have, please share any insights and resources that you may have and I in turn will do the same.

Week 8 Blog

There could only be positive consequences for me learning about early childhood on an international level. Even though I was unable to reach any of the international contacts the websites where very informative. The consequences: contact with other educators from the early childhood field, learning many different aspects of early childhood on a worldwide stage, and gaining insights on the issues and trends internationally.

One goal that I would have for the field internationally would bet o keep trying to make early childhood education a top priority for children. Continue to inform others of the life long benefits of an early childhood education, learning starts from the beginning. Reading others interactions with either the podcasts or an international contact was very informative because you can read about them, but actually hearing it from others in the field was good. Everyone was very supportive in with their comments and posts

Week 7 Blog

I explored the website UNESCO which means The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural organization. This organization helps to build societies that value education, it has worked worldwide to improve education because education is the key to success. Upon exploration of the website I gained some insight on access and equity, learning begins at birth and a framework was set up and all countries that participated made a commitment to improve education and care especially the education and care of disadvantaged children. The government was encouraged to expand care to those children who otherwise would not have access to education. Another insight is that the EFA stated that countries should view early education as an important factor and all though funding was small other steps like going to non-profits would be effective when asking for funds, there's more then one way to get things done. The last insight is quality, quality of the program and teachers. The ECCE has no set criteria on how to assess quality, but it is said that having the right materials, training for the teachers, and parent education and involvement is essential.

My last insight brings me to realize that one of my professional goals directly relates and that is quality. One of my professional goals is to become a new teacher coach or instructional coach. I would coach or mentor all the new teachers that enter into the program giving them insights on how to do their job effectively. The ECCE talks about an adequate trainings and working conditions is key to the success of children and it also aids in the smooth transition to formal schooling.

Reference:
(http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/),

Week 6 Blog

The website that I have been exploring is zero to three, this website has a lot of very good information that any parent would benefit from reading. The outside link that I explored on the page was ralley4babies. The link talked about how education needed to be improved and that congress should fund programs that will improve early education programs. The link has a lot of interesting people that are for early childhood programs and their funding. The section that I chose to explore was the behavior and development section. I found that this section talks about many good things from brain development to challenging behavior in children. The most interesting section to me was promoting social development. This section has tips and tools that highlight the development of social emotional skills for birth to three. The section also has downloadable resources that parents of caregivers can read. There is also a question and answer section where individuals can ask questions about infants and toddlers and then receive feedback on their question. This website has proven to be a very useful resource for me I have learned a lot from the readings on the site. This section I think promotes excellence in early childhood because social-emotional skills are so important to the development of children.

Week 5 Blog/ The Center on the Developing Child

I had to do the alternative assignment which was to browse around on the website for The Center on the Developing Child. One insight that I learned on the site was the Global Child Development initiative. The center works with policy makers, civil leaders, and scholars on ways for them to adapt their model for putting in place effective policies and programs that will ultimately benefit the community as a whole. The center also launched a network in 2008 that addressed the gap between what is known about mental health and what is done about mental health. The goal of the network was to generate, integrate, communicate, and then apply the science to inform and make advances in mental health. The last insight from the website was the many opportunities students at Harvard have to learn all about early childhood and the development of the young child. The center set up the Education and Leadership program so that students and faculty can tap into the different aspects of the field and see how science links to the policies that are made and the action that is taken.

The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard university has many interesting topics to read up on and I can see how it will and can help the students who are interested in Early childhood.

Reference:
Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative." Retrieved from: website (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/

Week 4 Blog

The website that I have been exploring is Zero to Three. The section that caught my attention was the Behavior and Development section . I read information on Early Childhood mental health, this is current in my development as a professional because it has only deepened my understanding of  the importance for children to have social emotional skills. This section talked about how important it is for children to build relationships with others, communicate, play, and learn how to express their feelings. I really didn't find anything that was controversial, but I did read information that helped me think about an issue in a new way, assessments of children.

The website explains what an assessment is and what it is supposed to do and that is to deepen their understanding of a child's developmental capacities. The website actually publishes a guide for parents to read that will help them understand what is going on and also encourages them to collaborate. I think these assessments are how neuroscientist support Early Childhood because it gives educators better ammunition to help children succeed. The website and newsletter has an abundance of helpful information for parents and educators that will educate them on how to help their children.