Final Blog Assignment

• Post at least three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for your professional and personal development (any format, any length)

University education programs require attention to the rapid changes in the world, in part because populations are becoming increasingly diverse. If global-mindedness has an effect on teacher‟s classroom communication skills (and by inference on student learning), and if international study has an effect on teacher‟s global- mindedness, then one connection is that international study can prepare teachers to have a more positive impact on student learning and global-mindedness.

International education experiences have long been regarded as one means to prepare undergraduate students to participate in a world with increased ethnic and cultural diversity. However, pre-service teachers have found it challenging to find time to participate in international education, due to the time and attention it takes to fulfill the many requirements for initial teacher licensure. So in my case, because it was required in the classroom, it forced us to focus on international early childhood.

There are four primary areas in which international education i considered to have an impact on my professional role, international perspectives, personal development and intellectual development. Research literature that evaluates the impact of international education experiences on U.S. college students shows that participants experience positive changes, including:
1. enhanced economic and career benefits
2. enhanced international perspectives, sometimes known as global-mindedness, such as increased understanding of cultural differences

3. experience personal development and transformation such as increased self-confidence and maturity in decision-making
4. increased intellectual development, including gains in acquisition of a second language

 

• Post one goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations

1. One goal is that as colleagues we continue to support each other viewing ourselves as direct resources to one another as there is an obvious inequity in terms of access to services, training, funding, and the like not only from one program to the next, one state to the next, but also from one country to the next.  Having shared conversations with my colleague in Nigeria it became obvious that we are truly blessed, can certainly be mentors to developing nations whose children have yet to experience the joy of hands on self-directed learning through play with rich resources and well skilled facilitators who encourage language development and social skills.  As my colleague shared her struggles and obvious lack of everyday resources she inspired me and my challenges suddenly seemed to less taxing.  As I complete more classes, share more discussions, what has also become apparent are the strengths of YOU, my classmates.  I guess it’s a part of who I am, I pick up on those special individual qualities, well-developed observation skills I guess you could call it and have an idea of whom to call on in time of need.
2. I think it is also important that we continue to utilize the resources made available through this course as it brings awareness, a global perspective of critical issues affecting early childhood while providing an avenue to advocate for equity and excellence for all children.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts - Part 3

As a result, from not receiving communication from the early childhood professional from the podcast, I will share three new ideas and insights I gained about issues related to international childhood education that relates to my personal goals from "Early Childhood Care and Education."

The three new ideas that I will be referring to three three most important skills a child should learn.

Number one is children should be thinking critically about who they are and how they relate to their world that is around them, in a social and political way with a focus of peace, equity and sustainable development.

Number two is that children need to learn about culture.

Number three is that they will need life skills.

The seven skills that I believe a child needs...

1. Focus and Self Control – children need this skill in order to achieve their goals especially in a world that is filled with distractions and information overload.
2. Perspective Taking – children who can figure out what others feel and think are less likely to get involved in conflicts.
3. Communicating – children need to be able to determine what they want to communicate and how. This is the skill teachers and employers feel is most lacking today.
4. Making Connections – children who can make unusual connections are more creative and can go beyond knowing information to using information well.
5. Critical Thinking – children need to be able to search for reliable knowledge to guide their beliefs, decisions, and actions.
6. Taking on Challenges – children who can take on challenges instead of avoiding or simply coping with them will do better in school and in life.
7. Self-Directed Engaged Learning – lifelong learners can change as the world changes in order to reach their full potential. 

Sharing web resources....

• Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead?

In following the outside links of this website, it leads to many articles that support the same cause of the website National Black Child Development Institute.

• Thoroughly search one area of the site. What do you find?
• One area that I searched was the resources and it has resources from nbcd as well as outside resources from their resources. One I'm particular was http://depts.washington.edu/pthru3/framework.html, it's about The Framework helps to address key questions facing those who are developing PreK-3rd grade approaches in their school, district, or community:
  • What does a comprehensive PreK-3rd grade approach include?
  • The word “alignment” is used often, but what needs to be aligned?
  • What kinds of changes need to take hold in adults’ behaviors before we can expect to see improvements in child outcomes?
  • What kinds of responsibilities need to be shared among 0-5 programs, grades K-3, families, and communities?
• If you receive an e-newsletter, follow a link related to one of the issues you have been studying. What new information is available?

The newsletter that I subscribed to was  National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators. A current issue in this newsletter is The members of our allied professional organizations applauding the profound step the President has taken to promote high quality early childhood education and offering their support for the Presidential Early Learning Plan.Their work of preparing early childhood teachers and leaders for the target programs
making their members natural collaborators in this important initiative and they are offering their partnership, expertise, and nation-wide presence to support the President's agenda. 

What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain this week from exploring the website and/or the e-newsletter?

• This week I actually realized that information on the website, it isn't updated that often and most of the information that I saw this week is the same information that I've been seeing throughout the course. I must admit, there there isn't too much knowledge that I've learned this week from the web site. However the newsletter is constantly updated and I learned that they think of excellence and equity in the same way that we as students do. That was very interesting to know.

Getting to know your International Contacts - Part 2

Since I have not received a response from any international contacts I explored the Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/) and was able to learn new and valuable information.This week three new ideas or insights I gained about early childhood systems around the globe. 

1.

Zambian Early Childhood Development Project

While a large number of studies have investigated the impact of early childhood experiences on children’s developmental, health, and educational outcomes in developed countries, relatively little evidence is available on early childhood development in sub-Saharan Africa. To address this knowledge gap, the Zambian Ministry of Education, the Examination Council of Zambia, UNICEF, the University of Zambia, and the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University launched the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project (ZECDP) in 2009, a collaborative effort to measure the effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children’s development in Zambia.

2.

Studying the Effects of Global Adversity, Two Generations at a Time

When humanitarian crises hit around the world, nongovernmental organizations rush into the fray, intensively focused on urgent survival needs, not necessarily on longer-term impacts that may take an even greater toll on the country and its citizens. Theresa Betancourt, a Center-affiliated faculty member who studies children in adversity and has worked alongside NGOs, wants to help them see that farther horizon: Combining short-term survival efforts with attention to children’s developmental needs only magnifies the long-range benefits for individuals and societies.

3.

Applying the Science of Early Childhood in Brazil

As part of its Global Children’s Initiative, the Center is launching Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância, its first major programmatic effort outside the United States. In collaboration with local experts, the project aims to use the science of child health and development to guide stronger policies and larger investments to benefit young children and their families in Brazil.

On this website there is also information about applying the science of early childhood in Brazil. After a leadership course on child development, many politicians, policymakers, public managers, and civil society leaders came together to plan a better future for children in a country experiencing rapid economic growth and wide societal disparities. Since the Brazilian government is in the process of preparing a national plan for early child development a pediatrician who studies child health took a trip to Boston to visit Harvard University to learn more about the scientific evidence on child development. Brazil sees the impact of how early experiences set the foundation for lifelong health, learning, and behavior.

This week i learned that we have a lot to be grateful for, we are very fortunate. I hear people complain all the time and i think to myself, "if they only know what children in other countries really go through." I enjoyed this week and look forward to next week.