Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week, a coworker told me that she wished that she could eat Thanksgiving dinner at my house.  She said that she knew that I would cook a great meal because I was raised in the country.  My coworker went on to ask me if I was going to cook some chitterlings.  After the comment, she started laughing.  I immediately realized that she had committed a microagression against me.  I was embarrased and I felt that I was being demeaned because of my background.  I did not reply to the microagression; however, I wish I had made my views known. 

I have learned that people make microaggressions intentionally and unintentionally.  I know that my coworker was only joking around; however, my feelings were hurt in the process.  I realize that microaggressions can hurt and they can be insults or assualts.  This has helped me to be more conscious of  how I speak with families and how I work with others. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I asked two friends and one family member about culture and diversity.  When asked about culture, most of the people shared that culture includes the values and beliefs that a group of people share.  One friend explained that we have multiple cultures.  She stated that the culture in our family may be different from the culture in the workplace or in society.  As a result, some of our beliefs can be conflicting; however, they are acceptable in different contexts.  Overall, everyone agreed that culture is a part of life and it influences what people believe in and how they act.

When asked about diversity, I received conflicting views and opinions.  Some believed that diversity was the differences between people.  One person believed that diversity was based on race only.  After reviewing these definitions, it is obvious that the people did not see diversity as deep as it is covered in the course.  Diversity is based on any differences within and between groups.  Diversity is about differences; however, it can include different views, different cultures, and different races. Diversity can include different talents among employees.  Therefore, I feel that people have a better understanding of culture than diversity.

My family culture

Based on my family’s culture, I would choose items that can clearly explain what we believe in and items that exhibit our cultural values.  My family is very religious.  As a result, I would choose to take the Bible to show my religious beliefs and to educate others about Christianity.  The second item I would take is a photo album of my family.  I can use this album to show others my family and my heritage.  The third item would be a quilt that has been passed down through the generations.  Quilting is a hobby that has become part of my heritage and culture. Many of the older women quilt; therefore, I would continue to teach this to future generations.

The Bible is the most important item because it is the core value in my family.  Religion is about spiritual and cultural connections.  Plus, the Bible contains scriptural knowledge that can be used to teach future generations.

When I Think of Research...

When I Think of Research...

I think of the children that can be helped by research findings.  In this course, I have learned how to work with qualitative, quantiative, and mixed research methods.  This has helped me to become a better student and a better educator.  I realize that research can be used to solve problems in education. 

I have learned that research has to be designed.  I understand the need for a hypothesis, a research method, and informed consent for participants. Research is beneficial for eduation and it helps to find solutions to problems or to improve learning.  Therefore, I will use what I have learned to become a better educator.

I would like to thank everyone for their contribution to my blog and this learning experience.

Research Around the World

After evaluating the European Early Childhood Education Research Association, I found an article titled “‘Looking and listening-in’: a methodological approach to generating insights into infants' experiences of early childhood education and care settings”.  This article focused on how infants can benefit from early childhood education.   It was interesting that the research focused on “looking and listening-in having dual utility: as a methodological approach for helping us to edge closer to understanding the infant's experience, and as a way of describing how the infant made meaning of his experience” (EECERA, 2010). This research is important to early childhood education because our agency started an early start program last year for infants and toddlers. 

 

The site also provides a back catalogue that provides access to older research articles.  Early childhood educators can use this site to find valuable information about research projects. 

 

Reference

European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA): http://www.eecera.org/

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Research  can be used to enhance the quality of education.  In Head Start, a research project was conducted to determine ways to improve literacy.  The results of the research was transformed into policy changes for the Head Start centers.  As a result, new techniques were implemented to address reading and literacy goals.  One of the benefits of this research was the start of the Early Start program to start teaching infants to two year olds.  This program has been a success in our area, and it was made possible because of research.

Your Personal Research Journey

How to address diversity in Early Childhood Education

Class, my research will focus on improving strategies to include diverse children in the Head Start learning environment.  I chose this topic for research because the demographics in my area are changing.  There are more diverse families in need of education.  As a result, teachers need to be able to design assessments that accurately measure student performance.  I have seen a lot of Hispanic children labeled with learning disorders when they actually have cutlural and language barriers.  Therefore, the goal of my research is to address this issue and to improve learning for all children.