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.

Final Blog Assignment

Final Blog Assignment

Consequences of learning about International Early Childhood

1.  Learning about international issues in early childhood learning makes it possible to relate this information to the early childhood learning environment in the United States.

2.  International contacts provide a new perspective about issues that occur in early childhood education.

3.  Exchanging research and information allows benefits all early childhood educators.

Goal for International Awareness

I would like to see an international newsletter created by early childhood professionals that provides stories and experiences from these classrooms.  This would help to create more awareness about poverty and other issues that occur in early childhood education. 

Final Note

On a final note, I would like to personally thank all of my classmates for following my blog and contributing to the discussion throughout the course.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

The podcasts this week focused on a new issue.  One of the podcasts discussed the level of obesity in the United States and in England.  The researcher was an American educator who was studying similarities in both cultures.  Since both England and the United States were individualistic cultures, the researcher wanted to determine the obesity levels between the two countries.  Oddly, obesity was tied to poverty.  One would expect that poverty would be tied to hunger.  However, it was found that obesity in the United States was due to food stamp programs and poverty.  As a result, families were encouraged to buy and eat cheaper, less healthy foods.  The researcher further found that obesity in England was also tied to poor diets. 

I have learned a lot by listening to the podcasts.  The educators and researchers share an abundance of information that can be used in early childhood education programs in my area.  As a result, I will continue to listen to the podcasts after this program is over.

Sharing Web Resources

Sharing Web Resources

After listening to podcasts over the last few weeks, I have started to explore research projects and newsletters outside of the organization. The world forum provides a lot of information about projects dedicated to combating poverty.  I searched through the archives and found several interesting projects that are created by groups, governments, and organizations.  Together, this information provides insight on creative ways to combat poverty.  For example, in India, one poverty initiative allowed families to provide their children with donated school supplies.  I also located two great poverty projects listed in the references. Please visit these sites to see what’s being done in the world.

 

References

www.worldforumfoundation.org/

www.globalpovertyproject.com/

 

International Poverty Solutions Collaborative. Retrieved from http://poverty.osu.edu/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

This week, I listened to two podcasts on educational issues in other countries.  The podcasts are audio conversations with early childhood professionals.  One of the podcasts discussed poverty in other countries. The second discussed the quality of early childhood education programs.  These podcasts provide information on how early childhood educators address issues in their own country.  As a childhood educator, I can use this information to enhance my own classes.

Sharing Web Resources

Sharing Web Resources

Poverty is an issue around the world.  One organization that I found on the internet is the CARE organization.  CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty (care.org).  The organization focuses on women; however, it provides programs and research to combat poverty for families in high poverty areas.  Childpoverty is a similar site that provides research and programs designed to combat poverty.  In my research, I learned that poverty limits the ability of families and children to access a quality education.  At the same time, poverty causes children to be distracted from learning.  Therefore, these programs provide assistance and research that benefits families and educators.

References

www.care.org

http://www.childpoverty.com/