The last post for Issues and Trends

As the course “Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Field” comes to an end, I have had some time to reflect upon how fortunate I am to have had such a rich educational experience throughout this course. The fact that we had the opportunity to connect with professionals worldwide and to exchange ideas and opinions is so powerful.

There are many things that I will walk away with. The issue that had a profound impact on me as a person and professional is that of poverty. I found it very interesting to see how different a meaning poverty can have all around the world. There are parts of the world where children do not have the basics such as food and shelter and other parts of the world where the lack of air conditioning or a family car means that family is poor. Poverty, however is an issue of extreme importance and continues to need our devotion and attention in order to help make a difference in the lives of as many families as possible. Another thing I have learned from all of our readings and exchanges is that diversity is not only a reality in international schools, but a big part of everyday life in schools in the US as well as in other countries. One other important idea that ready hit me is how important it is for us as professionals in the field of early childhood education to advocate for children and for what is in their best interest.

One goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations would be to always be a learner and to continue to be curious and to want to learn more about what is going on in the field of early childhood education around the world, even when this Masters is finished. I would like to keep in touch with my international colleagues as well as to continue to read and be inspired by blogs, websites and newsletters.

Good luck with the remaining of the program!

Quality and Professional Development

I believe that the issue of quality education is of equal importance anywhere around the world. I was not able to get a response from my contacts, however I found the subject too interesting and I decided to find other contacts that would be willing to offer some information. I had a very interesting discussion with my colleague that has worked in state schools in Romania as well as in other private and international schools in Bucharest. She told me that teachers in state schools have had a very difficult time getting proper training, proper training meaning meaningful training that will support what teachers do in class with students. Proper training in her opinion means getting useful ideas that can be put into practice with students. There are some yearly conferences that teachers are encouraged to participate in, however they seem to be very theory based and not what teachers seem to really need. The fact that teachers are poorly compensated, have up to 30 students in each class and have a very strict curriculums does not offer much room for creativity.

 

The school I currently work in is an IB school and is part of the CEESA organization. There is a strong bond and connection between the IB schools and schools that are part of CEESA and there are many training opportunities available each year, beginning with the annual CEESA conference where there are many institutes and sessions available for teachers. Apart from this our school strongly believes in our professional development and we often get the opportunity for in house training from specialists in the field of education, training session organized by our coordinators or by our own staff that feels they can share their passion and competence in a certain area. It is wonderful to go to different sessions in areas such as math, EAL, special educational needs, etc run by our own colleagues. There are many training opportunities available worldwide and I think it is wonderful to get together with teachers worldwide at conferences and exchange ideas and best practice. I am very excited about how many more opportunities there are for educators in the field of early childhood. Other than training opportunities I believe that reflection is an essential part of professional development. At my school we are encouraged to be an active part of our own growth as educators and we each develop our own professional goals for each school year that can be in an area we really feel we need support or in an area the school is growing in for that year. It is an interesting process that should always begin within ourselves and reflection should always be an essential part of it.

As I continue to teach and educate young children one of my goals is to always see myself as a learner and to continue to be excited and curious about learning more about education and exchanging ideas with my fellow early childhood colleagues.

http://occ.ibo.org/ibis/occ/guest/home.cfm

http://www.ceesa.org/

NAEYC

The NAEYC website is the resource I found to be of extremely rich value and consistency as well as diversity. I looked up family support and found endless articles relating to how families can support their children`s growth as well as how families can receive they need in order to support their children`s early learning and readiness.

The one article that stood out for me was "Supporting Family Involvement and Readiness for Migrant Children. The article talks about a project to integrate traditional and tablet based learning activities so parents can help their preschool aged children develop early literacy, math, science and other early learning skills. Early learning standards, resources, research, and feedback from families inform program planning.

Families participated for three-month sessions, monthly evening meetings at the elementary school facilitated by the teachers. They discuss learning concepts for the unit, favorite
storybooks and related topics with families in Spanish. Parents also practice
activities they can try at home with their child.  Each family is loaned
an iPad preloaded with educational apps and parent resources such as activity
ideas, tipsheets, and short video clips modeling learning activities such as
“sink or float” and approaches to foster exploration like “asking open-ended
questions.” Activity ideas relate to the learning goals and include helping
their child create stories with both the iPad and traditional materials (paper
and markers), science and outdoor explorations, and educational games they can
play together.

During the program parents become more informed about what their child will need to know in school and learn ways to support their child’s learning at home. One parent shared, “At first he didn’t know how to use the iPad, but now he does. He learned
very quickly. It was good because he used it to read, to play, and to do other
things. He’s working on the same (learning goals) but in different ways.”

www.naeyc.org

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

Executive Function

Executive function and self-regulation skills are key ingredients to lifelong performance. Executive function is the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. Just as an air traffic control system at a busy airport safely manages the arrivals and departures of many aircraft on multiple runways, the brain needs this skill set to filter distractions, prioritize tasks, set and achieve goals, and control impulses.

When children have opportunities to develop executive function and self-regulation skills, individuals and society experience lifelong benefits. These skills are crucial for learning and development. They also enable positive behavior and allow us to make healthy choices for ourselves and our families.

Executive function and self-regulation skills depend on three types of brain function: working memory, mental flexibility, and self-control. These functions are highly interrelated. Each type of skill draws on elements of the others, and the successful application of executive function skills requires them to operate in coordination with each other. 

• Working memory governs our ability to retain and manipulate distinct pieces of information over short periods of time.  
• Mental flexibility helps us to sustain or shift attention in response to different demands or to apply different rules in different settings. 
• Self-control enables us to set priorities and resist impulsive actions or responses.
   
  Children aren’t born with these skills—they are born with the potential to develop them. If children do not get what they need from their relationships with adults and the conditions in their environments—or (worse) if those influences are sources of toxic stress—their skill development can be seriously delayed or impaired. Adverse environments resulting from neglect, abuse, and/or violence may expose children to toxic stress, which disrupts brain architecture and impairs the development of executive function. 
  
  Providing the support that children need to build these skills at home, in early care and education programs, and in other settings they experience regularly is one of society’s most important responsibilities. Growth-promoting environments provide children with "scaffolding" that helps them practice necessary skills before they must perform them alone. Adults can facilitate the development of a child’s executive function skills by establishing routines, modeling social behavior, and creating and maintaining supportive, reliable relationships. It is also important for children to exercise their developing skills through activities that foster creative play and social connection, teach them how to cope with stress, involve vigorous exercise, and over time, provide opportunities for directing their own actions with decreasing adult supervision.
  I have been unable to receive any feedback from my international contact this week.
  http://developingchild.harvard.edu/key_concepts/executive_function/