My Thoughts about Research

First of all I would like to thank Dr. Davis and my colleagues for the feedback and support you all gave me throughout this challenging course.

The Building Research Competency course has been a big challenge to me because when I started it I realized that had very little knowledge about research. Throughout this course I deepened my insights about the steps of the research process, the qualitative and quantitative designs, and I realized the existence of a mixed method design. I also learned that the differences among the three methods make each one of them more or less appropriated to be used with certain research topics.

Before taking this course I used to think on research as a complex and tedious process. The course changed my mind because research it is not tedious, as the process it is it just needs to be followed step by step, like putting a puzzle together. After understanding each step the whole process makes sense and releases my thoughts of tediousness. On the other hand, I still consider that research is complex because it needs to be grounded in strong foundations or many difficulties can be encountered throughout the process, jeopardizing the research and undermining the validity of its results.

Because “the most advantageous method of ensuring that services are appropriate to the client is to consult them” (Whiting, 2009, p.32), planning, designing, and conducting research in the early childhood field is a delicate task that has to be conducted by researchers who are always attached to the professional ethics. The researchers need to take into consideration the safety of children, families, and paraprofessionals, avoiding having their interest in the data as their main goal (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).

Nowadays I know that being a professional involves being a researcher too. I am more conscious that through my ethical work with children, families, and paraprofessionals I can make findings that help me improve my practice, which result in benefits to the field.

Best wishes in upcoming courses and look forward to work with you all again!!!

Reference

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Whiting, L. (2009). Involving children in research. Paediatric Nursing, 21(5), 32–36.

Research around the World

The Early Childhood Australia (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/) is an association that advocates ensuring quality, social justice and equity in all issues relating to the education and care of children from birth to eight years.  The webpage has a link called Research in Practice Series (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/research_in_practice_series/about_rips.html), which is an easy to read and practical resource that offers effective new perspectives to people related to the early childhood field.  Some of their research topics are related to:

·         Being Belonging and Becoming

·         School readiness and children's transitions

·         Sustainability, global warming and climate change

·         Baby and toddler sleeping

·         Child health and childhood obesity.

 

The Early Childhood Australia webpage has also a useful index where sample chapters of their titles in the Research in Practice Series can be reached. Sadly, there are subscription fees that need to be paid in order to have access to the articles but some sample chapters can be reviewed for free.

In addition, I found a link called National Quality Standard PLP (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/nqsplp/). It is a new initiative developed and implemented by Early Childhood Australia in 2011–2012. The support for early childhood professionals is their primary goal and this support is through online interactive forums, e-Newsletters, e-Learning Videos, as well as a social media community on Facebook, Twitter and other online platforms.

 

It was interesting to see that the research topics are about the same in Australia and USA. This means to me that every early childhood professional has the same interests regarding early childhood, which is their wellbeing. I also found amazing the important role that the internet has supporting the early childhood professionals when providing them the preparation they need as researchers.

Research that Benefits Children and Families

When we hear about English language learners in the early childhood field we usually bring to mind children who were not born in the USA, or those whose parents are the ones who were born somewhere else and speak a language different from English. But we may rarely stop and think that all preschoolers are English language learners (Garcia & Frede, n.d.), since they all are acquiring the language.

If I had the means to conduct research studies, they would be related to the importance of hiring more well-qualified bilingual teachers, because we all need to know how to support language acquisition for ALL children. At the same time, as early childhood professionals we are aware of the changing diversity in the early childhood programs, and we should look for strategies that help children and families to learn the predominant language. In addition, becoming bilingual teachers helps us to better understand how children and families may feel when they leave their family environment, in order to get into another one where their primary language is unspoken. This transition usually takes place through the early childhood programs and therefore the importance of hiring staff who better works with them.

Through this research more professionals in the field would understand the importance of hiring more well-qualified bilingual teachers by early childhood programs. Besides the benefits for families and children, it would reflect the program aims to become one of high-quality.

References

García, E. & Frede, E. (n.d.). Enhancing Policy and Practice for Young Dual Language Learners: What Is the Research Base? Retrieved from http://nieer.org/sites/nieer/files/Preschool_English_Language_Learners_Policy_and_Practice.pdf

My personal research journey

I had not realized the importance of the research process as part of my professional skills, until the first two weeks of the Building Research Competencies course. Nowadays, I am learning that the research process is not as scary as I thought, because through research I can make “a difference to the way [I] understand and practice [my] work with young children” (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010, p. 1). The difference in my conception of research is not because I have mastered the skill already. It is just that I am learning the whole process since the very beginning, throughout the analysis of useful materials that have helped me to understand what the research process implies, like the validation of a source or something more complex as the steps to follow when generating a research (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).

After reflecting on my personal and professional experiences, as an immigrant in the USA and as a Head Start teacher who has worked mostly with immigrant families, I have decided to focus my simulation research on the inclusion of immigrant families in early childhood programs. I think the research of this topic is important because of the changing demographics that conforms our society. Hernandez mentioned that “if you want to see the future face of America, visit a preschool classroom today” (Hernandez, 2009, p. 6), because the early childhood programs could reflect the current population in a community.

Choosing a topic to research about is not an easy decision, but counting on a supportive network of colleagues we all will be able to overcome our challenges, providing to each other enough resources to develop our simulation research. The support received from my colleagues is highly appreciated and is also as important as the resources I could find in libraries and online databases.  

References

Hernandez, L. A. (2009). Wake up and smell the demographics. Exchange, (190), 6–9.

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Final Blog Assignment

Throughout this course I have learned about different organizations that work on behalf of the early childhood, which most of them I was not aware of their existence. Learning about the different organizations, also let me realized which are the current issues, trends, and priorities related to the early childhood, not only in USA, but worldwide. Now that I have information about them, I can use it in my professional practice, at the same time I can share it with co-workers and families. The conversations with international contacts, not only mine but those of my colleagues too, helped me to appreciate, in particular ways, the practices and experiences I have gotten since working in the field, and influenced me to be more thankful for what I currently have.

With the past blog assignments I also got useful tools that will allow me stay abreast of what is happening in the field, with significant information I need in order to be the advocate that children and families need. In addition, I can help to make the change the field needs when joining to some organizations, supporting their causes, and practicing what they have found is more beneficial for the early childhood education field.

International contact- Part 3

First of all I would like to thank Fany for sharing her time with me and opening her heart throughout our conversations, which was not an easy task, because our times hardly matched. I know that I could not have found a better person who would talk about such personal topics as professional goals and issues at work. Thank you manigüita!

In my last conversation with Fany, she shared that one of her professional goals is to get a masters in pedagogy, she plans to start it on August 2013, because right now her husband is about to finish his, and they cannot afford to pay for transportation for the two of them, the masters, and the baby sitter for her 2 year old daughter. The SEP offers grants to those who want to study a master and the student has to propose a project that focuses on one of the current issues in the field, Fany wants to do it this way and is still thinking on the issue she would like to focus. Another benefit she has is that the SEP allows teachers to be out of the kindergarten classroom for maximum 2 years, so they can focus on the master. During these 2 years the teachers get their regular paid, as if they were working in the classroom, while a substitute teacher takes her position, and the teacher can resume it when she finishes the master.

A dream she has is to be transferred to a kindergarten in the city where she lives in, because she is currently working in a community and it takes her about 2 hours to get there from her house. She told me that many other teachers want to work in the city, and not in other communities, because the transportation is expensive. She would like to work in a specific kindergarten, which is considered the best in the city, despite she is aware of how demanding the director is, but she says that is because of the commitment that the director asks the teachers to have towards the program, that it has the positive reputation, which it has hold it since I was still doing my bachelors. 

One of the issues they are facing in her kindergarten is that there are not enough children to serve this coming school year. Up to date, they have only 40 children enrolled and they need to have more than 50 in order to open 2 classrooms, other ways the program will open only one classroom, with one teacher.  This fact means that either Fany of the other teacher may lose their job. Just in case this happens, Fany would start the masters this month.

Throughout these blog assignments and my conversations with Fany, I had the opportunity to learn about the current situation of the early childhood field in my native country, which sadly is not as optimal as I wish, but I am sure that with committed professionals like Fany and the opportunities the SEP is offering, some positive changes would come.

Sharing Web Resources 3

I have met teachers and other professionals working in the education field not only because of the monetary wage they get, that most of the time does not compensate their hard work, but because they love and are passionate about what they do. I consider that love is an important ingredient that in most cases makes a difference in our teaching, because when we love something we defend it and care about it, and that that is what we do for the early childhood. Is there any other way to advocate for and promote equity in the field than by defending what we do?

As part of their programs and events, the Association for Childhood Education International (http://www.acei.org/) has begun a campaign with such engaging name: Love Me, Teach Me (http://www.acei.org/programs-events/love-me-teach-me.html). Through this campaign the ACEI wants to promote the needs and rights of children everywhere, based on four cornerstones: See Me, Hear Me, Love Me, and Teach Me. The campaign is called Love Me, Teach Me since these two facts contribute most significantly to a child’s overall development and well-being.

The first cornerstone, See Me, is related to the children’s right to identity, which is aimed to ensure that children are consider visible members of their society, regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, ability, family status, or national origin.

The second cornerstone, Hear Me, is about the children’s right to participation. This fact invites us to reflect on how we include children, when we listen to them and take their ideas and themselves into account when we make decisions. Sometimes adults forget that children have voice and we do not listen to them just because they are children. When they are excluded from group activities or when they do not have access to medical care, the message they receive is that their needs and ideas are not important. Let’s listen to what they have to say and ensure they can satisfy their needs. Let’s make them feel important, because they are!

The Love Me cornerstone is aimed to ensure the children’s right to security, stability, and protection, first of all through their parents and family, who are their primary caregivers. When we work with children it is easier for us to love them, but when people are not directly related to them the decisions made on their job affect children too, like the images created when designing commercial advertising campaigns to the development of public policy.

The last cornerstone, Teach Me, is related to the children’s right to education. The ACEI highlights the importance of having access to quality education, but in order to get it, parents, caregivers and community members have to make efforts to ensure the education promotes the development of the whole child, through engaging experiences not only at school but in their homes and communities too.

I think that taking these four cornerstones into account when we work with children, will help us to improve our teaching practices, while we ensure their wellbeing and development through experiences they  can freely chose in an environment that has been created based on their ideas and needs.

Let us promote this campaign by adding this cornerstones to our practice and posting the touching post card in our centers http://www.acei.org/images/stories/documents/lovemecard.pdf.