This week I spoke with my international contact about professional visions and issues and trends in the field of early childhood. Molly shares many of the same concerns as I for our future; how to develop a comprehensive early childhood support system that covers the diverse range of needs and strengths that families cross-culturally possess. Even in the Marshall Islands, issues of inequity and trends of declining workforce qualifications and compensation remain. Children are not afforded the same opportunities among social classes and poverty and food insecurity are among the challenges of educators in the Marshall Islands and the continental United States. Molly faces particular challenges in the Marshall Islands where children do not have access to healthier foods and climate change may eradicate their island altogether. Even still, Molly and I both believe that investments in our youngest learners will lead to positive outcomes for all societies and nations and that quality early care from educator's that are passionate will make the difference.
I asked Molly about her future plans for teaching and we discussed the impact of her experience in the Marshall Islands on her pedagogy. She details her own growing ability to meet children and families where they are and to advocate for young children in unfair circumstances. Together, she thinks, we can help policymakers and leaders in the field better serve all young children by ensuring that we are representing each child and family circumstance adequately. Molly has served on several councils for her school and is part of teaching organizations like NAEYC that she feels will help her to be an informed advocate for all young children. What I realized is that, globally, most people have a strong value for young children, and that each family and community has a sense of commitment to children that is demonstrated in different ways. Globally, we must gather in support of young children and make sure that inequities are addressed and excellence is promoted in every area that we can.
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Final Notes on the NAECTE
This week I dug deeper into the National Asociation of Early Childhood Educators' website, and I found a few final and notable things. The first is that a variety of scholarships and grant money is available on the website, with winners from previous years listed; these scholarships range from teaching honors to dissertation awards (NAECTE, 2017a). Next, I found that the NAECTE (2017a) is currently looking for submissions of manuscripts about teaching infant and toddler teachers. This topic has been at the forefront of research, and more information can be synthesized as we learn what is best for children under the age of three. I also liked looking into the link 'related organizations', which listed many organizations that I had never heard of that would be interesting to explore further. Examples include the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Association of Teacher Educators, and the Association for Childhood Education International (NAECTE, 2017c). Also in my exploration of the website, I see that Louise Derman-Sparks, one of my inspirations, has written a new book (from 2015) that deals with anti-bias education called Leading anti-bias early childhood programs: A guide for change and that she is actually a member of this organization (NAECTE, 2017b). What a great website and great related links.
I looked through the "published books" section of the website and found high-quality, peer-reviewed literature about teaching adults in the early childhood field (my master's focus). Other than the book by Louise Derman-Sparks, I would really like to read one I found on the website called the Hidden history of early childhood education which addresses not only the historical perspective but also the philosophical and sociological perspectives of early childhood education (NAECTE, 2017b). I also found that there is a relatively new book called Early childhood and neuroscience; Links to development and learning (NAECTE, 2017b). This topic is of clear importance as we are moving through our master's programs because of the need for multidisciplinary advocacy on behalf of young children. As we progress in our professional careers, the need to acquire high-quality resources that will support our success grows. The NAECTE is definitely a resource I will keep handy for myself as its publications in particular seem to be timely and relevant.
References
NAECTE (2017a). Awards and grants. Retrieved from http://naecte.org/about/awards-grants/
NAECTE (2017b). Published books. Retrieved from http://naecte.org/about/published-books/
NAECTE (2017c). Related organizations. Retrieved from http://naecte.org/about/related-organizations/
I looked through the "published books" section of the website and found high-quality, peer-reviewed literature about teaching adults in the early childhood field (my master's focus). Other than the book by Louise Derman-Sparks, I would really like to read one I found on the website called the Hidden history of early childhood education which addresses not only the historical perspective but also the philosophical and sociological perspectives of early childhood education (NAECTE, 2017b). I also found that there is a relatively new book called Early childhood and neuroscience; Links to development and learning (NAECTE, 2017b). This topic is of clear importance as we are moving through our master's programs because of the need for multidisciplinary advocacy on behalf of young children. As we progress in our professional careers, the need to acquire high-quality resources that will support our success grows. The NAECTE is definitely a resource I will keep handy for myself as its publications in particular seem to be timely and relevant.
References
NAECTE (2017a). Awards and grants. Retrieved from http://naecte.org/about/awards-grants/
NAECTE (2017b). Published books. Retrieved from http://naecte.org/about/published-books/
NAECTE (2017c). Related organizations. Retrieved from http://naecte.org/about/related-organizations/
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Equity and Excellence Teaching in the Marshall Islands
This week I had the opportunity to speak once more with my international contact. Molly discussed with me a little bit about how equity and excellence are seen in the Marshall Islands. Her school is comprised mostly of wealthy families since the school requires tuition. Some students, however, are sponsored, and issues of equity are visible in the different students. Molly sees diet and health issues affecting the hildren, particularly their energy and ability to learn. The accepted norms in the Marshall Islands is that children eat ramen with koolaid, cake, and other sugary things for breakfast, particularly those families with fewer economic resources. Molly says that this type of diet is more accepted there than in her native New Hampshire because it is an island and people are used to it. Equity (or rather, inequity) plays a huge part in children's health. Currently, there is a Hepatitis A outbreak, and last year, there was an outbreak of pink eye. Not all children receive proper care for their ailments. Molly suggests that the government does not follow laws or do much to help families in poverty.
Molly goes on to tell me a little more about excellence in teaching in the Marshall Islands. She says that with children getting sick, missing school, and too tired to learn, excellence in teaching is really being able to meet them on their level. Though she is a language teacher, she often finds herself teaching the children about health and safety; in particular, she wants them to have the skills to thrive abroad, since their island may not exist in fifteen years due to climate change. She also wants to educate the children about climate change, its effect on their island, and how they can make a difference. She tells me about a recycling project she did with the children and how excited they became to look for the symbols on their food products. Molly thinks that excellence in teaching is being able to offer these children a sound education that meets them where they are and helps them understand the full scope of their futures.
Molly goes on to tell me a little more about excellence in teaching in the Marshall Islands. She says that with children getting sick, missing school, and too tired to learn, excellence in teaching is really being able to meet them on their level. Though she is a language teacher, she often finds herself teaching the children about health and safety; in particular, she wants them to have the skills to thrive abroad, since their island may not exist in fifteen years due to climate change. She also wants to educate the children about climate change, its effect on their island, and how they can make a difference. She tells me about a recycling project she did with the children and how excited they became to look for the symbols on their food products. Molly thinks that excellence in teaching is being able to offer these children a sound education that meets them where they are and helps them understand the full scope of their futures.
Saturday, February 4, 2017
NAECTE
As I review the website for the National Association of
Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE), I notice that the information
related to my professional development is in their publication journals, their
position statements, and somewhat in their e-newsletter. Though the newsletter
represents information about the organization, conferences, and members, it
also provides some practical suggestions for teaching adults in the early childhood
field, especially their advocacy for the specific skillset needed for infant
and toddler teachers (NAECTE, 2016). They demonstrate a clear commitment to
research in neuroscience, economics, and politics, citing specifically that
manuscripts for their journal should discuss challenges and implications and
should evaluate existing programs or propose future programs (NAECTE, 2016).
This reminds me of our reading for this week where Shonkoff (2009) proposes a
two-tiered model to reconstruct the early childhood field where part of our
investments would go to improving existing programs and part would go to
developing and implementing new innovations in the early childhood field. The
NAECTE seems to be right on track with what researchers in the field are
suggesting in terms of future directions for investments, research, and
professional development.
The NAEYCTE (2015) also recently publicized a slideshow
indicating their effectiveness in achieving goals within their purpose
statement. These goals, like advocating for improvement of early childhood
teacher education and providing a communication network of early childhood
teacher educators are in alignment with the kind of supports I envision myself
needing as a teacher educator (NAECTE, 2015). I think that I could benefit from
membership to this organization, especially with access to their Journals. Their
most recent publications explore infant and toddler teachers’ specific skills
and the system of early childhood education degrees, among other topics
(NAECTE, 2017). I can see this organization becoming an effective tool in my repertoire
of knowledge and skills in the field.
References
NAECTE (2017). Journal
of Early Childhood Teacher Education. Retrieved from http://naecte.org/journal/
NAECTE (2016, Winter). NAECTE
e-letter. Retrieved from http://naecte.org/wp-content/uploads/naecte-winter-16-v2.pdf
NAECTE (2015, November 23). NAECTE Needs Assessment Survey results. Retrieved from http://naecte.org/wp-content/uploads/NAECTE-Needs-Assessment.pdf
Shonkoff, J. P. (2009). Mobilizing science to revitalize
early childhood policy. Issues in Science & Technology, 26(1),
79–85. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Speaking with my foreign contact
This week I conducted a conversation with my foreign contact. Molly has been living and working in the Marshall Islands for two years. All of her first- and second-grade students speak Marshallese, and Molly teaches them English. The population is so small that two grades are put together to save money on teachers. This means that the children have varying language abilities in her classroom. Molly has learned a lot of Marshallese, but still struggles with communicating with her learners. There are not a lot of jobs in the Marshall Islands because they have to import a lot of their goods. This means that poverty affects the children in Molly's classroom greatly.
Molly says that some children arrive at school without shoes or adequate clothing. Most of her children do work for their families' farms after school or help with fishing. The US government pays for a lot of the school's resources, so the children are well fed during the day, but Molly says that the children sometimes do not appear to have eaten enough, or they are tired and can not focus. She also says that the children get sick more often and are not able to come to school than when she worked in New Hampshire. The school closes once a month or so because of illness but medicines are at least available to the children from the government. Molly says the situation in the Marshall Islands seems that poverty is more visible and that it affects children more than when she worked in New Hampshire.
What I have realized is that poverty is a global issue that affects children much in the same ways. Molly discussed health and safety, adequate shelter and clothing, and more. These issues are certainly relevant in the continental United States in terms of homelessness, food insecurity, and more. The issues Molly talked about with her children and being able to focus and appearing hungry are things that we see here in New Hampshire. The difference is, of course, that there are a lot more programs here to help with children in poverty. Unfortunately, we do not have a widespread 'cure' for poverty and we have not found a systemic solution for these vulnerable children.
Molly says that some children arrive at school without shoes or adequate clothing. Most of her children do work for their families' farms after school or help with fishing. The US government pays for a lot of the school's resources, so the children are well fed during the day, but Molly says that the children sometimes do not appear to have eaten enough, or they are tired and can not focus. She also says that the children get sick more often and are not able to come to school than when she worked in New Hampshire. The school closes once a month or so because of illness but medicines are at least available to the children from the government. Molly says the situation in the Marshall Islands seems that poverty is more visible and that it affects children more than when she worked in New Hampshire.
What I have realized is that poverty is a global issue that affects children much in the same ways. Molly discussed health and safety, adequate shelter and clothing, and more. These issues are certainly relevant in the continental United States in terms of homelessness, food insecurity, and more. The issues Molly talked about with her children and being able to focus and appearing hungry are things that we see here in New Hampshire. The difference is, of course, that there are a lot more programs here to help with children in poverty. Unfortunately, we do not have a widespread 'cure' for poverty and we have not found a systemic solution for these vulnerable children.
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Sharing Web Resources
The web resource I chose is the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE). This organization focuses on teachers that interact with adults in the field or adults entering the field of early childhood. My ultimate goal from getting my Master's degree is to become a teacher of new professionals in the field and to conduct training's for teachers. Personally, I have seen a decline in opportunities for teachers in my area to receive professional development. A community-funded program in my area that offered classes for teachers' ongoing professional development recently closed their doors. My colleague Deb spoke with me about the financial and temporal concerns she has as a result of this change- she now must enroll in college course to make up her professional development hours required by licensing (D. Danforth, personal commuication, 28 December, 2016). The climate of professional development for teachers and professional preparation for teachers is an ever-changing dynamic and can only be effective with strong and informed leaders and teachers of these professionals.
The NAECTE puts forth position statements and a newsletter to keep teachers of early childhood professionals up to date with current trends. Their newsletter is mostly news about the organization (board member changes, events, etc.), but their position statements are truly effective and informative for those seeking information about trends and best practices in our field. After reading the position statement describing the code of ethics for early childhood adult educators, I learned so much about what it means to truly prepare teachers. First, it is our responsibility to help (adult) students learn the difference between commonly accepted practice and best practice (NAEYC, NAECTE, ACESS 2004). The NAECTE demonstrates their commitment to all stakeholders in the process of teaching children, outlining their ethical responsibility to (adult) students, to children, to practicum sites, to colleagues, and to higher education institutions. The NAECTE provides adult-education candidates with a holistic perspective about what our society needs in order to improve teacher preparation programs.
One specific aspect of improving teacher preparation programs and early childhood programs that the NAECTE details is providing a more cohesive and aligned teacher certification process. They suggest that teachers of children five years and younger should have extensive coursework and some experience working with young children (NAECTE, n.d.). Given what we know and have learned about the significance of the early years on brain development and the ability of the teacher to help the child and family maximize their potential, I would have to agree that teachers of young children should possess content knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to be effective in their work. Recently I had a conversation with a colleague and we discussed a childcare center she worked for several years ago where the director had a business degree and no background in early childhood (T. Chaffee, personal communication, 16 January, 2017). The NAECTE definitely has some relevant informations to my work as a teacher and hopefully as an adult educator. I hope to learn more about this organization as our coursework continues.
References
NAEYC, NAECTE, ACCESS (2004). Code of ethics; Supplement for early childhood adult educators. Retrieved from http://naecte.org/wp-content/uploads/ethics.pdf#page=1&zoom=auto,-39,798
NAECTE (n.d.). Position statement on early childhood certification for teachers of children 8 years and younger in public school settings. Retrieved from http://naecte.org/wp-content/uploads/ECE-certification-position-statement.pdf
The NAECTE puts forth position statements and a newsletter to keep teachers of early childhood professionals up to date with current trends. Their newsletter is mostly news about the organization (board member changes, events, etc.), but their position statements are truly effective and informative for those seeking information about trends and best practices in our field. After reading the position statement describing the code of ethics for early childhood adult educators, I learned so much about what it means to truly prepare teachers. First, it is our responsibility to help (adult) students learn the difference between commonly accepted practice and best practice (NAEYC, NAECTE, ACESS 2004). The NAECTE demonstrates their commitment to all stakeholders in the process of teaching children, outlining their ethical responsibility to (adult) students, to children, to practicum sites, to colleagues, and to higher education institutions. The NAECTE provides adult-education candidates with a holistic perspective about what our society needs in order to improve teacher preparation programs.
One specific aspect of improving teacher preparation programs and early childhood programs that the NAECTE details is providing a more cohesive and aligned teacher certification process. They suggest that teachers of children five years and younger should have extensive coursework and some experience working with young children (NAECTE, n.d.). Given what we know and have learned about the significance of the early years on brain development and the ability of the teacher to help the child and family maximize their potential, I would have to agree that teachers of young children should possess content knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to be effective in their work. Recently I had a conversation with a colleague and we discussed a childcare center she worked for several years ago where the director had a business degree and no background in early childhood (T. Chaffee, personal communication, 16 January, 2017). The NAECTE definitely has some relevant informations to my work as a teacher and hopefully as an adult educator. I hope to learn more about this organization as our coursework continues.
References
NAEYC, NAECTE, ACCESS (2004). Code of ethics; Supplement for early childhood adult educators. Retrieved from http://naecte.org/wp-content/uploads/ethics.pdf#page=1&zoom=auto,-39,798
NAECTE (n.d.). Position statement on early childhood certification for teachers of children 8 years and younger in public school settings. Retrieved from http://naecte.org/wp-content/uploads/ECE-certification-position-statement.pdf
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Establishing Contacts and Expanding Resources
In order to connect with two professionals from around the world, I first looked through the links to NAEYC and UNICEF and found no luck. Eventually, after a lot of Googling, I was able to find two professional's email addresses by looking up a town (in my case, London UK and Vancouver BC) and finding websites of elementary schools there. Then I looked at the contact info for those schools and determined if there were teacher's email addresses. I wrote a (hopefully) polite letter explaining how I found them and what my purpose was contacting them. I sent the email on Thursday, so I do hope that I hear back soon from at least one! My tip would be to use my method if you're having issues finding email addresses on the two resources for the blog area this week.
For the resources, I right away chose the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators. I had never heard of this organization and I am very excited to find it! After browsing briefly through their website, I can tell that this truly matches my interests because I want to teach new professionals after I get my degree. I am excited to see what this course has in store for us and more excited to hear back from my global contacts!
For the resources, I right away chose the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators. I had never heard of this organization and I am very excited to find it! After browsing briefly through their website, I can tell that this truly matches my interests because I want to teach new professionals after I get my degree. I am excited to see what this course has in store for us and more excited to hear back from my global contacts!
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