When I Think of Research

When I Think of Research

 

 Being able to have a better understanding of research. Given me the opportunity to gain a better insight how research is perform. Although I have taken a similar course about research. this course I was able to have better clarity and understanding on how to perform a research simulation.

I can truly admit taking this course have change my thoughts about research.
Even though, I was familiar with doing research, the thought of learning new things about research freight me. However learning different challenges in research have given me the opportunity to express my understanding of research.

Through-out this course being able to understand how planning and designing a research in early childhood can affect data collection or sampling or just the outcome of the research. There are many parts to conducting  and designing research. Therefore when implementing a research for early childhood there must be understanding of equity in the research along with  mixed method.

Even though, I had encounter many challenges through-out this course. I was able to critically examine these challenges so I would have a better understanding. Mixed method approach in which it used qualitative and quantitative method on one study.

This course have given me the opportunity to learn a different parts of early childhood field.
Research has open many doors for me comprehend and understand in early childhood field in which ways how research is performed and developed. Therefore, my understanding of early childhood studies have broaden because of research course.

I want to Thank You, everyone who have post  a comment on my blog and to my classmates. I enjoyed learning about research in early childhood field.

Research Around the World

                                              About ECDVU in Sub-Saharan Africa:
While looking through ecd website, I was able to view some of their research topics. For Example;
 
                      1.The Development of an Integrated Early Childhood Development Urban Model Training Program for Informal Minders and Community Volunteers in Ghana; BY;Felix Agorsah
 
 
                     2.Building Community Leadership for Quality Sustainability in Madrasa Preschools: The Case of Madrasa Preschools Post Graduation Support BY:Asha Mohammed Ahmed
 
 
                    3.The Status of Coordination and Supervision of Early Childhood Education in Ghana BY:Margaret Amponsah

However there were some new insight I was able to learn about early childhood in Ghana, Tanzania. For example;Ghana office of UNICEF introduced the IECD program aimed at promoting the survival, growth, protection, and education, all key components of development of the child aged 0-8 years. I was  also able to learn about early childhood education in Ghana dates back over 160 years to 1843. I was amazed how long early childhood education has been around. Even though it has not been until 1961, however, that institutions were put in place to formalise this service to young children. Since then, major changes and activities have taken place. These include formulation of policy guidelines for nursery education. http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

There were also additional information I also recognized on this website: ECDVU participants work with a number of highly respected ECD faculty.Inclusion in ECDVU was not based solely on a self-identification application process typical of graduate level educational programs. Instead, in most cases, the names of ECDVU candidates emerged from an in-country process that brought together an inter-sectoral ECD country committee to identify significant early childhood goals for the country in the years ahead.Even though individual aptitude and sustained commitment are critical factors in candidates' success, the ECDVU is not primarily about individual learning and development. It is primarily concerned with advancing ECD within each participating country, and across sub-Saharan Africa, through a "flow-through" of information and involvement in the candidate's learning by the larger ECD "community" within his or her country. http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

Therefore, I find this website to be highly informative about international early childhood development, education. Even-though each research I have read about was based on different criteria. Their foundation was based on helping communities, families and children development. However among all the different financial support of the following organizations: For example; World Bank:Norwegian Educational Trust Fund; UNICEF;UNESCO;CIDA;Dutch Government, and many more. ECD website was excellent.

Reference:

 http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

                                                           Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome has touch my life in many ways. My children have grown up in a very ordinary school district and to seem to have a lot of friends. During the fall they play football, the winter they played basketball and the spring it was softball. There was one kid in the neighborhood that had Down Syndrome but to my kids and the other kids in the neighborhood he was just like everyone else. Until one night we had away game and  some one called him a rude name and my son decided to hit the kid for saying such a rude name and it cause a huge fight between the two teams. Myself and the other parents in the neighborhood decided to seek professional help. We wanted our children to understand what Down Syndrome is and that people who have it can have a normal life.

About Down Syndrome:
Down syndrome (DS), also called Trisomy 21, is a condition in which extra genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops, both mentally and physically. It affects about 1 in every 800 babies born in the United States.The physical features and medical problems associated with Down syndrome can vary widely from child to child. While some kids with DS need a lot of medical attention, others lead healthy lives

Reference:
kidshealth.org › Parents › Diseases & Conditions
www.mayoclinic.com/health/down-syndrome/DS00182‎

Personal Research Journey

There are many reason researcher studies child development. developmentlists begin with curiosity and then seek the facts, drawing conclusion only after careful research. However child development is divided into four equal parts to make a whole child. Therefor, I chose for my simulation is Early Childhood; Cognitive Development between the ages of 2 and 6 years of age understanding conservation and what is logic or not logic.
Through-out my teaching with  pre-school children. I have personally watch how children eyes have lighten up through-out the years over many fairy-tale stories.Children begin to think symbolically and learn to use words and pictures to represent objects. They also tend to be very egocentric, and see things only from their point of view.

Preoperational Stage:

"During this stage, young children are able to think about things symbolically. Their language use becomes more mature. They also develop memory and imagination, which allows them to understand the difference between past and future, and engage in make-believe.

But their thinking is based on intuition and still not completely logical. They cannot yet grasp more complex concepts such as cause and effect, time, and comparison."(Inhelder&Piaget,pg257, 1964)

 

Reference:

 

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers: Inhelder, Barbel, & Piaget, Jean, (1964) The early growth of logic in the child.

 

 

CONSEQUENCES OF LEARNING

Through-out my eight weeks journey the three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field in a professional and personal development are.
1) When I first start to engage with my colleague over seas my understanding was unclear of the struggles in Egypt school system. The decline of many student attendance because of political problems have made the country standards academically decline. Many of the families who could afford to send their children to private American or French Pre-school happen to be 20% percentile that is considered wealthy. However my gaining of understanding is that we don't realize how lucky as teachers and parents we are to have are children attend school with out a correct regime in power.

2) Even-though Egypt school system have had it rough I was able to network with many colleagues. Mai have been my main resource with pictures and events. I was able to learned that teacher do not make huge salary and recently a union was form than it was broken than it was formed again and than broken. Many of the teacher in Egypt are true teacher because they may teach all day than turn around and tutor individual children after school. I learn from this experience is true dedication and loving to teach. I learned that high-quality teacher's are based on the amount of caring and time educating individual students in other countries.

3) Through-out my journey I was able to meet some many lovely colleagues. I am proud to say. Mai will visit me soon from Egypt. I am glad we are able to keep the communication open. I was able to learn a lot about Egypt early childhood field and their school system. I was able to network and receive resources that can help many of my diverse student and I was able to help them with resource from American schools. Networking help me with information that I was able to share with other colleague.

Therefore, my goal to international awareness and collegial relations is to be able to communicate and share resources when necessary. There should be a open door at all times. We are colleagues from different parts of the world but we share the same interest. Teaching Early Childhood Education. I really enjoyed these last past eight weeks. I hope to see everyone next class. I enjoyed reading everyone blog.

EXCELLENCE +QUALITY

OLD VS NEW
Mai, my professional colleague from Egypt, has englighten me withwith execellence and quality and how it became such a importants to so many women.In ancient Egypt, boys from wealthy families started school at the age of four. Before a child started his first year of school, his father decided what his son's occupation would be in the future. Egyptians were very practical, so kids at schools were taught only the subjects that would be at schools were taught only the subjects that would be useful in their career. The only boys who were taught mathematics were the ones that were going to be tax collectors. As time went on the schools in Egypt has change and young girls were able to participate in education. To many, Egypt men this is considered a honor to educate your daughters before marriage.

 

 As time moved on young girls were accept to receive education and to work out of homes. Many earned professional jobs and became doctors and lawyers and teachers. Mia Hany who is my contact in Egypt explain that excellence and quality, is based on thier performance and which regime is in power. They do not have  Tearcher union and protest can cause their life. Durning time of the protest hundreds of teachers were fired and transferred during the pro-democracy demonstrations, and the union is seeking their reinstatement.Teacher salaries in Egypt are abysmally low. Public school teachers are among the least paid civil servants in Egypt and still they are blamed for all the corrupting in the educational system.  Many tearchers privatley tutor other students after school becuase our class have more than 40 student and their no such thing and as aid in public schools. Most of the children have a private tutor or go to British or American Schools where their parents can afford for private lesson but those parent who can not afford the private lesson. Many teacher tutor for free. The government still state that Egyptian Teachers are the blame for the over size classes and run-down schools. Tearchers protesting and asking for more money and better schools. Mia, discuss that quality and excellence is so complex in Egypt future and was so well plan in it past.

EXCELLENCE:

Mia, quoted my word excellence as a word of the past vs the future. In Egypt there are many schools American schools and British schools, French school and many more. The richer you are the more private of a school your childlren will attend. In Egypt education is based on quality of life style you live. How much money you make every year. many tearcher would love to further their education but finances is a huge problem in Egypt future. Mia was very lucky to finish her Early childhood master program on-line and her school were she works at paid for it. In many other cases their is no extra money from the government or teachers who can barely survive with their salary. this is called Egypt future.Where their past was filled with encouragement and a very rich economy and no worries for their future.

SHARING WEB RESOURCES

                                             Giving Hope To A World Of Need

                                                             Education:

The link and web resources program that Ilink to was CRS.
CRS and its partners promote and support access to quality basic education for all. The agency stands in solidarity with the most marginalized populations and works to effect individual, structural, and systematic changes. In so doing, CRS contributes to building peaceful and just societies.
CRS implements or supports education activities in three areas:

• Crisis areas
• Areas that are transitioning from a crisis to stability
• Relatively stable areas

In crisis areas, CRS often provides support directly to schools, whereas in poor but relatively stable areas, CRS supports local "grassroots" organizations or partners who, in turn, work closely with local schools.
CRS' education programming is based on continuous dialogue and reflection for improved performance. Special emphasis is given to working with the social agencies of the local Catholic Church and other faith-based organizations because of our shared commitment to promoting justice and our respect for human life and dignity.

CRS has three priorities for its education programming:

1. Access and Equity
2. Quality Education
3. Community Participation

CRS considers these priorities when implementing activities such as Food-Assisted Education (FAE), also known as school feeding programs. CRS has supported school feeding programs since 1958. School meals help meet short and long-term education, nutrition, and food security objectives.
In the mid-90s, CRS expanded its programs by combining school feeding with education activities that focus on improving the quality of education, girls' access to education, support for teachers, health/hygiene education and services for students, school infrastructure improvement, and increased parental and community involvement in schools. The participants in these expanded school feeding programs are mostly pre-school and primary school students in rural, food insecure regions. In most Africa and Asia programs, school feeding activities have a special emphasis on drawing girls to school.
In the short-term, school feeding encourages children to enroll in school and attend regularly because they receive a meal at school. Through the school meal, children receive essential nutrients, which improve their ability to learn. This meal is also an incentive for parents to send their children to school because they know their children will eat well at school, and that they will not have to use limited family funds and time to prepare a midday meal.
School feeding programs also help meet long-term education and food security objectives. Over time, investments in education, especially for girls, have been shown to improve family health and incomes and help ensure food security for future generations.
In addition to school feeding activities, CRS sometimes uses schools and the school system as a delivery mechanism for other types of services. An example of this would be a health or nutrition project that provides food (to address short-term food security) or micronutrients (to address specific micronutrient deficiency) to children in schools.

Who Do These Activities Reach?

CRS' education programs are implemented around the world in Africa , Asia , Latin America and the Caribbean , the Middle East and Eastern Europe . Education activities promote increased access to, quality of, and community involvement in education, and often combine several of these goals at the same time.
Beneficiaries and participants in CRS' education projects are school-age children, their parents and other members of the larger community, teachers and administrators, and local grassroots project partners. Schools participating in CRS' education programs are public, private, and parochial.
Education programs focus on primary or pre-primary grades and are implemented through both the formal education system and informal learning environments. Informal learning environments provide basic education to groups that have traditionally been excluded from schooling and strengthen parent and community organizations to become a positive force for improving education.

Background of CRS' Education Program:

CRS is constantly evaluating and improving its education programming and recently expanded its school feeding activities to focus more on primary education. CRS began implementing new types of education programming, as well as making a fundamental shift in its programming: instead of seeing school-based food assistance as the centerpiece of the agency's education programming, education was made the focus.
Now, food assistance is seen as one of several possible interventions and school feeding was renamed Food-Assisted Education. FAE is defined as a set of "interventions supporting long-term education objectives, which are being implemented with food (among other) resources and thus aim to have short-term food security impact in addition to long-term food security impact." Adoption of this model has inspired a new generation of progressive education initiatives within the agency. A wide variety of programming is now in progress and goals include:

• Promoting girls' education
• Strengthening parental/community involvement in education
• Improving access to education
• Improving the quality of education
• Improving infrastructure and school environments
• Promoting inclusive education
• Promoting adult education and literacy
• Promoting early childhood development
• Promoting health/hygiene/nutrition/sanitation through schools
• Promoting education for peacebuilding
• Promoting vocational training and life skills
• Promoting short-term food security in emergency situations

Specific activities that meet these programming goals include:

• Distributing micronutrient supplements to improve students' health
• Providing parents with hygiene and nutrition education
• Improving teachers' skills and directors' school management techniques
• Providing take-home rations to encourage the enrollment and attendance of girls and other marginalized groups
• Initiating information and education campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of issues such as girls' education
• Strengthening Parent Teacher Associations to increase community involvement in education

Reference:
http://crs.org/education/?gclid=CM639PrBkboCFZKk4AodRUEA3g