"Children must be taught how to think, not what to think"
Margaret Mead

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Reserach Around the World




·         What are some of the current international research topics?
Parents’ and Other Caregivers’ Perception of Early Childhood Development Needs and Quality: A Study of the PLAN-Assisted Programmes in Bawjiase, Ghana, was the first research study I read through. This was interesting to me because I was glad to see that internationally we all agree that it is important for parent involvement. A part to parent involvement is to see that parents have the knowledge of Early Childhood Development. When parents can have that knowledge then they can help assist the educators with the developmental success of their children.
Involving Fathers in Early Childhood Care and Development and Assessment of Interaction and Stimulation in Single-Mother Low-Income Families were two more research studies that I was able to read. Again, this common issue is not just here in your hometown, but internationally we are all struggling trying to overcome the same issues and trends. I believe this further confirms that together we can help one another come up with different solutions that will ensure the success of the children in early childhood development.
·         What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from
exploring this international early childhood website?
I was intrigued by their generative curriculum approach. I appreciate first that this approach is a curriculum that expects results and starts from the beginning. The historical approach discusses “how we came to be here”.  I feel this is important for early childhood in order to know how to expand on education and care we must know where they started, where they currently stand, and then ultimately the goal we look to work toward. You can read further into this approach by linking to this page http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/generative.php.
·         What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?
Promoting ripple effects and networking activities was noteworthy as well. When researching ways to improve on any issue; you would like to get as much information as possible while also reaching those that would benefit from the information. When researchers network their information the ripple effect can travel pretty far. The internet abilities have grown and even though some might see this as a negative, there are many positive outcomes we can gain from sharing information internationally and gaining as much support and knowledge that we can in order to improve the development and growth of early childhood.

6 comments:

  1. Samantha,
    I enjoyed reading your blog, thank you! I am also glad to see the importance of parent involvement internationally. My own research question deals with the importance of parent involvement, I am a huge advocate for this. Parent's can do so much in helping their child's educational growth and development. But yes parents do need that knowledge first. I do see so many similarities in the research topics here in the U.S. and internationally. We are trying to overcome much of the same challenges and struggles. I liked your information on promoting ripple effects. There are so many positives we gain from the internet. I totally agree that we have to gain as much support and knowledge as possible in order to improve the development of all children.

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  2. As I read your blog thos week I couldn't help but crow with excitement as you mentioned the ripple effect that occurs when researchers share their research. With the development of the internet it is now possible to more swiftly share research not just between educators but between educators and professionals in other fields, this is increasingly important as educators are being forced to prove why current policies being enacted in education contradict current and historical research. Educating parents about this is crucial because there will be no successful change from current policies without parent support and involvement. This is true regardless of where you are in the world.

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  3. Samantha, I enjoyed reading your post. I agree with you that it is important that when parents can have that knowledge then they can help assist the educators with the developmental success of their children. There should be an agreement between the educator and the parent to work together in ensuring that our children have the necessary tools to challenge whatever their needs are in the school's setting. I was very involved in my child's studies. I attended the PTA meetings, as well as all his school's activities. My thought is that when these children receive their parent's support, the more involved/ focus the child will become in his/her studies.

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  4. Samantha I enjoyed reading your post. I think parent involvement is very important. Children who have behavior problems, parent involvement has been known to have a positive impact. Yes parents are able to see what children are learning at school and make the connection at home, reinforcing skills. Really nice.

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  5. samantha,
    I enjoyed reading your post. I learned about some of the current issues in Ghana during our last course. There is a ripple effect in all aspect of life, but when it comes to education we must keep this in mind when teaching young children. Our influence as educators can greatly enhance their education or have a crippling effect on it.

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  6. Samantha,
    Hi! I also read about Africa's efforts in early childhood education. It truly inspired me that globally the right things are being done for all children. On the outside looking in, I had always heard about how Africa didn't promote education. Even Oprah Winfrey went over there to open a school. With the research that we have to do for our courses, I can recognize that this is not the case. There are concerns for the children, the parents and the educators being addressed. I have even thought about relocating somewhere to teach. My Board of Education here in NYC, is so corrupt I really don't want to become involved with it on a full time basis. With this degree we will have so many doors open up for us. It's been a pleasure going down this road to graduation with you. Great post!

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