Issues and Trends: Change, Contexts, Consequences, Constants Revisited

In this post, I am supposed to identify three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for my professional and personal development, but through the research I have conducted from various resources, I haven’t found any “consequences” of learning but more similarities. In my review of an array of articles, journals, and podcasts, I found that my perspective is similar to other early childhood professionals. In the podcast, Early Childhood Education: Balancing Expectations and What Young Learners Really Need, Wendy Ostroff (a cognitive psychology, child development, and metacognition expert and author of the 2012 ASCD book, Understanding How Young Children Learn: Bringing the Science of Child Development to the Classroom) comments that developmental scientists have found that " 'formal academic activities' can harm learning in young learners...academic-based early learning programs can harm learning." I had always agreed with a play-based curriculum was more effective than an academic-based one but I had no idea it would hinder overall development. As a parent, you want your child(ren) to have the best from the beginning but from an early childhood professional viewpoint, letting children be children and explore the world as they see fit is the best parenting one can give! In this insight, I cannot see the “consequence of learning” but the similarities. 

Another resource I found interesting in regards to the early childhood field is the Topics in Early Childhood Blog. Previously, I explored this link but scanned the information; however, on this particular review of the blog, I read a post entitled, In Touch with a Child's Perspective. This post was about elementary teachers (as a part of their teaching certification coursework) should have extensive exposure to child development training as with early childhood certifications. "Understanding child development, which I think is key to working with children, is essential for all teachers.  Just like early development, middle childhood has its own developmental stages, as well, and can help a teacher respond appropriately to all the children she may teach each day." (Funk, 2013) I relate this blog posting as a new insight about issues in the early childhood field that I gained this week because in order to offer children birth - 8 years old high quality, equity, and excellence in early care and education, one must be have extensive knowledge in child development. "I have personally observed over the years how an adult with a strong knowledge about a child’s developmental stages, approaches the child differently.  The adult seems to understand that some behaviors, while not necessarily acceptable, are typical for children at that age.  That knowledge tempers the responses and helps the adult deal appropriately with any situation.  This same principle is true with comments and discussions that occur with young children."

Under the Coordination and Integration tab of the Early Childhood section on the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization website, "Cross-sectoral coordination is difficult, especially at the national level. It is one of the main challenges facing governments of both developed and developing countries trying to promote a holistic approach to early childhood. Responses vary and some countries have sought to remove the problem by integrating sectoral responsibilities into a single ministry." With this new found information, I have a better understanding in knowing that other governments, on a national level, experience difficulties promoting and implementing quality standards among the early childhood field. This, also, highlights the similarities with the international early childhood field and the one we experience here at home. 

Through this journey on exploring the international early childhood field, I have found that early learning sectors in other parts of the world experience the same hindrances as we do. With a service as vital as early childhood, how is it that one still cannot figure out how to break the barriers of accessibility, affordability, awareness, and equity and excellence for children, their families, and early childhood professionals? I believe one goal should be to reshape the core of the early childhood field as a whole. Instead of having policymakers make decisions about our early learners, we NEED to have professionals whom have “matured” in this field and can offer invaluable insights about what needs to be done in order to bring light to and put the early childhood field at the forefront of local, state, and national government, making decisions and creating policies for young learners, their families, and other early childhood professionals.

References

The Whole Child Podcast. Early Childhood Education: Balancing Expectations and What 

       Young Learners Really Need. Retrieved on October 5, 2014 from 

       http://www.wholechildeducation.org/podcast/early-childhood-education-balancing-     
       

       expectations-and-young-learners-needs

Funk, J. (2013, November 8). In Touch with a Child's Perspective. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from 

        http://eceducationblog.wordpress.com/page/2/

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Early Childhood Care and Education webpage. 

         Retrieved on October 19, 2014 (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-
        education-systems/early-childhood/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts--Part 3

The United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization:

Mission

The mission of the UNESCO Education Sector is to: 

• provide international leadership to create learning societies with educational opportunities for all populations.
• provide expertise and foster partnerships to strengthen national educational leadership and the capacity of countries to offer quality education for all.
• work as an intellectual leader, an honest broker and clearing house for ideas, propelling both countries and the international community to accelerate progress towards these goals. 
• facilitate the development of partnerships and monitors progress, in particular by publishing an annual Global Monitoring Report that tracks the achievements of countries and the international community towards the six Education for All goals.  

Upon entering this website of United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (www.unesco.org), I clicked on the Access and Equity (under the Early Childhood section) tab. In considering the coursework I have been conducting for this class, I thought it would be interesting to see how this organization views accessibility and equity in regards to early childhood education. The information I found included, "Countries often promote alternative services for poor children with limited or no access to mainstream early childhood services which can be cost-effective and pedagogically innovative, but often raise concerns about sustainability and quality. In cases where the government has limited resources, a pro-poor policy can redistribute resources by reducing state support for the more privileged." I thought this information was worth mentioning because of previous discussions on accessibility, affordability, awareness, and quality. It is interesting to read that the government has put into place a policy for dealing with early child programs that serves more affluent families...to reduce there resources in order to support another program which serves low-income families. Could this be the answer to obtaining quality and accessibility for all?

Under the Quality tab, "Early childhood care and education programmes should emphasise the child’s holistic development and extend beyond assisting the child’s transition to formal schooling...There are no universally agreed criteria for quantifying ECCE quality but useful factors to consider include pedagogy materials, personnel training, service setting and parental education and involvement. Learning materials should be quantitatively, culturally and developmentally adequate and focus on child-centred interaction. Where appropriate curricula exist, there can be problems with implementation with the emphasis remaining on early primary education and preparation for formal schooling due to pressure from parents and the fact that it is easier for teachers than child-centred learning...the last year of pre-primary education is frequently placed in a formal school setting or there may be efforts to lower the entry age. Such trends dilute the importance of holistic development by placing too much emphasis on preparing children for formal schooling."

I use this extended excerpt because it shows that other early childhood professionals in other countries understand the importance of educating the "whole" child yet experience the same issues including parents and policymakers pushing for more of our young learners to enter a "formal school setting" at earlier and earlier ages. But as we know, this does not better prepare these young students for academic success but hinders overall development (social, cognitive, imaginative, and creative developments) because of the intense academically-structured environment.

Under the Coordination and Integration tab, "Cross-sectoral coordination is difficult, especially at the national level. It is one of the main challenges facing governments of both developed and developing countries trying to promote a holistic approach to early childhood. Responses vary and some countries have sought to remove the problem by integrating sectoral responsibilities into a single ministry." I have a better understanding in knowing that other governments, on a national level, experience difficulties promoting and implementing quality standards among the early childhood field. Is it because this field has an array of sectors to it that local, state, and national governments have a hard time coming with policies that benefit and endorse early childhood, the children, families, professionals, communities, and the economy.

References

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Early Childhood Care and Education webpage. Retrieved on October 19, 2014 (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Sharing Web Resources

On the website earlychildhoodnews.com, I explored different links outside of the "Articles" section (which I normally go to)! On my journey, I found additional information pertaining to the equity and excellence in early care and education. One link that I was particularly found interesting is the Topics in Early Childhood Blog. Previously, I explored this link but scanned the information; however, on this particular review of the blog, I read a post entitled, In Touch with a Child's Perspective. 

This post was about elementary teachers (as a part of their teaching certification coursework) should have extensive exposure to child development training as with early childhood certifications. "Understanding child development, which I think is key to working with children, is essential for all teachers.  Just like early development, middle childhood has its own developmental stages, as well, and can help a teacher respond appropriately to all the children she may teach each day." (Funk, 2013) I relate this blog posting as a new insight about issues in the early childhood field that I gained this week because in order to offer children birth - 8 years old high quality, equity, and excellence in early care and education, one must be have extensive knowledge in child development. "I have personally observed over the years how an adult with a strong knowledge about a child’s developmental stages, approaches the child differently.  The adult seems to understand that some behaviors, while not necessarily acceptable, are typical for children at that age.  That knowledge tempers the responses and helps the adult deal appropriately with any situation.  This same principle is true with comments and discussions that occur with young children."

References

Funk, J. (2013, November 8). In Touch with a Child's Perspective. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from http://eceducationblog.wordpress.com/page/2/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts--Part 2

"Learning to children is as natural as breathing" Wendy Ostroff

The the podcast, Early Childhood Education: Balancing Expectations and What Young Learners Really Need, outlined various reasons why play is so vital to the overall academic success of young children and how to incorporate what is expected and what children really need to learn into the classroom. The podcast opened with a question, "What does education and school mean for  young learners?" Thomas Armstrong (an award-winning author and speaker with more than 40 years of teaching experience from the primary through the doctoral level) responded with the importance of play and having access to concrete learning materials (wooden blocks, playing with sand and the dramatic play area) allows the child "to take the contents of the outer world and mix it with the inner world of their imagination." Laura Bornfreund (a senior policy analyst for the New America Foundation's Early Education Initiative) added to the conversation that building children's multiple domains of learning as well as their curiosity is what education means to young learners. Wendy Ostroff (a cognitive psychology, child development, and metacognition expert and author of the 2012 ASCD book, Understanding How Young Children Learn: Bringing the Science of Child Development to the Classroom) "piggybacked" on Ms. Bornfreund's reply by stating "Play is how children learn...providing role models, opportunities to explore, experiment, be creative, and to collaborate with others is what establishes the learning process." 

I knew this was the perfect podcast to listen to in relation to this week's coursework when the hostess asked, "How should we reconcile the beliefs that children need academic-oriented opportunities to prepare them for school and the research that says the best learning comes from play?" I found it intriguing that Mr. Armstrong would respond, "...it is a flawed understanding to think that young children should be exposed to early academic learning in order to be successful in academics later." So many "policymakers" feel the only way for our early learners to achieve academic success in school and in return become an asset to enhancing workforce development, is to expose them to "academically-structured" learning at younger and younger ages. Jennifer Orr (a National Board Certified Teacher in middle childhood and a 1st-grade teacher at Annandale Terrace Elementary School in Fairfax County, Va.) stated, "For teachers in the classroom, it is a struggle to make the things that need to happen happen but also give children the chance to play...teachers are now trying to balance what is expected versus what is needed for children really learn." So not only does this way of thinking put pressure on teachers, but parents and especially the children. How is this beneficial to the growth of the whole child?

One new insight that I gained from this podcast was the structure of the early learning classroom can negatively affect overall development of young children. Ms. Ostroff comments that developmental scientists have found that " 'formal academic activities' can harm learning in young learners...academic-based early learning programs can harm learning." I had always agreed with a play-based curriculum was more effective than an academic-based one but I had no idea it would hinder overall development. As a parent, you want your child(ren) to have the best from the beginning but from an early childhood professional viewpoint, letting children be children and explore the world as they see fit is the best parenting one can give!  If you think about it from an adult's perspective, "How many of us actually learn and absorb the world around us in a formal, structured environment?" Definitely not me!!!!

References

The Whole Child Podcast. Early Childhood Education: Balancing Expectations and What 

       Young Learners Really Need. Retrieved on October 5, 2014 from 

       http://www.wholechildeducation.org/podcast/early-childhood-education-balancing-     

       

       expectations-and-young-learners-needs