Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Definitions of Culture and Diversity

"for me culture is the tradition in which we grew up and the one that we passed to our children. Diversity is just being different"-Zolange Santana -my daughter

"for me culture is all the things that have an impact in our life that are natural from our country  of origin and  of our parents. Diversity for me is like a variety..."-Iris Ayala -my mom

 "For me culture is all the things that our parents are taught us. The values, morals, traditions, etc....Diversity is being different, there will be no same or alike."-Sandra Garcia Head Start Teacher  

Some of the terms of culture and diversity that I have learned so far in this course and that were share to me in my interviews  are  traditions,moral, values. Some of the aspect that were omitted were for example (language)

Listening to other s people definition of culture and diversity has made me understand  and realize how much I have grow in my understanding of these two important concepts. Being able to listen to others people definition it was an example of diversity. How all of them use different terms to refer to the same concepts and how their vision is similar  but not the same. And that what diversity is  different cultures , wit similarities but at the same all time all different....

My Family Culture

If I was evacuated to another country and needed to stayed there permanently...

I would bring a family picture with me since I will always be able to remembered them and keep their memory alive...

My flag and/ or a map  - to remembered always where I was born , where I come from and to share it with the rest of the people.

And my grandmas' recipe book :), because  food  is something that represents my country and  my culture and I loved my grandmas cooking abilities :) Even though I will have to altered the recipes because of not having all  the ingredients.

I would be really sad if  I ended up with only one item. If that were the case I will definitely keep my family picture.

I was surprised that I was able to choose my 3 things so quick . This exercise  confirmed  my reflection that even thought I am far from my  island I feel proud of being Puerto Rican:) and called myself  "BORICUA".

When I Think of Research...

 

          In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

•        My ideas of the nature of doing research has change a lot. I thought that because I took a research class before in another university it was going to be all the same, but I was wrong. I learned new concepts such as extraneous variables  and the importance of knowing every step on the planning process especially the ethical guidelines and the sampling process of the participants. 

What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

•         I really enjoyed learning about the concepts of feasibility in research and how can this affect my research .I also learned the importance of designing your research and doing a "pilot" test to allow  for modifications to occurred.  I reinforced my knowledge of having a valid research question and I learned the new concept of mixing methods approach.

What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them? 

•              It was really challenging to me the assignment of the qualitative research. Even thought I know what is the essence of a qualitative research, it was really hard for me to apply the concepts into an actual research. I think this was by far the most difficult assignment that I encounter in this course.

What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

•         I think I'm more aware of the importance of avoiding bias and cultural challenges in research. I'm aware of the necessity of my community  and I'm certain that with more research we can find  new ways to teach young children and for them to succeed .Every course that I take in this Early Childhood Journey makes me feel more passion about my profession.

Research Around the World

For this blog assignment I decided to explore EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research Association)

While browsing  thru their page I found that in each yearly volume  they published a Special Issue or Monograph that focused on an aspect of early childhood studies such as :

•   the development of theoretical foundations of the theme and related topics;
•   the development of new research methodology;
• an up-to-date overview of current knowledge and developments in the field, including an evaluation of relevant empirical studies;
• a presentation of new developments, applications or policy implications

The purpose of this special publication is to promote high quality services for young children and families through the sharing of scientifically constructed knowledge.

In one of their latest publications the topics of discussion were all related to outdoor play some of the titles are :

The dynamics of early childhood spaces: opportunities for outdoor play? (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1350293X.2010.525917) click to go to access the full reading :)

The outdoor environment in Norwegian kindergartens as pedagogical space for toddlers' play, learning and development

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

For this week blog assignment I decided to look for a research that has help teacher to teach English-language learner. There are a great number of Spanish speaking students in my district and the population still growing. By researching the Walden Library for research in this particular subject I discover the following research that summarizes the importance of incorporating technology in to the curriculum and lessons and the benefits for not only the ELL’s but for all students.

“This study compared traditional and multimedia-enhanced read-aloud vocabulary instruction and investigated whether the effects differed for English-language learners (ELLs) and non-English-language learners (non-ELLs). Results indicate that although there was no added benefit of multimedia-enhanced instruction for non-ELLs, there was a positive effect for ELLs on a researcher-designed measure and on a measure of general vocabulary knowledge. Furthermore, for children in the multimedia-enhanced condition, the gap between non-ELLs and ELLs in knowledge of instructional words was closed, and the gap in general vocabulary knowledge was narrowed”( Silverman, R., & Hines, S. 2009,p.305).

References:

Silverman, R., & Hines, S. (2009). The Effects of Multimedia-Enhanced Instruction on the Vocabulary of English-Language Learners and Non-English-Language Learners in Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade. Journal Of Educational Psychology, 101(2), 305-314. DOI: 10.1037/a0014217  305-314

My Research Journey

When I decided to start my journey as a teacher I never imagine it will as an early childhood teacher. It was the perfect time since I was experiencing motherbood of a baby boy. My journey started as a Head Stard teacher aide and I realized teaching young children was my passion. One year after I debuted as a Hwad Start teacher (2009-2011). Now I am a Pre-Kindergarten teacher and when I compare both positions theres no much of a difference besides the pay and the training. Because of my experiences in both I decided to continue my research on the Importance of special education training to Head Start teachers to help children to excel. I will also will research deeper on behaviors and factors that triggers " bad behaviors" and how training can help teachers to manage these scenarios.
Now that Im more experienced I enjoyed learning more and more about ways in which I can improve to help children and their families...

Final Blog Assignment

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for my  professional and personal development are :

ü  I'm aware of the necessities of not only children but as well as their families. I learn to be more empathic to my  surroundings and also grateful of all the things that I have in my personal life and on my school to teach my children.

ü  It makes me realize of different strategies that I can implement in my community.

ü  It make me aware of the importance of community work and go being an advocate for all children and their families.

My  goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations:

ü  Is to continue embracing diversity and continue sharing resources  by using my blog and my exploring all the resources that were provided to me during  this course.