Wow! how time flies. So we have come to the end of another wonderful and highly beneficial learning experience at Walden University.
I want to say a big thank you to our lecturer for facilitating such an exciting learning experience. I am also grateful to all of you dear colleagues for what you shared and for your love and passion for children as shown in your discussion posts, responses, and blog posts. I have learned a lot through all these.
Thanks so much and best wishes.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
WEEK 6 BLOG POST
WEEK 6 BLOG POST
I can remember all those great times we had
There were so many memories, some good some bad
Yes and through it all
Those memories will last Forever
There's peace in where you are
May be all I need to know
And if I listen to my heart
I'll hear your laughter once more
And so I got to say
I'm just glad you came my way
It's not easy to say
Goodbye
Lionel Richie
If I can call it a team or group them I will say I am going to find it hardest to leave the entire children in my present class as we are about to do in the next two weeks. The normal thing to hear is students missing their teachers but I think or the reality is teachers do miss their students as well if not much more. That is the feeling I am getting now and this assignment kind of bring it out the more. My students are unique, their uniqueness lies in their being smart, inquisitive, honest, the unique difference of each of them, and how they connect with me- I am more of their friend than their teacher.
The adjourning stage of any group is as relevant to members of that group as the other four stages though the function is different. While the other four stages are concerned with the task of managing and developing the group, the adjourning stage is concerned with the break up of the group.
To a great extent, I have bonded with colleagues and facilitators in this course despite the fact that it is an on-line course. Saying goodbye will not be easy and as such the adjourning phase will come with some challenges, however, the fact that I would have successfully completed the program, achieved my goals, and fulfilled the purpose of the program will give me a sense of achievement and the impetus to move on to new things.
I can remember all those great times we had
There were so many memories, some good some bad
Yes and through it all
Those memories will last Forever
There's peace in where you are
May be all I need to know
And if I listen to my heart
I'll hear your laughter once more
And so I got to say
I'm just glad you came my way
It's not easy to say
Goodbye
Lionel Richie
If I can call it a team or group them I will say I am going to find it hardest to leave the entire children in my present class as we are about to do in the next two weeks. The normal thing to hear is students missing their teachers but I think or the reality is teachers do miss their students as well if not much more. That is the feeling I am getting now and this assignment kind of bring it out the more. My students are unique, their uniqueness lies in their being smart, inquisitive, honest, the unique difference of each of them, and how they connect with me- I am more of their friend than their teacher.
The adjourning stage of any group is as relevant to members of that group as the other four stages though the function is different. While the other four stages are concerned with the task of managing and developing the group, the adjourning stage is concerned with the break up of the group.
To a great extent, I have bonded with colleagues and facilitators in this course despite the fact that it is an on-line course. Saying goodbye will not be easy and as such the adjourning phase will come with some challenges, however, the fact that I would have successfully completed the program, achieved my goals, and fulfilled the purpose of the program will give me a sense of achievement and the impetus to move on to new things.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
WEEK 5 BLOG POSTING
While conflict is indeed a natural part of every relationship, a great conflict arise through provocation (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2009). The recent conflict I had with my assistant perfectly fit into this description. It all happened that we had agreed on what to do for the week when we had our planning meeting and roles has been assigned. I have always cherish a positive relationship with my colleagues especially those who work directly with me. I strongly believe that the working relationship between a teacher and her assistant holds the key to the success of teaching and learning in any early childhood classroom. So, it has always been that I try to establish understanding between me and my assistant by fully informing her about the intention of the lesson, the way I have planned it, what are the expected outcomes as well as get her inputs and contributions.
The conflict arose because my partner failed to do what was expected of her do and when I gently asked her about it, she could not give me any response. She only left the classroom and come back later to do it. Not only was it belated, she did it in a way that showed that she is either incompetent or outrightly acting provocatively. As O'hair & Wiemann (2009) rightly said, when someone you worked with or depend on performs poorly, the person is in a sense provoking conflict. Needless to say that I was annoyed, I talked to her with annoyance leading to the head of the school's intervention before the issue was resolved.
The non violent communication principle as advocated by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg emphasis the need for empathy in communication. People need to receive empathy before we talk about a particular challenge, problem, criticise them or even talk about an error they have committed. In retrospect now, I think I should have been able to manage the conflict in a more effective way if I had first take care of myself emotionally as this would have enable me to truly empathise with my partner before taking up the issue with her. As someone once said, “if your discussion isn't going well, it is probably because you haven't emotionally connected to the other person and vice versa.”
Another strategy that I have learned this week and that I could have used to better resolve the conflict is to first observe the situation well without evaluating or judging my partner. This would have made my reaction to be based on principle or reason and not on pressure thus I would have been able to state my discussion with her in a more objective way and I would have been able to get a more responsible action or/and answer from her.
Reference
O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
The conflict arose because my partner failed to do what was expected of her do and when I gently asked her about it, she could not give me any response. She only left the classroom and come back later to do it. Not only was it belated, she did it in a way that showed that she is either incompetent or outrightly acting provocatively. As O'hair & Wiemann (2009) rightly said, when someone you worked with or depend on performs poorly, the person is in a sense provoking conflict. Needless to say that I was annoyed, I talked to her with annoyance leading to the head of the school's intervention before the issue was resolved.
The non violent communication principle as advocated by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg emphasis the need for empathy in communication. People need to receive empathy before we talk about a particular challenge, problem, criticise them or even talk about an error they have committed. In retrospect now, I think I should have been able to manage the conflict in a more effective way if I had first take care of myself emotionally as this would have enable me to truly empathise with my partner before taking up the issue with her. As someone once said, “if your discussion isn't going well, it is probably because you haven't emotionally connected to the other person and vice versa.”
Another strategy that I have learned this week and that I could have used to better resolve the conflict is to first observe the situation well without evaluating or judging my partner. This would have made my reaction to be based on principle or reason and not on pressure thus I would have been able to state my discussion with her in a more objective way and I would have been able to get a more responsible action or/and answer from her.
Reference
O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
WEEK 4 BLOG POSTING
The importance of perspective taking was stressed by late Peter Drucker when he said that an "outside-in perspective" (seeing things as a customer or client would see them) is responsible for the creation of some of the most innovative businesses of the past and present. Having a glimpse at how other perceive us or things will help us greatly in communication, as one will likely communicate with them based on that awareness and thus communicate better. Knowing how others feel and their perspectives help us learn how to relate with them.
This weeks learning exercise has really give me a glimpse as to how my family members perceive me as a communicator. My husband and my daughter completed the survey as I did. I discovered that my husband and daughter's responses were almost the same and were quite different from my own responses. If we are to judge then by majority, then their responses can be adjudged to be right.
I realized that after the completion of this exercise and with the surprised result, I have been making efforts to improve on my communication based on the outcome.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Communicating Differently
Week 3 Blog Posting
Strangers, people different from us, stir up fear, discomfort, suspicion, and hostility. They make us lose our sense of security just by being 'other'.
Henri J. M. Nouwen as quoted in Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond (2011)
I teach in an International school here in Turkey, though most of the students are Turkish, however, about 30 percent of the students and half of the teaching staff are from other countries such as the UK, the USA, Canada, Jamaica, Australia, India, Pakistan, etc. I am the only African in the school and as such I have been communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds since I came to the school.
Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond (2011) noted that in the US today it is not uncommon to encounter people who do not speak your language, even if your language is English! This obviously will be a great challenge and from my experience here I can agree no less. Ultimately, your ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with others is a product of whether you can understand each other's verbal and non-verbal codes (Beebe et al., 2011). I have experienced the frustration of getting to the grocery shop and not being able to communicate with the shop attendant and that of boarding a bus and not being able to communicate with the bus driver and the entire passenger all because I do not speak the same language with the people.
Another way I communicate differently with the people, especially the Turkish people is through the non-verbal cues. For example, I am used to waving down a taxi if I needed one, I have done this several times without the taxi drivers I waved to responding to me as expected, it was just recently in one of my classes that a students described how to call a taxi in Turkey that I understood what the problem was.
Effective communication remains the pillar upon which relationships are established, nurtured, and maintained. From the learning resources and discussions this week, I have learned some strategies that I can use in order to improve on my communication with people from different cultural backgrounds in my school. The strategies include 1. Development of appropriate knowledge of others through questing and listening, as Beebe et al., (2011) suggested, this will help reduce the barrier pose by the use of different codes in communication. 2. Being mindful and open-minded. 3. Avoiding negative judgments and being respectful of others culture.
Reference
Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Strangers, people different from us, stir up fear, discomfort, suspicion, and hostility. They make us lose our sense of security just by being 'other'.
Henri J. M. Nouwen as quoted in Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond (2011)
I teach in an International school here in Turkey, though most of the students are Turkish, however, about 30 percent of the students and half of the teaching staff are from other countries such as the UK, the USA, Canada, Jamaica, Australia, India, Pakistan, etc. I am the only African in the school and as such I have been communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds since I came to the school.
Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond (2011) noted that in the US today it is not uncommon to encounter people who do not speak your language, even if your language is English! This obviously will be a great challenge and from my experience here I can agree no less. Ultimately, your ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with others is a product of whether you can understand each other's verbal and non-verbal codes (Beebe et al., 2011). I have experienced the frustration of getting to the grocery shop and not being able to communicate with the shop attendant and that of boarding a bus and not being able to communicate with the bus driver and the entire passenger all because I do not speak the same language with the people.
Another way I communicate differently with the people, especially the Turkish people is through the non-verbal cues. For example, I am used to waving down a taxi if I needed one, I have done this several times without the taxi drivers I waved to responding to me as expected, it was just recently in one of my classes that a students described how to call a taxi in Turkey that I understood what the problem was.
Effective communication remains the pillar upon which relationships are established, nurtured, and maintained. From the learning resources and discussions this week, I have learned some strategies that I can use in order to improve on my communication with people from different cultural backgrounds in my school. The strategies include 1. Development of appropriate knowledge of others through questing and listening, as Beebe et al., (2011) suggested, this will help reduce the barrier pose by the use of different codes in communication. 2. Being mindful and open-minded. 3. Avoiding negative judgments and being respectful of others culture.
Reference
Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Week 2 Blog Posting
The program I watched for this week blog assignment is a local drama program here that my daughter loves to watch. I chose a drama program because I believe it will give me a good opportunity to really understand the concepts of verbal and non-verbal communication and be able to grasp the differences between the two. I watched the program, the same episode on two different channels, in the first channel I watched with the sound turned off while at the second channel, I watched with the sound turned on.
True to my expectation, the activity helped me to fully understand the differences between the two. While verbal communication is the use of actual(spoken) words in communication non-verbal communication refers to sending and receiving messages without words. The first time I watched I tried to understand what messages the actors passing across, the feelings they are expressing, and the basis of the relationships between the actors through their non-verbal behaviors such as eye contact,facial expressions, hand gestures, body distance, and body positioning. My second time of watching the program, I turned on the sound and was able to hear what they were saying, the voice tone and quality, and their silences and pauses.
Most of my assumptions and interpretations while I watched without sound were right when I watched with the sound turned on, however, some were wrong and were outright misinterpretations. Though I believe this could (largely) be as a result of my not knowing the show very well, there are many lessons that I learned from this experience.
I discovered that sometimes the messages convey verbally may be different, contradictory, and inconsistent with that convey through our gesture and such. For instance, I misinterpreted the nodding of head in the drama by one of the actors to mean yes but actually the guy was doing it while he was saying "no I am not going to do what you are asking me to do." Notwithstanding the fact that non-verbal communication, such as the use of eyes, can convey emotions more effectively than words can, the meaning it conveys at times may be ambiguous (Carnes, 2011).
Resources:
Carnes, D. (2011). The differences between verbal and non-verbal communication. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/166482-the-difference-between-verbal-nonverbal-communication/
The program I watched for this week blog assignment is a local drama program here that my daughter loves to watch. I chose a drama program because I believe it will give me a good opportunity to really understand the concepts of verbal and non-verbal communication and be able to grasp the differences between the two. I watched the program, the same episode on two different channels, in the first channel I watched with the sound turned off while at the second channel, I watched with the sound turned on.
True to my expectation, the activity helped me to fully understand the differences between the two. While verbal communication is the use of actual(spoken) words in communication non-verbal communication refers to sending and receiving messages without words. The first time I watched I tried to understand what messages the actors passing across, the feelings they are expressing, and the basis of the relationships between the actors through their non-verbal behaviors such as eye contact,facial expressions, hand gestures, body distance, and body positioning. My second time of watching the program, I turned on the sound and was able to hear what they were saying, the voice tone and quality, and their silences and pauses.
Most of my assumptions and interpretations while I watched without sound were right when I watched with the sound turned on, however, some were wrong and were outright misinterpretations. Though I believe this could (largely) be as a result of my not knowing the show very well, there are many lessons that I learned from this experience.
I discovered that sometimes the messages convey verbally may be different, contradictory, and inconsistent with that convey through our gesture and such. For instance, I misinterpreted the nodding of head in the drama by one of the actors to mean yes but actually the guy was doing it while he was saying "no I am not going to do what you are asking me to do." Notwithstanding the fact that non-verbal communication, such as the use of eyes, can convey emotions more effectively than words can, the meaning it conveys at times may be ambiguous (Carnes, 2011).
Resources:
Carnes, D. (2011). The differences between verbal and non-verbal communication. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/166482-the-difference-between-verbal-nonverbal-communication/
Sunday, May 6, 2012
COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR
One thing I have noticed with inspirational leaders is that they are great communicators. All inspirational leaders communicate effectively. One way to communicate effectively is to be able to give a good narrative. The first rule of a good narrative that writers as well as good communicators learn is to show not to tell. A good example of a leader who shows in his communication is President Barracks Obama of the United States. I love the passion and skills with which Barracks Obama delivers his messages.
There is no doubt that he is a powerful and effective communicator.Good communicators use words, voice tone, and body language to communicate effectively. I like the way Barracks Obama uses his voice when he communicates (the resonances, the pitch), his facial contacts, his body language, and how he chooses his words to paint a graphic detail of the message he is passing across. I would want to model my communication behaviors after him.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Professional Hopes and Goals
The early childhood education classrooms are become increasingly more diverse. For instance,the 2000 census shows that in just 10 years the number of children in immigrant families increased by 63 percent—and not just in arge cities but in many areas of the country (Beavers & D’Amico 2005 as cited in Daniel & Friedman, 2005). The implication of this for early childhood educators is that they need to be adequately trained and prepared in order to be able to meet learning needs of diverse students' population as found in their classrooms. Consequently, one hope that I nurse when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that professionals in the field of early childhood education are adequately trained and prepared to work with children and families from cultural, social, linguistic, and religious backgrounds different from their own.
Children learn best when they are in an environment that is safe, secured, free, and caring. One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field in relation to the issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is that our classrooms and all child care centers are such that every child is welcomed, valued, appreciated, and feel belonged irrespective of background, and that educators and other professionals in the field of early childhood are able to demonstrate that they appreciate the diversity of the learners found in their classrooms and/or in their centers.
Isaac Newton said “If I am able to see further, it was only because I stood on the shoulders of giants.” I want to thank giants who allowed me to stand on their shoulders in this course hence my ability to gain so much and learn so much. Firstly I appreciate our facilitator in the course, Dr. Anthony Morgan for being such a wonderful educator. Your comments and promptings provided the much needed guide and inspiration to learn in this course . I also want to thank my colleagues in this course, it was a highly beneficial learning experience with you, thanks for sharing your wealth of experience in this course. I do hope we will meet again in future courses at Walden and I wish you all success in your career.
References:
Daniel, J., Friedman,S.(2005).Embracing diversity. Retrieved from www.naeyc.org/about/positions/pdf/ELL_Supplement.pdf.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Welcoming Families From Around the World
Creating a classroom of equity is a lifelong endeavour that involves self reflection and may be personally revealing (Shade, Kelly, & Oberg, 1999). Teaching in an international school, the reality of this statement is a constant occurrence to me. There seems to be no semester that I will not have a students coming from another country or part of the world that I have never had in my previous classrooms. I was told a few days ago by the middle school principal in my school that I will be having a student from Azerbaijan in my class next semester. Educators working in today's culturally rich and varied classroom environments must create a welcoming atmosphere that enriches and interlinks all students (Hooks, 2010). In order to create a culturally welcoming classroom environment for the boy and his family I will make the following preparations:
1. Gain a general knowledge of the cultural background of the family: Having some knowledge of the cultural background of the family will give me a window to understanding the boy's behaviour, etiquette, learning styles, and communication styles.
2. Be aware of my own cultural biases: A helpful step for all teachers in order to have a culturally inclusive classroom is to explore and reflect upon where their assumptions, attitudes and biases come from and to understand that how they view the world can lead them to misinterpretation of behaviors and inequitable treatment of culturally different students (Weinstein, Tomlinson-Clarke & Curran, 2004).
3. Look for a range of culturally sensitive instructional methods and materials to be used in the class: Using culturally sensitive instructional methods and materials increase the chance for students to succeed in the class.
4. Collaborating and cooperating with the family: Connecting with family plays an important role in the success of any students. For a new student that is coming from a different background, establishing positive relationships with the family and collaborating with them will not only give me the opportunity to understand their culture but will additionally help the student feel safe, welcomed, and cared for in the class.
5. Build a caring classroom environment.
Students from diverse cultural backgrounds have a greater chance of success when the classroom is welcoming to them, they are valued, and they have a sense of belonging as well as ownership of their learning. The foundation for these is to create a culturally responsive classroom which I hope to achieve with the above plans.
References:
Hooks, J. (2010). Understanding culturally responsive instruction. Retrieved from http://jennifer-hooks.suite101.com/understanding-culturally-responsive-instruction-a233257
Weinstein C., Tomlinson-Clarke S., & Curran M. (2004). Toward a Conception of Culturally
Responsive Classroom Management. Journal of Teacher Education, 55(1), 25-38.
Shade, B., Kelly, C. & Oberg, M., (1999). Creating culturally responsive classrooms. American Psychological Association (APA);
1. Gain a general knowledge of the cultural background of the family: Having some knowledge of the cultural background of the family will give me a window to understanding the boy's behaviour, etiquette, learning styles, and communication styles.
2. Be aware of my own cultural biases: A helpful step for all teachers in order to have a culturally inclusive classroom is to explore and reflect upon where their assumptions, attitudes and biases come from and to understand that how they view the world can lead them to misinterpretation of behaviors and inequitable treatment of culturally different students (Weinstein, Tomlinson-Clarke & Curran, 2004).
3. Look for a range of culturally sensitive instructional methods and materials to be used in the class: Using culturally sensitive instructional methods and materials increase the chance for students to succeed in the class.
4. Collaborating and cooperating with the family: Connecting with family plays an important role in the success of any students. For a new student that is coming from a different background, establishing positive relationships with the family and collaborating with them will not only give me the opportunity to understand their culture but will additionally help the student feel safe, welcomed, and cared for in the class.
5. Build a caring classroom environment.
Students from diverse cultural backgrounds have a greater chance of success when the classroom is welcoming to them, they are valued, and they have a sense of belonging as well as ownership of their learning. The foundation for these is to create a culturally responsive classroom which I hope to achieve with the above plans.
References:
Hooks, J. (2010). Understanding culturally responsive instruction. Retrieved from http://jennifer-hooks.suite101.com/understanding-culturally-responsive-instruction-a233257
Weinstein C., Tomlinson-Clarke S., & Curran M. (2004). Toward a Conception of Culturally
Responsive Classroom Management. Journal of Teacher Education, 55(1), 25-38.
Shade, B., Kelly, C. & Oberg, M., (1999). Creating culturally responsive classrooms. American Psychological Association (APA);
Monday, April 9, 2012
The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression
"By joining efforts we can surpass the injustices inflicted on the girl child and boy child alike. If left untreated, these forces will permanently scar our children and threaten the healthy growth of nations."
Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan
For a long time women have been suffering discrimination. Many cultures believe and treat women as inferior to men, women's role in some culture (up till now) is just that of bearing children and house keeping. In some African countries and Arab countries, even with modernization and the fact that women are becoming more successful in areas that were hitherto reserved for men, women are still been discriminated against. There are countries where women still cannot drive a car and there are areas in my own country (Nigeria) where women cannot be state governors, while this is not in the law, this is the painful reality.
One incident that I witnessed in the past was when one of my students was withdrawn from the school. The reason for the withdrawal was financial. The parents had two children in the school, a boy and a girl and when thing were becoming financially unbearable for the family the parents decided to withdraw of the children from the school. The choice unfortunately was the girl because she is a girl. Academically, the is girl was doing better than the brother, she is a prefect in the school, and also the senior of the two children.
A one time Secretary General of United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan once said, “ short-changing girls is not only a matter of gender discrimination; it is bad economics and bad societal policy.” There is no equity in the treatment this young lady got from her parents and even the society. No level playing ground was given to determine who will be withdrawn from the school. The parents were biased and they acted based on the prejudicial belief that male children are more valuable than female children.
For a greater equal opportunities to be given to both children irrespective of their gender, the parents of that girl in particular and that society in general need to do away with their gender discrimination. Practices, traditions, and beliefs that are detrimental to the rights of girl child should be jettisoned and abolished.
Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan
For a long time women have been suffering discrimination. Many cultures believe and treat women as inferior to men, women's role in some culture (up till now) is just that of bearing children and house keeping. In some African countries and Arab countries, even with modernization and the fact that women are becoming more successful in areas that were hitherto reserved for men, women are still been discriminated against. There are countries where women still cannot drive a car and there are areas in my own country (Nigeria) where women cannot be state governors, while this is not in the law, this is the painful reality.
One incident that I witnessed in the past was when one of my students was withdrawn from the school. The reason for the withdrawal was financial. The parents had two children in the school, a boy and a girl and when thing were becoming financially unbearable for the family the parents decided to withdraw of the children from the school. The choice unfortunately was the girl because she is a girl. Academically, the is girl was doing better than the brother, she is a prefect in the school, and also the senior of the two children.
A one time Secretary General of United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan once said, “ short-changing girls is not only a matter of gender discrimination; it is bad economics and bad societal policy.” There is no equity in the treatment this young lady got from her parents and even the society. No level playing ground was given to determine who will be withdrawn from the school. The parents were biased and they acted based on the prejudicial belief that male children are more valuable than female children.
For a greater equal opportunities to be given to both children irrespective of their gender, the parents of that girl in particular and that society in general need to do away with their gender discrimination. Practices, traditions, and beliefs that are detrimental to the rights of girl child should be jettisoned and abolished.
Friday, March 23, 2012
PRACTICING AWARENESS OF MICROAGGRESSIONS
For this week's blog assignment I choose to do my observation in the classroom, I looked out for traces of microaggressions in classroom relationships and discussions among my students. Microaggressions are often committed unknowingly by people who are well-intentioned, who from all indications may be sincere and without any plan of hurting the recipient. Nevertheless, the outcome of microaggressions is anger, frustration, psychological distress, emotional disorder, and withdrawal by those who are
the recipients of insensitive comments and actions.
Microaggressions, to me might be the cause of many seemingly minor classroom conflicts among students that teachers daily grapple with. Classroom microaggressions as in other cases microaggressions are not being committed by spiteful and hateful students who want to intentionally hurt their mates but they are committed unknowingly by well meaning students.
One incident that happened this week in my class was when a students was trying to explain a point to the class and another student tried to help him and he started by saying “We need to understand what he's saying, because he is talking from his experience as a native of a war ravaged county.” Though the boy meant no harm the hidden message was that people from war torn countries are tasteless and unsophisticated. Even though this particular case of microaggression was not noticed by the majority of the students in the class, the recipient felt so bad and withdrew from further discussion in class that day. After the class I noticed that a friend of his went to him and he was telling him not to worry about that comment as it was harmless and was not intended to spite him.
From my observation this week, it is obvious that microaggressions affect relationship in the classroom and may make the classroom environment hostile and unwelcoming especially to the recipient.
the recipients of insensitive comments and actions.
Microaggressions, to me might be the cause of many seemingly minor classroom conflicts among students that teachers daily grapple with. Classroom microaggressions as in other cases microaggressions are not being committed by spiteful and hateful students who want to intentionally hurt their mates but they are committed unknowingly by well meaning students.
One incident that happened this week in my class was when a students was trying to explain a point to the class and another student tried to help him and he started by saying “We need to understand what he's saying, because he is talking from his experience as a native of a war ravaged county.” Though the boy meant no harm the hidden message was that people from war torn countries are tasteless and unsophisticated. Even though this particular case of microaggression was not noticed by the majority of the students in the class, the recipient felt so bad and withdrew from further discussion in class that day. After the class I noticed that a friend of his went to him and he was telling him not to worry about that comment as it was harmless and was not intended to spite him.
From my observation this week, it is obvious that microaggressions affect relationship in the classroom and may make the classroom environment hostile and unwelcoming especially to the recipient.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Perspectives on Diversity and Culture
“Human beings are all alike in nature, but their habits and customs keep them apart.”
Confucius
It became obvious to me through this week's blog assignment that culture means different things to different people. Though there are areas of agreement in the definitions given by the three people I spoke with, each of them gave three different definitions. I spoke to two of my colleagues and my husband. While my first colleague who is from Pakistan defines culture as the shared views and way of life as found in a society my other colleague who sees culture from the perspective of an individual defines culture as the aspects of a person's life that define his or her identity. My husband on the other hand defines culture as shared knowledge and learned behaviour as transmitted by members of a particular society.
The three persons that I discussed with see diversity as differences found in people. To my husband, diversity is not just in our race or ethnic group but in the way people are different politically, socially, in sexual orientation, and religion. A colleague of mine admitted that diversity includes the way students learn and it means recognising individual differences as found in our students and treating students based on their differences.
In my discussion with all the three, the issue of deep culture was omitted. It seems when culture is mentioned people tend to see culture from the surface, referring to culture from what they can see like food, dress, language, and the arts. Culture is more than these, culture includes also behaviour, ethics, how children are trained, concept of time and such things.
Confucius
It became obvious to me through this week's blog assignment that culture means different things to different people. Though there are areas of agreement in the definitions given by the three people I spoke with, each of them gave three different definitions. I spoke to two of my colleagues and my husband. While my first colleague who is from Pakistan defines culture as the shared views and way of life as found in a society my other colleague who sees culture from the perspective of an individual defines culture as the aspects of a person's life that define his or her identity. My husband on the other hand defines culture as shared knowledge and learned behaviour as transmitted by members of a particular society.
The three persons that I discussed with see diversity as differences found in people. To my husband, diversity is not just in our race or ethnic group but in the way people are different politically, socially, in sexual orientation, and religion. A colleague of mine admitted that diversity includes the way students learn and it means recognising individual differences as found in our students and treating students based on their differences.
In my discussion with all the three, the issue of deep culture was omitted. It seems when culture is mentioned people tend to see culture from the surface, referring to culture from what they can see like food, dress, language, and the arts. Culture is more than these, culture includes also behaviour, ethics, how children are trained, concept of time and such things.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
MY FAMILY CULTURE
Every family has a distinct and unique culture. A family culture is defined by the interests, values, and beliefs as practiced and cherished by that family. A family culture describes the unique way that a family forms itself in terms of rules, roles, habits, activities, beliefs, and other areas. The racial or ethnic culture in which a family lives may strongly influence family culture. Though some families are no longer tied to cultural norms of their ethnic or racial group. Every family is different, every family has its own culture (Vandenberg, 2008).
Assuming there is a major catastrophe in my country which necessitated my family been relocated to another country and I was asked to take just three things with me the first thing that I will definitely take is the family Bible, the second thing is the family hymn book, and the last thing is the prayer book.
Not that there are no other things that I cherish but since the choice is limited to three and my family being a type that value spiritual things the above items take preeminence over any other considerations.
The Bible is the most cherished possession in my family. We consider the Bible as the inspired word of God meant to guide, direct, and nourish us as God's children. The totality of our lives, the fulfillment of our purpose on earth are found in the word of God as contain in the Bible. Founding ourselves in a new culture therefore we would need such a manual to survive as well as to remain committed to our purpose in life. The more reason why if we get to the new environment and were asked to keep just one of the three items, the Bible will be my natural choice without any hesitation.
This exercise has helped me to know what I really value as a person and what can be said to be the foundation upon which my family cultural inclination, beliefs and values are built upon.
Resources:
Vandenberg, J. (2008). What is family culture. Retrieved from http://cecp.air.org/wraparound/family.html
Assuming there is a major catastrophe in my country which necessitated my family been relocated to another country and I was asked to take just three things with me the first thing that I will definitely take is the family Bible, the second thing is the family hymn book, and the last thing is the prayer book.
Not that there are no other things that I cherish but since the choice is limited to three and my family being a type that value spiritual things the above items take preeminence over any other considerations.
The Bible is the most cherished possession in my family. We consider the Bible as the inspired word of God meant to guide, direct, and nourish us as God's children. The totality of our lives, the fulfillment of our purpose on earth are found in the word of God as contain in the Bible. Founding ourselves in a new culture therefore we would need such a manual to survive as well as to remain committed to our purpose in life. The more reason why if we get to the new environment and were asked to keep just one of the three items, the Bible will be my natural choice without any hesitation.
This exercise has helped me to know what I really value as a person and what can be said to be the foundation upon which my family cultural inclination, beliefs and values are built upon.
Resources:
Vandenberg, J. (2008). What is family culture. Retrieved from http://cecp.air.org/wraparound/family.html
Thursday, February 23, 2012
WHEN I THINK OF RESEARCH..............
Research helps in broadening the knowledge base of man. Research involves searching for and establishing truth for the purpose of benefiting the society. Research plays an important role in education and offers great benefits to practitioners, learners, and the society. In the field of early childhood education, the dynamic nature of the field makes research paramount and highly important to any professional in the field. As succinctly said by Buysse, V. & Wesley, P.W.(2006) research gives early childhood practitioners and policymakers essential knowledge to use in making decisions on behalf of young children and families. The goal is to integrate the best available research evidence with the wisdom and values of professionals and families.
This course has helped me to come to terms with necessity of research to the field of early childhood education and the need for a practitioner in that field not only to embrace research but to also be a researcher. The fact remains that our teaching and learning would be standing on faulty and shaking foundations if they are not based on research. Research helps teachers to understand what works best in the classroom, and why, what the short and long-term implications are, provide a justification and rationale for decisions and actions, help them have a repertoire of resources to help them deal with the unexpected, identify problems, inform improvement and so forth.
I have learned the importance of high quality research, how to conduct high quality study that provides answers to some important questions in the field of early childhood education. It is through this course that I realized that no single research method or type is best in all situations and that what is effective is to use research methods that are well-suited to the specific study being conducted.
The major challenge I faced in this course was at the beginning of the course and it has to do with my believe that research is a hard job and to be a successful researcher one must be an “expert” in Mathematics. Discussions with colleagues who gladly shared their experiences and professional comments and suggestion from our able course coordinators helped me surmount this challenge.
It has been a worthwhile and highly benefiting learning experience for me in this past eight weeks. I am therefore grateful to all of you-- our instructor and my wonderful colleagues. I sincerely hope I would meet with all of you again in my future courses at Walden University.
References:
Buysse, V & Wesley, P.W.(2006). Evidence-based Practice in the Early Childhood Field. Washington, DC: Zero to Three.
This course has helped me to come to terms with necessity of research to the field of early childhood education and the need for a practitioner in that field not only to embrace research but to also be a researcher. The fact remains that our teaching and learning would be standing on faulty and shaking foundations if they are not based on research. Research helps teachers to understand what works best in the classroom, and why, what the short and long-term implications are, provide a justification and rationale for decisions and actions, help them have a repertoire of resources to help them deal with the unexpected, identify problems, inform improvement and so forth.
I have learned the importance of high quality research, how to conduct high quality study that provides answers to some important questions in the field of early childhood education. It is through this course that I realized that no single research method or type is best in all situations and that what is effective is to use research methods that are well-suited to the specific study being conducted.
The major challenge I faced in this course was at the beginning of the course and it has to do with my believe that research is a hard job and to be a successful researcher one must be an “expert” in Mathematics. Discussions with colleagues who gladly shared their experiences and professional comments and suggestion from our able course coordinators helped me surmount this challenge.
It has been a worthwhile and highly benefiting learning experience for me in this past eight weeks. I am therefore grateful to all of you-- our instructor and my wonderful colleagues. I sincerely hope I would meet with all of you again in my future courses at Walden University.
References:
Buysse, V & Wesley, P.W.(2006). Evidence-based Practice in the Early Childhood Field. Washington, DC: Zero to Three.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Early Childhood Research Around The World
For this week's blog assignment I choose the Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan African (SSA) website to explore for research on early childhood. Based on works found at the site, some of the current international research topics are based on quality in early childhood education, development of professionals in the field of early childhood education, and collaboration between professionals in the field of early childhood education and families/parents.
Works such as “Parents' and other caregivers' perception of early childhood development needs and quality: A study of the PLAN assisted programs in Bawjiase, Ghana.” (Stella Etsa), “Improving the quality of childcare through parenting enrichment and training of trainers: The Eritrean model.” (Abeba Habtom), and “The development of an integrated early childhood development urban model training program for informal minders and community volunteers in Ghana.”(Felix Agorsah) researched quality in early childhood education. And works such as “Building community leadership for quality sustainability in Madrasa preschools: The case of Mandrasa preschools post graduation support.” (Asha Mohammed Ahmed), “The status of coordination and supervision of early childhood education in Ghana.” (Margaret Amponsah), and “Assessment of caring practices in two motherless babies homes in Abia state, Nigeria and the development and delivery of a nutrition training program to the staff of these homes to improve nutrition of children in their care.” (Olive Akomas) are based on training and the development of professional in the field of early childhood education. Works such as “Involving fathers in early childhood care and development.” (Rosemary Hua) and Improving multisectoral cooperation and coordination in support of early childhood development programs in Tanzania (George Kameka) are works on collaboration.
While reading one of the articles I came across a surprising fact that fathers rarely participate in most early childhood development programs being implemented in Nigeria and that men have little to do with young children. This situation is cultural as the responsibility of taking care of young children is seen in Nigeria and most African societies as that of women and not men. I found this surprising because here in Turkey where I live and work, men are not only involved in the education of the young children, they actually take the leading role. Attendance at any school activity in my school ( a preschool) always has men in attendance more than women and discussions with my students show that fathers mostly help them with their home-works and other school projects.
It is noteworthy that the ECDVU is committed to improving the quality of life of children and their families in African where poverty and bad governance has shut the door of quality early childhood care and education to children thereby denying them quality living.
Sources:
http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php
http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php
Works such as “Parents' and other caregivers' perception of early childhood development needs and quality: A study of the PLAN assisted programs in Bawjiase, Ghana.” (Stella Etsa), “Improving the quality of childcare through parenting enrichment and training of trainers: The Eritrean model.” (Abeba Habtom), and “The development of an integrated early childhood development urban model training program for informal minders and community volunteers in Ghana.”(Felix Agorsah) researched quality in early childhood education. And works such as “Building community leadership for quality sustainability in Madrasa preschools: The case of Mandrasa preschools post graduation support.” (Asha Mohammed Ahmed), “The status of coordination and supervision of early childhood education in Ghana.” (Margaret Amponsah), and “Assessment of caring practices in two motherless babies homes in Abia state, Nigeria and the development and delivery of a nutrition training program to the staff of these homes to improve nutrition of children in their care.” (Olive Akomas) are based on training and the development of professional in the field of early childhood education. Works such as “Involving fathers in early childhood care and development.” (Rosemary Hua) and Improving multisectoral cooperation and coordination in support of early childhood development programs in Tanzania (George Kameka) are works on collaboration.
While reading one of the articles I came across a surprising fact that fathers rarely participate in most early childhood development programs being implemented in Nigeria and that men have little to do with young children. This situation is cultural as the responsibility of taking care of young children is seen in Nigeria and most African societies as that of women and not men. I found this surprising because here in Turkey where I live and work, men are not only involved in the education of the young children, they actually take the leading role. Attendance at any school activity in my school ( a preschool) always has men in attendance more than women and discussions with my students show that fathers mostly help them with their home-works and other school projects.
It is noteworthy that the ECDVU is committed to improving the quality of life of children and their families in African where poverty and bad governance has shut the door of quality early childhood care and education to children thereby denying them quality living.
Sources:
http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php
http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php
Monday, January 23, 2012
Research that Benefits Children and Families
Research expands the knowledge base of man and benefits man by improving life and conditions of living. In fields such as education, research aims primarily at informing and improving learning and teaching. Additionally and generally, research helps solve existing problems and challenges. No doubt the family being the nucleus of the society as well as the child benefit greatly from research.
One example of positive effects of research on children and families that easily came to my mind is that of one of my church members who actually shared her story with us in the church. She said she has been having a running battle with herself and 3 daughters putting on weight in an embarrassing way. In addition, she noticed also that one of her daughters is having tooth-decay. She said she was given two books by a renown researcher on sugar addiction.
Through research findings that were contained in one of the books “Your Last Diet!: The Sugar Addict`s Weight-Loss Plan” she was able to realize the cause of the weight gain as well as able to remedy it. Herself and family members have benefited from research findings as contained in those books she read.
One example of positive effects of research on children and families that easily came to my mind is that of one of my church members who actually shared her story with us in the church. She said she has been having a running battle with herself and 3 daughters putting on weight in an embarrassing way. In addition, she noticed also that one of her daughters is having tooth-decay. She said she was given two books by a renown researcher on sugar addiction.
Through research findings that were contained in one of the books “Your Last Diet!: The Sugar Addict`s Weight-Loss Plan” she was able to realize the cause of the weight gain as well as able to remedy it. Herself and family members have benefited from research findings as contained in those books she read.
Monday, January 16, 2012
MY PERSONAL RESEARCH JOURNEY
Ray Paul refers to research as original investigation undertaken so as to gain knowledge and understanding (as quoted in Niaz, Hussain, Baig, & Bhatti, 2008). The process involve in research includes identifying, locating, developing, assessing, analysing an idea or issue so as to gain deeper understanding or knowledge of it in a way that it will be of benefit to the society. I sincerely believe that it is through research that as human beings, we are distinct and can be differentiated from other animals or any kinds of life found on the planet earth.
Simulation can be described as a process of creating a model or a representation of a system in order to gain an understanding of that system. For my research process simulation I choose the topic “The Effects of Poverty On The Education of Young Children.” This is a topic after my heart having grew up in an environment where more than 75 % of the children live in abject poverty and schooling remains for most of those children a luxury they only enjoy or ever dream of when they are been told stories about school or when a lucky pupil, who is privileged to attend school joins them in play and they act schooling together.
I am narrowing my research topic to “Benefits of Quality Education To Poor Children” with the aim of using my findings as a foundation for advocacy and promotion of quality education for children of poverty. There is no doubting it that education provides the way out poverty for any group of people that are in living in poverty. It is also a proven fact that quality early childhood care and education offers many benefits to the child, the family, and the society.
I am sure some of you must have had some experiences with issues related with children living in poverty or might have resources on the topic, I would be grateful if you can share your experience and resources with me and I am sure this will help in my research study.
References
Niaz, M., Hussain, A., Baig, A. R., & Bhatti, S. (2008). Simulation of the research process. In Proceedings of the 2008 Winter Simulation Conference S. J. Mason, R. R. Hill, L. Mönch, O. Rose, T. Jefferson, J. W. Fowler eds. IEEE Press.
Simulation can be described as a process of creating a model or a representation of a system in order to gain an understanding of that system. For my research process simulation I choose the topic “The Effects of Poverty On The Education of Young Children.” This is a topic after my heart having grew up in an environment where more than 75 % of the children live in abject poverty and schooling remains for most of those children a luxury they only enjoy or ever dream of when they are been told stories about school or when a lucky pupil, who is privileged to attend school joins them in play and they act schooling together.
I am narrowing my research topic to “Benefits of Quality Education To Poor Children” with the aim of using my findings as a foundation for advocacy and promotion of quality education for children of poverty. There is no doubting it that education provides the way out poverty for any group of people that are in living in poverty. It is also a proven fact that quality early childhood care and education offers many benefits to the child, the family, and the society.
I am sure some of you must have had some experiences with issues related with children living in poverty or might have resources on the topic, I would be grateful if you can share your experience and resources with me and I am sure this will help in my research study.
References
Niaz, M., Hussain, A., Baig, A. R., & Bhatti, S. (2008). Simulation of the research process. In Proceedings of the 2008 Winter Simulation Conference S. J. Mason, R. R. Hill, L. Mönch, O. Rose, T. Jefferson, J. W. Fowler eds. IEEE Press.
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