Thank You!

I will like to say thank you to my instructor for this course- Dr. Longo and all my colleagues at Walden. Thank you Dr. Longo for the push and your feedback on all assignments. To all colleagues, thanks for sharing your professional goals, dreams, and aspirations. You guys really inspired and challenged me. Through our discussions, I have learned to look at things from another angle. I wish you all success as we continue in this program and hope we do get in touch.

Codes of Ethics that Resonated with me.

The readings and webcast for this week have opened my eyes to a lot of things in the Early Childhood field. I watched five Early Childhood professionals talk passionately about what it means to be a professional and what advocacy means, I was able to rate my professional development and identify my strengths as well as my weaknesses, and I had the opportunity to read the Code of Ethics from both the NAEYC and the DEC. Below are some of the ideals that are meaningful to me from the NAEYC Code of Ethics.

Section 1
Ethical Responsibilities to Children

a.      Ideal I-1.1: To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.

To be knowledgeable is one of the attributes of a professional (Leticia Lara) and keeping abreast of new developments in early childhood care and education will help me in my work.

Section 11
Ethical Responsibilities to Families

b.      Ideal I-2.2: To develop relationships of mutual trust and create partnerships with the families we serve.

I need to develop this relationship with the families I serve as I am able to know the child more and partner with the families which will the benefit the child at the end.

Section 111
Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues

a.      Ideal I-3A.1: To establish and maintain relationships of respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and cooperation with co-workers.

Networking and collaboration not just with colleagues from other schools but with co-workers is important. As no one is an island, I need to maintain a healthy relationship with co-workers.

References

NAEYC. (2005, April).Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment. (2010, May 26). Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. (2010, May 26)). Retrieved from http://www.dec-sped.org/

 

Useful Resources

Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

·         NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap

·         NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf

·         NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf

·         NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

·         NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf

·         NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf

·         Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller

·               FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early            childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf
Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.

·         Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching   Exceptional   Children, 42(3). 42-53

Part 2: Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

·         Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

·         Websites:

a.     World Forum Foundation
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us                                                                This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage

b.    World Organization for Early Childhood Education
http://www.omep-usnc.org/                                                                                              Read about OMEP's mission.

c.     Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/

      Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

a.     National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/

b.    The Division for Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org/

c.     Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/

d.    WESTED
http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm

e.     Harvard Education Letter
http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85

f.     FPG Child Development Institute
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/

g.    Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/

h.     HighScope
http://www.highscope.org/

i.      Children's Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/

j.      Center for Child Care Workforce
http://www.ccw.org/

k.     Council for Exceptional Children
http://www.cec.sped.org/

l.      Institute for Women's Policy Research
http://www.iwpr.org/

m.   National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/

n.     National Child Care Association
http://www.nccanet.org/

o.    National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/

p.    Pre[K]Now
http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067

q.    Voices for America's Children
http://www.voices.org/

r.      The Erikson Institute
http://www.erikson.edu/

Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search for specific journal titles. (Go to "How Do I...?", select "Tips for Specific Formats and Resources," and then "e-journals" to find this search interface.)

a.     YC Young Children

b.     Childhood

c.     Journal of Child & Family Studies

d.     Child Study Journal

e.     Multicultural Education

f.      Early Childhood Education Journal

g.     Journal of Early Childhood Research

h.     International Journal of Early Childhood

i.      Early Childhood Research Quarterly

j.      Developmental Psychology

k.     Social Studies

l.      Maternal & Child Health Journal

m.   International Journal of Early Years Education

Additional resources

·         Doug Lemov Askwith Forum: Teach like a Champion video         

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt9rj76AsLE

·         This website is an online resource for teachers and parents of young children, infants to age 8.

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com

 

 

·         I get lots of worksheets from this site.

www.Education.com

·         I use this site for most of my medium and short term plans. They also have resources for interactive boards, games, and tips for teachers.

www.Tes.co.uk

 

 

 

 

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

As part of my assignment this week, I have read about the different sectors in Early Childhood- its goals, history, accomplishments and significant contributors to each sector. I was asked to choose two contributors that are of major interest to me and read about them. I chose Janet Gonzalez-Mena and Elena Bodrova.

Janet Gonzalez-Mena

Janet Gonzalez-Mena is an early childhood consultant specializing in diversity, partnering with families, and preschool and infant-toddler education and development. She joined Head Start as a volunteer in 1966 and went on to become a preschool teacher and home visitor. She also worked as a director, trainer, and community college teacher. Ms. Gonzalez-Mena is a part-time faculty member in the West Ed Program for Infant-Toddler Care (PITC). She is the author of Honoring Diversity in Early Care and Education and five other textbooks and training guides. She holds an M.A. in human development from Pacific Oaks.

Here is a quote from one of her articles, “When early childhood professionals resolve differences about best practices with parents in ways that discount diversity and impose the dominant culture, they tread on issues of equity and social justice. In my experience, professionals who have conflicts with parents often end all discussion by quoting policy, standards, regulations, or research. Not only is that way of cutting off communication a form of institutionalized oppression, but it harms children and their families.” – Janet Gonzalez-Mena. Cross-cultural Infant Care and Issues of Equity and Social Justice. http://www.wwwords.co.uk/pdf/validate.asp?j=ciec&vol=2&issue=3&year=2001&article

Here is another one, "Child care professionals can play a key role in influencing not only parents’ behavior toward their child but also the picture they have of their child.’’ -  Janet Gonzalez-Mena http://scholar.googleusercontent.com/scholar?q=cache:ZV_BCZwz4KYJ:scholar.google.com/+janet+gonzalez-mena

Elena Bodrova

Elena Bodrova, Ph.D., is a Principal Researcher at Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). She is an internationally known expert in cognitive psychology and child development and has been teaching, providing professional development, and conducting research in early childhood education, early literacy, and assessment in the U.S. since 1992. Dr. Bodrova is also a co-author of "Tools of the Mind," a curriculum for preschool and kindergarten-aged children that promotes school readiness by helping children become self-regulated learners. Self-regulation is the ability to manage one’s behaviour so as to withstand impulses, maintain focus and undertake tasks if there are other more enticing alternatives available. http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Elena-Bodrova

‘’When the learning task is complex and requires a variety of actions, it is usually difficult for the students to develop the correct and comprehensive orienting basis necessary to succeed’’, Elena Bodrova.

“When children assume different roles in play scenarios, they learn about real social interactions that they might not have experienced (not just following commands but also issuing them; not only asking for help but also being the one that helps). In addition, they learn about their own actions and emotions by using them "on demand." (I am really OK, but I have to cry because I am playing a baby and the doctor just gave me a shot.) Understanding emotions and developing emotional self-control are crucial for children's social and emotional development", Elena Bodrova

“As we worked with preschool and kindergarten teachers on scaffolding children's literacy development (Bodrova & Leong, 2001; Bodrova, Leong, Paynter, & Hensen, 2002; Bodrova, Leong, Paynter, & Hughes, 2002), we noticed that teachers achieved the best results when they focused on supporting mature play. Children in these classrooms not only mastered literacy skills and concepts at a higher rate but also developed better language and social skills and learned how to regulate their physical and cognitive behaviors (Bodrova, Leong, Norford, & Paynter, in press). By contrast, in the classrooms where play was on the back burner, teachers struggled with a variety of problems, including classroom management and children's lack of interest in reading and writing. These results confirm our belief that thoughtfully supported play is essential for young children's learning and development.” Bodrova, E., Leong, D.J. (2003, April) The Importance of being playful. Educational Leadership. Retrieved from http://prek.spps.org/uploads/importanceofplayful.pdf