"Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment." Maria Montessori
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Tory for all her support and her willingness to share information with us. Thanks Tory!
Also, a note of thanks to Julie! She always seemed to know which questions to ask that would spark further research of the topic! Way to keep us thinking outside of the box!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Intelligence??
A commitment to the "whole child" does not need as assessment. A child's development is as individual as the child, and as long as major milestones have been met, the rest is truly not relevant. I want to reference a video I watched about preschool in Sweden. There is no formal curriculum. There is a continuum of care and children are encouraged to play. Our western culture would frown upon such things, but Sweden has no intention of changing what is working and has been for years. Mandatory school age is seven, and that is the child's first venture into formal education. Statistically, by the age of ten, they have some of the highest reading scores in Europe. Is it because there was no pressure to learn before they were ready to?
The children stay together in a group (1-6) for their entire time in preschool. The younger ones learning from the older ones and the older ones being entrusted to do as much as they can. They help with meal times, cleaning, and caring for the younger members of their class. The teacher is truly a facilitator encouraging their independence. They seem to function much as members of a family would. The children develop confidence in their own abilities. They spend approximately 1/2 the day outside, regardless of the weather. They are dressed appropriately and become quickly acclimated to the weather.
The additional comments I would make are in reference to why our western culture wants three and four year olds to become "little adults". Perhaps we should look at other cultures who allow their children to be children before they are "forced" into formal education. Seven seems like the proper age. The NAEYC claims a child is not ready to track letters on paper until between the ages of six and eight.
Reference:
How the do it in Sweden(video, 2011), Retrieved April 1, 2012 from the World Wide Web: http://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/how-they-do-it-in-Sweden-preschool
The children stay together in a group (1-6) for their entire time in preschool. The younger ones learning from the older ones and the older ones being entrusted to do as much as they can. They help with meal times, cleaning, and caring for the younger members of their class. The teacher is truly a facilitator encouraging their independence. They seem to function much as members of a family would. The children develop confidence in their own abilities. They spend approximately 1/2 the day outside, regardless of the weather. They are dressed appropriately and become quickly acclimated to the weather.
The additional comments I would make are in reference to why our western culture wants three and four year olds to become "little adults". Perhaps we should look at other cultures who allow their children to be children before they are "forced" into formal education. Seven seems like the proper age. The NAEYC claims a child is not ready to track letters on paper until between the ages of six and eight.
Reference:
How the do it in Sweden(video, 2011), Retrieved April 1, 2012 from the World Wide Web: http://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/how-they-do-it-in-Sweden-preschool
Saturday, March 24, 2012
How Racism Affects Development
It is critical that we follow a child's racial concept, from preschool years to at least middle adolescence to become aware of the major changes in the child's awareness. Data suggests that a sophisticated concept of race, in multifaceted manifestation, is not realized until adolescence.
"The reality of races as biological entities....is to be found in the human conviction that they exist...They are real because people believe they are..."(Williams and Moreland, 1976) I use this quote because I find the entire topic of race unfounded. We are all of the "human race", and that is really the only "race" I acknowledge. We are of many ethnicities, but only one race. How unfortunate children are forced by society to learn racism.
There are cultural stereotypes that children struggle with daily to overcome. Let's look at Trayvon Martin who was just assassinated in Sanford, Florida by a neighborhood watch captain who says he was only defending himself against a black teenager wearing a hoodie and NOT carrying a weapon while he was!
Comparisons are often made about self-esteem and the self-concept of ability. We are presently engaged in a struggle over the control of the minds(and the future) of our children.
References:
Allen, W.R., Brookins, G.K., Spencer, M.B., The Beginnings of Social and Affective Development of Children, 1985, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Hillsdale, N.Y.
Williams, A., and Moreland, R.L., Modification of children's racial attitude, Developmental Psychology, Volume 14 (5), Sept. 1976, 447-461.doi , Retrieved March 23, 2012 from the World Wide Web: http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/dev/14/5/447
South African children face serious threats to health and development as a consequence of poverty, racism, violence and residual social inequality. There are contrasting conditions of hope and peril. "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? (Barbarin, Richter, 2001) That is the contrast. Children in South Africa today know what they are told growing up is sometimes directly the opposite of what they are seeing.
There are two nations in South Africa. One black, one white. The second nation is black and poor and lives under conditions of a grossly underdeveloped economy. Given this gap, the challenge to equalize things for children is great. It is consistently the black children who struggle. They are poor, malnourished, in need of health care, with little or no access to child care or preschool. More than 2/3 of the 6th graders in South Africa perform below the level expected of them. Only 12 percent scored "achieved" or "outstanding". Only four of 100 are reading at grade level. (Barbarin, Richter, 2001) Children are often "stunted" because they lack good dietary habits. They are seldom given protein, dairy products or eggs.
Reference:
Barbarin, O.A., Richter, L. M., (2001), Mandela's Children: growing up in post-apartheid South Africa, Psychology Press, Routledge, NewYork and London.
"The reality of races as biological entities....is to be found in the human conviction that they exist...They are real because people believe they are..."(Williams and Moreland, 1976) I use this quote because I find the entire topic of race unfounded. We are all of the "human race", and that is really the only "race" I acknowledge. We are of many ethnicities, but only one race. How unfortunate children are forced by society to learn racism.
There are cultural stereotypes that children struggle with daily to overcome. Let's look at Trayvon Martin who was just assassinated in Sanford, Florida by a neighborhood watch captain who says he was only defending himself against a black teenager wearing a hoodie and NOT carrying a weapon while he was!
Comparisons are often made about self-esteem and the self-concept of ability. We are presently engaged in a struggle over the control of the minds(and the future) of our children.
References:
Allen, W.R., Brookins, G.K., Spencer, M.B., The Beginnings of Social and Affective Development of Children, 1985, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Hillsdale, N.Y.
Williams, A., and Moreland, R.L., Modification of children's racial attitude, Developmental Psychology, Volume 14 (5), Sept. 1976, 447-461.doi , Retrieved March 23, 2012 from the World Wide Web: http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/dev/14/5/447
South African children face serious threats to health and development as a consequence of poverty, racism, violence and residual social inequality. There are contrasting conditions of hope and peril. "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? (Barbarin, Richter, 2001) That is the contrast. Children in South Africa today know what they are told growing up is sometimes directly the opposite of what they are seeing.
There are two nations in South Africa. One black, one white. The second nation is black and poor and lives under conditions of a grossly underdeveloped economy. Given this gap, the challenge to equalize things for children is great. It is consistently the black children who struggle. They are poor, malnourished, in need of health care, with little or no access to child care or preschool. More than 2/3 of the 6th graders in South Africa perform below the level expected of them. Only 12 percent scored "achieved" or "outstanding". Only four of 100 are reading at grade level. (Barbarin, Richter, 2001) Children are often "stunted" because they lack good dietary habits. They are seldom given protein, dairy products or eggs.
Reference:
Barbarin, O.A., Richter, L. M., (2001), Mandela's Children: growing up in post-apartheid South Africa, Psychology Press, Routledge, NewYork and London.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Access to Healthy Water
I chose this topic because so many of us take clean water for granted. We feel it is a right to have clean water to drink and shower daily. Water quality affects us all. Access to clean, reliable water is essential to our health and well being, and is a foundation of a thriving community. (Skidegate, 2010)
The lack of access to safe water is directly related to poverty, personally and often times because that government does not have the ability to finance satisfactory water systems. The direct human cost is enormous! Widespread health problems, walking for miles just to get the water, and severe limitations for economic development. Polluted water is estimated to affect the health of more than 1.2 billion people, and contribute to the death of an average 15 million children every year. (Vital, 2005).
The world is on track to meet the United Nations Millenium Developmental Goal (MDG) drinking water target to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2015. (CDC, 2009).
In Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, nearly 1 billion people in rural areas have no access to improved water supplies. Throughout Africa, rural water services lag far behind urban services. Bottled water is not considered improved due to limitations in the potential quantity, not quality of the water.
References:
Assessing Access to Water and Sanitation, (2009), (CDC) Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, Retrieved March 5, 2012 from the World Wide Web; http://cdc.gov/healthywater/global assessing.html
Skidegate,A., Access to Clean, Reliable Water, Essential to Healthy Nations, 2010, WHO, UNICEF, New York, N.Y.
Vital, W., Inequity in Access to Clean Water, 2005, Unicef, New York, N.Y.
The lack of access to safe water is directly related to poverty, personally and often times because that government does not have the ability to finance satisfactory water systems. The direct human cost is enormous! Widespread health problems, walking for miles just to get the water, and severe limitations for economic development. Polluted water is estimated to affect the health of more than 1.2 billion people, and contribute to the death of an average 15 million children every year. (Vital, 2005).
The world is on track to meet the United Nations Millenium Developmental Goal (MDG) drinking water target to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2015. (CDC, 2009).
In Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, nearly 1 billion people in rural areas have no access to improved water supplies. Throughout Africa, rural water services lag far behind urban services. Bottled water is not considered improved due to limitations in the potential quantity, not quality of the water.
References:
Assessing Access to Water and Sanitation, (2009), (CDC) Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, Retrieved March 5, 2012 from the World Wide Web; http://cdc.gov/healthywater/global assessing.html
Skidegate,A., Access to Clean, Reliable Water, Essential to Healthy Nations, 2010, WHO, UNICEF, New York, N.Y.
Vital, W., Inequity in Access to Clean Water, 2005, Unicef, New York, N.Y.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
My Birthing Experience...
The birth experience I have chosen to write about is the birth of my youngest son. We had a difficult time getting pregnant, and then staying pregnant, so it was a joyous time in our household! I remember telling my husband to leave the plastic on the brand new mattress we bought when I was about 8 months pregnant. He looked at me strangely, but decided to humor me! Good thing, as my water broke in the bed about 3 weeks later! Must have been a pregnancy premonition. This happened about 3:00am, and by 5:00am, we were at the hospital.
It went pretty smoothly for a few hours, but my contractions were very slow. They gave me Pitocin three times to increase my contractions, and by that time, I scarcely had time to take a breath in between them! I dilated, effaced, and moved along according to plan until pushing time came! My son (and we didn't know the sex of the child)was definitely strong willed, and had decided he needed to see where he was going! The doctor would push his head back down and he would pop it right back up. After a couple off hours of that, I was informed I would be having a C-section. Well, I became a little panicked because when we had gone to childbirth classes; on the C-section day, the nurse giving the class was sick. My husband also tried not to come with me, but I was adamant that if he could gut a deer, he could certainly come with me! So, he did, and I received a spinal anesthetic and was totally awake during the procedure. However, intervention is not always best for the mother and child. In general, cesareans are easier on the fetus, and quicker for the doctor and the mother, but can increase the rate of birth complications in later pregnancies. (Berger, 2009).
My husband was giving me a play by play and my son was born shortly afterward. He looked huge to me! The doctors were joking about his size and said that he must weigh 10 or 11 lbs. My OB said he could not pick up a 10 lb. baby with one hand! So, his father took him to the nursery with the promise he would come right back and tell the doctors what his exact weight was. His official weight was 9lbs, 8.5 oz. He looked like a 3 month old baby to me!
I chose this example because it is still so clear in my mind, and it happened 26 years ago!
My thoughts regarding birth and child development are that I believe certain characteristics are evident from the very beginning! And long lasting too. He was strong willed (stubborn) at birth and that characteristic has served him well for the past 26 years too. I am sure it is with him to stay!
References:
Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
It went pretty smoothly for a few hours, but my contractions were very slow. They gave me Pitocin three times to increase my contractions, and by that time, I scarcely had time to take a breath in between them! I dilated, effaced, and moved along according to plan until pushing time came! My son (and we didn't know the sex of the child)was definitely strong willed, and had decided he needed to see where he was going! The doctor would push his head back down and he would pop it right back up. After a couple off hours of that, I was informed I would be having a C-section. Well, I became a little panicked because when we had gone to childbirth classes; on the C-section day, the nurse giving the class was sick. My husband also tried not to come with me, but I was adamant that if he could gut a deer, he could certainly come with me! So, he did, and I received a spinal anesthetic and was totally awake during the procedure. However, intervention is not always best for the mother and child. In general, cesareans are easier on the fetus, and quicker for the doctor and the mother, but can increase the rate of birth complications in later pregnancies. (Berger, 2009).
My husband was giving me a play by play and my son was born shortly afterward. He looked huge to me! The doctors were joking about his size and said that he must weigh 10 or 11 lbs. My OB said he could not pick up a 10 lb. baby with one hand! So, his father took him to the nursery with the promise he would come right back and tell the doctors what his exact weight was. His official weight was 9lbs, 8.5 oz. He looked like a 3 month old baby to me!
I chose this example because it is still so clear in my mind, and it happened 26 years ago!
My thoughts regarding birth and child development are that I believe certain characteristics are evident from the very beginning! And long lasting too. He was strong willed (stubborn) at birth and that characteristic has served him well for the past 26 years too. I am sure it is with him to stay!
References:
Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Ideals from DEC and NAEYC ethics...
Professional and Interpersonal Behavior (DEC)
"We shall build relationships with individual children and families while individualizing the curricula and learning environment to facilitate young children's development and learning." Trusting and caring relationships are foundational to what we do. This is a perfect summary.
(NAEYC) "Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle." Childhood is such an important stage of life. It sets the foundation for the rest of your life!
(NAEYC) " Respect the dignity, worth and uniqueness in each individual (child, family member, and colleague)."
This speaks loudly because everyone is created differently and should be treated with dignity especially if expressing an opinion you don't agree with.
Reference:
The Division of Early Childhood (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved Feb. 15, 2012 from the World Wide Web: http://www.dec-sped.org/
NAEYC (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved Feb. 15, 2012 from the World Wide Web: http://naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
"We shall build relationships with individual children and families while individualizing the curricula and learning environment to facilitate young children's development and learning." Trusting and caring relationships are foundational to what we do. This is a perfect summary.
(NAEYC) "Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle." Childhood is such an important stage of life. It sets the foundation for the rest of your life!
(NAEYC) " Respect the dignity, worth and uniqueness in each individual (child, family member, and colleague)."
This speaks loudly because everyone is created differently and should be treated with dignity especially if expressing an opinion you don't agree with.
Reference:
The Division of Early Childhood (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved Feb. 15, 2012 from the World Wide Web: http://www.dec-sped.org/
NAEYC (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved Feb. 15, 2012 from the World Wide Web: http://naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Course References
NAEYC: http://www.naeyc.org
DEC: http://www.dec.org
Frank Porter Graham: http://www.fpg.unc.edu
Touchpoints: http://touchpointsbook.com
Montessori: http://www.montessori.org.au
Brazelton: http://www.brazeltontouchpoints.org
CLASP: http://clasp.org
Developmental Psychology: http://apa.developmental.com
DEC: http://www.dec.org
Frank Porter Graham: http://www.fpg.unc.edu
Touchpoints: http://touchpointsbook.com
Montessori: http://www.montessori.org.au
Brazelton: http://www.brazeltontouchpoints.org
CLASP: http://clasp.org
Developmental Psychology: http://apa.developmental.com
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