Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

For this week's assignment, we were instructed to describe an example of a microaggression we have detected this week or remember from another time. One example of microaggressions -microinsults and microvalidations- that happened to me I can remember was when a woman from another race was in the store looking at the African American hair products and asked me, "What do ya'll put on your hair to make it stiff, do ya'll use wax?" At first, I got offensive, but I replied, "I don't use wax on my hair." I knew no offense was consciously intended because she was a hairstylist, but I was put in the "Catch 22" position.

As a person of color, I felt insulted because most whites usually consider African Americans to have "nappy" hair. Even though I knew she unintentionally meant harm, it made me feel discriminated because of my race and made me wonder what was her hidden message in the question. I am aware of microaggressions because of my race, but I have chosen to be an overcomer of them because I know who I am, and what I am striving to become in life.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

In this course, "Perspectives on Diversity and Equity", I have been studying that there are many different perspectives, views, and beliefs about culture and diversity.

For this assignment, we were asked to find out from three different people their definitions of culture and diversity. The three people I asked defined culture as our heritage, or beliefs, why we do things; the way you were raised, your morals and rituals; and who you are, what your were brought up in. Culture can be referred to how particular groups of people live. It is the way we live our everyday lives, which include the language we speak, the religion or spirituality we practice (or do not), and the clothing, housing, food, and rituals/holidays with which we feel most comfortable (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 55).

They defined diversity as different cultures living together and around each other in the same community; the inclusion of different people which sets us apart from other cultures; and how we are all different, but come together. To sum up their definitions of diversity, diversity is recognizing and appreciating the variety of characterisitcs that make each individual culture unique in their own way, but learning to live together in a community or group.

My thinking about this topic has been influenced by seeing how other people define culture and diversity. As an educator, I have to be willing to talk openly about the different cultures in order to help foster a positive sense of self in our children and their families, which can make a difference about diversity in our community. Also, I can help children realize that eventhough we are differnt in our cultures and traditions, but we can learn to value each other differences and learn to live together and benefit from one another.

References:
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

My Family Culture

If I could only take 3 small items with me that I hold dear and that represents my family when evacuating to another country, I will take my Bible, family portrait, and my MP3 player. I will take my Bible, because my mother always tell me to trust in the Lord and He will see me through my trials. My family portrait, because I can look back on the time the portrait was taken and remember the good times the family spent together. Also, I will take my MP3 player, because I often listen to music to smooth my soul and songs have a tendency to carry an inspirational message.

If I were told that I could only keep one personal item upon arrival to the unknown country, I would be devastated, but I would choose to keep my Bible, because I know it will give me strength to survive in this country.

As a result of this exercise, I can now relate to how the children from another culture feel when they are dominant by our culture. When I put myself  in the position of being evacuated to another country, I felt a sense of fear, loss, confusion about not knowing what to do. The insight I have learned is that we always need to be willing to accept different cultures and families, because we never know when we will be put in a similar situation when we will want to be accepted by our different culture.

When I Think of Research...

In the course of Building Research Competencies, my knowledge and understanding about research had definitely been deepened. I have learned how to find reliable resources, narrow my general research topic of choice down to related subtopics, and also, gained knowledge about the terms and concepts used in the research process.

My ideas about the nature of research has changed because now I realize there is alot of information you need to know in regard to understanding research in early childhood. As with any research, there are risks of doing research involving children and their families.

I did encounter some challenges in understanding research in this course. In order for research to be informative, ethical, meaningful, persuasive, and significant, researchers have to follow the proper steps from selecting a topic to drawing conclusions. I found out throughout this course that learning about the process of formatting these steps can be challenging as I began to develop my research study outline.

My perceptions of an early childhood professional has been modified by understanding and evaluating research. Research today is greatly needed in order for advocates to seek out for the improvement in the early childhood field.

I would like to thank Dr. DiSpagna and all my colleagues for the support and helpful information shared throughout this course. I'm looking forward to gaining more knowledge and understanding of early childhood as I continue to work on obtaining my Master's Degree in early childhood studies.

Research Around the World

The international website I chose to explore was Early Childhood Australia. Early Childhood Australia advocates to ensure quality, social justice and equity in all issues relating to the education and care of children from birth to age eight.

On their website, they have a "Research in Practice Series (RIPS)", which is a practical, easy-to-read resource that offers effective new approaches for challenging issues which arise in the care and education of young children.

Early Childhood Australia have a wide range of topics for anyone interested in children's early year. Listed below are some of the current international research topics in the Research in Practice Series that I found to be interesting, but there are many more available.

• Respecting diversity: Articulation early childhood practice
• Learning and teaching through play
• The Early Years Learning Framework:  Building confident learners
• The Early Years Learning Framework:  Getting started
• Nurturing the spiritual child:  Compassion, connection and a sense of self
• Portfolios: Documenting a journey
• Treasures and collections: A touch of magic in the early years
• Diversity and difference:  Lighting the spirit of identity
• Young children as active learners

One of the surprising facts about early childhood I gained from exploring this international early childhood website was their topic on "Learning and teaching through play" by Anne Kennedy and Lennie Barblett. I was interested in this topic because the importance of play in early childhood growth and development is my chosen research simulation. This book will assist educators to examine their understanding of play and how play-based approaches require intentional planning and teaching in order to support and extend children's learning. Therefore, this book will definitely be an resource that will contribute to my research simulation.

Early Childhood Australia also offers the Early Years Learning Framework Professional Learning Program with resources and workshops, and so much more that will contribute to their mission for being a voice for young children.

For additional information, visit their website at:
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Research that Benefits Children and Families

A research article I found to be interesting was one written by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the "Expenditures on Children by Families, 2010". The USDA issues an annual report calculating the cost of raising children to inform parents and policymakers about the burdens on the average family budget.

This article was interesting to me because it calculated the annual expenses a family spend on a child. Even though most families provide for their children, I don't think many realize or has ever calculated how much money it takes to provide for their children. One report findings concluded for a husband-wife households with two children earnings less than $57,000 in pre-tax income, annual expenses for a child ranged from $8,480 to $9,630, depending on the child's age; for households with income between $57,600 and $99,730, expenses ranged from $11,880 to $13,830; and for households making more than $97,730, the figure was $19,770 to $23,690.

The USDA also uses this data to shape government policies on such issues as child support and foster care. For more information about this article, go to http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/education/expenditures-children-families-2010/

EDUC 6163 Building Research Competencies: My Personal Research Journey

During this course "Building Research Competencies", I will be gaining knowledge of understanding, evaluating, and utilizing research. The topic I chose to do my research on is the importance of play in early childhood growth and development.

Today, most people see children as just playing, but there is much more to the picture than meets the eye. They are really learning. Play is an important component of early childhood development by strengthening children's social skills and helping to build self-esteem. They learn how to explore, discover, and learn. Also, they develops problem solving skills and interpersonal skills. Therefore, most of play research supports the notion that play is essential to physical, social, cognitive, and emotional aspects of a child's development.

I am very interested to see what research currently has to say and have proven how important play is to the development and growth in early childhood development. As I began my research, I have already learned from this course how to use the eight steps to evaluate websites and analyze information presented in the articles to see if they adhere to accepted standards/guidelines regarding quality research. This information will be helpful to me by selecting valuable resources to apply to my research.

If you have any advice, insights, or resources that might help me with this process of research about "The Importance of Play in Early Childhood Development", it will be greatly appreciated. Listed below are some resources I have already found that I will like to share on this topic.

Resources:
Anderson-McNamee, J. & Bailey, S. (2010). The Importance of Play in Early Childhood Development. Retrieved from http://www.msuestension.org/publications/HomeHealthandFamily/MT201003HR.pdf

Ginsburg, K. (2007). The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds. Retrieved from http://www.aap.org/pressroom/playFINAL.pdf

Isenberg, J. & Quisenberry, N. (2002). Play: Essential For All Children- A Position Paper of the Association for Childhood Education International. Retrieved from http://www.udel.edu/bateman/acei/playpaper.htm