I have learned numerous ideas about early childhood education through international resources. Here are just a few....
1 - There are many similarities in the challenges faced in the US with regard to the EC Field, and the challenges faced abroad.
2 - Connecting with international EC professionals is not always easy. Persistence is key! However, once those connections have been made, a conversation can begin that stimulates our ideas and thoughts on EC education.
3 - Personally, my desire to assist with the early childhood field abroad has been stimulated and I hope to one day be able to travel and connect with children in foreign countries.
One goal I will set for myself will be making the time to do more international studying of effective practices and programs. While simultaneously expanding my knowledge of the various cultures within my community.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Sunday, June 22, 2014
UNESCO's Early Childhood Care and Education Webpage
This week I chose to look through UNESCO's Early Childhood Care and Education Webpage via:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/
A couple of very interesting news pieces and informational pieces were discovered! It is truly remarkable what we kind find with the click of a mouse. There is almost an overload of information given to us through the internet so it is especially helpful to visit the websites of organizations we know and trust.
First thing I began to read was an article on the global education initiative. The ultimate goal of the group that met is to "ensure equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030". There were seven proposed "targets" discussed that will help to achieve the overall goal. This kind of initiative serves as motivation and inspiration for all early childhood educators. Through global perspectives we realize that the issues are bigger than we are and will involve complex, strong, and individual thinkers and doers to find solutions.
Under the "Access and Equity" (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/access-and-equity/) section many issues on the global scale are ultimately the same on the local level. The website discusses the distribution of resources with respect to the need. This is just as much an issue in most of our own communities as it is on a larger scale. Universal access to resources, whether learning or otherwise, should be a priority and UNESCO shows that it is indeed a priority.
One of my favorite readings was regarding "Quality" (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/quality/). The quality of early childhood education should be evaluated based upon the overall education a child receives. What I mean by that is the fact that children are not just in early childhood care to learn vocabulary, shapes, etc., but to learn social skills, receive encouragement and motivation, and enhance school readiness.
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/
A couple of very interesting news pieces and informational pieces were discovered! It is truly remarkable what we kind find with the click of a mouse. There is almost an overload of information given to us through the internet so it is especially helpful to visit the websites of organizations we know and trust.
First thing I began to read was an article on the global education initiative. The ultimate goal of the group that met is to "ensure equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030". There were seven proposed "targets" discussed that will help to achieve the overall goal. This kind of initiative serves as motivation and inspiration for all early childhood educators. Through global perspectives we realize that the issues are bigger than we are and will involve complex, strong, and individual thinkers and doers to find solutions.
Under the "Access and Equity" (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/access-and-equity/) section many issues on the global scale are ultimately the same on the local level. The website discusses the distribution of resources with respect to the need. This is just as much an issue in most of our own communities as it is on a larger scale. Universal access to resources, whether learning or otherwise, should be a priority and UNESCO shows that it is indeed a priority.
One of my favorite readings was regarding "Quality" (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/quality/). The quality of early childhood education should be evaluated based upon the overall education a child receives. What I mean by that is the fact that children are not just in early childhood care to learn vocabulary, shapes, etc., but to learn social skills, receive encouragement and motivation, and enhance school readiness.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Global Children's Initiative
This week I chose to review and research the Global Children's Initiative website:
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/
The initiative should indeed be a global one, which involves high-power people all over the world recognizing the importance of early childhood programs and development. Not only does this help the well-being of all people in different countries, but it is economically profitable to educate and ensure healthy development for all children. This leads back to the importance of varied programs and practices depending on cultural diversity, economics, and environmental surroundings.
Much of the focus of the website was on children in critical conditions. This is something that tore at my heartstrings. It is so painful to hear of children suffering, and people in general suffering. This is just one more reason to tackle the problem at an early age, rather than later when conditions and situations are so dire that they can not be reversed. Health issues are at the heart of many economic problems. This leads to high child mortality rates and is devastating to many communities future productivity.
One of the most interesting parts of the website was an article about implementation in Brazil. http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/applying_the_science_of_early_childhood_in_brazi/ Seeing the effects that the research in the United States has on other parts of the world is not only interesting, but motivating. We can take our own experiences and help another community in places that are geographically so diverse. One of the most essential parts of integration of the Global Children's Initiative was training early childhood professionals to be leaders and coordinate this movement. It requires multiple people working together to create and facilitate an initiative to help all children of Brazil.
I have signed up for the newsletter and look forward to reading more about expansion and learning more about this particular initiative.
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/
The initiative should indeed be a global one, which involves high-power people all over the world recognizing the importance of early childhood programs and development. Not only does this help the well-being of all people in different countries, but it is economically profitable to educate and ensure healthy development for all children. This leads back to the importance of varied programs and practices depending on cultural diversity, economics, and environmental surroundings.
Much of the focus of the website was on children in critical conditions. This is something that tore at my heartstrings. It is so painful to hear of children suffering, and people in general suffering. This is just one more reason to tackle the problem at an early age, rather than later when conditions and situations are so dire that they can not be reversed. Health issues are at the heart of many economic problems. This leads to high child mortality rates and is devastating to many communities future productivity.
One of the most interesting parts of the website was an article about implementation in Brazil. http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/applying_the_science_of_early_childhood_in_brazi/ Seeing the effects that the research in the United States has on other parts of the world is not only interesting, but motivating. We can take our own experiences and help another community in places that are geographically so diverse. One of the most essential parts of integration of the Global Children's Initiative was training early childhood professionals to be leaders and coordinate this movement. It requires multiple people working together to create and facilitate an initiative to help all children of Brazil.
I have signed up for the newsletter and look forward to reading more about expansion and learning more about this particular initiative.
Harvard University. (2014). Center on the developing child. Global children's initiative. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)