When I Think of Research

This class has been interesting, illuminating (ch. 9 lol), and overwhelming at the same time.  Although I participated in research before, never was I given the opportunity to explore the various aspects of research in such detail. I did not realize that the process of research was so complex.  Every week I learned new vocabulary, which sometimes was difficult to understand and use.  Often times I had to go back, reread and use the tables to better understand.  I realised research was far more than picking an hypothesis, gathering data and analyzing.  Issues of ethics, validity, and design all are key components.  One cannot conduct research without a intensive plan of action to determine feasibility and to work through the method that is best for their case or area of study.

After this class I have a profound respect for other researchers especially in the field of early education. Not only is there the process and design of appropriate research but gathering participants and determining research that is equitable, justice and fair is important to the reputation of our profession and our work at early childhood professionals.   Those participating in ECE have a thirst to learn to improve our profession in the greater good. Its admirable!

I have learned a lot from the feedback of others during this class and I wish all of my colleagues well in future classes and professional endeavors.

Research Around the World

After reviewing many articles in many of European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, I noticed that many of the topics of research were very similar to those being explored in here in the United States.  I saw many articles on the study of language, specifically early language development and adult support, play, and children’s participation in research.  In the latest articles published, many were focused on the immersion of culture in education.  One article, entitled “Preschool Teachers’ View on Learning Preschool in Denmark and Sweden” is about how teachers in both countries understand children’s learning in school (Broström, Johansson, Sandberg & Frøkjær, 2012).  Another article, “What they believe and what they do” focuses on Turkish kindergarten teachers and their beliefs on what they believe and do in regards to teaching (Varol, 2012).  These most recently published articles appear to have a focus on teacher development and education, which is also a huge push in many school districts in the United States.

Of the top four read articles published in the journal, three of them focused on play.  This indicates the understanding and focus on play for young children is a battle being fought in countries all over the world.  Of the many articles on the site, the sections dedicated to the aims and scope of the website was the most interesting.  In the aims and scope, the journal identifies its principal purpose, “provide a forum for publication of original research in early childhood education” (Aims and Scope, 2011).  This section identified the target areas of study, birth through age eight, and states the intentions of publication.  This stood out to me as I have rarely seen a site to specifically detail its aims, purpose, and intentions.  I will be visiting this site in the future to increase my personal knowledge or current research in ECE worldwide.

References

Aims and Scope. (2011). European Early Childhood Education Research Association. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/action/aboutThisJournal?show=aimsScope&journalCode=recr20

Broström, S., Johansson, I., Sandberg, A., & Frøkjær, A. (2012). Preschool teachers’ view on learning in preschool in Sweden and Denmark. European Early Childhood Education Research Association, 1-14. doi: 10.1080/1350293X.2012.746199

Varol, Filliz. (2012). What they believe and what they do. European Early Childhood Education Research Association. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1350293X.2012.677309

Research that benefits children and their families- Omega 3 fatty acids and Autism

During my years of teaching I have often seen children misdiagnosed, improperly treated, and over treated for disorders.  I noticed in my pervious school, parents were quick to put their children on medication and were hesitant to explore some of the natural alternatives and supplements.  Personally, I have begun to look at natural supplements, fruits, grains, etc. to cure my own aliments and sicknesses instead of over the counter and prescription medicine.  Due to my own curiosity I began searching for studies that supported the use of natural alternatives.  I found many studies supported by National Institute of Health on the use of omega-3 fatty acids and how it could reduce behaviors in autistic children. 

One study done at the University of San Francisco in conjunction with Autism Speaks studied 24 children ages 3 to 8, over the course of 12 weeks.  They found that an increase in omega 3 fatty acids decreased the symptoms of hyperactivity in children based on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (Clinicaltrials.gov, 2012). 

After looking at more research and trials, I found an interesting study that reviewed 6 studies, which found limited evidence to support the efficiency of using omega 3 fatty acids with autistic children.  Many of the studies were had too small sizes, were too short in duration of study, and only looked at outcomes of aberrant behavior (Bent, Bertoglio, Hendren, 2009).   It was concluded although most studies were inconsistent; one study did prove that omega 3 fatty acids had a positive outcome for supporting hyperactivity.  Therefore, more studies should be conducted focusing on reduced hyperactivity as the outcome with larger sample sizes and for a longer duration of study (Bent et all, 2009).

I found these studies to be very interesting as children were at a minimal risk for the studies.  It is my hope that future studies will eventually reveal positive and conclusive outcomes for natural alternatives to support autistic children and their families.

References

Clinicaltrials.gov, (2012). Omega 3 fatty acids for autism treatments. Retrieved from http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT00786799?term=children+with+autism&recr=Completed&rslt=With&rank=4&sect=X73601

Brent, S., Bertoglio, K., Hendren, R. (2009). Omega-3 fatty acids for autistic spectrum disorder: a systematic review. Journal of Autism Developmental Disorders, 39(8): 1145–1154. doi: 10.1007/s10803-009-0724-5

My Research Journey

I have chosen to research the social achievements of children living in single parent homes.  I have chosen this topic because I have taught many children living in single parent homes and have notices similar social behaviors and pattens of those in single family homes.   If families and educators become aware of social patterns and achievements we can better support children and their development.   It  is ambitious to believe we can change the rate of single parenthood however, we can control how we support children and we can advocate for what is best for children and future outcomes.

Thus far in this journey I have learned the importance of checking and double checking the quality of references in addition to the accuracy of my APA in-text and reference citation.  I found it extremely helpful to look at a topic from a larger picture and then narrow it down into subtopics.   I am exited about supporting you all, my classmates, by providing possible references or an editing eye!

If anyone was any articles on child outcomes of children living in single parent household please pass them along!

My supports

I have many support which support me in various areas of my life.  From a personal perspective, there is support from GOD who is the created, doer, and maker of all things.  He guides my decisions, actions, and thoughts.  There is the support of my boyfriend who I have been with for four years.  He is my listening ear when I need one, my shoulder when I need to cry, and rationale board as necessary.  My mom and my dad are great supports as they help me navigate through situations and decisions that age and wisdom can give.  I have very close friends that are my emotional supports.  At times, I have sought the support of various professionals (psychologist, physical therapist), to assist with things happening in my life.

Professionally, I have virtual and human supports.  My team lead is my support for handling new situations, having difficult conversations with teachers, and pushing me to reach higher potentials.  My colleagues are a great support in me learning a navigating a new curriculum in which I support teachers.  The use of outlook calendar and email are vital in my keeping meetings in order, being on time, and staying abreast with all the changes and happenings within my office.  

In both professional and personal life, I use post-it notes and list to help me remember things.  I have lots of list on my iPhone for grocery store visits, music I want to by, events I want to attend, etc.  I also use the iPhone calendar to keep me  up to date with all of my events. Without having supports, both human and other, I would be very unorganized, frustrated, and lost.  Supports help to maintain order and peace.  Supports help me to move forward and without it, I can imagine I would become stagnate. 

A challenge would be the lost of my hearing.  A support I did not mention above, is music.  I somewhat live my life like  there is a soundtrack for it.  I often use music to express feelings and thoughts.  Music is used to create certain environments, and music is my escape.  With the loss of hearing I would have to learn sign language, and I would have to adjust to how I listen to music.  Conversations among friends and family would have to be done through written conversation until they also learned sign language.  I would seek the support of doctors for hearing aides or other medical devices.  I do not think I would have to change a lot within my home to adjust to the challenge.  I can imagine I would be frustrated initially however, I would be able to continue life.  

My Connections to Play

Quotes about play

“Play is hard to maintain as you get older. You get less playful. You shouldn’t, of course”.

Richard Feynman

American physicist

1918–1988

“We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

George Bernard Shaw

Play was a huge part of my memories from childhood.  I remember pretending to play school, house and dress up.  I had a love for Barbie dolls and blocks, which I played with a lot.  Some of my play was inside but a lot was outside with bikes, skip-it, chalk, jump ropes and with neighborhood friends.  I remember being told to “stay outside and find something to play with or come inside and sit in my room and do nothing” by both my parents.  Many times we went to Rock Creek Park, the playground, the beach which didn’t allow for lots of TV time.  I did not grow up with game systems which I know had a huge part in the development of my imagination.  All of our play senarioes were created by us, without support from the TV or games. 

 

  

 

Today there is little play.  TV and games have taken over children imagination.  Children are not creative thinkers.  Children come home and watch TV or play games instead of going outside to play.  I have noticed children do not know how to pretend or work with others in play situations. 

I hope that teachers and families learn the importance of play.  I hope school administrators learn the value of play and promote play as an active tool for learning instead of pushing for “rigor”.  Once families and schools are on board I hope children will become comfortable pretending, playing, and using their imagination to their fullest. 

Relationship Reflection

I am blessed to have strong healthy relationships with people.  Over the years I have learned that to maintain relationships both people must value the relationship equally.  Trust and honesty are also vital components of healthy relationships.

As I am getting older I am improving the relationship with my parents.  My mom and I have always had a difficult time communicating however, we both have tried to work on it together. My girlfriend Danielle have been friends for 19 years.  She is the friend everyone should have.  She is honest, loyal, and dependable.  She tells the truth even when its not warranted, lol.  Se has helped me to be a better woman and an accountable woman.  What makes us last is our effort to stay connected even with life changes.  I have been in a relationship for 4 years with the man I believe was created just for me.  He taught me to love.  We laugh and battle the challenges of life together.

I have strong relationships with many people and they all have some attributes in common? We love hard, we are honest with each other, we value the relationship equally, we invest time in developing our relationships, and we accept each other as we are.