What is communication?

In EDU 6165, the topic this week was dealing with communication and the assignment called for a reflection on effective communicators that we would like to model. I believe that politicians are by far very interesting communicators and teach many techniques on effective communication skills needed by others. I decided on President Barrack Obama (during his quest for presidency) during his debate with McCain during the 3rd in an effort to display the effective communication of President Obama.
Below is a demonstration of President Obama's effective communication skills because despite Senator McCain interruption, he remained calm and still was able to get his point across on the issue.

• What behaviors does this person exhibit that make him or her effective?

             In my opinion, the behaviors that he exhibits that make him an effective communicator is his
             eye contact, clear speaking voice, calm demeanor (no matter the issue) and his willingness to
             negotiate and allow other to make their point before addressing the issue.

• Would you want to model some of your own communication behaviors after this person? Why or why not?

           I would love to be as effective as President Obama because working in the early childhood field,
          communication is the key ingredient to goal accomplishment. We need the necessary skills to
          effectively reach parents and others in order to get many unheard points across. I believe if we
          have effective communication skills then we can truly touch others and make them advocate for
         children and families as well.


References

Youtube Video (2008). Barrack leaves McCain dumbstruck. Retrieved September 7, 2011 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao5V66m5FaA.

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse background.

My hope that I have for working with children and families is that they feel comfortable in my classroom setting and in our center. My hope is that more teachers enter the field with a genuine love for children and strive to find effective ways to teach children regardless of their background. 

One goal you like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity and social justice.

The goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field is that all childhood professionals should undergo mandatory training in diversity and culture. I think that this training will provide a better understanding to diversity and culture that many people rarely think of in the field of early childhood especially since more people are migrating to the United States. I also believe that it will equip teachers with effective techniques to interact and develop healthy relationships with children and families.

Brief note of thanks to your colleagues.

Thank you to my fellow classmates for allowing me the opportunity to learn about each of you. I feel a closer bond with each of you for allowing me a glimpse into your world. Thank you for allowing me to share my opinions and introduce you to my family through discussion topics and blog assignments. I hope to read more from you in the next course and wish you well as you work toward completing your degree.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice and Oppression

I began an internship for my bachelors in Child and Family Studies in the summer of 2001 that were required me to attend a conference/convention in Alabama. I was extremely excited about the opportunity to network with others in this field and work towards building contacts for future employment. I shared the good news with my parents about the conference in Alabama but it was not met with the same excitement. My grandmother and mother began to worry, frantically trying to rearrange their schedules so that I would have a chaperon. I was 23 years old and did not need a chaperon but I still struggled to understand why my family was not as supportive about me attending this conference. One night while out to dinner, my grandmother discussed the subject of me traveling alone to Alabama and her discomforts with the journey. She provided horrific details of the racism that she encountered during her visits to the state on numerous occasions. I decided to attend this event anyway despite the warning.

I arrive in Alabama still excited but was suddenly overcome by a heavily feeling that I couldn't quit decide. I eventually settled on the fact that it was a little "homesickness" coupled with the fact of missing my sons. I stopped by a local gas station to purchase some snacks trying to shake off this sudden feeling of "blues." I entered the crowded store in the small town and was suddenly welcomed with stares and tension in the air. The clerks and the people were chattering loudly when I entered but the conversations ended quickly as I stepped inside the store. Usually I am comfortable in almost any environment that I enter but there was something strange about this place, making me want to run away and hide quickly. One of the clerks came from behind the counter and began to follow me as I searched for snacks on each isle and was not trying to be discreet with her efforts. The other patrons stood around and whispered among themselves. I remember leaving the store quickly without the snacks or even putting gas in my car. I called my mother and grandmother at the next stop and informed me that I was on my way home, never making it to the conference.

This incident caused me to feel unequal and powerless in this small community because I didn't know what to expect from the community. The inequity that I felt was stereotyping and unworthy to be in the presence of the others in the story. The clerk coming from behind the counter made me feel stereotyped like she was expecting me to steal or waiting for me to take something at anytime.

The feelings the incident brought up for me was a strange fear, sadness and bitterness. I was scared (feared for my life) because I was not sure of what to expect and this was not something that I would have expected in 2001. I was bitter because I didn't expect this behavior or even this type of mindset to be present during this time. I know that Alabama has a long history of racial struggles but I was thinking that in modern day that the mindset would have improved just a little.

In order for this incident to turn into an opportunity for greater equity, there would have to be two major changes: people and mentalities. First, the people would have to want to change and accept that what was once deemed acceptable or the way of the community will not work in the present. Second, the mentality would have to change through exposure and constant interactions with people from different backgrounds. I returned to Alabama on several occasions since this incident and in some parts of the state (small little communities) that racism or prejudice in some still occurs but for the most part the state is definitely striving to catch up with the times.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Merriam-Webster (2011) defines culture as "the customary beliefs, social forms and materials traits of a racial, religion or social groups; also the characteristic features of everyday existence (as a diversion or a way of life shared by people." Merriam-Webster (2011) defines diversity as "the condition of having or being composed of differing elements. The inclusion of different types of people in a group or organization." In this assignment, I discussed culture and diversity with member of my family and my husband's family to gain a better understanding of how others define culture and diversity. The people that I chose were from various racial backgrounds, cultural backgrounds and age groups for a better understanding of how others view culture and diversity.

Their definition of culture.

1. People that come from a background that is not American. ~84 year old African-American Grandmother
2. People that have different values and different beliefs. ~49 year old Italian sister-in-law
3. People that belong in a certain group because of their appearance and language. ~24 year old Caucasian brother-in-law

Their definition of diversity.

1.  People that look different and talk different from you. ~84 year old African-American Grandmother
2.  People that believe different ideas and beliefs. ~49 year old Italian sister-in-law
3.  People from different backgrounds that come together and accept the differences. ~24 year old Caucasian brother-in-law

Which aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course and included in the answers I received-what are some examples?

      This course has described culture as more than surface features like looks or traits mentioned by many of my family members above. Culture also includes religion, beliefs, values, language and how we function in society daily.

What aspects have been omitted-and by what are some examples of such omission?
     The aspects that were omitted from above were religion and daily existence in society. They touched on the surface objects like differences in appearances and languages.

In what ways has thinking about other people's definition of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these topics?
    I can relate to their definitions because prior to taking this course, I only considered culture as things that I could identify on the surface such as appearances and birth countries. This course has expanded my knowledge base that culture encompasses so much more including beliefs,  religion, values and life in general. It also is important to respect a person and accept differences in order to create a world that is comfortable and diverse for everyone.

References

Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online (2011). Retrieved on July 16, 2011 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

My Family Culture Exercise

The overall purpose of this assignment/exercise was to imagine that my country was devastated by a major catastrophe and the emergency management instructed everyone to evacuate to another area. My family and I are only allowed to carry three 3 small items in addition to one pair of clothes. The new country is completely different from the life that we are accustomed  and might serve as our permanent location. Follow me on this journey as I share my family culture, significance of the items and the feelings about this new transition.

The objects that I would carry with me on this new journey include: the heavy white family bible, the black  family album with pictures from the past and an extra notebook with paper. The family bible was chosen because it has birth dates and detailed family history that I can share with others about my family. The family album supports the information in the family bible and it can be used to store the new memories from the new area. The extra notebook would serve as a journal to document the new life and the new experiences in the new countries.

Life in the new country is a transition and learning the new ways is interesting until we received devastating news that we would have to let go of two personal items. We were slowing adapting but keeping close to our family traditions of meeting and spending time with each other. We tried to make the transition easier by reflecting on the past days and share our new daily experiences with each other. After much deliberation, we decided to part with the pictures and the empty notebook rather than the family bible. The reason that we decided not to part with the bible is because of the family history written in the book and the comfort that the Bible provides in times of distress.

This exercise solidified what I have already come to learn about myself, which is that my family history is very important to me. I would rather let go of all my materialistic belongings than to let go of the information about my family. My mother and grandmother raised me to be proud of the family history whether they were slaves or millionaires that each individual contributed to my family in some form or another. I tried to provide my children with the same experiences and share information about the family through pictures or stories so that they will learn have the same pride that I have about my family. The insights gained about my family culture is that we are unified and very accepting of any or all changes/ challenges that we encounter. The insights gained diversity and cultural differences is that "variety is truly the spice of life". We can learn from each other and enhance each others lives in so many ways because of our background and cultural experiences.

When I Think Of Research......

I would like to take this time to send a special "Thank You" to all of  the followers of this blog. Thank you for your words of encouragement and feedback on the ideas posted throughout this journey so far. I look forward to continuing to post and share my new found knowledge with all of you.

When I think of research, I cringe! This is definitely not a topic that is one of my favorites but being in the field of early childhood education, this fear must be conquered. Research always seemed foreign and very uncomfortable for me. I have more confidence in my ideas in research projects and gaining the experience to produce a simulation research project to become more acquainted with the entire process. My ideas about doing research having not changed too much but I am more aware of the process that it takes in order to conduct an research project.

Before taking this course, I never considered the planning and design that it takes to put together a research project. The planning component of a research project requires extensive study and being familiar with the subject that you want to study. The designing portion of the simulation project was not a favorite because of the massive amount of detail and other consideration of outside factors that must be in place prior to completing the project. Conducting the experiment is the most interactive component and the part of the project that you must make sure the participants are actively involved in the process.

The challenges encountered in the research simulation was the failure to add more detail and consider all possible outcomes of the situation. The manner that I overcame this challenge was to try to think of how I would handle the situation if placed in it. I had to think as the parent, teacher, director and other professionals in the early childhood field.

After completing this research simulation, my perceptions of early childhood professionals has been modified especially for those that conduct research within the field. It is amazing the amount of time that these professionals take from their lives and the dedication to the field that they provide in order to make sure that other early childhood professionals can strive to do better.

Research Around the World

1. What are some current international research topics?

The website that I studies was Early Childhood Australia (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au) advocates "to ensure quality social justice and equity in all issues relating to education and care of children from birth to 8 years old" (Early Childhood Australia, 2011). Many of the current topics focused on emotions, emotional development and child development in preschool children. One of the current research topic is a series entitled "The Early Years Learning Framework" which has many parts but it focuses on a new framework for early childhood that focuses on many topics like beginning the framework and assess student learning using the framework.

2. What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

I like the "Everyday Learning Series" because it provides chapter resources for parents and teachers that can be used daily on topics like emotions, bullying, friendships and coping with changes to name a few. The Early Childhood Australia Web Watch is a an e-newsletter that discusses child development and researchers in the field keeping current information on new trends and latest development in the field of early childhood education. In the current issue of ECA Web Watch, there is an article on "National Reconciliation Week" which promotes a book called "Building Bridges" documenting what parents view as important and their beliefs of what their child should learn in a preschool setting.

3. What other noteworthy information did you find on the website?

The website has an abundance of information about early childhood education throughout Australia. There is also information on code of ethics for the organization, branches for the ECA, ECA conferences, Australia state reports and ECA forums that provide early childhood educators to expand their knowledge and network with others in the field.

Reference

Early Childhood Australia (2011). Early Childhood Australia. Retrieved June 4, 2011 from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org/au