Competent Communication Behaviours

I think that one of the reasons why my husband, Sam, is an effective teacher is because he demonstrates competent communication behaviors.  His students respect him and I think that he has mastered the balance between when it’s time to have fun and make jokes and when it’s time to be serious and concentrate on the task at hand.  Although he is very strict with his students, at the same time they also have a very close relationship with him.  I have always looked up to the way he communicates with people and students as he is a very good listener.  Being a good listener is one of the behaviors of a competent communicator (Dan O’Hair, 2015).  Sam gives people time to talk and one thing that I have learned from him is to ask people how they would solve the problem or how they would like to see the problem being solved.  I think that this allows people to see that you are interested in their opinion, respect their opinion and allows them to feel more part of the solution.  I also think that one of the main reasons why he is such a competent communicator is because of the way he uses body language when communicating as “body language plays a powerful role in the way we communicate” (Matt Levy, 2014, p. 0:43).  I would definitely want to model some of my own communication behaviors after Sam, as this would allow me to become a more competent communicator.

I would like to share a link to a video of why body language plays an important role in the way we communicate and how we can use our body language to allow us to become more competent communicators.  I thought that this video was very easy to watch and presented a lot of useful ways in which I can better use my body language when communicating:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFLjudWTuGQ

References

Dan O’Hair, M. W. (2015). Real Communication (3rd. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Matt Levy, C. B. (2014, May 14). Make Body Language Your Superpower. Retrieved from Stanford Graduate School of Business: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFLjudWTuGQ

 

 

Professional Hopes and Goals

My hope is that I will continue to learn new and effective ways in how I can support children and families who come from diverse backgrounds.  One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field is allowing for more professional development opportunities and workshops on how to deal with certain issues related to diversity, equity, and social justice.  I would like to say thank you to my classmates for supporting me in my journey to become a more equipped anti-bias educator and allowing me to gain new understandings and ideas related to diversity, equity, and social justice. I wish you all the best of luck for your next course!

Welcoming Families From Around the World

The family’s country of origin is: Kenya

To prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family I would go on the internet and research as much as I can about their culture, history, traditions, beliefs, unique customs and etiquette.  My hope is that by learning about Kenyans culture, historical events, religion, values, unique customs, and etiquette will allow me to learn more about their deep culture, as deep culture consists of “values, religion, and historical events” (Louise Derman-Sparks, 2010, p. 56)  I will then reach out to my community and ask around to see if there is anyone that has worked with families and children from Kenya or know anyone from Kenya.  If I can meet with someone that has worked with families and children from Kenya hopefully I can then learn more about the role of children, ideas about education or even gain some information about housing arrangements allowing me to gain a better understanding of their deep culture as deep culture consist of “role of children, ideas about education and housing arrangements” (Louise Derman-Sparks, 2010, p. 56).

The third thing that I would do is reach out to the embassy of Kenya for information on Kenya as well as asking if there is anyone from Kenya that I could possibly meet or have an interview with.  In this interview I will ask questions about migrations and religion.  By learning more about Kenyan migration and religion, I hope to learn more about the deep culture of Kenyans, as deep culture also consists of “migration and religion” (Louise Derman-Sparks, 2010, p. 56).

I would also try to find out if there are any volunteering organizations for Kenya in my area that I can reach out to so that I can set up an interview with someone or meet with someone that has volunteered in Kenya and have worked closely with families from there.  Through this interview, I hope to learn more about gender roles, values, community connections, health care, intergenerational relationships and extended family relationships.  As deep culture consists of “gender roles, values, community connections, health care, intergenerational relationships and extended family relationships”, learning about these aspects of Kenyans will allow me to gain more information and a better understanding of their deep culture (Louise Derman-Sparks, 2010, p. 56).  Lastly I will try to find information on the internet or through connections that I have made from the embassy, volunteering organizations or people in my community about Kenyans views about work, like for example “who does what and where” as this will also allow me to learn more about their deep culture (Louise Derman-Sparks, 2010, p. 56).

I think that by learning about the deep culture of Kenyans will allow me to understand and become aware of how different they may do or see things compared to the way I do or see things. Thus also allowing me and the family to work more closely together and allow me to learn how this family “defines their culture identity, rather than making assumptions based on generalized or stereotypical ideas about” the Kenyans “way of life or how they look” (Louise Derman-Sparks, 2010, p. 57).

Reference

Louise Derman-Sparks, J. O. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for young children and ourselves. Washinton DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

A friend of mine was the target of a bias incident.  She was denied admission to a University because of her skin color, although she had good grades.  Everyone should have access to education regardless of their skin color.  In this incident, equity was diminished by not allowing my friend to have access to education, because of the color of her skin.  This incident brought up a lot of anger in me.  In order for the incident to turn into an opportunity for greater equity, everyone should have access to education regardless of their skin color.  In South Africa, there are a lot of race quota systems in place, even in sports.  So, therefore, even if you are a good athlete or have the right qualifications or experience for a job, if you don’t have the right skin color, unfortunately, you will not get the position that you deserve or worked hard for.

“White South Africans say it has become harder for them to get a job because of a policy aimed at helping to rectify past apartheid wrongs, called black economic empowerment” (Cuddihy, 2016, p. 1).  A lot of South Africans believe a reverse apartheid is playing out in South Africa, and that a lot of white South Africans are on the receiving end of discriminatory racial policies (Cuddihy, 2016).

Reference

Cuddihy, M. (2016, August 02). White South Africans complain affirmative action policy is causing them to face discrimination. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-01/white-south-africans-complain-of-a-reverse-apartheid/7676764

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Often people would compliment me on my accent as most South Africans have a very distinct accent.  People would say, “Wow you don’t have an accent, why is that?” or “your accent is so clear, you don’t have that funny South African accent”.  When Thai people ask me where I am from they are always very shocked when I say that I am from South Africa.  They then ask me why am I white assuming that all people who are from an African country are black.

Both of these experiences are forms of racial microaggressions.  I think that when people compliment me on my accent they are not intentionally trying to insult me but unintentionally they are sending out a message that all South Africans have a strange accent and don’t speak “normal” English or the proper way that it should be spoken.  I honestly don’t feel offended by this comment and it has never bothered me, maybe it’s because I have heard it so much that I have become used to it.  I do however get very annoyed when people ask me why am I white when they hear that I am from South Africa.  I think it annoys me so much because I feel that it is racist to ask me that and why should it matter to anyone the reason why my skin is the color that it is.  I think the worst thing about asking me why I am white, is the expression on their faces.  They look at me as if there is something wrong with me!  When I and my husband get in a taxi in Bangkok and the taxi driver asks us where we are from we just say we are both from the states, as I don’t want to be bothered with the question of why am I white and the look that they give me.

I think now that I actually had to sit down and think about the microaggressions that I have experienced, I realize how some microaggressions don’t bother me and how some makes me so angry and upset that I will do anything to avoid certain microaggressions.  By reflecting on the experiences that I have had with microaggressions has also allowed me to see how microaggressions can negatively impact people.  For this reason, I now see how important it is that we do not label people and avoid creating microaggressions as it can significantly affect people by making them “feel excluded, untrustworthy, second-class citizens, and abnormal” (Dr. Wing Sue, 2010, p. 1).

References

Dr. Wing Sue, S. (2010, October 05). Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life. Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/microaggressions-in-everyday-life/201010/racial-microaggressions-in-everyday-life

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Sarah

“Culture to me means the language that you speak and the beliefs that you grew up believing”

“Diversity to me means different races, culture, language, and ability”

John

“Culture is part of life, our society, and part of us.  It is who we are.”

“Diversity to me means a variety of music, culture, lifestyle, and language”

Rebecca

“Culture is a big part of our lives as it is our beliefs and views”

“Diversity to me means people who are from different backgrounds, people who have different beliefs or views about how things should be”

In this course I have learnt that the “deep” elements of culture are: “language, values, extended family relationships, migration, work, housing arrangements, community connections, intergenerational relationships, health care, recreation, ideas about education, role of children, religion, historical events, gender roles and showing emotion” (Louise Derman-Sparks, 2010).  I have also learned that the “surface” elements of culture are: “artifacts, costumes, foods and holidays” (Louise Derman-Sparks, 2010, p. 56).  The journal assignments have allowed me to see that diversity means the different social identities that a person could have.  To me, diversity means variety in cultures, languages, beliefs, and views.  I no longer think of culture as merely the representation of food or costumes, and rather see culture as something much more complex as “culture is multilayered and multifaceted” (Smidt, 2013, p. 98).  I believe that culture plays a significant role in how people think or do things.  I agree with John in that culture is who we are and that it tells the story of us; who we are, where we come from, or why we think or do things in a certain way.  I have also become more aware of how “early childhood programs serve as a two-way bridge between the dominant culture and the child’s home culture” (Louise Derman-Sparks, 2010, p. 63). Becoming aware of how “early childhood programs serve as a two-way bridge between the dominant culture and the child’s home culture” has allowed me to see how big of an impact we as early childhood educators can have on the development of young children, especially how young children develop ideas about diversity, how to respect others for who they are and what they believe in, and how we should approach people who are different from us.

References

Louise Derman-Sparks, J. O. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for young children and ourselves. Washington DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Smidt, S. (2013). The Developing Child in the 21st Century. London & New York: Routledge.

My Family Culture

If I had to choose three items then I would choose a picture of my family, my Bible and a history book that we have about South Africa.

If I was told that I couldn’t take any of the items with me then I think that I would honestly be fine.  I know this might sound strange but there is nothing specific that I can physically hold on to that represents my culture that I absolutely will need if this kind of catastrophic event hit me and my family.  I and my husband have left our homes a very long time ago and have adapted easily to the new environment and culture that we are living in now.  However, I will always carry the views, beliefs, and values of my culture with me, as I believe that this is much for important than any physical objects or items that represent my culture in some way.  Besides, everything in our house represents many different cultures as we travel a lot and we have collected a lot of different objects and items from all over the world that doesn’t necessarily represent my or my husband’s culture.

If  I was told that I couldn’t take my Bible with me then this would deeply sadden me however, I believe that at the end of the day I will be fine as I believe that God knows my heart and that this is much more important than carrying a Bible around with me.  If I couldn’t take my family picture with me, at least I can carry with me all the wonderful memories and special moments that I had with my family while growing up.  If I couldn’t take the South African history book with me, again I think I will be fine as my husband is an amazing history teacher, and he can definitely tell and remember the history of South Africa better than me.  This assignment was difficult for me, as I and my husband are from different cultures, so to choose three items that represent both of our cultures would be difficult.  We also don’t have a lot of household items that represent our specific cultures and the way I grew up I learned from a young age to not make emotional attachments to any physical objects or items.  One thing that I have become more aware of by reflecting on the questions for this assignment is how strong my cultural beliefs, views, and values are ingrained in me, and that no physical object can compare with this.

When I Think of Research…

• What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

From taking this course I was able to better understand the different types of equity challenges that researchers have to consider when doing research.  I was captivated by the different ethical aspects in early childhood research, especially learning about cultural issues in ethical research. This refers to researchers who treat minority groups as interests and not as people and although it is not as common as in the nineteenth century, it still exists today (Mac Naughton, 2010).  I thought that this was interesting as I was not aware of the kind of cultural issues that can occur when doing research.  This was new to me and I am glad that I was able to gain new knowledge on this topic.

• In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

Before I started with this course I thought that doing research is very complex, I still feel the same way.  I have completed a study before, and although I had a great professor who guided me throughout the process I still found it difficult.  Although, I do feel that I have learned a lot!  I think that I especially have a better understanding about the different kinds of research designs that could be used to complete a study, and also about the different equity challenges that have to be considered when doing research.

• What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

I found it very informative learning about all the different aspects that have to be kept in mind when deciding on who the participants in a study will be.  I think that it is very important that the researcher pays very close attention to who should be selected to take part in a study, since it is important that the researcher selects the participants “who can best inform the research questions and enhance understanding of the phenomenon under study” (Sargeant, 2012, p.1).

• What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

I honestly did find myself confused a lot of times throughout this course.  What helped me was reading not only the book on doing early childhood research but searching for additional resources online that could explain certain vocabulary and concepts in a different way or provide more information so that I could understand it better.

• What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

During week 2 of this course, I was able to learn more about how to identify reliable scientific information as well as how to recognize research that is not reliable.  As an early childhood educator, I have become more aware of how to identify quality research that I can use to help support the development of the children who I teach.  I have become more aware of the role that I play in making sure that if research is being done on the children who I work with, are carried out ethically and are acceptable according to the special regulatory requirement (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d).  I have also become more aware of the role I play in making sure that the sixteen ethical standards are followed if my students are subject to research (SRCD, n.d).

References

Mac Naughton, G. R.-B. (2010). Doing Early Childhood Research. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill Companies.

Sargeant, J. (2012, March 04). Qualitative Research Part II: Participants, Analysis, and Quality Assurance. Retrieved from Journal of graduate medical education: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3312514/

SRCD. (n.d). Ethical standards for research with children. Retrieved from Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD): http://www.srcd.org/about-us/ethical-standards-research

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d). Special protections for children as research subjects. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP): https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/guidance/special-protections-for-children/index.html

Research around the World

On the website Early Childhood Australia, I found a stimulating article on separation anxiety that caught my attention.  As this is something that I quite often have to be able to manage, I thought that it would be good to evaluate whether or not I follow the suggested approaches to appropriately manage separation anxiety that children experience.  Reading more about this topic has allowed me to gain more knowledge and a better undertraining about this topic that can help me to better support my children’s parents when their children are experiencing separation anxiety.

It was interesting to learn that it is suggested that you should always let children say goodbye to their parents, even if the parent has to leave when the child is upset, as this helps to build trust (Women’s and Children’s Health Network, 2016). When parents sneak out or try to get away it could make a child feel that the parent can’t be trusted  (Women’s and Children’s Health Network, 2016).  I always ask my parents to tell their children exactly when they will come and pick them up, although I didn’t exactly know the reason behind it and sometimes I wondered if this would even help them feel better. So, therefore, it was stimulating reading through this article and learning that the reason why we should encourage parents to do this is so that children can feel less distressed as children feel more confident when they know that they will see their parents or carers again (Kids Matter, n.d).

I think that this is a great website for early childhood educators who would like to learn more about specific topics in the early childhood field, as this website provides a lot of online learning webinars, modules, and other video- and text-based resources that could be purchased (Early Childhood Australia, n.d).  This website also has a Blog which is updated regularly, here follows the link to this Blog: http://startearly.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/blog/

In February a discussion was posted on the blog titled: How Adults Communicate Bias to Children.  It was interesting to learn that according to this article “a new study suggests preschoolers can “catch” prejudice from grown-ups through nonverbal behavior – and it hints at solutions” (Suttie, 2017, p. 1).

References

Early Childhood Australia. (n.d). About us. Retrieved from Early Childhood Australia: Learning Hub: http://learninghub.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/about-us/

Kids Matter. (n.d). Understanding and managing separation distress. Retrieved from Positive separation: http://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/mental-health-matters/social-and-emotional-learning/positive-separations-understanding

Suttie, J. (2017, February 17). How adults communicate Bias to children. Retrieved from Early Childhood Australia: http://startearly.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/how-adults-communicate-bias-to-children/

Women’s and Children’s Health Network. (2016, December 12). Separation anxiety. Retrieved from http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=141&id=1848

Research that Benefits Children and Families

A study done by the UNICEF indicate that “undernutrition contributes to nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 and is widespread in Asia and Africa” (UNICEF, 2017, p. 1).  The findings of this study also explain why nearly 3 million children’s lives are lost each year (UNICEF, 2017).  This study presents joint child malnutrition estimates from the year 1990 until 2016 and represents the most recent global and regional figures (UNICEF, 2017).  This study has positively affected children and families as the results of this study has allowed for change to take place in the nutrition of young children and families especially in the poorest regions of the world (UNICEF, 2016).

The findings of several studies in which children and families were the subjects, allowed the UNICEF to respond to issues related to nutrition by:

• “Improving dietary diversity by using community-based approaches to promote breastfeeding, improve complementary feeding, and encourage consumption of a diverse range of locally available foods.”(UNICEF, 2015, p. 1).
• Providing supplementation for children aged 6-59 months in priority countries.”(UNICEF, 2015, p. 1).
• Developing a “Global Breastfeeding Advocacy Initiative”(UNICEF, 2017, p. 1).
• Delivering RUTF (ready-to-use therapeutic supplements) to remote areas (UNICEF, 2015).
• “Train health and community workers to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and to support safe breastfeeding”(UNICEF, 2016, p. 1).

 

References

UNICEF. (2015, December 23). Micronutrients. Retrieved from UNICEF: Nutrition: https://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_iodine.html

UNICEF. (2015, December 23). Severe acute malnutrition. Retrieved from UNICEF: Nutrition: https://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_sam.html

UNICEF. (2016, August 22). HIV and nutrition. Retrieved from UNICEF: Nutrition: https://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_HIV.html

UNICEF. (2016, July 20). The faces of malnutrition. Retrieved from UNICEF: Nutrition: https://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_faces-of-malnutrition.html

UNICEF. (2017, March 06). Improving breastfeeding, complementary foods, and feeding practices. Retrieved from UNICEF: Nutrition: https://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_breastfeeding.html

UNICEF. (2017, May). Undernutrition contributes to nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 and is widespread in Asia and Africa. Retrieved from UNICEF Data: Monitoring the Situation of Children and Women: http://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/malnutrition/#