Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

There three people I decided to talk to were my Dad and two friends (both friends are different races and religions).

Dad- Culture means who I am, what  I stand for and what my family stands for, the way we live, how we treat people being able to represent what is important to us.

Diversity- Anything different, from culture ways or the way I think.

Friend - Culture is expressed through one’s beliefs and values.  For instance, Latinos and Asians are very much family oriented.  They value their elders.  In fact, in the Asian community is normal for their grandparents to live with them until death.

 Diversity--- Incorporates a person's acceptance of other (races and genders).  In most cultures, women are still the lesser sex.  Men are dominant in the Latino and Asian cultures.

Friend- What you believe in, where you are from and what you are taught.

Diversity - Being able to embrace change.

I feel like the responses I received are very similar to many of the conversations I have heard throughout the course. Everything coincides with background and the beliefs of how a person was brought up. Also, I think everyone has agreed on diversity as being about differences. I don’t think any aspects are being technically omitted; however, I feel the surfaces are barely being scratched. There are so much more when it comes to culture that’s almost impossible to be covered for instance music, certain instruments are used to represent different meanings. From asking these questions I feel people want to group things together instead of specifically naming things such as music, food and even clothing.I feel that by listening to other people’s definition of culture and diversity continues to help me be open-minded and willing to accept other people’s opinions. As well, listening to other people helps me to understand different cultures and helps me shape my idea of what culture means.

“Culture and Diversity” (approximate length: 4 minutes)

My Family Culture

If I had to evacuate and could only take three items with me I would choose a photo album, Bible and a ring.  All three are very important to me. First the photo album is vital because if only the immediate family survived there may be plenty of family members in the album who unfortunately may not have made it. Family is important and at the end of the day, the only thing left are memories. Photos can help you remember distant memories. Secondly, in a devastating situation the Bible plays a crucial part. It is a must to keep your faith at an all time high to survive.  Lastly, I received a ring that was given to me by my mom, who her aunt gave to her and has been passed down from one generation to another. The ring is very important to me because I feel blessed and lucky enough to have the ring. The ring could have been given to anyone else in the family but it was passed to me and for that I feel honored and special.

To have to part of two of the three items is a huge dilemma for me. I thought about taking a few pictures out of the album and putting them in the Bible. However, having to let go of the ring knowing it represents my family is something I don’t think I can do. So I decided if I keep the ring every time I see it on my hand, I will be able to remember my family and have a visual image of everyone who wore the ring. As well, having faith is something that is in your heart and can never be lost. 

When I Think of Research...

In concluding each class, I look back over the previous weeks. Each week was packed with vital information pertaining to research. I have gained plenty of insights such as how to ensure research is actually valid. As well, as a whole new perspective when I even think about research. I realize the thought process is a horrendous part prior to and during research. Even once the topic is identified there is plenty of rough drafts, tweaking and sometimes even changes that must be made for the research project to continue and be successful. My ideas and nature of doing research has changed. I wouldn’t necessarily say I was a blank slate in the thought process but knew very little about the process. I realize now how much goes into research. It takes time to even think of a topic that can be researched, plus where, when, how, what methods will be used and who will the participants be and more. Prior to this class I never thought about the information so profoundly. I have learned that if you don’t go through and have a plan about what or how your research will be done it will make the task very difficult. Plus if the information is not planned out properly it will be confusing for the participants or anyone else reading the information. Planning and testing are top priorities for research. I had plenty of challenges throughout this course. The topic of research went well beyond what I am use to doing. Of course, I am use to standard research but this was very different. Conducting my own research assignment is something I have never had to do. I felt every subject was completely new to me and out of my realm. However, I feel my major issue was not thinking through it thoroughly enough as a researcher. I had to put on my researcher’s hat which was difficult at times for me to keep on. As well I had to ask myself plenty of “what if” questions. I feel this class goes well beyond the eight weeks and has to be something I continue to work on and may one day use again to the entirety. My perception has changed because I have a new level of respect for researchers. I now understand how much goes into the research that we read. Before I looked upon research as just an article to obtain information but never understood how much goes into the article to get the material. As well, I see what important role researchers have in the field of early childhood and in our world today.

Research Around the World

I decided to research Early Childhood Australia. There are many current international research topics such as the following:

·        Respecting diversity: Articulating early childhood practice

·        Learning and teaching through play

·        The Early Years Learning Framework: Building confident learners

·        Learnings from High/Scope: Enriching everyday practice

·        Discovering letters and sounds

·        Diversity and difference: Lighting and spirit of identity

Some new insight I gained was from the “About Everyday Learning” section. This quote caught my attention “making the ordinary, extraordinary”. Sometimes repetition can become stale and become so ordinary that a child does not learn anything new. However making the most out of a day and trying new ways to spice up the day to make it different can make a huge difference in a child’s education. Also, in this link there is a guide to assist parents, grandparents and care givers.

Some noteworthy information I found on the website was under the link Resource themes. There are five themes.

1.   Being, Belonging and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework

2.   School readiness and children’s transition

3.   Sustainability, global warming and climate change

4.   Baby and toddler sleeping

5.   Child health and childhood obesity

Over these five themes the site allows you to print the information. The resources are there to assist practitioners and give practical support to services and early childhood education. There are entire sections that can be used for guidance and support.

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/ 

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Option 1

Research can be very beneficial to children and their families. When I first had the feeling that I wanted to explore the education field, I started visiting my Mom’s school. Any opportunity that was presented I made sure I was at the school to be present so I could observe. At the time my Mom was teaching the fourth grade. Her class was well behaved until about after Christmas when a new student arrived. The child was making a transition to this school because his parents were getting a divorce.  The student showed extreme signs of not paying attention or being able to stay focus on simple task, not completing homework, forgetful, couldn’t stay still and had problem being courteous and waiting his turn. The problems were causing his grades to decrease and his mother became very concerned. At time when I was present, the Mom would come and peer into the window of the classroom door, checking to see if his behavior was consistent at the home and at school. My Mom and the boy’s Mom decided to research his behavior and realized his symptoms resembled ADHD symptoms. Of course this was a speculation and wanted a doctor to confirm it. However, the Mom was adamant that she didn’t want the boy on medication if this were the case. Together they researched alternatives such as new behavioral methods or counseling. After taking the boy to the doctor, it was confirmed that he did have ADHD. If it were not for doing research everyone would have assumed the boy was having behavior problems because of the divorce. The boy started receiving counseling and over a course of months there was noticeable change. Research made a tremendous impact because it help change this boy’s life for the better.

Personal Research Journey

The impact of my previous class is still thriving and left me curious about poverty. I have chosen to research poverty because I never realized how many adults and children endure poverty in the area I live in and where I work. I would like to research poverty in certain races, education and age

When I started being aware of my surroundings I realized there are different forms or levels of poverty everywhere.  I started talking to the students in different grades at my school. Many of their parents have lost their jobs. Some are lacking food when they go home. Many of them would prefer to stay at school than go home because they are able to have breakfast and lunch but many of the times no dinner. I started noticing the students didn’t own seasonal clothing and many didn’t live in the same place very long.

So far, I have learned I am on the right track in my research project. I am keeping the age consistent, talking to Junior High students ranging from 12-16 years old. I am noticing many students are repeaters which is the reason they are 16 in the 8^th grade. As I analyze more, I see they face many issues which make me wonder if they are enduring certain situations because of poverty. Also, now I am aware of reliable internet sources I can use to make sure my information is accurate. If anyone has any advice or personal experience on the topic of poverty or has any insight you would like to share, please feel free to do so.

Final Blog Assignment

The first major consequence of learning about the international early childhood field was that I was unable to touch basis with a professional. Even though I gained information from the podcast, it’s nothing like getting personal feedback from someone. Secondly what works in other countries may not work here. I realized we are more competitive than other countries. Thirdly, children are the same in a sense but depending where they are from the may respond differently due to different methods. It was hard to understand how children learn best or their style of learning through the podcast.  My goal is to continue researching other countries. It’s important to understand issues that are happening locally but also worldwide. It did help reading other colleges and seeing their point of views; I plan to keep in touch with my classmates.