I chose to listen to Episode 8 of the World Forum Foundation. I still await response from a early childhood professional, but still have not heard back.
Episode 8: George Forman
George Forman grew up in Monroe, Louisiana, received his doctorate in developmental psychology at the University of Alabama, worked with Howard Gardner at Project Zero, and then moved to Amherst, Massachusetts, where he is currently Emeritus Professor at the University of Massachusetts and the President of Videatives, Inc. He has also been involved with programs in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Foreman is relevant to the topic of children and “play.” He took the time to watch children play and understood much more was going on in the learning process and in the mind of the child. He also thought it was important for people who surround the early childhood field to have the understanding of play being a necessity for learning and exploring for children this age. This is also relevant to the work I do as a teacher. We talk to parents about what children learn through play so they have a better understanding of how children learn.
One of the issues which made me think in a different way was the Rights of Children in Children’s Homes this is a World Forum Initiative. It made me think about how different things are in other countries. I started thinking about how children are separated from their families and how difficult this must be. The Working Group represents 10 countries who work in institutions. These representatives are from El Salvador, Ecuador, Singapore, Nicaragua, France, Hungary, Belize, México, Indonesia, and the USA. The group was formed with the belief that all children should have the benefit of being raised by their birth parents. Yet, that is not always viable due to death of a parent or parents, abandonment, illness, abuse, natural disasters, and war. It is paramount that each country be ready to provide children the best care if their fate is to lose their family and they are placed in a group care setting through no fault of their own.
The website of the World Forum Foundation is a wonderful resource because it has information on initiatives around the world and the current work the foundation is involved in. One area I found interesting was Working Project for Teacher Educators. College instructors, independent trainers, and trainers in private and public organizations from six continents gathered in Auckland for an intense three days of idea sharing and brainstorming on issues and strategies in training the early childhood workforce worldwide. I think this is a wonderful way for educators to collaborate on current issues.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1
I sent two more emails this week and await a response from an Early Childhood professional from Ghana and India.
I listened to the podcast of Barbara Jones from World Forum Radio. A new episode was not casted yet, so I listened to Episode 9. The topic of this episode sounded wonderful and I really wanted to learn more about the school, fundamental teaching, and the setting. Barbara Jones (BJ) founded the Pine Grove School in Falmouth, Maine in 1985 and celebrates the schools 25th anniversary this year. The school is a charming, wood-shingled building nested in a grove of pine trees and was used as a school house as far back as 1917. Pine Grove School is a developmental, discovery-oriented preschool dedicated to peace and to teaching respectful ways of resolving conflict. They are centered around individualized, child-centered learning and believe that young children learn best when they are stimulated to explore a rich array of hands-on materials at their own pace.
I really have enjoyed listening to the podcasts from World Forum Radio. This particular one was very inspiring. Barbara Jones wanted to go another direction with her teaching and inspired to be a Montessori teacher. When she found the school house it was ran down and needed a lot of work. She wrote a letter to the owner and asked if they could contact her when and if they wanted to sell. Finally the sale went through and it is now the Pine Grove School. I love this story because the school has been built from the ground up and now creates a unique and creative learning environment.
I chose to read about China from the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Center (CHIP). In China there has been an enormous rise in inequality in recent years. A person in West China is six times more likely to be poor. It use to be one of the most equal societies to one of the most unequal. China receives more foreign investment than any other country in the world except for the US. 4.2 million Chinese children live in absolute poverty and 8.7 million live in disadvantaged conditions. Before reading about China I had no idea about the gap between the different areas.
I listened to the podcast of Barbara Jones from World Forum Radio. A new episode was not casted yet, so I listened to Episode 9. The topic of this episode sounded wonderful and I really wanted to learn more about the school, fundamental teaching, and the setting. Barbara Jones (BJ) founded the Pine Grove School in Falmouth, Maine in 1985 and celebrates the schools 25th anniversary this year. The school is a charming, wood-shingled building nested in a grove of pine trees and was used as a school house as far back as 1917. Pine Grove School is a developmental, discovery-oriented preschool dedicated to peace and to teaching respectful ways of resolving conflict. They are centered around individualized, child-centered learning and believe that young children learn best when they are stimulated to explore a rich array of hands-on materials at their own pace.
I really have enjoyed listening to the podcasts from World Forum Radio. This particular one was very inspiring. Barbara Jones wanted to go another direction with her teaching and inspired to be a Montessori teacher. When she found the school house it was ran down and needed a lot of work. She wrote a letter to the owner and asked if they could contact her when and if they wanted to sell. Finally the sale went through and it is now the Pine Grove School. I love this story because the school has been built from the ground up and now creates a unique and creative learning environment.
I chose to read about China from the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Center (CHIP). In China there has been an enormous rise in inequality in recent years. A person in West China is six times more likely to be poor. It use to be one of the most equal societies to one of the most unequal. China receives more foreign investment than any other country in the world except for the US. 4.2 million Chinese children live in absolute poverty and 8.7 million live in disadvantaged conditions. Before reading about China I had no idea about the gap between the different areas.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Sharing Web Resources
I was unable to make contact with another Childhood professional. I chose to to study the World Forum Foundation.
The link to World Forum Radio is http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio the focus of the radio broadcast is to for the early childhood leaders’ community. The podcast promotes the exchange of ideas between people and cultures on all topics related to young children.
Episode 10 was by Susan Lyon began pondering how children think, eventually visiting Reggio Emilia and then bringing the “100 Languages of Children” exhibit to the San Francisco Bay area on two occasions.
It was a very interesting podcast. It made me think about the Reggio philosophy and I related it to my own teaching. The Head Start I teach at now has a Education Coordinator with Reggio background so we are starting teach more with this mind set. The podcast also led me to find out more about the “100 Languages of Children”.
Twenty years of touring, five editions of the European version and the duplication of the exhibit in 1987 for a North American version, many showings throughout Europe and across the ocean, hundreds of thousands of visitors of all nationalities: these figures have made "The Hundred Languages of Children" a fundamental point of reference for Italian and international pedagogical culture. First conceived by Loris Malaguzzi and his closest associates, this exhibit is rooted in the forty years of experience of the educational institutions operated by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia. The exhibit bears witness to the originality and the extraordinary nature of the years of research that have led the Reggio infant-toddler centers and preschools to become a primary point of reference for those who work in early childhood education worldwide.
The 100 Languages of Children As children proceed in an investigation, generating and testing their hypotheses, they are encouraged to depict their understanding through one of many symbolic languages, including drawing, sculpture, dramatic play, and writing. They work together toward the resolution of problems that arise. Teachers facilitate and then observe debates regarding the extent to which a child's drawing or other form of representation lives up to the expressed intent. Revision of drawings (and ideas) is encouraged, and teachers allow children to repeat activities and modify each other's work in the collective aim of better understanding the topic. Teachers foster children's involvement in the processes of exploration and evaluation, acknowledging the importance of their evolving products as vehicles for exchange.
I love this saying and wanted to share...
Children have a hundred languages, and they want to use them all.
They learn very soon how difficult it is for this right to be recognized and above all respected.
This is why children ask us to be their allies in resisting hostile pressures and defending spaces for creative freedom which, in the end, are also spaces of joy, trust, and solidarity.
The link to World Forum Radio is http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio the focus of the radio broadcast is to for the early childhood leaders’ community. The podcast promotes the exchange of ideas between people and cultures on all topics related to young children.
Episode 10 was by Susan Lyon began pondering how children think, eventually visiting Reggio Emilia and then bringing the “100 Languages of Children” exhibit to the San Francisco Bay area on two occasions.
It was a very interesting podcast. It made me think about the Reggio philosophy and I related it to my own teaching. The Head Start I teach at now has a Education Coordinator with Reggio background so we are starting teach more with this mind set. The podcast also led me to find out more about the “100 Languages of Children”.
Twenty years of touring, five editions of the European version and the duplication of the exhibit in 1987 for a North American version, many showings throughout Europe and across the ocean, hundreds of thousands of visitors of all nationalities: these figures have made "The Hundred Languages of Children" a fundamental point of reference for Italian and international pedagogical culture. First conceived by Loris Malaguzzi and his closest associates, this exhibit is rooted in the forty years of experience of the educational institutions operated by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia. The exhibit bears witness to the originality and the extraordinary nature of the years of research that have led the Reggio infant-toddler centers and preschools to become a primary point of reference for those who work in early childhood education worldwide.
The 100 Languages of Children As children proceed in an investigation, generating and testing their hypotheses, they are encouraged to depict their understanding through one of many symbolic languages, including drawing, sculpture, dramatic play, and writing. They work together toward the resolution of problems that arise. Teachers facilitate and then observe debates regarding the extent to which a child's drawing or other form of representation lives up to the expressed intent. Revision of drawings (and ideas) is encouraged, and teachers allow children to repeat activities and modify each other's work in the collective aim of better understanding the topic. Teachers foster children's involvement in the processes of exploration and evaluation, acknowledging the importance of their evolving products as vehicles for exchange.
I love this saying and wanted to share...
Children have a hundred languages, and they want to use them all.
They learn very soon how difficult it is for this right to be recognized and above all respected.
This is why children ask us to be their allies in resisting hostile pressures and defending spaces for creative freedom which, in the end, are also spaces of joy, trust, and solidarity.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Getting Ready—Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources
I sent an email trying to establish contact with other Early Childhood professionals. I chose to send an email to Egypt, Moroco, South Africa, and Asia. My email read:
Hello,
My name is Alissa Stark. I work as a Head Start teacher in Oregon and currently purse my Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education at Walden University. I would love to make contact with another Early Childhood professional from a different part of the world to share our experiences. Please email back if interested, it would be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards,
Alissa
All of the first four emails I sent came back return to sender.
I sent two more emails to Unicef in Cambodia, Australia and Costa Rica. I am waiting for responses and hopefully I will make contact with another Early Childhood professional.
I received an email back from UNICEF due to the time pressure on staff in their office they are unable to participate at this time. I only have one other email waiting for a response.
The second option for the blog assignment might be my only choice. I am going to start listening to the podcast of World Forum Radio. This will be the first time I have ever listened to a podcast, and I am very interested.
Hello,
My name is Alissa Stark. I work as a Head Start teacher in Oregon and currently purse my Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education at Walden University. I would love to make contact with another Early Childhood professional from a different part of the world to share our experiences. Please email back if interested, it would be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards,
Alissa
All of the first four emails I sent came back return to sender.
I sent two more emails to Unicef in Cambodia, Australia and Costa Rica. I am waiting for responses and hopefully I will make contact with another Early Childhood professional.
I received an email back from UNICEF due to the time pressure on staff in their office they are unable to participate at this time. I only have one other email waiting for a response.
The second option for the blog assignment might be my only choice. I am going to start listening to the podcast of World Forum Radio. This will be the first time I have ever listened to a podcast, and I am very interested.
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