When I Think of Research

A Note of Thanks

I would first like to thank my fellow colleagues  for all the responses to my blog and for sharing such great information in your blog post as well as discussion post. I wish you all the best in your upcoming classes.

When I Think of Research

When I first started this course I have to admit my thoughts of research were not that positive, mostly because I did not know there was a method to reading research information, and reading through pages of data was just not that appealing. I am happy to say that after taking this course I approach research information with a more positive view and am a little proud that reading research is not a challenge for me and that I have added a new skill to my professional growth. Through out this course I have learned that research requires extensive work before the researcher even begins to conduct the research itself; from planning to design to data collecting procedures, the researchers job must be thoroughly planned out in advanced.

Research Around the World

I choose to research the Early Childhood Australia site. This international site is currently researching topics such as inclusion, quality education, and investing in the early years of children, along with many other areas. An interesting fact I discovered about this site is its Reconciliation Action Plan which has a cultural focus on children from the Aboriginal and Torress Strait Islander background. This reconciliation action plan includes  different cultural communities so that children can learn about inculsion while being a part of an inclusive classroom. The action plan host activities such as a community lunch, garden planting, developing artwork together, special story times, morning tea, as well as a Grown-Up's Breakfast. Other noteworthy information about this site is that it has just institued a National Quality Standard Framework in Jan. 2012 which is already having positive affects on the early childhood field in Australia. Through this National Quality Standard Framework, Australia is developing standards that will benefit the early childhood field for children, families,and early childhood educators.

Ref
Early Childhood Australia (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/pdf/voice/Voice_1301_screen.pdf