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

Research that Benefits Chidren and Families-Uplifting Stories

I came across a study conducted in 1948 by Sidney Farber on leukemia in children. Farber conduct the research on five children who had been diagnosed with acute leukemia.Through research efforts Farber discovered that by injecting the children with folic acid there was an accelerated change in how the leukemia was progressing in which he called a "acceleration phenomenon" (Farber, 1948). After reading this article that which was wrote in 1948 I wanted to find out what researcher were saying about folic acid and it's effect on children with leukemia now; I located another article by Peter Spain (2010) who stated that

 

 "Half a century ago, a diagnosis of leukemia in a child was considered a death sentence. Today, approximately 85% of children diagnosed with this once fatal disease are cured (Pui et al. 2009; US National Institutes of Health 2010). The discovery that ushered in this dramatically transformed outlook was the observation by Sidney Farber (1903–1973) and his colleagues in Boston in 1948 that drugs that acted against the vitamin folic acid could produce remissions in children with acute leukemia (Farber et al. 1948). While carefully controlled studies were required to develop therapeutic regimens developed from these initial observations (Pocock 1977; Peto et al. 1986), the Farber article is featured in the James Lind Library because it is an example of a treatment effect that is so dramatic that bias can be confidently ruled out as an explanation for the observations (Glasziou et al. 2007). What led to the landmark findings in 1948, and what evidence was published subsequently confirming that a major advance in treatment had been discovered" (Spain, 2010).

 

The research that Farber conducted has helped to save many children's lives today; without this research the mortality rate for children diagnosed with leukemia would be significantly higher than it is. For further reading the articles can be found at:

 

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM194806032382301

 

http://www.jameslindlibrary.org/illustrating/articles/observations-of-unprecedented-remissions-following-novel-treatme

 

References

 

Farber, S., Diamond, L.K., Mercer, R.D., Sylvester, R.F., & Wolff, J.A. (1948). Temporary

Remission in Acute Leukemia in Children Produced by Folic Acid Antagonist, 4-Aminopteroyl Glutamic Acid (Aminopterin). New England Journal of Medicine, v.238. p787-793.Retrieved from http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM194806032382301

 

 

Spain P, Kadan-Lottick N (2010). Observations of unprecedented remissions following novel treatment for acute leukemia in children in 1948. JLL Bulletin: Commentaries on the history of treatment evaluation. Retrieved from http://www.jameslindlibrary.org

Personal Research Journey

The topic that I choose for the simulation has to do with the social emotional aspect of children's development,  primarily their behaviors and encouraging positive behaviors in preschoolers  I choose this topic based on my personal interest of raising two young children and wanting too help them develop into well adjusted children and my professional interest in this topic derives from the challenging behaviors that I see displayed within some of the early childhood classrooms.
There are many articles that I found through searching the Walden library on the subject of challenging behaviors in preschoolers if anyone knows links to articles, journals or has expertise on the subject that deal with building positive behaviors in preschoolers or positive emotional outlets I would appreciate it if you could share.
My personal experience with stimulation process has been enhanced by the information learned in week 1. I was able to go though the many articles on the topic I choose  to quickly find out whether the article was what I was looking for without reading the entire article.

Final Blog Assignment

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field.

• The early childhood field globally is striving to combat the same types of issues, ex: poverty, teacher qualifications, equity.
• There is valuable information that each nation has to offer each other that can be used to combat some of the issues that each nation is experiencing.
• Many voices contributing to the early childhood field can help bring about the changes that are much needed.

One goal for the field related to international awareness:

• My goal is to continually read articles related to interantional early education matters as well as view international website such as the UNESCO so that I may stay up to date with the issues and trends within the early childhood field.

International Contacts- Part III

This week I listened to podcast participant Irma Allen. Mrs. Allen in the chairperson of Swaziland Environment Authority in South Africa. Ms. Allen moved to Swaziland during college and has resided there ever since in addition to chairing the Environment Authority, which is the equivalent to the EPA in the United States, Ms. Allen has a passion for the earl childhood field and trains the community people on becoming early childhood teachers in the community. Nature is a big part of the early childhood classroom since there are no traditional classrooms the children are taught outdoors. The local environment is the preschool center and out in the nature is the children's class. Ms. Allen states that "nature is the medium, materials and everything; never before have we had to rely on so much on every bit of grass that is in the area or every tree, or the weather. When there is water we do activities with water when there is no water er don't do them then" (World Forum Radio, 2013). Ms. Allen creates a great respect for the environment because the environment has always provided lessons to teach the children. At a farewell party to a staff member a young man stood up and stated that he once attended the early learning center in Swaziland and due to his attendance there he has developed an appreciation for his home, country and environment.

In researching the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) website I focused on a topic that related to my professional goal which is adequate training for teachers. I was surprised to see the UNESCO's facts and figures on teachers, some of them are as follows:

• A total of 6.8 million teachers are needed by 2015
• Sub-Saharan African countries need to recruit 1.8 million teachers

The UNESCO is working to address the challenge of achieving quality education for all, by calling for more and better trained teachers. The UNESCO is working to mobilize and assist member states in the design and implementation of viable national training, recruitment, retention, status and working conditions. The areas that will be focused on to meet the challenge of quality education are:

1. Teacher shortage: By bridging the teacher gap in priority countries, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa
2. Teacher Quality: Improving teaching quality
3. Research Knowledge Production and Communication: By informing the global debate about teaching with comparative evidence

To inform the world about the importance of teachers the UNESCO formed "World Teacher Day" held on October 5th "to call attention to the need to raise the status of the profession- not only for the benefit of teachers and students, but for society as a whole, to acknowledge the crucial role teachers play in building the future" (UNESCO, 2013).

Reference
UNESCO website (2013). Retrieved from http://www.unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002177/217775E.pdf

World Forum Radio (2013). Retrieved from http://worldforumfoundation.org

Sharing Web Resources

In following some of the outside links to the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER)  website I found many interesting blogs about early childhood education, policy matters, and classroom struggles. There was also a link to the Preschool Matters...Today! newsletter that had articles about the recent State of the Union address that was given. In searching one of the areas of the NIEER the section called Early Education in the news it lead me to a site called Education Week: Politics K-12. This site had open discussion forums for early educators, advocates, or anyone else interested in the education of children. The forums have various areas in which you can participate in from testing and accountability, professional development, teaching profession, to current events. In following the e-newsletter the new information that I discovered was areas where various upcoming conference updates are posted along with early education news articles from around the United States. There were also resource postings for teachers, advocates, and families.

The e-newsletter had an article called Governor's Early Childhood Education Investment Plans in which six state governors were highlighted due to their proposed early childhood education funding. Another article worth mentioning was regarding how Mississippi legislature has approved proposals to introduce a Pre-K program for 4 year olds using public-private partnerships and local matching funds. This weeks search through the NIEER website just exposed me to more of the politics that are occurring around and about early childhood education which is something that I need to be more aware of as I continue on in my professional journey.