Micro-aggressions

Micro- Aggressions - Everyday indignities that are communicated through words, behaviors or the environment -  intentionally or unintentionally  - with an insulting message behind it (Laureate Education Inc., 2013).    

On Tuesday, I was in a salon listening to a conversation between two women who did not know each other.  One was a technician and the other a client.  The technician was talking about a previous client and how much she talked.  She stated that the previous client was from Texas and "you know how people form Texas talk all the time".  The client who she was working with then said I am actually from Texas also.

The technician marginalized and invalidated her client's experiential reality by stereotyping people form another region of the country.

 

This week as I have been reading, thinking and writing about racism, classism, ableism and religion-ism I have also been thinking of all the other isms there are that divide us as humans.  The above example is how we as Americans  marginalize each other simply because of where we live.  South vs North.  Coast vs Middle.  Rural vs Urban.  Blue vs Red.   Isn't it time we share some common goals?  Isn't it time to cooperate rather than compete based on our geographic region?   Isn't it time to lift each other up rather then tear each other down? Isn't it time to realize that until we work together our country is never going to be everything it can be?

On a lighter note.  I am left handed.  I have noticed that when I use my credit card, most of the time the sales person puts my sales slip on the counter for me to sign they turn it for a right handed person to sign.  I then take the receipt turn it the other direction.  I know that this is a habit and has nothing to do with malice, but again it does tell me I am in the minority of dominant handedness.

Everyday people inadvertently say and do things that send a messages that marginalize or invalidate the experiences of others.  We all do it.  I know that after intentionally watching for micro-aggression in my day to day interactions I will certainly be more mindful of in the way I communicate with others.  

References:

Laureate Education Inc. (2013). Microaggressions in Everyday Life. Retrieved from:

https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3466978_1%26url%3D

Define Culture and Diversity

I asked 3 people to define culture and diversity

My Mother

Culture: The unique practices of people making them different from another group.

Diversity: Melting pot of peoples, whose ideas and cultures are different from one another.

My Father

Culture: The norms and practices of a group of people.

Diversity: Involving people of different races, nationality and people.

My Partner

Your surrounding community that influences your thoughts and beliefs.

The things about you that make you stand out from the normal culture but allow you to be a part of it. 

My definition of culture 

I have come to understand through my recent course work and reflection.

Culture is the unconscious rules that guide us (each individual human) in everything we do.  It is our way of being in the world and is derived from all the interactions of our life.

Diversity: All the individuals of the world because no two people are the same.


When I consider the various definitions of culture and diversity from the people I asked, I have noticed that all the definitions of culture appear go beyond just surface culture.  No one has chosen to define culture through food, music, or holidays specifically. My parents both considered both culture and diversity as it relates to groups not individuals.  My partner's definitions both include reference to individuals not groups. 

I believe the largest omission in all the definitions is the depth of where culture comes from.  That is not just our family or community or race or ethnicity or religion or sexual orientation or our hobbies or economic status or education or our abilities or our geographic home or our customs or our job but all that and more that create our culture.  It is so broad it is almost impossible to describe.

In the last three weeks I have spent an enormous amount of time thinking about culture and diversity.  I have arrived at a fairly comprehensive definition of both with the help of the experts we have heard speak and material we have read.  I am sure that my definitions still have room to grow.  What I have come to discover is that in order to understand culture and diversity you must dedicate time to really reflect  and think about it from your personal perspective and beyond.   

3 Items...

Imagine the following:

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

Tonight as my family sat at the dinner table, I asked them to help me with this assignment.  It had occurred to me that if we were only able to pick 3 things that represented our family culture then our family needed to make the decisions together.  After a lot of scratching of our heads and realizing that really as long as we were safe and together there were not many THINGS we felt we would have to have.  We finally decided on the following 3 items.

1) A box of photos so we could remember and share stories and lessons learned form our  family and friends who contributed to the creation of our family culture.  They would be a historical reference as well as a source of inspiration.

2) Our recipe notebook that is filled with all the recipes of the foods we love to share together.  Sharing meals is a major component of our family culture.  We love to cook together and eat together.  We share the highs of our day and the lows of our day.  We play word games and we sometimes just share silence.  Having the recipes, even if we could not find the proper ingredients would be a source of comfort and hope.  It would also be a piece of our culture that could be added on to as we added to our experiences in our new home.

3) Finally, we would bring our daughter's doll.  The doll has traveled with us, been sick with us, celebrated with us and is really part of our family.  The doll would also be a source of memories and something our daughter would have as a reminder of where she came from as she created her family culture when she was grown. 

If we were told that in the end we were only really able to take one item it would have to be the photo box because it would be filled with the most meaning and representation of who we are, where we came from so we could move forward in our new life.

Over the years I have watched the news and seen horrific events that have forced people to leave their homes and abandon what they know just to survive.  In those circumstances any source of comfort from the past must be a gift.  For me I must say that having my family intact would be my greatest source of comfort.  From my perspective, sitting at my computer in the safety of my home, it is what we are as a family that represents our culture more then any small item we have. ... but I have never been a refugee in a new country.... and I can not even imagine how that might feel.

Research Competencies

Research - careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of knowledge, undertaken to discover or establish facts or principles. (Webster's New World Mobile Dictionary v3.2)

During the course of the last 8 weeks I have been asked to take a closer look at research practices as they relate to the field of early childhood.    As part of my professional work in the past, present and future I have been and will be a constant consumer of early childhood research.  I am grateful for the work I have done over the last 8 weeks which has forced me to hone my skills as a consumer of research and to take a closer look at how to Do research.   

My biggest take away from this course Building Research Competencies is my increased skill to determine what is "good" research.  In a world where anyone can act as an expert on anything and post it on the internet (even me)  it is vastly important to be able to examine the quality of online content and to determine if information that claims to be based on research is credible (week 2 Introduction retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2819265_1%26url%3D).

I have also gained a deep appreciation of what it takes to design, implement and write about ethical research that has benefit to our field.  I will stick to my original prediction... I do not see myself as a future researcher, but I must admit that going through the steps of my research simulations has been really informative and dare I say fun?  I applaud my colleagues who are and will be early childhood researchers and the work they do to support the evolution of our field.  

"Research should challenge habitual ways of doing things, and provide reasons to modify, refocus and change" (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010, p. 6).  As early childhood professionals let's use the knowledge gained through research to move our field forward so that all young children have the opportunity to have a solid foundation and reach their full potential in life.

Thank you to Dr. Joyce Myers for her thoughtful direction during this course.  Thank you to all my colleagues in the class for your thoughtful posts and questions, often it was your descriptions that helped me to understand the concepts.  And thank you to those of you how are out there supporting my work in so many ways!

Until the fall!

Betsy Carlin

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Research Around the World

For this blog assignment I reviewed the Early Childhood Australia website.

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au

I found that as I reviewed the site there were two main areas to access research. 

The first was a link to information about Australia Journal of Early Childhood which focuses on

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

Early childhood research, innovation and development

The Australasian Journal of Early Childhood (AJEC) is Australasia's foremost scholarly journal and the world's longest-running major journal within the early childhood field.

As I reviewed the abstracts of research article that have been published in this journal I ran across an approach I was not familiar with, the Mosaic Approach.  I found the abstract very interesting and am looking forward learning more about this intriguing topic related to research and young children.  The abstract is as follows:

Personal reflection on research process and tools: Effectiveness, highlights and challenges in using the Mosaic Approach

Personal reflection on research process and tools:
Effectiveness, highlights and challenges in using the Mosaic Approach

Cheryl Greenfield
Manukau Institute of Technology

THIS REFLECTION ON USING the Mosaic Approach as a framework for undertaking research with young children contributes to the dialogue around qualitative research methodology. The provocation of social constructivist theory challenges researchers to consider and explore innovative ways to position themselves so the multiple voices of children can be heard, valued, respected and listened to. Three underpinning principles are identified and each of the methodological tools used by Greenfield (2007a) is discussed. Trustworthiness or situated validity in research is vital. It is argued that the Mosaic Approach provides an effective, flexible and authentic methodology when undertaking research with young children.

Australasian Journal of Early Childhood – Volume 36 No 3 September 2011

The other link related to research was called Research in Practice.  This area of the website contained an index of a series books on research based early childhood practices.

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

Research in Practice Series

For practical, effective approaches from early childhood experts and practitioners ...

The Research in Practice Series provides practical, easy-to-read resources for those involved in the early childhood field.

The books are designed to assist with those challenging issues which arise in the care and education of young children, by offering effective, new approaches.

Both the Journal articles and books reflected many of the same topics you might find on a similar website in the US however this website was incredibly user friendly and it was difficult for me to break away.  I found research on... 

• Play
• Strength Based Teaching
• Reflection
• Leadership
• Diversity
• Individualization
• Policy Reform

To name just a few...

There were also many articles discussing the Australian National Quality Framework which seems to be a national early childhood system.  As someone who believes the US would benefit from such a system I look forward to reading more about the successes and challenges Australia has had with their system as I advocate for a comprehensive early childhood system in the US.  This chance to investigate a new resource was very worth my time.

Research that will make a difference!

Dear Colleagues,

     I am going to reach on this assignment and share the Executive Summary of the NAEYC National Dialogue Phase I and II.  This is a process and ultimately a research study I have been deeply involved with since it's beginning in Anaheim, CA in November of 2010.  The executive summary explains as concisely as possible, 2 years of information gathering as well as the conclusions and recommendations made based on the obtained data. Upon implementation of the recommendations, NAEYC will become a more nimble, high preforming organization, prepared to lead our field into the future.   I truly believe this process and the transition within NAEYC that must occur based on the research findings will have a major lasting positive effect on our field and the children and families with whom we work.

For the Children,

Betsy Carlin
NAEYC Affiliate Council Past Chair

PS Unfortunately the embedded links do not work as they are password protected.  If you are a member of NAEYC you can access any of the described documents in the members area of the NAEYC website.


NAEYC Executive Summary: Revised National Dialogue Recommendations 

Purpose of the National Dialogue

The NAEYC Governing Board (GB) initiated a National Dialogue to strengthen the relationships among and between all component (Affiliate) parts of the Association: local, state, regional, and national. It charged the Affiliate Council (AC) with the oversight of this critically important work. Three recommendations emerged from the National Dialogue themes; 1) mission, 2) structural relationship, and 3) member voice.

Navigating the Executive Summary

Throughout the Executive Summary links are inserted directing the reader to key guiding documents describing the principles and decision-making process agreed to jointly by the NAEYC Governing Board and the Affiliate Council. Reading the White Paper may be particularly helpful to those who are relatively new to the National Dialogue. The reader can access each of the three recommendations in their entirety; including sections on evidence and rationale, impact grids that address implications for sustainability, infrastructure, and fiscal requirements online, or by following the link in each recommendation outlined in brief below. A complete archive of National Dialogue meetings, documents, and updates can be found in the Affiliate Resource Center. The Affiliate Council responses to recommendations are included in this summary with the full AC approval report also available online.

Phase I and Phase II of the National Dialogue

In Phase I of this initiative, which took place between January 2010 and June 2012, 4 national and 11 regional dialogues were conducted. Phase II began in July 2012 with the appointment of AC members to the AC Subcommittee. Their charge was to draft recommendations for review by the AC and GB, accompanied by a rationale and justification for the recommendations gleaned from the culminating results of nationally and regionally convened dialogues. By design, recommendations are to be viewed through the jointly approved Guiding Principles, Evaluative Lens and Decision-Making Criteria, and HPIO (high-performing, inclusive organizations) documents.

The GB received and accepted each of the recommendations as approved by the AC and the GB Subcommittees at their January 2013 board meeting in Washington, DC. They acknowledged the work of the Affiliate Council, the Subcommittees, staff and all involved in developing these recommendations which are seen as three core and critically important issues facing the Association. The GB envisions a process (Phase III) that will include a work plan, timeline, and the need to gather and review additional data with stakeholder input. Implementation of Phase III will position the Association as a stronger and more viable organization and must:
 Recognize the interdependent nature of the relationship among and between components  Achieve the ultimate goal of strengthening the relationship across components
 Recognize that all stakeholders are necessary to address each of the recommendations
 Identify both policy and operational implications
 Affirm the Association’s commitment to HPIO, high performing and inclusive organizations  Continue work in collaboration using The Guiding Principles and Decision Making Criteria

Phase III begins with Affiliate leadership (volunteer and staff) reviewing the approved recommendations along with an invitation post their comments online during a 15 day window beginning Monday, February 11th. Members are afforded the same opportunity beginning February 18th. All comments will be summarized and sent initially to the GB and AC before they are posted online. Your contributions are not only valued, but necessary as the collaborative nature of this organizational work studies the impact of each recommendation through additional data. The GB is committed to the National Dialogue process moving forward.

The National Dialogue Recommendations

Mission

Introduction
The AC Subcommittee wrestled with the concept of whether the Association should have a child or professional focus versus a child and professional focus. After much discussion and data-review of the evidence, the AC Subcommittee determined that the focus should be on both the professional and the child. In support of the AC Subcommittee’s second recommendation to the GB, the AC Subcommittee further agreed that it was essential to develop guidelines to support the Association’s network components in reviewing and reworking their mission statements to ensure all components’ missions were aligned with the mission of the national component. Specific phrasing should be crafted for network components to choose from.

1. The Association’s mission statement should be reviewed by the NAEYC Governing Board and potentially revised.
   
2. Should the NAEYC Governing Board decide to revise the Association’s mission statement, then the local, state, and regional components should review and potentially revise their respective mission statements to be in alignment with the national component and in accordance with any forthcoming guidelines by the NAEYC Governing Board. Read the full 9 page recommendation.
   

Affiliate Council Response
The process for soliciting feedback and approval from the AC and Affiliate Council Executive Committee (ACEC) was implemented in accordance with the AC Subcommittee Charge. All comments were considered, and it was determined that no modifications to the recommendations were required. The AC and the ACEC approved the recommendations as written by a unanimous vote. Council members comments are reflected in the following; “It is appropriate that all affiliate’s mission align for strength and unity of the Association. It is also important that we not only support children, but as an organization that is comprised of individuals and relies on them for support, that we include those professionals in our Association’s mission statement”, and “If the Governing Board decides to review the mission.....I encourage NAEYC to include members of local affiliates, senior staff, AC members as each has a unique, valued, and invested perspective of what the mission is of NAEYC”. Read the full report here.

Governing Board Response

The GB received the mission recommendation as approved by the AC at their January 2013 board meeting in Washington, DC identifying it as one of the core issues facing this Association.
Structural Relationship
Introduction
These structural relationship recommendations are built on the foundation of the AC Subcommittee’s first recommendation, which called for a review and potential change of the Association’s mission statement. These recommendations address the structural relationship among and between components and are designed to: 1) reconfigure the way in which components affiliate with the national component, 2) simplify the responsibilities of local components, 3) set the stage for more effective services to members, and 4) recognize the unique role of city-states within the Association.
Fundamental change is at the heart of these recommendations regarding the structural relationship— specifically between the local and national components. This change would significantly impact the relationship between the local and state components and address the consistent theme revealed throughout the National Dialogue meetings: Locals struggle with the non-profit business requirements in the current Affiliation model.
These recommendations are based upon the findings from Regional and National Dialogue meetings, component leadership surveys; the results of Program Alignment; and documented, effective practices of other non-profit membership associations. In addition to the recommendations presented, the AC Subcommittee recommends further research and dialogue regarding several specific points found in these recommendations.

Structural Relationship Recommendations

1. The structure among and between components should be revised in a manner that simplifies, clarifies, and strengthens relationships. This structure must acknowledge that all components share members and must also support members. The intent is to have fewer components directly affiliated with the national component.
   
2. The national component remains the standard bearer for the early childhood profession, leading national advocacy efforts and setting standards for programs and professional practices. All components serve members by reaching out to professionals in the field—providing professional development opportunities, sharing resources on best practices, and creating networks or communities of practice. State and local components are more able to “touch” the member directly while leading local advocacy efforts. Read the full 14 page recommendation.
   

Affiliate Council Response

The AC voted to approve this recommendation (49 approved, 1 do not approve). Council member responses reflected concerns with fiscal implications for all components, and additionally needed supports for all volunteer state component boards. An ongoing concern for those local components who may feel disconnected; “ We would not want to experience the unintended consequence for those very committed local affiliate Board members to pull back from the association if they even think ‘they don't count’ as much. Enhanced clarity and reassurance around their continued role to do what they do best, at a local level, such as providing professional development opportunities access to resources, ‘touching’ the members locally, and building upon what NAEYC and the states have to offer would be helpful as this material moves forward”. Read the full report here.

Governing Board Response

The GB received the structural relationship recommendation as approved by the AC at their January 2013 board meeting in Washington, DC identifying it as one of the core issues facing this Association.

Member Voice

Readers Note: There are no policy implications inherent in this recommendation as it addresses the
operational side of member outreach and engagement.

Introduction
The national component remains the standard bearer for the early childhood profession, leading national advocacy efforts and setting standards for programs and professional practices. All components share the responsibility to serve members through outreach and engagement efforts to professionals in the field, providing professional development opportunities, sharing resources on best practices, and creating networks or communities of practice. State and local components are more able to “touch” the member directly while leading local advocacy efforts. The intent of this recommendation is to create multiple ways to recognize shared members’ areas of expertise, and to increase the opportunity for their active engagement and influence throughout this Association.

1. The programs and services of the Association need to be aligned with its mission and the AC Subcommittee offers the member voice recommendation with the assumption that the mission statement will be revised to include the early childhood professional.
   
2. Member expertise should be leveraged; Interest Forums are a good example.
   
3. Given the shared nature of membership, all components should collaborate to identify issues and priorities as seen from the member perspective.
   
4. Components should consider how member voice relates to choice and the value of member benefits.
   
5. All components should consider cost- and revenue-sharing opportunities when offering products and services.
   
6. All components should provide opportunities for member engagement through easily accessible mechanisms and personal contact when possible.
   
7. All components should have the necessary tools and processes to gather information from members—including member preference regarding how their voice can influence their Association.

8. All components should have a timely process in place to respond to a member’s interest in engagement.
   
9. All components should offer experiences that allow volunteers a variety of time- commitment opportunities (for example, one-time involvement, committee work, advocacy, board position, etc.) to engage members. Read the full 10 page report.
   

Affiliate Council Response

The AC voted to approve this recommendation (42 approved, 1 abstention.)Council member responses reflected potential fiscal implications with a specific focus on technology needs, and the importance of coordinating efforts and resources across components. One Council member summarized the thoughts of many; “If approved by the Governing Board the success of recommendation three will hinge on a strong implementation plan. The plan will need to foster a climate of continuous improvement through ongoing evaluation of implementation at all component levels, mutual support and communication”. Read the full report here.

Governing Board Response

The GB received the member voice recommendation as approved by the AC at their January 2013 board meeting in Washington, DC identifying it as one of the core issues facing this Association.
Conclusion
The National Dialogue was initiated to strengthen the relationship among and between the Association component parts. Phase I and II are completed with the GB receiving each of the recommendations; mission, structural relationship between and among Association components, and member voice. The GB recognizes the importance of continuing to engage in the National Dialogue by engaging Association leadership in a collaborative process that will identify additional, necessary data to determine the final outcome and implementation of each recommendation.
Phase III begins with the publication of this Executive Summary and the National Dialogue Recommendations as approved by the AC and received by the GB. Leadership and members have the opportunity to contribute their comments, questions, and suggestions in an online comment period. Timelines, communication plans, and an implementation process for Phase III will begin by early March of 2013. This is truly an important opportunity to create an Association that is nimble enough to face the future, effective enough to engage and grow membership, and with enough commitment to honor the principles of a high performing, inclusive organization.

NAEYC Affiliate and Member Relations February 2013. Posted 2.11.2013. Revised and Posted 2.12.2013.  Retrived from: 
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/Revised%20Final%20Executive%20Summary_GS_02122013.pdf

Research Simulation Update

 If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships - the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.

Franklin D. Roosevelt 

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/relationships.html#ouSRoRCbESZmx7ig.99    

A cardinal principle of Total Quality escapes too many managers: you cannot continuously improve interdependent systems and processes until you progressively perfect interdependent, interpersonal relationships.
Stephen Covey 
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/relationships.html#ouSRoRCbESZmx7ig.99 

I feel passionately that relationships are the foundation to high quality education so I have decided to focus my research simulation on relationships.  

My original general topic:

The role of relationships in early childhood programs.

          “Research tells us that family-program relationships influence young children’s outcomes” (Lopez, 2010) and that the establishment of positive, personal relationships with children and families enhances children’s development and learning (Gallagher, & Mayer, 2008), but these relationships are time consuming, can be difficult to develop and are often lost among other program priorities.  As a former program director I have reflected on my strengths and have come to understand that my ability to develop relationships has been a major contributor to my professional success.   During my course work this personal understanding has been supported through professional articles and research.  I identified the three subtopics with the intent to establish the generalisability (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010) of relationships in early childhood settings, to understand practices that help to institute program-family relationships and to begin to understand what skills and tools the early childhood workforce needs to create effective relationships in the classroom. 

            “Most teachers enter the early childhood profession because they enjoy being with children. They do not necessarily have an interest in children’s families, nor are they always prepared to work with them. The professional culture has promoted this mindset, emphasizing the child and paying less attention to family and community roles in child development. ” (Lopez, 2010).  By researching the importance of relationships in early childhood this mindset can be challenged, programs can refocus their attention to include the establishment of strong relationships with families, and effective professional development can be designed to help teachers to be more prepared to establish relationships with children and families. 

References

Gallagher, K. C., & Mayer, K. (2008). Enhancing development and learning through

teacher-child relationships. Young Children, 63(6), 80-88.
Retrieved from the Walden Library using the ProQuest Central database.


Lopez, M. (2010). Valuing families as partners. Retrieved from

            http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/valuing- families-as-partners

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research:      

          International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

I have chosen the subtopic:

The effects of specific relationship training for early childhood professionals on child outcomes

So far I have found the research simulation fascinating and time consuming.  Because I have chosen a topic that really resonates with me I found the literature review to be great, however I found that I read more then 3 articles.  I am glad to be finishing up this week's assignments now so I can have a break before I start next week's work.

I am wondering how my colleagues are feeling?