Educational Issues in Australia

Education in Australia

Children learning in Australia

            As I looked through the links on the Early Childhood Australia website, I was impressed with all of the resources available to caregivers and citizens alike.  I especially enjoyed reading some of the articles for parents and caregivers in Everyday Learning and Every Child  Magazine. Media releases are also available through Every Child news.   Value is placed on parental views and its relation to early childhood education. The website is very easy to navigate.  I was also captivated by all of the information that is available from the actual webpage.

 The issues that are faced in Australia are similar in many ways to the issues faced in the United States.  They are looking at quality care and what that might look like.  They have developed a movement to help communities in their awareness of early childhood education called Hands Up for Quality.  They are trying to develop a quality rating system, just as many states are trying to develop in the United States now.  Funding is an issue there as well.  Play is an important part of learning in Australia.

Aboriginals in Australia

            Another issue that brings concern is the education of the aboriginals.  They are beginning to realize that different strategies may need to be used in order to best meet their needs.  Educators and administrators must begin to respect and understand the differences in their culture and incorporate their culture into the classrooms.  Many of the aboriginals meet poverty guidelines so additional resources must be obtained to improve their living conditions.

            I was surprised and impressed by the work that is being conducted in Australia.  I was surprised because when I think about Australia, I think of the outback and their pioneer type spirit.  I know that there are culturally aware sections of the country, such as Sydney, but largely I think of Australia as being wide open spaces with most people living in the country on large farms or plantations.  It must be a challenge to try and educate all young children when some of the population is spread over large areas of land.

            I applaud their efforts to improve early childhood education in Australia.  Because we face many of the same issues, perhaps we can learn from each other.

References

Early Childhood Australia.  (2012). Every Child Magazine. Retrieved from

            www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Early Childhood Australia. (2012). Every Child news. Retrieved from

            www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/           

Early Childhood Australia. (2012). Everyday Learning Series. Retrieved from

            www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

               

Research in Virginia

Research Project in Virginia

            I have been fortunate enough to be a part of research concerning a Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) from its inception.  The whole process has been very exciting because I have also seen the results of participating in the QRIS in our program in Williamsburg, Virginia.  There were several different committees working on each component for the rating system.  I actually helped to develop the milestones for different age groups and activities connected with the milestones.  As one of the piloting programs, I have seen the final product in action. 

            For our program I have seen some major improvements.  When I became Education/Disabilities Coordinator for our Head Start program, it was not a very highly regarded program.  Thanks, in part, to our participation in the program, we have begun to have a huge waiting list.  My first year we were scrambling to have our required 147 children enrolled.  For the past three years, I have been able to set a preliminary class list before leaving for vacation.  Additionally, we have access to some other professional development components.  The most important of these is a mentor for each of our sites.  The mentors are able to work with individual teachers at each site to increase their skills.  Because they work for other programs, they are able to offer other resources for our program.  The mentors also do workshops for our program.  Right now our emphasis revolves around building vocabulary through open ended questions.  It has been eye opening for the teachers.  When I go in to do observations, I can see a difference in the way that they approach topics.  Children are more actively engaged, therefore, there are fewer behavior issues.

            If your state does not yet have this system, I encourage you to do so.  If memory serves me correctly, there are 14 states that do not have a Quality Rating program.  You can see where your state stands in the area of early childhood by visiting this site http://www.pewstates.org/research/analysis/proof-into-policy-pre-k-milestones-infographic-85899376577.

I actually thought that Virginia was doing quite well until looking at this site.  It is exciting to be on the ground floor of this new incentive for improving education for young children in Virginia.  It has also given me the opportunity to meet others in the state interested in high quality education for young children.  I have met and worked with college professors, business executives, pediatricians, government officials, and other educators.  Watching it unfold has been truly remarkable!

References

Pre[K]Now: A Campaign of the Pew Center on the States. (2012, March 16).  Proof into Policy:

Pre-k Milestones [Infographic].  Retrieved from
http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/initiatives_detail.aspx?initiativeID=31672

Smart Beginnings. (2007). Milestones of Child Development. Virginia Department of Social

            Services Child Care and Development Fund.  Retrieved from

            http://www.earlychildhood.virginia.gov/documents/milestones.pdf

Research Simulation, Part 1: Benefits of Play for Parents and Children Together

Parents and children playing together is invaluable

Research Simulation, Part 1

This week I began a research simulation.  The topic that I will be immersing myself in is The Benefits of Play for Parent and Child Together.  I chose this topic for several reasons.  First, there is an emphasis in Head Start on the parent involvement piece of our program.  Secondly, I often overhear parents in the hallway talking with each other wondering “All they do is play.  Aren’t they supposed to be sitting down with paper and pencil learning to write and read?”  From hearing these comments I know as education coordinator that the importance and benefits of play must be shared with parents—through play.  I also felt that there must be numerous benefits for parents as well as they play with their children.   Many of our parents are young, children themselves, and some parents work two or three jobs and feel they don’t have the time or energy to play with their children.  Knowing the benefits of play for parents will support my efforts to get them to play with their children.

What surprised me as I began to do research is that there is not a great deal of research about the benefits of parents and children playing together.  I can think of benefits, but I need to have research to back it up.  There is some material through Aistear Early Childhood Curriculum Framework—curriculum in Ireland.  It is endorsed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.  The Australian Childhood Foundation also had some recommendations.  I found these sources on the internet.  I will have to do further investigation into the research behind the ideas presented.  From the Walden Library I was able to find a few articles about the benefits of play.  One referred to relationship play therapy for children with behavior issues.  It had some good suggestions about letting children lead play which as an educator I know is important.  It also suggested that play allows for relationship bonding.  Another article spoke of the importance of reading, singing and rhyming with young children as an aid to literacy skills.  The third article was about sex-stereotyping when parents choose toys for their children.  Helping parents to be aware of this would be beneficial to the child.

I enjoy a challenge because it helps me to stretch and grow.  I am finding both the text and articles we read each week to be extremely helpful.  The most helpful has been “A Practical Guide to Reading Research Articles”.  Through its recommendations I am able to eliminate articles rather quickly that don’t relate at all.  I was very nervous about doing research when I began the course, but now I am becoming more confident.

I would appreciate any help that anyone can give regarding this topic.  If you can help to guide me in the direction of good research articles or resources, it would be greatly appreciated.  If you have come across articles in your reading or work, please let me know about it.  I know I will be looking at the Office of Head Start’s official site: Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center.  I am also going to look on the Teaching Strategies website to see if Creative Curriculum has any insights for me.

Many of my fellow colleagues expressed their nervousness as well.  I hope that you, too, are feeling a bit more confident.  I will be reading your blogs this weekend.  If I can help you in any way, I will.

References

Information for Parents: Learning and Developing Through Play [Pamphlet]. (2012). Aistear,

            The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework in Ireland. Retrieved from www.ncca.ie/

            aisteartoolkit

Berger, K. S. (Ed.). (2009). The Developing Person Through Childhood (Fifth ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Child’s play is a parent’s business [Pamphlet]. (2012). Australian Childhood Foundation, Fostering Children. Retrieved from www.kidscount.com.ua/English/chapter 05.asp

Eisenberg, N., Wochik, S. A., Hernandez, R., & Pasternack, J. (1995, December 1995). Parental Socialization of Young Children’s Play: A short term longitudinal study. Child Development, 56(6), 1506-1513. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.ep7252407

Hill, A. (2010, August 26). Parents are forgetting how to play with their children study shows. Guardian, The State of Play, Back to Basics. Retrieved from www.guardian.co.uk/life and style/2010/Aug/26/parents-children-playtime

Johnson, G., Kent, G., & Leather, J. (2005, January 1). Strengthening the parent-child relationship: a review of family interventions and their use in medical settings. Child: Care Health & Development, 25-32. Retrieved from Walden University using the Academic Search Complete

Keenan, T., & Evans, S. (2009). Theories in development.  An Introduction to child development (pp. 33-43). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Powell, D. (2004, August 4). Being a good parent is simply childsplay; Welsh parents are some of the best in the UK when it comes to playing with children. Liverpool Daily Post and Echo Ltd. Retrieved from Walden University using the ProQuest Central database

Wood, C. (2002). Parent-child preschool activities can affect the development of literacy skills. Journal of Research in Reading, 25, 241-258. Retrieved from Walden University using the Academic Search Complete database

Consequences and Goals in Relation to International Contacts

Consequences and Goals with International Contacts

            I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about and communicating with international contacts and websites these eight weeks.  As a result of communicating with my international contact, I am grateful for our social-emotional emphasis for early childhood education.

       The system in Poland that they use to compensate teachers is an interesting one—one I might pursue more information about should pay compensation become a major issue in the United States.  I know it has been an issue in the past, but because no one solution could be agreed upon, it was dropped.  I don’t remember a point system being considered before.

      Both of the websites that I explored had information that will be valuable when making presentations to organizations in Williamsburg. The Pew Research Center continually updates their information so that the most current data is available.

(Pre[K]Now: A Campaign of the Pew Center on the States
http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/initiatives_detail.aspx?initiativeID=31672
(Newsletter: http://www.preknow.org/signupform.cfm )

And

Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/
(Review also these online resources at: http://acei.org/knowledge/ )

      I also enjoyed learning from your contacts in Australia and South America.  It is great to know that there are people in other countries who are as passionate about early childhood as I am.

      My goal is to regularly visit the sites that I have become familiar with.  It is just one more way to stay up-to-date on current issues and trends in early childhood education.   Zero to Three, a website many of you chose to study, is one of my favorites!  I visit it on a regular basis.   I have enjoyed reading your blogs and look forward to future contacts as we move through the Master’s program.

International Contacts, Week 7

     First, there were some questions that you asked of me in earlier blogs that I would like to answer.  One person asked if students did not pass the test after “middle school”, did that finish their education.  They can go back and repeat the last year of the “middle school” and retake the examination.  If they plan on furthering their education, they must pass the test to move on.

     Someone else asked what happens to children that are taken away from their mothers if they are unable to take care of them on their own.  They go to orphanages, but if the mother can prove later on that she can care for the children, then she can get them back. There is a different mentality in Poland.  A woman is expected to find a husband and have children.  She is not to get a divorce because it is not recognized by the Catholic Church.   As I mentioned in an earlier blog, many couples are choosing not to have children because of the economic situation in Poland.

      Teachers are required to have a bachelor’s degree in order to teach children ages 2-6.  They must have a Master’s degree to teach once the children are 7 and ready to enter school.  Public kindergartens ages 4-6, have a teacher but no aide.  Private kindergartens have one or two aides depending on the budgets of their program.  Professional development is required.   How much must be done depends on who is in the office of the government.   A point system is used in order for teachers to get more pay and credibility.  After the first, second, and third years, the director meets with the teachers and talks about the points they have earned for that year.  Points are given for education, experience, and the opinion of the director.  After the first three years, teachers and aides continue to accumulate points and meet with the director at year five, 10, 15 in increments of 5 .

       Monika (personal communication, June 14, 2012) wants you to know that there are good things about the education program even though she likes America’s system better.  She is thankful that she had to take foreign language classes all the way through school.  She is very thankful for the English that she learned.

        My parent’s mother-in-law started as a teacher.  Because she was a very good teacher, and the director liked her, she was able to study while working.  Her education was free.  When she completed her Master’s degree, she became a director herself.  She worked with the Department of Education on committees and was even offered jobs in the government.  She turned them down because she loved being a director and she hoped that my parent and her son would move back to Poland so that she could be the grandmother while they worked.

         My parent has just gotten her AA degree in early childhood.  She applied to Old Dominion University to get her bachelor’s degree in early childhood.  Then she wants to get her Master’s degree in special education.  She wants to help people the way people helped her when she came to the United States.  She said that she feels like she will always be a 2^nd class citizen because she is from Poland, even when she achieves her citizenship in the United States.  I told her that she is just as much a citizen as I am once she gets her citizenship.  That made her cry…tears of joy!!!

      I have truly enjoyed my time with Miss Monika and learning about education in Poland.  All countries have issues that must be addressed.  Learning with and from each other, education in all countries can be great!

Web Resources, Part 3

http://www.acei.org/acei-news  Association for Childhood Education International

This week I chose to focus on a tab within the website.  The tab I chose is News and Publications.  Within that tab are several subtopics- ACEI News, Global News, Blog, ACEI Publications, Bookstore, ACEI Radio, and Enews.  A topic in ACEI news was actually a blog discussing positive childhood through play.  I especially liked a blog by Aileen Puurveen-Abma:  

The guiding principles specific to global educational policies and practices therefore, must equally consider each particular developmental area in the context of the whole. 
“S” social development “I can learn to reach out to others, share and have friends”
“P” physical development “I can learn to move my body that best expresses my abilities”.
“E” emotional development “I can learn to believe in myself and love who I am”.
“C” Cultural development “I can learn and celebrate who I am in the context of others”.
“I” Intellectual/ cognitive development “I can learn to succeed to the greatest of my ability”.
“A” Artistic development. “I can learn to freely express myself through the arts”.
“L” Language and land development. “I can learn to communicate to others and to the earth itself”.

(Puurveen-Abma, 2012)

In the Global News section, there was a great article about the importance of early childhood education and its connection to health.  In a paper within the Global News section many of the same issues and solutions we have studied this week are also said to be relevant for communities around the world.

 ACEI Radio had several webcasts that were interesting including “The Impact of Media on Children” and “Appropriate Goals for Learners in Pre-Education for All Global Monitoring Report: pre-K and Kindergarten”

Pre[K]Now: A Campaign of the Pew Center on the States
http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/initiatives_detail.aspx?initiativeID=31672

On this website this week I chose the Research and Analysis tab.  There was a great report about funding for public pre-k titled “Return on Investment: Monetary Benefits and Cost of Evidence-Based Public Policy”.  It was stated that because state aid and property taxes are going down, school divisions are losing funding.  This causes school divisions to either lay off staff or cut programming and/or benefits.  It also mentioned that the number of male teachers in early childhood is decreasing because of the economy. 

There was also a section on webinars.  One that looked particularly interesting was the home visiting webinars.  Because this is one of the new hot topics in early childhood, I looked at opportunities to participate in those webinars.

I am really enjoying reviewing the websites.  There is so much great information to support the cause of high quality early child care.  This is important as we seek to find new funding sources for our programs.

References

Education for All Global Monitoring Report . (2012, April ). Expanding equitable early childhood care and

education is an urgent need.  Policy Paper 03.  Retrieved from

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002160/216038E.pdf

Puurveen-Abma, Aileen. (2012, June 7). Promoting a Positive Childhood. [Discussion group comment].

                Retrieved from the Association for Childhood Education discussion group:

                http://www.acei.org/blog/entry/attacks-on-education-1.html

               

More about Poverty and Education in Poland

I really enjoyed speaking with Monika again this week.  I gave her a list of questions early in the week so that we would have time to discuss them when I called her.

Over twenty percent of children in Poland live in poverty.  While poverty used to be a rural issue because Poland was an agricultural state, now poverty can also be found in pockets of the city.  The unemployment rate is high-- about 44%. " Women make 14 times less than men in equal jobs" (Monika Kulwikowski, personal communication, June 1, 2012).  Jobs are difficult to find for all adults as I mentioned in my previous post.

Approximately forty percent of children attend "kindergarten", ages three to six.  Parents must pay for it whether it is public or private because it is not mandatory.  Children learn basic skills here, but the numbers are high for classrooms so not as much learning takes place  Regular school begins at age seven.   There are two-teachers in each classroom- lead teacher and a special education teacher for children with special needs. Yearly assessments are done with an external competence test given after six years.  Accommodations are given for children with special needs.  These accommodations include testing in a special room and being given more time to complete the test.  In some cases students with special needs can take the tests at home where they feel more comfortable.  Students move on to three years of "gymnasium" after that.  The primary and gymnasium are mandatory schools.  If students pass the "gymnasium" test, then they have a choice of four years in general secondary school, three years in technical school or four years at basic vocational school.

Because of the large degree of poverty and young adults choosing not to have children in Poland, an initiative was put in place.  It is titled the Family Policy Package.  Mothers receive more time to be with their children and receive minimal funds for doing so.  Fathers can take off a month and receive a small amount of funds also.

People asked in my last blog if there are any agencies that help families in poverty.  UNICEF, Habitat for Humanity, the World Bank, and the Catholic Church are the main contributors of help for families in poverty.  Because many families in poverty live in rural areas, sometimes it is difficult to locate the families to offer help.  Poland is also part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.  This is a group of 30 democratic societies that work to help each other with solutions to policy and social issues.

References

EUROPA- The European Alliance for Families. (2011, Dec.). Poland: Tackling the Challenge of work-life

      reconciliation. European Union. Retrieved from 

      http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/emplweb/families/index.cfm?id=4