goodbye

As an undergrad I took a lot of research classes because my major was psychology. I did not like them at all! I even had to take one of them over again, so my love for research was just demolished right there. I really struggled with the concepts and how to apply them. I think that one of the reasons why I struggled so much is because the research classes I took were in huge lecture halls with 200+ under graduates, and the information was simply told to you with no explanation. What I like about this course is the fact that we have been able to apply our learning throughout the entire course, all leading up to the final research stimulation. By applying what we learn each week it has given me a greater understanding of research methods, and I feel like I have gained more knowledge about this subject in the last 8 weeks then in any of the classes I have previously taken. Through the research stimulation I have come to an understanding that conducting a research experiment is hard! There is so much that goes into it, and I give the people that do it a lot of credit. I am happy that I have learned more about this area because now I can take what I have learned and  carry it with me for life. I want to stay current with the research that is being conducted about early childhood, because I feel like so much can be applied to the classroom, and to how we as ECE professionals teach and help the children grow. I want to operate a center where my staff is encouraged to learn about research and for me as a director to provide them with research findings that can help them improve as teachers, and help their children grow as well. I think that as an early childhood professional we have to encourage the use of research more, and more childcare facilities should offer a training about research, and how it applies to ECE. Without research we wouldn't know half of the things we know now about children and learning.

Early childhood Australia

The first thing that I noticed when I got to the website of Early Childhood Australia was their mission statement. In their mission statement they promised to advocate for the quality, social justice and equity in all of the issues that surround the early childhood field from birth to eight years. There mission statement was short, but to the point and gave a little insight on what is important to the early childhood field in Australia.

The next area of the website that I navigated to was the research section. I found  a lot of information on research that is being done in Australia now related to the early childhood field. The research I found ranged from issues related to diversity to dealing with bullying. It seems like the Australian ECE fields deals with many of the same issues that we deal with here in the United States. Below I posted some of the research articles that I found on the website:

Respecting diversity: Articulating early childhood practice

Children's resilience: Working with the Early Years Learning Framework

Learning and teaching through play

Stars are made of glass: Children as capable and creative communicators

The Early Years Learning Framework: Building confident learners

The Early Years Learning Framework: Getting started

Optimistic carers and children: Pathways to confidence and wellbeing

Nurturing the spiritual child: Compassion, connection and a sense of self

Dealing with bullying together: Prevention and resolution

Portfolios: Documenting a journey

Treasures and collections: A touch of magic in the early years What  I really liked about this website is that it was jammed packed with information, resources, links to affiliated site, newsletters, books, and many other ways to stay connected to the ECE community. I found it similar to the sites we have here in the states. I liked it and it felt comfortable to navigate through, and it seems like they are doing a lot in Australia to enhance early childhood education. http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/