Early Childhood in Australia

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au

This was an easy choice for me since I spend a year teaching early childhood in Queensland, Australia.  I have taught with many Australian teachers in International schools and my own children have had Australian teachers.  I am a big supporter of the Australian system and feel that it is very child orientated and developmentally appropriate.  The education is child focused with a strong core and solid philosophy. 

This website is non-government, national organization. The site has a lot of information and different links to other resources.  There are also different books and journals published from this organization.  There are many different topics that are addressed on this site, diversity in the classroom, emoitional issues and learning through play are a few. It is a good source for Australian based teachers as it addressed issues and standards within the National Quality Standards for Early Childhood in Australia.  Australia has good policies in place for inclusive education and they clearly state that all children have equal rights. 

The policies in Australia are constantly being reviewed and improved.  When I worked in Early childhood care in 2003 the ratio of babies to adults was 5-1, now in 2016 it is 4-1.  One of the differences in Australia to America is that education is looked at nationally and not per state or province.  Accrediation is also compulsory and thus the quality can be monitored and ensured.
I think this site is a great resource for teachers and students.  You can sign up with no charge and receive regular newsletters with the latest issues and trends in Early Childhood.

A TOPIC OF RESEARCH I FIND PERSONALLY VERY INTERESTING

I feel that I can very much relate to this article that explains the concept of 'Global Nomads or Third

Culture Kids'.  These terms were coined by Norma Mccaig in 1984.  The terms refer to anyone that has lived outside of their passport country for a significant period during their developmental years, due to the work of their parents.

My husband is Dutch, I am South African and our 3 boys were all born in Cape Town, South Africa.  When the youngest was 1 years old and the oldest was 4 years old we took an assignment and moved to rural Sumatra in Indonesia.  We lived there as expats on an oil compound with a small group of exapts from different parts of the world.  After having spent close on 4 years living there we are now in South Africa about to move to Holland, a period that is described as transition.  As an international school teacher I was familiar with the term and witnessed it a lot with children that I taught.  Now as a mother of TCK I understand it even better.  Plenty of research has been done on the topic and this is of great help to families that are going through different stages of moving and settling. 

I find it interesting to read that children actually go through a far harder time repatriating in their own country once having lived abroad.  By reading the research on this topic teachers and families can better undestand the processes and better support one another through the different stages.  By understanding your child's emotions you can be a stonger support when needed.    

Reference

Schaetii, B. (N.D.). Global Nomad, Third Culture Kid, Adult Third Culture Kid, Third Culture

                  Adult: What Do They Mean? Retrieved from http://www.figt.org/global_nomads

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Personal topic for research project

My passion lies with special educational needs in early childhood.  When I was a first year teacher I had a little boy in my Kindergarten class that clearly had special educational needs.  Being a first year teacher I did not have the experience to know off hand how to help him.  I  sought the advice of fellow teachers and the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). After assessment and diagnosis I had a better idea of how to help this boy and manage the rest of the class.  This was the spark of my interest and I wanted to learn more about different Special Needs and how to incorporate this into a mainstream inclusive classroom. 

The subtopic I have chosen to research further is the benefits as well as the challenges of an inclusive classroom.  I start a new job in September at an International school in Holland I hope to take my newly acquired knowledge and put it to practise. I predict that the benefits will far outweigh the challenges of an inclusive class.

I would greatly appreciate any shared experiences from you my fellow students and or thoughts on this topic.