Cultural Interviews 

I really enjoyed this week’s blog assignment.  Deciding who to choose, and thinking who would definitely mail me back in time was interesting.  The result of the assignment made me realize that we all have rather different outlooks on culture and social diversity. I mailed three different friends, An African American man (Tony), a Caucasian South African woman (Lauren) and a Dutch male friend (Maarten). My first question to them was asking what their definition of culture was.  

Tony describes culture as the the racial group you were raised in and the people you relate to. He talks about his food from the South and how it cultural binds him to his fellow people. He says that culture bring and keeps people together.

Lauren describes culture as the your beliefs and traditions that you were raised with. She too talks about religion, food and language as being part of a persons culture.

Maarten describes culture as a group of people that share similar traditions, habits, rituals as well as expressions and emotions.

While Tony and Lauren described only surface culture, Maarten seemed to touch more on a deeper level and looked in the emotions that groups of people from the same culture may share. No one mentioned that we are all individuals and different even though being part of the same cultural group. I feel that it is so important to learn as much as I can about the different cultures so that I can better cater for all my learners.

When I read how they responded to the definition of diversity I can see that they come from very different backgrounds.  Tony talks about diversity being different cultures within the same group or area. Lauren describes South Africa where she lives as a place full of diversity.  A place so rich in diversity due to it's many cultures sharing the same nationality and sharing 11 official languages.  Maarten answers that diversity is anything that is not the same. People that have diverse languages, races and cultures.  Mixing all the cultures in a melting pot, similar to that in South Africa is what Maarten feels diversity is all about. 

When analyzing  their responses it clear to see that they come from very different backgrounds and experiences. It is a very important and useful exercise to stop and really reflect upon what we feel and how we would describe these definitions. By analyzing my own thoughts I can see that my knowledge has deepened already.  I aim to continue this growth moving forward in this course.

               My family - My story


when faced with this task I stopped and thought deeply about what is important to me and how I would rank these things.
I would take a photo album with photos of my family, a stone my middle son gave me and my wedding band.
It real tugged at my heart to think about if this was a real scenario.  For many people in the world this is a real experience.
When asked about my sentimental items that I chose to take along with me I would explain in this way.  The small photo album is a reminder of happier times and important for me to have my children see photos of their extended family. I live abroad and separated from all my family so this is something that is more real to me. I make sure to have a lot of photos visible and accessible to my boys so that memories can stay fresh and real for them.  Children will eventually forget things and events that happened when they were younger and hopefully by keep a photo album I can try to keep the memories alive. 
The little stone that I would take is something that my middle son, Jayden, has been doing as long as I can remember - he would collect little stones and put in them in my bag. Stones for luck and stones for love. They are special to me and I always have one with me.
My wedding band is very special to me.  Not only is it the band that my husband I used to exchange vows and make our promises but it was my late Grandmothers wedding band.  My Grandmother was and remains a huge part of my life. She was more of a mother to me and I carry her in my heart and think of her often.
When I arrive at the destination and I am told that I can only keep one thing of importance I am of course torn and disappointed.  However after what my family has been through and the fact that I have my boys and husband with safely with me I come to the conclusion that the memories and sentimental value of the belongings I can keep in my heart without having them.
With a heavy heart I hand in my wedding band and a small stone.  I know that I have my Grandmother in my heart and watching over me and this reassures me.  I have my little boy holding my hand and he has already shoved 3 foreign stones into my back pocket of my jeans.  I am relieved that I can hand onto the small photo album I have and see the faces and memories I hold so dear.
I am relieved that we are safe and that we are together.
In my personal journey I have lived in 7 different countries.  When living in rural Indonesia things that were important to me were all the different appliances to make food we missed from home, sausage, yogurt, dried fruit and minced meat.  I noticed that I didn't choose anything with religious connections and although I am a Christian and am God fearing I did not feel the need to choose an icon.  I think I realize more than ever that I can survive anything and do not need any material things as long as I have my husband and children with me, the dearest things in my life.  Being a mother is number 1 for me and I need to protect and guard my children.
When I left Indonesia we could not take all our belongings, we had to choose some, nothing to the extent of this exercise but also challenging.  From that experience I realized that one does not need nearly half of what one owns.

Reflections and Good-byes

Firstly I would like to thank Dr Todd for all the very constructive comments and support throughout this course.  I have been in the middle of immigrating from Indonesia to Holland and it was not always easy keeping up to date with my work.  Thanks to the support and encouragement for my fellow students and Dr Todd, I was have been able to successfully complete this course and learn many new things.  I will be taking a 8 week break after this as I start my new job teaching at an International school in Holland and settling my 3 young sons into their new life here. Hope to meet up with some of you again in future courses.

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

Research was not something that came naturally to me.  I was not aware of the process at all.  I have learnt a tremendous amount from this course and with the correct steps I feel confident to conduct research that is meaningful, valid and accurate.  I have become more aware of the validity and equity within research since studying the course materials.

In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

I now have a far wider understanding of the research process and also understand that from an educators perspective I have the right to refuse participation and also on behalf of any learners in my care.  I feel far more confident conducting research and also being a part of any research studies.  I have learned to not feel intimidated by researchers as I have the knowledge to support and aid quality research (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, &Sirj-Blatchford, 2010).

What lessons about planning, designing and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

I have learned that research has a systematic process and by following these steps one can be sure of a well planned and executed research study.  Validity and equity are both important factors within research and by sticking to the guidelines one can ensure both these factors.  Throughout the process researchers need to pay attention to the ethics of the research and abide strictly to steps in place in order to remain objective and produce a study with validity.

What were some of the challenges you encountered and in what ways did you meet them?

When I first started the course I found the new terms and concepts very challenging.  I found it difficult to narrow my research idea down to more specific.  It was a challenge to grasp the different types of research designs but after enough reading and working with examples I managed to get a good idea of it all.

What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

I have always held early childhood professionals in the highest regards and feel that it is a very special vocation that one chooses to follow.  I have even more respect now after seeing the position that they hold and with their knowledge the difference that they make through research in the lives of children.

References:

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

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.