Course 6162: Wishing everyone good luck on their next course!!!

YES!

WEEK 8 FINAL BLOG

Blog wk 8

Before reading my last blog for this course, I want to say to all fellow classmate, we made it and we all are one step closer to accomplishing our goal of graduating. Hope all has been well for you this course and hope to see your name in course 6163.

Now, three consequences I feel came from learning about international early childhood field for my development are:

1. Research aspect because if an educator wants to become an advocate for young children on a particular area. Being able to view what goes on nationally as well as internationally is important. One has to be able to see things from all angles, when looking up information to better a generation’s well-being.

2. Comparison is needed to see how far we are off from another country educational standards or to see how close we are to surpassing another country’s standards. We need to know this, in my opinion. Knowing is half the battle and in order to make changes possible, one has to be current with what is occurring all over the world. By gaining different perspectives on what is considered the standard of beneficial development for small children, such as social, emotional and cognitive skills, than they can begin to be upheld.

3. Policies can be developed from having researched information and the comparison notes that will help our young children in the best way possible. Children like and need rules but we must remember not to push a child to the point where they hate to go to school. Having trial and error experiments to see what is the best avenue to take for our children. We do need to get a child to reach higher than they feel they can accomplish but not too hard ever.

                    

My Goal is to continue to broaden my international awareness about education and other world issues and trends that continue occurring. I am definitely going to continue to view and gather knowledge from the website that I have had the pleasure of viewing all course called Save the Children. I will continue to try and establish a relationship with an international educator or representative that deals firsthand with small children.

Getting to Know International Contacts- Part 3

Blog wk7

I had to visit the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. One insight was that UNESCO advocates for “programs that attend to health, nutrition, security and learning, which provides for children’s holistic development and lay the foundation” (UNESCO, 2014, para. 1-2). The early years are important for helping a young child develop successfully. It began its first conference in 2010, which helps adopt agendas that are all for our young children. When you view the website, it goes into great details pertaining to early childhood education. It mentions areas that is of great importance, such as access/equity, quality, investment/financing and coordination/integration. In my opinion, it is a wonderful website that should be viewed by all early childhood professionals.

Reference

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2014). Early childhood care and education. Retrieved June 19, 2014, from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Another insight is that it covers news that pertains to children in some type of way. A couple caught attention but I decided to focus on the most current one named “Key Milestones Reached for New Educational Goals”. An agreement called “Muscat Agreement is a notion that education must claim an explicit, stand-alone goal in new development framework after 2015. The group, representing 300 organizations from all over the world, pledge to keep advocating and supporting education. They have 7 targeted areas will reflect diverse social, political, economic and cultural contexts that will reflect, developed by UNESCO, and is the basis of a Framework for Action, in consultation with all EFA partners. The 7 areas are financing, basic education, teachers, skills for work, skills for citizenship, youth/adult literacy and early childhood care and education” (UNESCO, 2014, para. 2-12). This seems to be a good development going on. I like how it includes a global effect.

Reference

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2014, April 4). Key milestones reached for new educational goals. Retrieved June 19, 2014, from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/single-view/news/key_milestones_reached_for_new_education_goals/

Another insight is there is an article that I viewed and seemed important enough to share with you all. It is called “What are the Three Most Important Skills for a Child?” It talks about making sure young children receive the necessary skills. Some “participates at a recent Asia-Pacific Regional Thematic Consultation on Education in the Post 2015 Development Agenda shared views on what is important. One skill is from Uradhi Sahni, Study Hall Education Foundation, who says a child should be learning how to be literate and numerate, be problem solvers and be resilient. Sikander Sabeer, National Youth Movement for United Nations Post-2015 Development, children need to know about culture-is a kind of glue, it keeps us together. Vutha Lay, NGO Education Partnership, children need soft skills to be good citizens, vocational skills for employment and basic education to equip them with knowledge. Last is Govind Singh, Council of Pacific Education, says children should work across a huge spectrum of life, need life skills, core values and the opportunity to unlock the treasure within” (Education, 2013, para.4). They all have valid points on what a child needs to prosper in life. I agree with them because everyone should have life skills, values, know how to think critically and definitely culturally evolved in cultures that are not their own.

Reference

Education: UNESCO Bangkok. (2013, Mar 25). Vox Pop: What are the three most important skills for a child? Retrieved June 19, 2014, from http://www.unescobkk.org/education/news/article/vox-pop-what-are-the-three-most-important-skills-a-child-should-learn/?utm_medium=twitter&2Fculture%2Fworld-heritage-and-immovable-heritage%2Fgis-and-cultural-resources

Week 6: Share

Wk 6 Blog : Share the Web Resources

On Save the Children blog area, it has a story from “Voices from the Field”. It is named “South Sudan: A Family Torn Apart by Violence”, by Dan Stewart. It discusses how men were shooting into a family’s home, who were celebrating a wedding. Everyone had to hide under the beds. The guy, who is a dad and was 77 years of age, shares his story. He stated how he had to flee to safety and had to escape without knowing where or if his children were able to get to safety. The only way out was the opposite way from his home. He was scared and depressed because he had no way to contact his children and did not know where they were or if they were dead. This is a very horrific situation. He heard Save the Children had found some children but was unable to identify who they belonged to at the time. He was finally able to identify that they were his children and he was reunited with them ten days later. This story ended up happily but I know some stories do not end this way all the time in these countries.

Stewart, Dan. (2014, June 4). South Sudan: A family torn apart by violence. Retrieved June 13, 2014, from http://www.savethechildren.typepad.com/?msource=wewscwww1112&_utma=1.396553856.1401463559.1402669410.3&_utmb=1.6.10.1402669410.3&_utmb=1.6.10.1402669410&_utmc=1&_utmx=-&_utmz=1.1402669410.3.4utmcsr=google|utmccn=(organic)|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=(notprovided)&_utmv=1.|1=gs=As2=1^4=VWO-19=Control=1&_utmk=124884490

Another area of the site shows how one can become a volunteer. They have headquarters in Washington, DC and Fairfield, CT, where one can apply to be a volunteer. They require individuals to commit to at least 12-15 hours a week. There are opportunities for you to join the team as a career, as well. This organization is wonderful.

Save the Children. (2014). Volunteer. Retrieved June 13, 2014, from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.8631379/k.FB66/Volunteer.htm

Save the Children is dedicated to a child’s education. “They train teachers to engage their students though effective teaching practices. Coach parents to help children learn, so they are prepared to enter school. Offers ways parents can volunteer. They all children to express their artistic side, through drawing, dance, drama, painting or music. They focus on pushing children to learn through any crisis and to stay healthy. They have twelve programs dedicated to a child’s education. An insight that I see is that I really love that they want children to understand they have the right to learn.

Save the Children. (2014). Education. Retrieved June 13, 2014, from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6153015/k.E633/Education.htm