Reflection

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" -Nelson Mandela

When I sit back and think enduring my career; so many thoughts are running through my head. Being able to make a difference in someone else life is very important. The aspects of child development is ongoing. I have learn overtime child are the eyes of our future; it is important for them to see bright and successful. During my research I have discovered many resources that will help educators and parents ensure child develop is effective.  I am always willing to go above and beyond my duties to ensure my children are grasping the new knowledge they may need.
 

"Child development refers to the biological, psychological and emotional changes that occur in human beings between birth and the end of adolescence, as the individual progresses from dependency to increasing autonomy. It is a continuous process with a predictable sequence yet having a unique course for every child. It does not progress at the same rate and each stage is affected by the preceding types of development. Because these developmental changes may be strongly influenced by genetic factors and events during prenatal life, genetics and prenatal development are usually included as part of the study of child development. Related terms include developmental psychology, referring to development throughoutthe lifespan, and pediatrics, the branch of medicine relating to the care of children.

Developmental change may occur as a result of genetically-controlled processes known as maturation, or as a result of environmental factors and learning,

but most commonly involves an interaction between the two. It may also occur as a result of human nature and our ability to learn from our environment."

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Resources:
http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/
Berk, Laura E. (2009). Child development. Boston: Pearson Education/Allyn & Bacon
Blades, Mark; Smith, Peter K.; Cowie, Helen (2011). Understanding Children's Development. Wiley-Blackwell.
Kail, Robert V (2011). Children and Their Development (6th Edition) (Mydevelopmentlab Series). Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice Hall.

I have gain much understanding from my collegues! I appreciate all the feedback and comments I have receive throughout this course. Thanks for everything. I pray everyone is successful in the future

Happy Holidays!

Resources for Fostering Early Learning

How do you know if your students are achieving their learning goals? You need to collect evidence—evidence of different kinds and on different levels. It might be useful to keep in mind that gathering evidence of your students’ learning is something you have been doing for most of your academic career.

Effective approaches are those which explicitly develop awareness of learning strategies and techniques, particularly when these are targeted at the metacognitive level. The characteristics of these approaches identified by the review include:

• Structured tasks which focus on specific and explicit strategies in the subject context;
• Capacity in lessons for more effective exchanges between the learner and the teacher concerning the purpose of the activity;
• Small group interactions promoting articulation about the use of learning strategies;
• Mechanisms built into learning tasks to promote checking for mutual understanding of learning goals by peers and with the teacher;
• Enhanced opportunities for the learner to receive diagnostic feedback linked directly to the content of the task.
  We can also identify some necessary conditions for these approaches to be successful:
• The teacher needs to have good understanding of the subject, of different approaches to learning and be sensitive to the demands of different types of learners;
• Teachers should have a repertoire of practical tools and strategies to guide the learner and enhance opportunities for feedback about learning;
• Both teachers and learners should have an orientation towards learning characterized by a willingness to engage in dialogue and negotiation regarding the intent and purpose of a particular teaching and learning activity;
• The focus of learning should be on how to succeed through effort rather than ability and through the selection of appropriate strategies by the learner.

Suskie, L. (2009). Assessing student learning: A common sense guide (2^nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Speech and Language Development

Children's speech and language development varies from individual to individual. However, there are typical milestone that children go through in their language development such as cooing, babbling, one-word sentence, etc. When children do not reach the milestone at some specific age, speech delayed is suspected.

The first 3 years of life, when the brain is developing and maturing, is the most intensive period for acquiring speech and language skills. These skills develop best in a world that is rich with sounds, sights, and consistent exposure to the speech and language of others.

Information for parents with questions about speech and language development

Welcome to speech-language-development.com, your resource for the tools you need to empower yourself and your child!

Did you know?

·         Language development begins in the womb. Infants less than an hour old can tell the difference between the language of their parents and a foreign language.

·         Children are born wanting to talk and communicate with the adults in their lives—that's you!

·         The first year of life is critically important for language development, even though many babies do not say any words during this period.

·         How, and how much, you talk to your children from birth to age three has a huge influence on their language skills in school.

·         Babies can communicate many of their needs and wants before they start talking, and how you respond can help them learn the words and phrases they will use later.

If you're reading this, chances are you're worried. You may be worried that your child has a communication delay or disorder and wondering how to find out for sure. Your child may already have been identified with a speech delay or a language disorder, and you're wondering where to turn for help.

                   Source:…http://www.speech-language-development.com/

 

Early Childhood Journey

This has been an outstanding journey. My life revolves around the field of education.  I am person that is willing to find out new solutions for children. I just love what I DO. As a child, I always wanted to become a teacher. I wanted to make a difference in someone else life.  I would often have favorite activities and books. They would include role playing and reading Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat. Which was my all time favorite book. I would try to relive the book with playmates.
Throughout my career, I would often encourage my students to find out who they are. Being able to identify your sense of belonging is very important to me as an educator. In future I hope to continue to be a lending for children at all ages. When it comes to the development of children, they just need a lending hand. What are some suggestions I can include to ensure I am on the right path?

Educational Journey

Throughout this course, I have learned to use my collaboration skills to find 

strategies to for parents and teachers to teach bipolar students.

I have become an effective leader to ensure my students are always on the right 

path.I want to always be there for my students. I believe it is very important 

to stand behind your students in any decision they may make. 

I have also gained the characteristics of an effective leader. 

A leader must always be on top of things when it comes to a team

or group.This course allow me to become motivated to further my career in helping with children with disabilities. 

After gathering more research in this field.I would like obtain a doctoral degree 

in early childhood specializing in special needs. This credential would allow me 

to work with children with special abilities. I have witnessed over time; so many

children are suffering because teachers and parents are unaware on how to elaborate 

to these students.

It is sad to say a farewell to all my colleagues and classmates. Throughout this 

program we have gained an understanding of each other.A farewell goes out to all

 my instructors, thanks for the support and the extra boost. I owe everything to 

those who were always there for me. This has been an awarding winning experience.

 Thank YOU!!!

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The three international organzations that were intersting to me. They were Save the Children, International Step by Step Association, and United Nations Children Fund.

Save the Children foundation is an organization that helps children that are expressing disasters. Many children experience many tragic in their life. This foundation make sure they are equally stable to follow through many other situations. there was not a job opportunity available for this organization. They are always looking for a volunteer to make sure each child is comfortable. A volunteer has t be accessible to all children. Many of the volunteers help educate the young minds of children. Many children need to see a happy face when they are experiencing rough times.

International Step by Step Association is organization that believes in quality care. Quality is hard to find in some child care centers. This organization really appeals to me because the opportunities they try to do to promote quality care. When ensuring quality care in children lives; everything seems to run more smoothly. This organization is very beneficial in my community of practice. I can use the many resources available to make sure any children with bipolar disorder receive quality care. this program also provide mentoring and training services. These types of services is very much needed in early childhood education. There were no job opportunities available for this organization. There were membership opportunities available for the public. The most important thing I found that were sufficient for members were networking. When it comes to networking; it help others relate on a different level. You can learn a lot about a person by discovering new things.


United Nations Children Fund organization believes in all rights for children. the members share a common to goal to overcome many obstacles they may face in life. this organization was created to provide food, clothing and shelter for children who were facing the war. UNICEF has help millions of people since founded in 1946. Children are their first priority. Many organization as this I look up to. I believed in doing what is right for children. UNICEF not only help through obstacles; they also focus on children as a whole. they are just a lending hand if you every need them. there was one job opportunity available for UNICEF. A Junior Professional Progamme;which allows young people to reach out to others. "The purpose of the JPO Programme is to allow young men and women, sponsored by their respective governments, to acquire experience in international development cooperation activities under the close direction of senior UNICEF officials, while contributing to the implementation of UNICEF’s country programmes"(United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.).

Resources: 
 International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/
 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

National Alliance on Mental Illness

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest working class mental health organization devoted to building enhanced lives for the millions of Americans artificial by mental illness. NAMI sponsors for contact to services, treatment, supports and explore and is dedicated in its obligation to raising responsiveness and building a community of hope for all of those in need. From its foundation in 1979, NAMI has been committed to improving the lives of individuals and families pretentious by mental illness. NAMI had an outstanding job opportunity available.

Help Line Volunteer Information Specialists – Arlington, VA
These specialist duties include answering phone, mail, and e-mail inquiries from the public, providing emotional support, sharing mental illness and recovery information, and offering referrals to community resources. All Volunteer Work must be Done On-Site, Monday through Friday between 10 am and 6 pm. Volunteers must commit to working 4 hours a week for at least 4-6 months. Training is provided. Metro and handicapped accessible; parking provided. A person must have a desire to help others. They need to also have reverence and sympathy for people exaggerated by solemn mental illness. A specialists need to have a basic knowledge of mental illnesses. Having effective oral and language skills is sufficient for this job.
http://www.nami.org/

Equilibrium The Bipolar Foundation

We are an independent, international, non-governmental organization dedicated to improving life for people with bipolar disorders by:

• promote earlier diagnosis and evidence-based treatment
• Encouraging clinical excellence through public and professional education
• Fighting the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness
• Supporting research into the causes of bipolar disorder and safe, effective treatments

Equilibrium aims to become the primary international corporation organization working to precede the sympathetic and treatment of bipolar disorder; it also seeks to concentrate on the dishonor and unfairness that often environs bipolar disorder.

http://www.bipolar-foundation.org/

Active Minds is the only association working to consume the student voice to modify the discussion about mental health on college campuses.  By increasing and supporting chapters of a student-run mental health responsiveness, education, and encouragement group on campuses, the organization works to amplify students’ awareness of mental health issues, supply information and resources about mental health and mental illness, persuade students to inquire about help as soon as it is needed, and provide as relationship between students and the mental health community.

http://www.activeminds.org/