Communication and Diverse Groups of People

For this week’s assignment, we were asked to think about cultural diversity we see in our colleagues at school, in our neighborhood, in our workplace, and also, possibly, within our family. Then we are to consider all the aspects that make up culture, including race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, varying abilities, and so on.

Here are the questions we were asked to think about:

·       Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?

·       If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?

·       Based on what you have learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.

Diversity exists in all areas listed above. In the workplace, especially, there are different groups of people to communicate with: colleagues, parents, and children. There are definitely different strategies to use in communicating with each of these groups of people.

In interacting with colleagues, it is important to keep an open mind and be attentive while listening to them. It is important to take everything in and ask clarifying questions before passing judgment on a person.

In interacting with parents, it is important to make sure that your tone and body language isn’t “saying” something that would contradict your words. Again, it is equally important to keep an open mind when listening to parents about their child and making sure that you don’t pass judgment based on a parent’s family culture and values.

Thirdly, in interactions with children, it is important to speak at their level and listen attentively to their needs as well. As educators, children learn from us, which includes our body language, tones, and gestures. We have to be able to interact on their level, and promote positive body language and speaking.  

International Contacts - Alternative Assignment

     Since I still have not had the pleasure of getting in contact with an international professional in the early childhood field, I have chosen the alternative assignment once again. For this week, we were asked to review the "Global Children's Initiative" as seen on the Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child web page.
     As I reviewed the website further, I found more in-depth information about the program's commitments to early childhood development. Currently they are working on trial assessments in countries like Zambia to measure assessments that are linked to malaria control. They are also trying to effectively assess children programs on a diverse level which includes expanding preschool programs in Chile. 

     The Global Children's Initiative has specifically designated faculty that focus on issues in early childhood development, child mental health, and children in crisis and conflict situations. This is important as it relates to our current discussions in class about equity and excellence in early childhood programs. The Global Children's Initiative is helping to support low-income areas by providing more access to preschool programs (such as the program in Chile), as well as researching how disease affects child development (as in Zambia's studies). Organizations like the Global Children's Initiative help educators to provide the best learning environments based on the needs of the children. 

References:

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2010). Global children's initiative. Retrieved from 

    http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/

Sharing My Web Findings

After reviewing the Canadian Association for Young Children’s website, it is clear to me that they are not up-to-date in their practices and policies as their last Newsletter was posted on March 5, 2010. Because of this finding, I decided to look into our own country’s National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and review their newsletters and publications to see how they address diversity and our changing demographics.
The NAEYC website can be found here: http://www.naeyc.org/. Their mission is explained through the following goals:    

1. Improving professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education.
2.  Supporting early childhood programs by working to achieve a high-quality system of early childhood education.
3. Building a high-performing, inclusive organization of groups and individuals who are committed to promoting excellence in early childhood education for all young children.

I am currently a member of the NAEYC, so I receive paper copies of the magazine, Young Children (http://www.naeyc.org/yc/) and also subscribe to their monthly newsletter.

In a recent issue of Young Children, there is an article that discusses supporting Native Indian preschool students and their families (McWilliams, Mancebo, Szczepaniak, & Jones, 2011). The reason this article caught my attention is because I had no idea there was a government-sponsored program developed in the Midwest to assist families that are not living on a reservation in preserving the Native culture. I learned about a program called the Native Indian Centered Education (NICE) program. NICE is a program in the school district that partners with families to provide Native-centric educational opportunities for preschool children. Among the children of this program is diversity as well. Some of the children enrolled in the program share Latino, Caucasian and African American heritages. The program focuses on the integral role of the elders within their tribal community and brings many aspects of the Native customs into the school environment. This article described the importance of family-school-community partnerships as we have discussed in previous courses.

I would like to recommend that anyone enrolled in Walden’s Masters program sign-up for the student membership from the NAEYC. It is an invaluable membership, as many resources are provided at no cost or little cost.  The cost for the year varies from state to state.

References:

Canadian Association for Young Children: www.cayc.ca 

McWilliams, M.S., Mancebo, T., Szczepaniak, P.S. & Jones, J. (2011 November).

     Supporting native indian preschoolers and their families. Retrieved January 14, 2012 from:  
     http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201111/McWilliams_Family_-_School_- Community
     Partnerships_Online%201111.pdf

National Association for the Education of Young Children: www.naeyc.org