During this course, I have further explored the topic of
early childhood professionalism but on a much larger scale because it went
beyond my own community and the United States where I typically was doing my
research. I found that due to the lack of
technology in some countries there are not many studies done resulting in so
much of what we read coming only from the point of view of those who have the
means to publish. Definitely, not
something I had ever thought about. Child
development and learning looks different all around the world.
In this course we had two texts to read. One was NAEYC’s, Developmentally Appropriate
Practices and the other one was titled, Culture and child development in early
childhood programs written by Carollee Howes. The first I am very
familiar with and some in this profession would say they live by it. The second one was eye-opening to me because it
gave me a different perspective about DAP and why it may not always be
appropriate. This was different for me
because those who use DAP may feel that it can work in all settings and that
may not always be the case. This said a
lot to me about culture and how it is not a one size fits all fix.
Something I read during this course mentioned contacting
authors of articles to discuss things in relation to the articles and most of
the authors are interested in discussing their work. I encourage anyone to do this. I reached out to a few authors and they not
only were able to give me more insight but they have also become a valuable
individual in my research.
My biggest challenge has been to find opposition to ideas we
believe are best for children. As I have
had many discussions with my colleagues in this class, they also have had a
hard time with this aspect of researching their issues. It is something that I will have to continue
to improve on.
