An example of microagression I observed this week was when a person commented that one mom in a lesbian partnership at our center was certainly the man of the relationship. The comment was made randomly as the couple had left the building. I was offended by the comment for the couple and I felt that it was ignorant and rude.

                This observation showed that the person making the comment obviously had stereotypical views regarding relationships, assuming that there had to be a masculine and feminine person in a couple. It also seemed that the comment was hostile and the person commenting was judgmental or not tolerant of the lesbian partnership. I felt this observation would have been very hurtful had the couple heard. I was surprised to see a discriminatory view projected so openly as in the day and age we expect more consideration.

I spoke to three of my faculty members and asked them their definitions of culture and diversity. Katie who is Hispanic/Norwegian, Madison who is Caucasian, and Tieanna who is African American. The aspects of culture that I’ve studied which were present in their definitions are the set of customs, family history, beliefs, norms and traditions. The aspects of diversity that I have studied in this course which were present were a blend of different races, religion, and appreciation of differences all together in an area. Katie found it difficult to define culture beyond customs; I feel she was worried about saying anything offensive. She spoke about diversity in terms of how it exists within a particular community. Madison linked culture as a byproduct of diversity rather than a separate idea. When describing diversity she mentioned the varied aspects of diversity but included meshing with the main (dominant) culture and assuring that everyone fit in. Tieanna’s definitions of both were short and precise, beliefs, traditions and a mixture of race, peoples and religions. The aspects that have been omitted are the ones that may be perceived as more negative, cultural discontinuity, prejudice, cultural blindness. The way that these concepts were defined was fairly similar to the way that I would have defined them initially. I noticed that the ‘deep’ culture was not mentioned as much as the ‘surface” culture. After having been in this course the past few weeks that is something which I would now add to my definitions.

              If evacuated to a new country the three items I would chose to take with me are my box of photographs, my laptop and a book. I would hope the box of photographs was considered one item because it would be difficult to narrow it down to one and it would be a challenge to limit myself to one book as well. It would be easier to bring three collections of things! The box of photographs is important as it reflects my family, my culture and the things that are most important in my life. I love to look back and reflect and I feel I could share who I am and where I came from with others if I had them with me. They would serve as a connection to the life I had before the move. I would bring my laptop as I assume most areas now have internet connection. If this is the case it would allow me to access information I may need to adapt to my new community and hopefully maintain contact with others I may have lost along the way. I would bring a book because there is nothing that brings me more comfort than a physical book and it would give me an escape when times are challenging. Like the photographs it may also allow me to give other insight on my home culture. If I were told I had to give up two items I would choose to keep the photographs as these would be the item I found hardest to let go. In my past I have had to leave a negative situation with hardly any of my possessions so I feel I can give up 'stuff' fairly easily foe the most part. As long as I have those who are important to me near I can let go of possessions without too much difficulty. As I have had to adapt to change and varied culture often in the past I feel that this situation would not be as challenging to me as it may to others who have always lived in one area or who have not had the opportunity to travel. The insight that I gained form this activity is that as long as I have a tangible link to my past, in this instance my photographs, and those I hold dear I could view the move as an adventure rather than a hardship.

                In taking this course I have had several insights. I have become aware of the propensity to approach research in a male, Euro-centric, elitist perspective in the past. Before the course I would’ve considered many researchers as being more open to different possibilities and less stereotypical due to the nature of their profession but this is not the case. It was very informative to see the different techniques and styles of research. The sections on Qualitative and Quantitative were very helpful. My ideas on the nature of doing research have changed. The research design process is more extensive then I had previously considered. There are many considerations to take into account when planning research, what are the risks involved, is it an ethical project, do you have the proper permissions from guardians and participants? Design wise you must consider what type of process you will use, quasi-experimental, mixed method etc. Extraneous variables must be taken into account and issues of validity dealt with. If a project is not well thought out, designed and planned for the data will be affected and may not be viable. I did find the design and simulation process extremely challenging, there is so much to consider. I met these challenges as best as I could by reviewing the factors multiple times and working to understand them and how they affect the outcome of research and the well being of participants. As an early childhood professional I realize the value of research to our field. I am more aware of the ethical and design concerns that researcher’s face and what a delicate balance the process is.

I decided to explore the website Early Childhood Australia in order to examine research topics in that part of the world. There were many current research topics to see including:

·         Professional partnership in children’s services: working together for children

·         Learning Positive Behavior Through Educator-Child relationships

·         Play and Quality in Early Childhood: Educating Super-Hero’s and Fairy Princesses

·         Cultural Expression as a Tool for Change: Stories About Quality Improvement

·         Secure Transitions: Supporting children to feel secure, confident and included

     It was insightful to see a project that focused on sustainability, even at the young age of preschool. There was quite a bit of research on teaching greener living to the children. Also there were projects on nurturing spirituality in children which is a topic that you don’t see too often in mainstream childcare. Most of the topics I found were very similar to the types of study and research we see here in the United States. The topics were globally current.

            Aside from research there was a lot of good information on ethical codes, developmentally appropriate practice and best practice techniques. Much of the information is equally viable in our own country.

If I possessed the means and the knowledge to conduct research studies on any topic in the early childhood field I would conduct more research on treatment and eventual cures for early childhood cancers such as Nuerobalstoma. While this may not directly be an early childhood education topic we have had three students battling cancer at our center and that brings the cause close to our faculty’s hearts. I would focus on a treatment that was as effective and non invasive as possible so that the children could continue to enjoy a ‘normal’ lifestyle and participate more often in school. Often early childhood cancers are the result of DNA or prenatal cells that do not mature properly. There are many research and treatment studies on medicines that would help ‘grow up” these cells so that developed normally. Obviously, curing or halting childhood cancer would be a positive contribution to the lives of the children and families affected by the disease. Many typical treatments today can cause long term issues in the health of those children who do survive cancer.  Included in these issues is a higher likelihood of learning problems.  If we could eradicate some of the riskier current treatments children who have beaten the disease would be less likely to struggle educationally.

The subtopic I chose for my research simulation was the use of technology, specifically computers vs. Ipads and whether they were helpful in impacting preschool student achievement. I chose this topic as there seems to be a lot of pressure to include technology in the classroom, computers, ipads, smartboards and the like in the classroom seems to be a selling point of the school  to families and teachers alike. But..does this mean it is in the best interest of the child, especially when there are so many studies which encourage us to limit screen time and get back to exploring nature and hands on learning? So I am genuinely curious as to how and why we should implement technology. So far it appears that technology can aide achievement but mostly through peer and teacher interaction with the children while the use the devices.