Special Thanks!!!

I want to send a special thanks to each and every one of my colleagues. We have grown so much as a collaborative team working towards the same goal “To accomplish learn how to effectively communicate and listen to families, friends, colleagues, and professionals in the field of Early Education.” I am so very proud of each of you. We have made it this far and we are almost towards our ultimate goal, our “Masters in Early Education.” Please continue to grow and support one another the way that you have been. I am pretty sure that we will cross paths again during our continued journey here at Walden. I am eager to see who my colleagues are in the next session. Every one stay encouraged and if you need me you definitely can find me here on my blog. Thanks for the comments, questions, and kind words throughout this session. Continue to inspire one another. –Stay Blessed.

Week 6 - Adjourning

Robin C. Miller                                                                                         EDUC – 6165

Blog Assignment

The group that I worked in that was the hardest for me to say good-bye was my ECE (Early Childhood Education) colleagues and friends at Community College of Philadelphia. I attended there for three years and over that time I have gained many friends and partners in the early childhood field. We worked in groups, presented assignments, community service hours, practicum, went on ece class trips, studied, laughed, cried, celebrated, and graduated together. I loved my team and was proud to be in the early education field. We had our difficult times going through the stages of building a great team. Learning about each other, our similarities, differences, strengths, and weaknesses wasn't always easy. Sometimes, we never made it past the first 3 stages (forming, storming, and norming) but, we pulled through and made it to the last stage together, adjourning. Before our graduation day, we all got together for our last class and had one big good-bye party. We exchanged numbers, email, addresses, and best of luck wishes for the future.

            I do not imagine the same ritual for my colleagues here at Walden to be the same, only because it’s an online school. But, I do believe that everyone will continue to keep in touch through our blogs, Google accounts, and emails to continue our professional relationships while encouraging one another for a prosperous and successful future in the world of early education.  I think adjourning is a critical aspect of team work because it helps people to understand that the job is done, the goal has been accomplished, and the vision was a success. Team members learn that their input was a valuable, which added to the success of the finalization of overall goal and mission of the team. 

Conflict Resolution - Week 5

Robin C. Miller                                                                                           EDUC-6165

Blog Assignment Week 5

            I’ve recently had a bad argument with a good friend of mine over finances. The argument was so intense that we both lost our cool and it caused us to no longer be friends. I know that money shouldn’t ever come between friendships. So, I took it upon myself to be the first to admit my wrongs in the situation. Looking back on all that I have learned this week I see a few strategies that I could have used to make the argument turn into a better conversation. I would use some of the strategies from the Conflict Resolution Network kit. For example, instead of getting defensive early on about the situation I should of used empathetic listening with creative responses to counteract the negative that was being thrown at me. I should have also used to co-operative strategy that clarifies, redirects, finds options, and goes back to the legitimate needs and concerns of the situation. Lastly, I should of managed my emotions differently which would have opened the door for me to begin to negotiate and try and resolve the issue. The most important aspect that I learned about conflict resolution and what to do in any situation is being able respect and value difference.

Just as we are unique and special, so are other people. We all have distinctive viewpoints that may be equally valid from where we stand. Each person's viewpoint makes a contribution to the whole and requires consideration and respect in order to form a complete solution. This wider view can open our eyes to many more possibilities. It may require us to change the mind chatter that says: "For me to be right, others must be wrong" (Conflict Resolution Network., n.d.).

 

References:

Conflict Resolution Network. (n.d.). CR kit. Retrieved from http://www.crnhq.org/pages.phppID=12#skill_3

Blog week 4 - Who I am as a communicator

Robin C. Miller                                                                                     EDUC – 6165

Blog Assignment – Week 4

The communication evaluations this week helped me to gain a better understanding of not only, how I see myself as an effective communicator but also, how my colleagues and family view me as a communicator. All parties that took the surveys came up either the same evaluation or different scoring ranges. I wasn’t surprised to learn that I am a very active and empathetic listener. I agree that this can be both a strength and weakness in effective communication for it will cause me to think more with my emotions than anything else.

I also wasn’t too surprised when, I and a family member scored me at being an elevated communicator when it comes to different communication styles. I am more of a one on one communicator. Working in the early education field has helped me practice speaking to larger groups of people.

I was surprised however, the difference in scoring in the verbal aggressiveness survey. My director scored me at a higher level than I expected. It concerns me because I can’t see myself lashing out at people for no reason. Her scoring and her comments contradicted one another. She mentioned that I was to “timid and shy and need to be more aggressive in order to be a good director (personal communication, 2013). I agree to some extent but, I think that being more assertive is different than being aggressive. I agree that I need to become more assertive but aggression is not my style of communication. I believe that effective communication is the right combination of care, love, empathy, concern, listening, understanding, and a little assertiveness when needed.

EDUC - 6165 Week 3 Differences in Communication

Robin C. Miller                                                                                              EDUC – 6165

Blog Assignment – Week 3

            Do I find myself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures? Yes! Sometimes, I tend to slow my verbal communication down so the opposite party can clearly hear what I am saying. Not realizing that I might be offending them because they are not deaf or incapable of understanding. Another bad habit of mine, and I see this with my coworkers as well is the unintentional behavior of trying to sound and verbal communicate with the same accent as the person with whom we are talking with. Yes, sitting back watching my co-workers try and sound African, Puerto Rican, or Asian every time a parent would communicate was funny at first. But, I realized two things. One, it could be offensive to the other person and two, it can either make ourselves look like a fool or have the opposite effect and help parents view us as active and effective listeners and communicators.

Another thing that I noticed in my communication skills is that I easily get frustrated when I don’t understand different behaviors that do not coincide with my culture and the society norms in which I live and try to get the parent to understand the norms of the society in which they now live. For example, I had an African mother who always carries her child on her back. I was culturally sensitive to this when they child was very young and not of walking age. But, when the child was supposed to hit the milestone of gross motor movement the child was unable to because she was always carried and had also formed a severe bowed legged appearance that also made it more difficult for the child to try and walk. I explained my concerns to the mother in a culturally sensitive, non-emotional, and professional way.

Three strategies that I can use in the future to help in the process of communicating effectively with people of a different culture are…

·       When something about a family’s practices really bothers me, I will try to look at what they are doing through their eyes instead of my own (Gonzalez-Mena, J., 2010).

·       I will try to withhold judgment long enough to gain a deeper understanding than first impressions allow (Gonzalez-Mena, J., 2010).

·       I will also try not to assume that doing things for children will make them grow up helpless and forever dependent (Gonzalez-Mena, J., 2010).

References

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010). 50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families.            Upper Saddle  River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. "Understanding and Appreciating Cultural           Differences" (pp. 36 - 38)

Week 2 Blog - EDUC 6165 Communication and Listening

Robin C. Miller                                                                                                            EDUC- 6165

Blog Assignment – Week 2

Since my niece was visiting me, I decided to watch the TV series Hannah Montana. I turned it into a game so that she can help Auntie guess what they were doing. So we watched it on mute first and she helped me identify what the characters might be saying to one another. The series was based on the concept of competition.

Based on communication and body language between the two girls and one boy in the beginning during the school gave me an impression that they were friends because of the constant verbal communication with one another. They seemed not to like or get along with two of the other young ladies in their class.

I’m assuming, after watching how excited the teacher was talking to his students, that they were expected to raise money for some reason. The two females already raised a lot of money and were in the lead with raising the most. The three friends seemed to have tried everything they could to compare and out do the two ladies but failed at trying to raise the same amount of money or more. The two females seemed as if they were teasing the three friends and rubbing it in their faces.

The three friends did continue to raise money but a knock at the led the three friends to appear very upset and confused when another one of their classmates visited with the same goal in mind, “raising money.”

Ironically, the friends took the money and gave it to their much needier classmate. Based on their facial expressions in class signified that they were happy with their decision that they made. But, when the teacher announced that they two females that were not liked still raised the most money they were baffled as to how that happened when they knew they gave all their money to the much needier girl in the class which would have put her in first place.

I assumed based on the exchange of words and body language that the male in the group did something that he was not supposed to do because his two friends became puzzled and really upset at him. My niece said, “Ooooo, Oliver is always doing something, I bet you he was being bad.” I started laughing because she must of watched this show a millions times.

When I unmuted the show, I found that all of my assumptions were correct. The two girls names were Amber and Ashley and the three friends were Lily, Miley, and Oliver. The competition was a school charity drive.

I also found out that at the end Oliver bragged about how Sarah, (their other classmate they helped) was going to win because she had more money which made Ashley and Amber get more money from their parents to win the charity. Of course, my niece turns to me and says, “See Auntie, I told you! Oliver is always getting in trouble and being bad.”

Link to TV series:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eVFTBlsUqE

Effective and Competent Communication - Week 1

Robin C. Miller                                                                                              EDUC 6165

Blog Week 1

During my educational journey at Community College of Philadelphia I had a professor whose name was Dr. Watkins. I had her for a few semesters and would always enjoy her lectures. Not only were they based on an interesting topic that the class was learning but she made it interesting by communicating well with her audience. O’Hair & Wiemann says, “behaving appropriately is not enough to ensure success in communication (O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M., 2012)” and I completely agree. Yes, Dr. Watkins behavior was well intact. She talked in a calm, appropriate, and educated manner. She answered questions and did not mind veering off topic every now and then. She had a way of always using real life situations to help others understand the major points of what she wanted us to learn. It was easy to listen to her because she was very well organized and knew exactly what she wanted to say and when she wanted to say it. She kept a binder of lectures that helped her stay on target with the overall message. O’Hair & Wiemann also states that, “Research shows that many students feel that their most effective teachers are those who are organized, logical, enthusiastic, and approachable (Kramer &Pier, 1999, & O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M., 2012).”

I think two major key elements that were mentioned above were being enthusiastic about what you’re speaking about and also being approachable. When you are happy and excited about relaying a message and teaching others about something it helps the listeners to gain a better understanding of the message as well as allowing them to see how important the message is to the person communicating it. It also allows the listeners to feel comfortable enough to approach the communicator with questions they might not have felt comfortable asking in front of everyone. Being approachable is an aspect that all communicators should have. I believe that Dr. Watkins is an effective communicator because she displays the many traits described above which should deem her fit to be a competent communicator. I would want to model some of her behaviors such as the organization and the approachability to help me become an effective communicator. Her style and effectiveness has helped many people learn a lot about early education not only from her lectures but also from her willingness to share personal stories that relate to the topic. I would definitely like to become as effective and competent communicator just like she is.

References

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York:            Bedford/St. Martin's.

Week 8 - Final Post

Robin C. Miller                                                                                                  EDUC- 6164

Final Blog Post

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is the hope for acceptance, change, understanding, and open-mindedness of others that are different than themselves. 

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is the need to implement such teaching into not only the curriculum for the children but also, in the training sessions for the staff and the other professionals in the field. I think these topics should be taught on a daily basis to people of all ages young and old. It is our job as educational professionals to teach these children about isms and the negative impact that it has on people’s lives.

My overall hope for society is that we stop judging others based on the outer appearances and begin to see why God has made each and every one of us different.

I came across these two pictures that I couldn't agree with more…

I would like to take the time to thank all of my colleagues for a wonderful semester. We have grown and learned so much together. The many personal stories that were shared and the encouragement that was given were priceless. I look forward to working with many of you again and wish all of you the best in your future endeavors. 

Week 7 - Welcoming Families From Around The World

Robin C. Miller                                                                                                           EDUC – 6164

Blog – Week 7

            I chose the Cambodian culture. The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country of about 8,000,000 people, approximately the size of the state of Missouri, located in Southeast Asia. It is bordered on the west and northwest by Thailand, on the north by Laos, on the east by Vietnam, and on the south by the Gulf of Thailand (Bankston III, 2013). In order to better understand and welcome a child and their family from this culture I would prepare myself by learning…

1.     The history and origins of the Cambodian community

2.     The heritage behind the culture such as traditions, holidays, dances

3.     The language

4.     Greetings and common expressions

5.     Family and Community Dynamics

Each area that I learn will help me gain a better understanding of the child and his/her family lifestyle. In order to help the family feel comfortable when meeting for the first time I will make sure that I have a basic understanding of their native culture. In this preparation I would learn how to address the family such as whom to talk to in regards to who has the authority in the family. In some cultures only the parents speak and the children stay silent out of respect. I would hope that learning somewhat about the Cambodian culture would ease the family into openly sharing any information that could help with their child’s education which will benefit both them and me. I would also give them an opportunity to help share their culture with the class, which would be a great learning experience, so that everyone can learn about Cambodia and its culture.

Reference

Bankston III, C. L. (2013). Cambodian Americans. Retrieved from            http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Cambodian-Americans.html

Week 6- The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Robin C. Miller                                                                                               EDUC-6164

Blog – Week 6

            One of my most recent memories I experienced not very long ago was an incident based on prejudice. I was walking into a store one afternoon with my partner, whom is African American, and as we walked past the entrance of the store towards the aisles a female that was cashing out made a very rude and offensive remark as soon as she seen us. She turned around and said, “Oh my God! Really, that’s the mess I’m talking about! Why is he with the White B!t@h and not with someone like me?” My heart dropped because I automatically knew that the remark was towards me. As I ignored her comment, she got even louder as we both moved towards the back of the store to continue our shopping despite her ignorance. She than began to speak about why she was better than me, how I couldn't offer him anything, how stupid he was for trading on his own race, how I wasn't anything but White trash and I should be with my own kind. The foul language and hurtful words that kept coming out of her mouth was very upsetting that made every emotion and feeling run through my body.

            I wanted to remain calm and ignore her but, as she became louder and more obscene my emotions overwhelmed me and as I was getting ready to confront the woman about her issue with me her girlfriend helped to remove her from the store and from making an even bigger fool of herself. The sad thing is this woman was younger than I was and had her child in the stroller the entire time. When I seen the child I knew then that it wasn't my place to approach her about the issue because if she didn't respect herself or her child enough not to look like an complete idiot in front of at least I could respect the child. I would never put a child in harm’s way. Confronting the woman could have caused so much chaos that would have affected the child. I am better than that, and my profession and love for children go above and beyond somebody else’s hate and jealousy towards me.

            This incident was solely based on prejudice towards race. It caused me to feel inadequate as she used both micro-assault and micro-invalidation towards making me feel as if my race wasn't good enough to date outside of my own culture. It made me feel like my race didn't matter and the only race that did matter was the African American race. I was more than hurt. I was upset, disarrayed, confused, angry, embarrassed, and crushed. This is only one incident I have experienced. I experience issues such as this all the time. I am actually still going through a more personal incident that I feel is based on race that is affecting my everyday life. I believe that the only way this incident could have turned into an opportunity for greater equity is if someone, either myself or someone else, would help this woman understand that I am no different than her. My skin color might be different but I bleed, walk, talk, work, and live just like everyone else. My skin color doesn't make me insignificant to hers. I would have made it an opportunity for her to learn that it’s not the color of your skin that matter it’s about your character and how you carry yourself and she wasn't carrying herself as a lady. 

Practicing Awareness of Microagressions

Robin C. Miller                                                                                              EDUC 6164

Blog Week 4

            This week we are asked to identify a microaggression that we either recently witnessed or were a target of. I have witnessed the all three racial microaggressions, the microassault, microinsult, and microinvalidation. I witnessed a woman who seemed very frustrated and upset ordering Chinese food at a Chinese food take out restaurant in my neighborhood. The woman behind the counter who spoke very little English did not understand the woman’s order and asked her to repeat it. The woman became very hostile and agitated and began fussing and using profanity. The woman behind the counter apologized but the very irritated woman didn't want an apology and called the woman a, “stupid chink.” This is a form of microassault.

            The woman continued on her rampage with the lady behind the counter saying, “this is America you need to speak English or you need to leave. That’s what’s wrong with society today, we let you chinks in and you take over everything but can’t understand a lick of English.” This is a form of both microinsult and microinvalidation. I consider this a form of microinsult, because the upset woman made the lady behind the counter feel as if her native language is inferior to the English language. I believe that it is also a form of microinvalidation because she made the woman also feel as if her existence in American was meaningless because she did not speak the native tongue of the Americans.

This experience is a form of cultural racism, “cultural racism can be defined as societal beliefs and customs that promote the assumption that the products of a given culture, including the language and traditions of that culture are superior to those of other cultures”( American Psychological Association., 2013). The woman at the store felt as if her cultural language was more superior than hers because of the society she lives in. America is diverse for a reason; it isn't called the melting pot because we are all the same. Natives to our land see it as an opportunity for freedom and new life. Americans need to be open and begin respecting the variety of cultures in which makes our homeland unique.

References

American Psychological Association. (2013). Cultural racism: Conceptualization. Retrieved from                         http://www.health-psych.org/Cultural.cfm

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). "microaggressions in everyday life" [Course Media]. Available from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=/webapps/blackboard/execute/launcher?type=Course&id=_3397499_1&url=

Week 3 - Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Robin C. Miller                                                                                                  EDUC-6164

Blog Week 3

            I asked three of my colleagues who are all culturally different from me by both gender and race to define the terms culture and diversity.

Culture is a person’s family background, roots of their ancestors, where they came from, and their way of life. Diversity is a variety of different things and cultures of people (Personal Communication, 2013).

Culture is something that has been passed down through time that a group of people share. Diversity is a group of people that come from different backgrounds of different races and ethnicities to come together and share a common goal (Personal Communication, 2013).

Culture is the background of one’s heritage, their upbringing (from your beginning—great grandmother, etc), origins, the place where you came from (county), and nationality. Diversity is when all difference is brought together. It is different colors, ages, sex, and backgrounds (Personal Communication, 2013).

My colleagues did a wonderful job defining the terms. The each stated similar aspects of what culture and diversity is. My understanding of culture and diversity was the same at the beginning of the course. My colleagues listed the basic attributes of culture and diversity. They listed only things that can be seen from the outside. For the term culture my colleagues didn’t mention “race, economic status, language abilities, gestures, eye contact, and how you view the world” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). The missing attributes in diversity that were not mentioned are, “religion such as Christianity, and geographic origin such as Africa” (U.S Department of the Interior., n.d). 

My colleague’s definition of these terms made me realize that many people, including myself before this course, only look at the basic outward appearance and characteristics of people when culture and diversity mean so much more and goes so much deeper than that. According to, Louise Deman-Sparks, Julie Benavides, Nahdiah Taylor, culture is defined as characteristics based on everything about yourself such as, beliefs, values, family traditions, and how you view the world (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). The term "diversity" is used broadly to refer to many demographic variables that are not just physical but emotional and social as well (U.S Department of the Interior., n.d). Educators must be aware of the true definitions of these terms in order to provide an anti-bias education for the children and families that we serve.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Family Cultures: Dynamic Interactions Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3397499_1%26url%3D

U.S Department of the Interior. (n.d). What is diversity?. Retrieved from http://www.doi.gov/pmb/eeo/what-is-diversity.cfm

My Family Culture

Robin C. Miller                                                                                            EDUC-6164

Blog – Week 2

My Family Culture

            If there were ever a major catastrophic event that devastated my country to the point where the government initiated an emergency evacuation that led my family to permanently reside in a foreign country I would bring the following three items that I hold dear to my heart and represents my family’s culture.

1.      The bible

2.      My family Album

3.      A crocheted blanket made by my mother

Each of these items holds a very different and important meaning to my family. The bible represents my family’s faith and religion. It is our instruction, motivation, and inspiration for daily living. The family album represents generations of people that came together to form the wonderful blended family of Miller’s, Rheam’s, Simpson’s, Stallworth’s, Smith’s, and McLaughlin’s that we have today. The crochet blanket represents the hard work, dedication, and love my mother put into making the blanket which resembles me as a woman, mother, daughter, sister, and student today.

If for some reason I was only able to choose one of the three items upon arrival to this new country I would be devastated for each item holds a significant personal and priceless value. But, if I had to choose I would choose the bible. The bible is the first and most important item on my list and it will help my family and I to stay rooted in the word of the Lord and keep our faith.

This exercise has helped me to realize that I need to begin to research my ethnic roots further to bring more traditions and experiences into my family. We come from a very diverse background (Italian, Indian, Irish, German, Dutch, and African American) but, do not fully participate in or understand any of the beliefs, traditions, holidays, and customs other than the common tradition, beliefs, and celebrations of the American culture. 

EDUC-6163 Final Blog Week 8- When I think of Research

Robin C. Miller                                                                                                          EDUC-6163

Final Blog – Week 8

            Over the past several weeks this course has helped me gain many new insights into the world of early childhood research. For example, researchers that are conducting studies on children and families should always keep in mind the ethical values and principles expected of them in order to maintain professional standards. Another insight that I have gained is the many design approaches in which to conduct a study as well as methods to collect and gather information. When entering into this course I came in with the mindset of learning about basic research techniques. I have learned more than basic research rules and criteria.

            This course taught me about the proper process in which to design a research study. First thing you must do is to think of a question that you can analyze that will benefit not only yourself but others as well. Then, think of a few sub-categories in which you can narrow down your research question to something more specific and precise. After you have come up with a topic to research the next thing to do is to review the different design processes and choose one that best fits the need of your study. After choosing a design process the next thing to do is to choose the methods you would use to gather information to help your research to be valid.

            Validity is one challenge that a researcher can encounter. Choosing more than one method of data collection can help to add to the validity of the research process. Another challenge that a researcher can come across during his/her study is the breech of confidentiality as well as encountering problems with participation from its clients. This is a typical challenge for early educational professionals because they know children are always on the go and can have a difficult time finishing and staying on task. Researchers and professionals must keep in mind when observing children to expect the unexpected. From my perception, early educators are researchers all year round because they are constantly watching and observing their students.

Research Around the World - Australia

Blog – Week 5

I chose to explore Early Childhood Australia site http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

• What are some of the current international research topics?

In current year of 2013 the following topics have been in the Early Childhood News in Australia    

o   May –

  Early years missing piece of Federal Budget

o   March -Wages investment supports quality learning

 Under investment in early years holding back children

o   February

  Children given strong advocate in new Nation Children’s Commissioner

  Fair, inclusive, quality education every child’s right, Early Childhood peak bodies welcome increased support for children with disability.

  Majority of providers back quality reform in early childhood sector

o   January - Ratings show children already seeing childcare improvements.

• What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

One new insight that I have gained from this site is the information provided about the “National Quality Standard Professional Learning Program.” The program is designed to help ECP’s (Early Childhood Professionals) meet the criteria of setting up an appropriate designed early education environment.

They first help you understand the links between EYLF (Early Years Learning Framework) with NQS (National Quality Standards).

They offer resources to help professionals learn about appropriate environment settings as well as incorporating good practices in the classroom with learning videos, forums, social media outlets, and funding and sponsorship resources.

• What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

The supporting best practices tab offers very insight information for learning, play, feelings, behaviors, teaching, children’s rights, and developmental stages. Each topic has many subtopics that can be useful to some of my colleagues for their research simulation. For example, my research stimulation is about behavior. 

Under the feelings and behavior tab you will find…

Feelings and behaviors

1.     Everyday behaviors

2.     Everyday Feelings

3.     Managing grief-loss change

4.     Promoting Positive behaviors

5.     War and disaster

These subtopics can help me with my research simulation because it will help me better understand reasons behind why some children behave the way they do. There are a lot of good topics on this site that I do encourage all of my colleagues to browse through.

Reference

Early Childhood Australia: A voice for young children. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/