Communication Skills to Enact Change

Communication Skills to Enact Change

            Communication is essential in communicating ideas, facts, and information regarding policy.  Communication is not simply relaying information.  It includes listening as well.  Effective communication involves the usage of a particular set of skills that cements your intended ideas with the audience’s understanding.  The cohesiveness of the ideas and understanding is what makes effective communication.

            The two most important skills of communication are making your ideas clear and being coherent (Mind Tools, n.d.).  When your ideas or intent are clear, it eliminates confusion and enables a greater understanding for the audience.  It also provides a platform from which other ideas, concerns, or questions can be gleaned.  Having coherence in communicating allows the listener/reader to follow in a logical manner.  This enables the listener to grasp the ideas of the presenter in a carefully sequenced order that is easy to follow.  If a communication is concise, concrete, or complete and is not clear or coherent; the presentation has not been communicated effectively. 

            In taking the “Communication Anxiety” self-assessment, I made a 33 (Laureate Education, 2011).  The description for this score indicates that I feel comfortable in communicating with people and that I am somewhat confident as I encounter those situations.  I rarely have anxiety with communicating in small groups or with encountering people that I have not met. I also feel that I am very effective in one on one situations.  According to Mind Tools (n.d.) I have encountered some anxiety in communicating in very large groups of more than 200 people and worry if I have made a good impression.  I have researched various cites on how to reduce stress and found research on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to have some promising results (Marchand, 2013).  This process reduced anxiety and reduces stress with regular usage.  I will practice this technique to assist with my communication anxiety in large groups.  

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Communication anxiety [Interactive media]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Marchand, W. R. (2012). Mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and Zen meditation for depression, anxiety, pain, and psychological distress. Journal of Psychiatric Practice®, 18(4), 233-252.

Mind Tools. (n.d.). The 7 Cs of communication: A checklist for clear communication. Retrieved October 15, 2013, from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCS_85.htm

Social Media’s Influence on Policy Issues

Social Media’s Influence on Policy Issues

To be honest, various types of media are used to sell everything from baby bottles to drones.  We live in a society where everything has to be right to the point and visual.  Social media provides up with instant news, instant feedback, and instant gratification.  It can also serve a very important purpose in the media.  That purpose is to relay important information in a relatively short period of time and at times receive immediate feedback about an idea or event.  Media can also provide live interactions as they are happening.  Introducing a policy with a form of media would bring much attention and interest to an issue.  This attention can spawn resources such as people, funds, and supporters.

The two forms of social media that would garner attention for support would be Instagram and Facebook.  The reasons for these are the high amounts of registered user.  Instagram has more than 400 million users per month and Facebook has over 1 billion users (Mainka, Hartmann, Stock, & Peters, 2014).  These forms of media have real time interaction capabilities that would allow for immediate feedback and input.  The audience for the would be reached by both would be varied.  Current trends show an increased interest in teens into policies and civic organizations (Raine, Smith, Schlzman, Brady, & Verba, 2012).  The audience would include individuals from 18 years of age and above.  The demographics would also include parents with small children, single parents, and married couples interested in starting a family.  These individuals would have a vested interest in an early childhood intervention policy. 

One benefit of using social media would be the ability to reach millions of people simultaneously without the cost of printing or paying for television or radio time.  According to Rain, Smith, Schlzman, Brady, & Verba (2012) over 50 percent of all demographics use Instagram and Facebook.  The challenge is that once the attention is received on the issue, how can the individuals attention be maintained so that action can be taken. 

 

Reference

Mainka, A., Hartmann, S., Stock, W. G., & Peters, I. (2014, January). Government and social media: A case study of 31 informational world cities. In 2014 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (pp. 1715-1724). IEEE.

Rainie, L., Smith, A., Schlozman, K. L., Brady, H., & Verba, S. (2012). Social media and political engagement. Pew Internet & American Life Project, 19.

Course Goals Module 1

Course Goals

Early childhood systems are designed to encourage collaboration with various entities in order to focus on particular areas such as pre-K, child care, mental health, or nursery school.   All students need access to affordable and quality education in order to be productive citizens.  It is important to have programs and other services available that address areas such as education, health and mental health.  Early childhood systems are similar to the infrastructure of cities or towns.  It provides the structure and organization needed so that the education of students can be attained and sustained.    Early childhood systems provide the organization that enables parents and concerned educational professionals to coordinate the services so that they can support the development of Pre-K through eight years old (Build Initiative, 2013).    Fostering this development will ensure the success of the child in school and in life.

Early childhood systems generally include plans that have been state or federally approved.  These plans often times are designed to encourage innovation efforts.  State and local governments can indirectly and directly impact the lives of infants and children, along with their families.  The state, local, and district based activities can play an integral part in the policy making that directly affects the lives of students, parents, and the surrounding community.   There are important policies and strategies that can assist states in successfully providing innovative ideas to breed success in students.  Some of the policies might include recommendations for tax increases, collaborative planning and governance that includes an infant through toddler focus, providing coordination of services such as child welfare, and inclusion or a Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). 

Many states use the QRIS to measure and improve the quality of early childhood education programs.  Some states also include a component that provides incentives such as financial support for quality improvements in their programs.  I was not familiar with New York’s QUALITYstarsNY program and Indiana’s Path to QUALITY program (Zellman & Fiene, 2012).  Both of these programs provide incentives for innovations in developing systems for improvements in program quality. 

The three professional goals that will remain constant in my work during this course include:

·         Providing equity in education, mental and physical health, and parental support.

·         Understand the importance of social networks in helping to provide a sense of community for professionals and families.

·         Maintaining authenticity by engaging parents and building partnerships.

These professional goals will help guide my analysis of systems and commitment to understanding how these systems are impacted by public policies, communities, and educators.  These goals will also direct my knowledge of how systems support children and their families.

References

Build Initiative. (2013). Early childhood systems building. Retrieved from
          http://www.buildinitiative.org/TheIssues/SystemsBuilding.aspx

Kagan, S. L., & Kauerz, K. (Eds.). (2012). Early childhood system:           Transforming early learning. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Zellman, G. L., & Fiene, R. (2012). Validation of Quality Rating    and  Improvement Systems for Early Care and Education and School-Age Care. Research-to-Policy, Research-to-Practice Brief. OPRE 2012-29.
 Administration for Children & Families.

 

Final Thought on Influences of Family, Culture, and Society in Early Childhood

Final Thoughts

In taking this course, I have learned much about families, their trauma, how society’s mores affect peoples and traditions.  I can say that my thoughts and ideas have changed.  I am more cognizant of the needs of families and how families’ reactions are based on their culture. In reading the book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, I learned about how cultures are influenced by their communities and some cultures feel that feel that their communities are an extension of the family.  I have also learned from the interactions from many of my peers in class.

I connected with many concepts in the course. Two concepts that I connected with most were interviewing professionals and the challenge topic.  I enjoyed searching for professionals in the field of FASD.  I also enjoyed the interview process.  I was pleased to find Dr. Claire Coles from Emory University and Allison Peters-Whittles of Leslie Care Inc.  They provided me with information and ideas that I personally had not thought about before.  They were very giving and receptive of my question.  I gained considerable knowledge about how to be a social agent for change.

I was not surprised by much of the information; however I was intrigued by microaggressions that affect the lives of people.  I found this topic quite interesting.  Microaggression are defined as verbal or nonverbal slights or insults that can communicate negative or hostile messages that are targeted toward a group of individuals based on their affiliation with an ethnic group or minority. These messages can prove to be impactful and have lingering long term effects on those individuals (Laureate Education, 2011).  Microaggression unfortunately is common in schools.   This can result in an environment that is not conducive to learning and can be quite hostile. 

I think that I would like to continue to investigate FASD.  This is a worthwhile topic.  I would like to continue this study because it continues to intrigue to me.  I find the research and studies fascinating. The area that I find particularly interesting is the research on the brains of FASD children.  Having a science background, I am quite drawn to the physiological aspect of FASD and how the brain reacts after exposure to alcohol.   I would like to continue to explore what pharmacological implementation could possibly neutralize the effects of alcohol in the prenatal infant.    

There are many concepts that can assist in furthering my future aspirations in the early childhood field.  The concepts of studying how cultures and traditions define and sometimes predict the actions of people can contribute to how I view parents.  This has given me a new outlook on the treatment of parents.  Another area that I fell can assist in furthering my aspirations is learning how trauma and stress effects families.  Many times we do not know the chronic stress that many children are exposed to (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  This can cause them to act out in a way that we do not understand.  They may be labeled as a problem child when in actuality they may be reacting from chronic stress. This has brought about a new understanding of the behavior of children.

There are many concepts and materials that have motivated me to become an agent for social change in the area of early childhood education.  What motivates me most is helping people and making their lives better.  I have become more aware in my treatment and understanding of them. This course has helped me become more reflective in my treatment of parents and parents. It has also encouraged me to continue to improve the lives of children by becoming an agent for social change.

 

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Microaggressions in Everyday Life

[Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young

children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the

Education of Young Children

 

 

 

My Interview of a Professional

        In my paper I chose two interviewees that are well-informed in the

 

areas of prenatal alcohol and substance abuse.  They both have vast

 

knowledge in the areas of the effects on fetuses, young children and their

 

parents in FASD and substance abuse.  They possess intricate relational

 

knowledge of the biases and affiliation of families and their culture.  They

 

shared triumphs and struggles that they experienced in working with young

 

children and their families.  Each interviewee provided a brief biography of

 

their work and experience.

 

        During the interview process I was intrigued by the wealth of

 

knowledge possessed by these interesting women.  They were both '

 

excellent conversationalist and shared their knowledge willingly.  They

 

shared their experiences and interactions with various families of FASD

 

children.

 

            My first interviewee is Dr. Claire D. Coles.  Dr. Coles is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.  She is the Director of the Maternal Substance Abuse and Child Development Laboratory and of the Emory Neurobehavioral and Exposure Clinics (ENEC) in the Division of Child Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry.  Her clinic located at Emory Hospital provides specialized services to individuals prenatally exposed to drugs and alcohol. It serves more than 300 new patients a year, providing differential diagnosis and behavior evaluation, referral, psychotherapy and educational services. In the addition to training of professionals in the care of alcohol and drug affected children, the Center initiated  Clinical Research to design and improve interventions for affected individuals and their families, including  the MILE (Math Interactive Learning Experience) program and the GoFAR intervention that supports self –regulation and adaptive functioning  for children 3 to 9 years.

            Dr. Coles has over thirty years of experience in research on the developmental and behavioral effects of prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol and on the interaction of these effects with the postnatal environment began in 1980 and was among the first to describe many behavioral effects of prenatal alcohol exposure in infants, young children and adolescents as well as the effects on brain in young adults. Dr. Coles work has received national and international attention through the publication of numerous articles and books on these topics. In addition, Dr. Coles has served on a number of National Committees and Advisory Boards addressing the problems of families affected by FASD. These have included the Institute of  Medicine’s Committee on FAS , the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effects sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the FAS Work Group, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education, the .   She has been a consultant to the University of California at San Diego, the Research Institute on Addictions, Buffalo, NY, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, Howard University School of Medicine, Washington, DC and the Moscow (Russia) Health District.     Dr. Coles is the mother of two adult children and has three grandsons and one granddaughter.

            They second interviewee is Allison Peters-Whittles.  Ms. Peters-Whittles is Chief Executive Officer of Leslie Care Inc.   Ms. Peters-Whittles has a Master’s in Social Work from .  Her work history involves working for the state of New York as a Social Worker.  There she received extensive knowledge and experience with children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.   She worked with children and parents to improve families and assist in the procuring of services to assist with children with FAS.  Ms. Peters-Whittle also is a foster parent to two children with FAS.  She has extensive knowledge in the struggles and successes in dealing with the difficulites of issues surrounding her foster children’s disabilities. 

            Ms. Peters-Whittles operates Leslie Care Inc. where she offers advice and workshops on the integrations of techniques to improve the life skills of children with FAS.  She promotes social change empowerment for the families of children with FAS. 

          These are questions will delve into the professional views, thoughts,

and outlooks of the interviewees.  The questions were created to develop a

deeper understanding of the needs,  political ramifications, successes in the

field. 

 

Interview Questions

 

1.       How has the dynamics of society impacted how you approach the handling and treatment of children with FASD?

2.      What are some of the positives that you have experienced and that you have influenced in your career?

3.      What would you say is the single most important factor that affects parents the most with their FASD child?

4.      If you could, what would be the type of legislation that would most help communities, parents, and children with FASD?

5.      How has your views changed as far as how the education of FASD children and what could be done right now to improve the education of these children?

Course Project -- Prenatal Risk Factors (Alcoholism and Substance Abuse)

As a science teacher, I have a great interest in the human body.  I am fascinated about how it works and the issues that can cause it not to function properly.  When I first looked at the list of challenges, I found all of them interesting.  There was one that particularly piqued my interest.   It was not difficult to choose the area of prenatal risk factors.  There are many factors that can affect a developing child.  The topic surrounding prenatal risks that I have chosen to explore is prenatal alcohol and substance abuse.  Alcoholism and substance abuse can affect the mother, the delivery process, the unborn fetus and the developing child.

According to Ware et al. (2015) fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a terminology used to describe a host of conditions such as mental, behavioral, physical, or learning problems.  Alcoholism and substance abuse can cause stillborns, low birth rates, or premature births.  There are other complications that may develop.  Fetal alcohol syndrome is the most severe form of  FASD.  This can result if a woman drinks seven or more drinks per week.  Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS is typified by differing levels of craniofacial deformities, impaired pre and postnatal grown,  central nervous systems malformation, and heart defects.  Alcoholism and substance abuse often results in children suffering from many types of learning disabilities. 

There is no safe amount of alcohol or drugs that are appropriate for the unborn child. Prenatal exposure to drugs or alcohol is the most preventable cause of birth defects in newborns. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that 10 out of every 100 pregnant women drink and two out of every 100 binge drink. These numbers startled me. Women who binge drink while pregnant risk lifelong disorders in their child (CDC, 2015). Treatment for alcoholism during this time is warranted.


I believe that working with children who are affected with FASD would prove quite challenging. Meeting the needs of these children takes the work of special education teachers, parent, medical personnel, and the schools.  These individuals must be diligent in their approach to the education and treatments of their specific disorders.  In the past, I have taught many children who have been diagnosed with FASD.  These children require special care so that they can acquire the highest possible quality of life.  There are many problems that the affected child will develop which causes many lifelong developmental and psychological problems.  These problems may consist of neurological and physical issues.

These are some questions that I have concerning FASD and substance abuse.

1. When are how is FASD diagnosed?

2. What substance abuse treatments are best for pregnant women?

3.  What developmental services are best in alcohol and substance abuse treatment?

References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Data and statistics for FASD. Retrieved from
 
          http://www.ede.gov/ncbddd/faasd/data.html

Ware, A. L., O'Brien, J. W., Crocker, N., Deweese, B. N., Roesch, S. C., Coles, C. D., ... & Jones,

          K. L. (2013). The Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity

          Disorder on Psychopathology and Behavior. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental

          Research, 37(3), 507-516.

My Experiences in ECE

          The early childhood education ideas and knowledge that I have gained has influenced what I think about education and how I teach. I have developed principles that have helped me in understanding that each child is distinctive in every aspect. The education of early childhood students plays a fundamental role in the lives of children today. It provides the foundation for each child’s academic future. The NAEYC (n.d.) provides a guideline for early childhood educators to follow. The key professional practices that relate to my current positon as an educator are the ethical responsibilities to all involved. This responsibility calls me to use sound judgment, respect, and integrity in all interactions. This will ensure that each student and colleagues will be held in high deference. The responsibility toward the education of students, their well-being, and their school environment is paramount. Ensuring that students are treated fairly and justly in all aspects of their academic life should be instinctive to a caring and concerned educator.

          As a professional educator and agent of social change, I strive to ensure that there is equity for all students. The diversity, culture, and emotional state of each child must be considered. As an early childhood educator, I strive to assist in helping students become the best that they can be. I will stimulate the academic and emotional well-being of all children (National Association of Educators, 2015). This practice means that I will respect each child and provide them with tools needed to achieve their individual success. I will also take special care in the handling of each individual child. As a practitioner-scholar¸ I must possess the appropriate values and goals that will enable me to be a respected agent for change.

          The aim of early childhood education prior to the 19th century was to nurture children and teach manners and religion (Nutbrown & Clough). Toward the middle of the 19th century, socially and politically conscious people thought that education could be used to develop a more intelligent society. Later, Pestalozzi, Froebel, and Montessori introduced ideas of curriculum development in the regulations of teaching young children. The introduction of curriculum is an excellent example of social change. This social change helps children advocates realize ways to improve the families and world through the betterment in the education of young children. In the early years of education, it was centered on reading, math, and learning through play (Nutbrown & Clough). Play is a necessary and critical part in the early lives of children. As we learned, play not only provides a freedom for children, it also arouses their learning and executive abilities. Play provides a learning environment that enables the child to act out and rehearse what it would be like to be a doctor, fireman, nurse or scientist. With research into this area we are aware that play increases the child’s cognitive ability. This type of play encourages a young child’s ability to be independent and take initiatives (Lahey, 2014).

           Some research based practices that have affected social change could include how Finland changed their entire education system. Finland changed their testing, pre-k, and the way that educators were perceived. This was done in 40 years to become one the best educational systems in the world. Another practice based on research in the perception of literacy and how it increases academic skills in math and reading of early childhood students (Lahey, 2014). There has also been extensive research done in the area of inclusion and how it has increased the skill and knowledge level of exceptional children. We learned about a program situated in the Nickerson projects in California was very instrumental in education of at-risk children. The Nickerson program was extremely effective in its implementation of program and practices. In the teaching and learning area, what made them successful was its implementation of teaching the whole child and it was also focused on its afterschool program. It worked with the nearby elementary schools to support them in their academic and social needs of the children. It was student directed with modified developmentally appropriate practices

          The quality of education and care can be improved by using current research to guide instruction. Educational practitioners adhere to the strict and fair professional codes and practices. The practices dictate the goals and ideals that guide the educator to the success of their students and also for the success of the educators NAEYC (n.d.). The codes and practices guide the professional in ways to govern the treatment of students, parents, colleagues, and the community at large. They also govern the character, integrity, and ethics of educators. These practices ultimately work for the success of the entire educational community. There is also a need to address teacher preparation programs. Families need to be engaged and take stock and ownership of their child education.
     
           As an early childhood educator, I strive to assist in helping students become the best that they can be. I work to stimulate the academic and emotional well-being of all children (National Association of Educators, 2015). This practice means that I will respect each child and provide them with tools needed to achieve their individual success. I will also take special care in the handling of each individual child. I plan on improving the quality of ECE education by staying abreast of the most recent research in education. I can design an action plan that is unique to my school that would address a correctable issue. I would also promote positive outcomes for young children and families by addressing academic problems in my community. As an educator, I can improve my field by continuing to be a practitioner¬-scholar. It is my duty to find areas in education that need improvement and work toward resolving problems that would help enhance the lives of children and their families.

          Areas that I would improve in education would be to work toward universal pre-k. Locally this would improve the test score in Georgia. Currently about 60% of Georgia’s 4 year olds attend preschool. This total does not include students of low income parents (Sidney & Rauschenberg, 2013). Making pre-k available to all 4 year olds nationally would bring about a social change in the way that the US would become globally. Providing universal pre-k would prepare young children for a successful learning career. I must also be committed to the profession. This practice allows me to honor the regulations, and policies that govern the profession. As an educator, I must endeavor to fulfill my requirements to respect it, as well as be deliberate in the representation of my profession (American Association of Educators, 2015).

          In order to maintain the respect of my profession, I must follow all of the ethical codes and practices. I should maintain the dignity of my profession by respecting these codes. I am accountable for my conduct toward practices and codes. All of these issues must be respected as integral components that are needed in order to produce 21st century students. Various methods are incorporated to ensure that the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive needs of all early childhood education children are met to ensure that social change can occur. These practices impact me because they make me aware of what is expected of me as an Educator in the early childhood education field and how I might impact my area of expertise. These global guidelines provide a roadmap of with which to base my ideas and behaviors. These practices will guide me so that I may become a greater educator, colleague, and social change agent. It impacts how I treat my students and parents by making me more cognizant of their needs and how to interact effectively with them. It impacts me because by following these practices and I can become a skill practitioner-scholar resolving to work for social change in all areas of education.

Reference

Association of American Educators. (2015). Code of ethics for educators.  Retrieved from http://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/aboutusa¬code-of-ethics.
 

Lahey, J. (2014) Why free play is the best summer school.  The Atlantic Monthly Group.  Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/06/for-better-schools-Results-clear-the-schools-and-let-kid-play/373194

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Position statements on ethical conduct. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements/ethical_conduct

National Educators Association. (2015). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/Home/304htm

Nutbrown, C., & Clough, P. (2014). Early childhood education: History, philosophy and experience. Sage.

Sidney, S. & Rauschenberg, S. (2013). Georgia pre-k: Investing in Georgia’s four-year-old- students. The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. Retrieved from http://gosa.georgia.gov/georgia-pre-k-investing-goeogia-four-year-old-student