Over the past several years my interest in the
connections between attachment, social-emotional development, and self-regulation
has grown. What I have learned through observations
of children and the information gained in coursework has only fed my interest
and fascination with how each relates to all other areas of development and
growth. I have also had the opportunity
to discuss this subject, observe and mentor both new and seasoned caregivers
and this has led to my chosen topic for this research simulation. I have chosen, “How effective is the training
and professional development program currently being used in the JBER Youth Services
Programs in not only informing caregivers of key concepts of attachment as a
foundation for learning, but preparing them to implement them in their
interactions with children, planning of activities and environment that will
foster and support children’s optimal development and growth?” It is key that early childhood providers have
not only knowledge, but an understanding of the importance to the child and/or
themselves. I feel strongly about this
subject and would like to be able to help facilitate the growth of potentially
good caregivers into high-quality early childhood educators.
As
for the simulation process, I am still having difficulty limiting myself to the
subject at hand. I am finding numerous
articles on subjects that I am very interested in while completing these
assignments. In the past, I would have
printed them all out; but I have learned to scan the abstract and then print
out the abstract page to be able to locate the article later on if it can be of
use. I still prefer to have my resources
on paper rather than saved on my computer so I can write notes, underline and
highlight as I read through them.
Hello Cindy: It seems we are having the similar problem. I also find social and emotional development in children and its causes amazing. For us, teachers is so important to understand the concepts of attachment, self steem, regulation and control. If you need any help let me know
ReplyDeleteHi Ana, Thank you for your comments. I feel strongly that we are not doing our best for our children to set them up for success and then when they are of a certain age, society just sets them free, holds them responsible, and expects them to know everything; regardless of whether society has done their part which is to provide them with all the necessary skills and fundamentals to be able to accomplish all that is expected of them. It would be interesting to see the type of feedback I can get from my research simulation from my place of employment...I'm pretty sure the responses would have quite a range depending upon what position one is in-teacher, trainer, or management. Once again thank you for your comments and support. Cindy Ferguson
DeleteCindy, I am really excited about the topic of research that you have chosen, as I have mentioned before, because there are aspects of what you are researching that I believe could be tied to my research topic. I have been working with project where classroom teachers are given a coach to help them implement a curriculum intended on helping low-income children be better prepared academically for school. The wonderful unintended consequence is that the children's behavior is so much better than before the coach was a part of the classroom. Perhaps some of our findings can help the other as we do our simulations. Carolyn
ReplyDeleteHi Carolyn, Thank you for your comments. I think that teachers will quite often thrive from supportive guidance just as children do. Each of us even as adults have strengths, challenges, and needs and with just a little help every so often as the need arises, we can all be successful and grow-children and adults alike. As I mentioned, many of our providers are new, inexperienced, not trained in the field when they are first hired and depending upon how they are trained,mentored and what they observe around them in the first few weeks and even months has a huge impact upon their potential as a high-quality provider. I'm not sure if most people even think about or realize the impact that being a "military" child can have on children; but they often have a very unique set of circumstances that are a part of their every day lives. Deployments, stress from separations, and stress when the deployed parent returns (of course this can vary depending upon individual circumstances). Our ability as providers to develop be that attachment figure, if the parent has not been able to form one or is having emotional difficulties of their own is critical. I don't mean to infer that this is only with military children, but it is quite a concern with this lifestyle. If a provider doesn't understand the importance of their job and the potential impact they can have on children, then we are doing them a great dis-service. I will be interested in hearing more of your thoughts and sharing what knowledge and resources that we find. Cindy Ferguson
DeleteHi Cindy. I can totally relate with you on limiting yourself to your subtopic only. It's so hard because there is so much information available when you start searching for articles. Like you, I always printed everything I found and now plan to take a closer look for only the "good" stuff. Good luck and I look forward to hearing how it goes.
ReplyDeleteJanet
Hi Janet, Thank you for your comments. I am such a paper person...I like to have it in my hand, be able to hold it and write all my notes on it. Even though, I am trying to cut back on what I print, there is just so much really interesting information out there at our fingertips. I am really pleased with the resources that we are able to access through the library here at Walden. It is getting easier to figure out what I really need and don't with the help from the learning resources and assignments so far in this class, don't you think? Once again thank you for your comments and I look forward to hearing from you over the next several weeks. Cindy Ferguson
DeleteHi Cindy, this is an interesting topic you chose. As an educator and parent the topic hits home for me. While I do not have any material for you at the moment, I will definitely pass along to you what I came across on the topic.
ReplyDeleteFenny
Hi Fenny, Thank you for your comments. I feel very passionate about the topic myself. My interest has grown over the years and it is fascinating how it all is so relevant to all areas of growth and development. As educators it is our responsibility to do the best we can for the children in our care and that starts with us having the knowledge and applying it in the classroom with our children and sharing it with our co-workers and families. Once again, thank you for your comments and I look forward to getting to know more about you and hearing your thoughts over the next few weeks. Cindy Ferguson
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