It's amazing how once you began really exploring information Internationally, you find that there are more commonalities in what we are attempting to achieve, versus differences. For instance, the website for Early Childhood Australia (
www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/ ) contains many components similar to those on creditable United States Early Childhood Education websites such as the Children's Defense Fund and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). There are established Standards, Code of Ethics, Newsletters, opportunity to for Memberships and Donations, various resources, etc. for visitors of the website who seek information.
As it relates to some of the hot topics being researched in Australia, the following items are being investigated;
- Diversity and Differences:Lightening the Spirit of Identity
- Understanding Children's Feelings
- Aggression and Young Children
- Nurturing the Spiritual Child: Compassion, Connection, and a Sense of Self
At a second glance, these are some of the exact same topics that all researchers are interested in learning more about in the field of Early Childhood Education and Child Development regardless of where they reside. As I have stated before, what a wondrous thought of what we could accomplished for the betterment of children if we (the world) all worked together.
I also used the same site to investigate what the concerns are internationally. I am pleased to know that we here in the U.S. have the same concern as other countries. NAEYC is a wonderful organizations to keep all of those who are in ECE in touch with each other.
ReplyDeleteDantaya,
ReplyDeleteYou observations are similar to what I had when I studied the Sub Saharan Africa website. All over the world, we are all studying some of the same aspects of early childhood. It would be beneficial if we could all work together. However it is reassuring that we are all concerned about the same thing: the well being and development of children, our future. I would love to have the time to sit down and read research around the world and see what factors influence children. We all have the same struggles and issues but they present themselves in different ways. Since this is true and everyone is conducting their own research, we are getting a better picture of early childhood in the context that we live in. What do you think?
Myra