Jessica Balsom
January 10, 2011
Review on “How Early Experiences Affect Brain Development”.
This article was interesting to me as I begin to form a belief about whether early entry for children into the school system is truly necessary at the young age of 3. I have been challenged by this question for some time and have been introduced to many subjects that provide support for both sides. The article describes the importance of providing stimulating and nurturing environments for children during their early years. I felt that the information that it shared about the brain during this time provided solid evidence supporting the need for ECDP classrooms.
The article describes how the brain “prunes.” I think that this metaphor provides a good visual for explaining how the neurons in the brain need to be used and ignited continuously so that they don’t become stagnant and make learning more difficult in the future. At birth there are 1000 trillion synapses, ones that are used and stimulated remain in the brain and ones that are not activated “prune” away. This helps to rake through and keep synapses that have a purpose. The article states that “the brain operates on the "use it or lose it" rule, an "over-pruning" of these connections can occur when a child is deprived of normally expected experiences in the early years. This leaves the child struggling to do what would have come more naturally otherwise” (Hawley, 2000, p.3). We need to provide chances for young children to use their purposeful neurons during the early years so that they will be better prepared for learning throughout their lives.
The article that I reviewed had a great deal of information about the effects of abuse and neglect on the development of children and how this effects children from infancy to the early school years. I have a personal interest in the effects of neglect on children as they go through school because I have spent the last several years working with children who’s needs as children were not met. Many of them were suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) and other anxiety issues stemming from neglect. These children who suffered at a young age have been greatly affected in the school careers that started as early as Kindergarten and lasting throughout high school. The children suffer because they were never taught proper ways for interacting and building relationships as well as many other strategies that help them control and regulate emotions. When they were neglected the neurons in their brains that dealt with these areas of their life were probably not activated and as a result began to prune away. Because they have already been deactivated in the brain, it provides teachers with a challenge to teach them these early abilities at a later age.
Many (not all) of these children also came from low SES families. The article discusses that families like these need to be supported and given funding to provide quality care for their children. An Early Childhood Development Program (ECDP) provides a rich example that will allow the children to be exposed to stimulating environments at the most critical time in their development. ECDP (in Fort McMurray and a few other places in Canada) are included in the public school system and funded by Alberta Education. This allows parents to provide quality care for their children at no cost. Instead of sending their children to a day care that may not provide quality care their children can be enrolled in early entry schooling that will prepare them for their next 13 years in school. Children are often placed in daycare centers that do not have professionals trained in children’s development. ECDP classrooms in schools are designed with professional teachers often with four to six years of education specifically designed around early development.
As these types of programs become more common throughout the country, parents will continue to be better educated on the types of early experiences that will be most beneficial for their children. I think that because early childhood is such a vital time for brain development to be encouraged, ECDP classrooms will begin gaining importance in the school system.
Reference
Hawley, T. (2000). How early experiences affect brain development. From Ounce of Prevention Fund; Chicago, Illinois. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review Two Review of Inclusive, safe and caring schools: Connecting factors
I chose to do a review on this article because it is one that had been sent to me by an administrator of the Fort McMurray Public School District before I had moved up. It is also an important topic for all teachers to be constantly reminded of and something that we will be talking about this semester. The article describes how teachers are required to include all students with special and diverse needs in their classrooms, but struggle with receiving support in the implementation of this. The article gives two reasons why this study is of relevance to teachers; [they] are “confronted daily by student diversity, school safety needs, and within a host of other provincially mandated policies” and “how government policy is implemented at the school level” (Sautner, p. 139).
Having inclusive, safe and caring schools is what teachers in Alberta are required to achieve, but a study by the Alberta Teachers Association found that in order for this to be achieved, teachers need to be able to envision what inclusive, safe and caring means. In the article, the researchers studied four average schools in the Fort McMurray area by interviewing teachers and observing systems within the school.
The research found that the most effective way of ensuring that teachers are committed to having inclusive, safe and caring schools is having a direct mission statement designed by the staff. When the staff was part of forming a mission statement for the school, they became very involved in believing and fulfilling the purpose of the mission. When the teachers feel a sense of ownership over their schools policies this attitude is more likely to exist in their students.
I have found this to be true in many of my experiences in the classroom. The things that are meaningful and in line with my beliefs- I am passionate about in my teaching. This type of genuine interest is what captures students attention and engages them in their learning. So, if teachers are passionate about what it means to have a safe and caring school their students will be constantly reminded and encouraged to treat others in a safe and caring way. Teachers that form policies such as this in their school are more likely to form lessons and directly teach positive behaviours for interactions in the classroom.
The study also found that these teachers that were included in the process were more inclined to develop practice that was more inclusive for the diverse needs of children. Their students were more included in their learning and the teachers were more responsive to the needs of their students (Sautner, p.149). If the school has a focus on this in their mission they are more likely to include plans for how inclusive practice looks in their professional development and their school meetings. The article said that teachers at these schools said that time for them to meet and share ideas was a productive way for teachers to promote inclusive practice in their school. When the school focuses on inclusive education in this way they are also more likely to delegate funding and support to implementing this in the classroom. This might mean that more money can go to educational assistants and programs that will help to integrate and provide purposeful education to all students.
Clearly, with the huge focus on inclusive, safe and caring schools teachers in Fort McMurray and Alberta need to align themselves with the different ways that they can concentrate on this in their practice. Some schools that we may be working in may not be as inclusive to teachers in the design of their policies and so it is our responsibility as individuals to prepare for what this will look like in our classroom. Fort McMurray has a diverse population with many families moving here for several years from different places in Canada and the world. This is something that teachers need to be very aware of when considering how they can expand to meet their students needs and be inclusive and aware of the differences.
Reference
Sautner, B. (2008). Inclusive, safe and caring schools: Connecting factors Developmental Disabilities Bulletin, 36 (1 & 2).
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Review Three
Review of Teachers Narratives of Fort McMurray
This article is written by a new teacher who, like me, came from southern Alberta to do his practicum experience in Fort McMurray. He provides a very clear and somewhat whitty description of what life is like in Fort McMurray, in a geographical sense as well as a new teacher and new member of the community. It was so intriguing to read his story and hear the descriptions of teachers who came here for a short time to make some money, and then planned on moving elsewhere but became so connected to the community that leaving became difficult.
His story shares some interesting insight into some questions that I have been asked by peers and friends in the community. He discusses the common question, “why teach?” Especially here, with an abundance of jobs offered to people with no education and often paying double or more a teachers salary. The teachers in his research all describe a sense of dedication to children and support for the value of education that I have felt I understand, but most around me here do not.
In agreement with one of the teachers he interviewed he discussed a very clear idea about the levels of a teachers being that spoke to me. The seem to be like this:
- The outermost layer: this is the layer that performs required things such as delivering the pre-packaged curriculum.
- The second layer: levels of understanding, roles and behaviours that are inherent and expected to be modelled by teachers
- The innermost layer: the way of living and being as a teacher is integrated into who you are as a person and how this is reflected into the community. (Harper, p.6)
As I finish of my teaching degree, I can understand how you “become a teacher,” we don't say that we have a degree in teaching, we say that we are teachers. The innermost layer that he describes speaks to the level of understanding that teachers have that we have a responsibility to children and to our community to teach and carry this throughout our lives.
I found it interesting that as each of the five teachers answered Harper's research question of “why teach in Fort McMurray” the common theme was support within the teaching community as well as the close relation to nature and the ability to experience wildlife and the outdoor in ways that an urban centre do not. It was quite inspiring to me to read about teachers accounts of first starting out with the plan to spend a few years here to gain experience and then go back home to.. wherever. This is exactly what I have been telling people as they always question why I would want to live here. It seems to be a common way for people to describe themselves up here, “Im only here for the next 5 years...” My question is why do people (myself included) feel that they have to defend their choice to live up here so much? I suppose as I continue to experience the environment a little bit more I will be able to describe a reason for wanting to teach here in a more encouraging manner.
The author of this was after a few years of teaching a young principle who often interviewed new teachers and had to question not only their teaching skills but their ability to understand and survive in northern living situations. The camaraderie that he speaks of in his article is something I have hope to find amongst teachers who seem to understand that we are all in the same boat, suffering from periods of -40 degree weather and endless weeks of indoor recesses. The sense of community that he describes will be helpful in becoming accustomed to northern living for myself and other new teachers.
Reference
Harper, B. (1991). Teachers narratives of Fort McMurray. Retrieved January 1, 2012 from https://www.uleth.ca/dspace/bitstream/handle/10133/900/Harper_Brian.pdf?sequence=1
