Going Further

I have signed up for NAEYC’s Teaching Young Children and Young Children.

Both journals provide research based articles which address current early childhood topics and their main focus is the education of children from birth to 3^rd grade.

This month Young Children features ‘Global Practices that Inform and Inspire’.

Considering our current topic of discussion, I wish I had read Young Children earlier because it considers how demographics influence EC around the world. In addition to call our attention to adapt our practices, rather than transferring, to the context of a determined local. I particularly enjoyed reading Larie R. Noe’s article about shifting our mindsets regarding developmentally appropriate practice. She discusses the importance of considering not only child development but  also the cultural aspects the child is embedded.  She visited schools, spoke to educators in countries such as Peru, Hongkong, South Africa, Sweden, etc.

She validated these diverse practices and inquired into how to use them at home, USA. However, she explains that more important than copying a practice is to reflect on how a determine practice reflects and celebrate the local culture and mindset. She suggests that rather than copying best practices EC educators should be inspired by those practices and strive to provide relevant and engaging experiences.
This article helped my understand that one practice is not better than another and the context must be taken into consideration. 

http://www.naeyc.org/yc/