There are many topics in early childhood that I would love to research further in order to expand my knowledge base. So when it came to picking only one topic to focus on during these upcoming weeks, coming to a decision was a challenge for me. I chose the topic of assessments in early childhood. Assessments are crucial for the educational success of children. It is so important for educators to realize the reality of assessments inside the classroom and why they are so important. Breaking this topic into three subtopics was hard because there are so many things you can focus on regarding assessments, such as the methods used, the correct tools to chose, and how often do you assess. What I eventually came up with was the uses of assessments in early childhood programs, the challenges educators face when assessing young children, and the importance of involving parents in the assessment process.
I am a huge advocate in parent involvement for the success of a child. I have worked in many different areas of early childhood such as curriculum supervisor, teacher and director, and in all my positions I have worked to involve parents in the classroom. I have observed such a positive reaction from students when they see their moms and dads actively engaged in their education. So with choosing a topic to focus on throughout this course, learning more about parent involvement in the assessment process stood out to me the most. Even though I have observed positive results from parent involvement in the classroom in general, involvement at the assessment level is something that is unfamiliar to me.
Right now I have reservations about myself and researching. This is something I am not too familiar with but am very interested in someday mastering. I know properly learning how to research will help me in my future journey in early childhood, although I have to admit it is a bit scary to me. In my mind there are many places throughout the research process where it can go wrong for me. I want to be successful and am hoping that I will learn a lot from my colleagues throughout the next few weeks.
Is there anyone else that has reservations or is it just me?
Does anyone prefer one search engine over another when looking for articles?...sometimes I have trouble when using Walden Library instead of just a google search.
Any good advice for handling the research process for the first time?
I am so glad to see that you have reservations as well. Walden's library has always been a challenge to me, but I sometimes wonder if it is because I am just so comfortable with using Google Scholar. This is a site that I visit often when researching and the only issues that I have come across there is a site that wants a payment to allow you to have access to their information. However, for the most part I have been able to find very useful information.
ReplyDeleteKristen I understand what you saying. If it was up to me I would Google everything. This APA style and Walden Library is a task within it's self.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post and can relate to the challenges of using Walden's library. Like Samantha I am very comfortable using Google Scholar, personally I find it more user friendly. Also, I am an advocate as well when it comes to parent playing a very imparative role in their child's education and development.
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