Ktantanim Balev

The focus of my blog today will be my reaction to the podcast of Angela Watson: Engagement, Excellence,& equity: A conversion with Regie Routman. https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/engagement-excellence-equity-conversation-regie-routman/ The podcast focuses on three major issues: Engagement, excellence, and equity. Regie Routman shares her experience of working with children and provide ideas on how to promote these issues. For instance, in terms of Engagement creating an authentic classroom where teachers are encouraged to share stories about themselves in order to encourage the students to talk about their feelings and experiences in order to create authenticity in the classroom. Also, teachers should highlight their student’s successes and focus on their accomplishments. In addition, in terms of Equity , Regie Routman highlights the fact that curriculum should challenge students and teachers should treat their students as “intelligent”. Regie Routm...

This week I read articles about how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support positive social change through the early childhood field. I educated myself with the essential researches that are done in the field of Early childhood to explain the vital role of qualified early childhood programs on young children and the lasting effect on their lives. I am aware of the way economists and politicians support early childhood programs, as a source of investment that brings back to society. The knowledge I gained this week, triggered my wishes to focus my research on advocacy. When I think of my goals in terms of professional development, I feel that the area I need to explore, and gain proficiency is Advocacy. This week’s learning material highlighted the need of educating myself with policymaking, in order to be directly involved in supporting positive change through our field. Personally, when I explore advocacy, I think of a challenge and a responsibility at once. It is our dut...

We as professional educators believe in equitable teaching and advocate for equality. All children and their families should be respected and valued regardless of their socio-economic status. I chose to listen to the podcast "Busting Myths about children of poverty", By Bradley Scott, Ph.D., and Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed. The first point that the speakers raised was that teachers and people look at poverty like a condition rather than a state people are currently experiencing. This view leads them to experience some unaware assumptions about children from low-income families and their families. For instance, teachers constantly link some inappropriate behavior of their students to the fact that they came from lower-income families. Also, the speaker offered a few suggestions on how to address an inclusive classroom. For instance, teachers should respect the differences, address each student with an equitable response, and respect the home experience and challenges, each child...

I chose to focus on the web site NAEYC.org. The latest issue focuses on supporting the emotional development of young children as they face crisis events and trauma. I feel that during the current unstable time, as we all face the challenges of the COVID 19 Pandemic, there are tremendous uncertainties and changes in every family. These articles will be a valuable resource. In addition, there are a few articles that focus on promoting early literacy in preschools. furthermore, since I am a member of NAEYC, I have wider access to many resources at the NAEYC websites that are dedicated to subscribers only. This is a great benefit, as I have access to the whole magazines and articles versus having access to selected articles only. As I was browsing the list of articles, one article, in particular, caught my attention as it relates to diversity: “Our Proud heritage. Understanding children’s Sense of Identity” The Life and the Work of Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark (1917-1983). Dr. M.P. Clark’s res...

Since Inclusion is my passion, and I did not have previous experience in searching the web for podcasts, I decided to devote my first experience in refining my big search of “Podcasts in topics of Early childhood Education to - Inclusion.” I found This website: https://www.inclusivechildcare.org/podcast-inclusion-matters/inclusion-part-1-foundation-our-practice This podcast originated from the Center of Inclusive Childcare and is the first of many short podcast that focuses on suggestions of setting an inclusive environment. Some of the ideas presented were : To acknowledge the differences openly with the children and stressing that children are more alike than different and, modeling a sense of belonging and appropriate behavior. Also, there are many ways to do the same things, and every one of them is right and accepted, for instance, certain communication skills could be verbal and nonverbal. I loved the fact that the teachers shared these ideas from two different perspectives and...