Part 1: Introduction

Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) are regulated professionals who support child development in a play-based environment (College of Early Childhood Educators, 2018). There are many skills required to be an Early Childhood Educator, including diplomacy, research, writing and collaboration. These skills are developed in the Communications 202 class at Fleming College.

Diplomacy, research, writing and collaboration are all important skills for Early Childhood Educators to have. Diplomacy is essential when speaking with parents about sensitive information or providing them with advice about their child’s development. Communications 202 students studied discourse communities. Learning about discourse communities supports diplomacy because students can understand that people are from many different communities and walks of life. To serve them best, we need to understand their communities and perspective.

Research is important in the Early Childhood Education field because ECEs need to know the current scientific research that can be applied to support children’s learning. Communication 202 teaches students how to critically analyze sources to ensure that the information provided is reliable and accurate.

Another important skill that Communications 202 teaches students is how to improve their writing. This is important because Early Childhood Educators need to write documentation and create learning stories for the families. Throughout this course my writing has improved. For example, when writing my blogs, I had a few grammar and spelling errors but overall my writing was “enthusiastic and engaging” (Shields, 2018, Personal Communication).

Finally, Communication 202 also teaches students the importance of collaboration. This is essential in the early learning field because ECEs rarely work alone. Early Childhood Educators need to collaborate with their colleagues in order document the children’s theories and to provide the best care for the children.

Each of the following writing samples demonstrate the skills that I have gained or improved on throughout this semester. Every section of writing will have a brief explanation as to how is demonstrates those skills, the rationale to why this piece was chosen and how it relates to the early learning field.

Part 2: Writing Samples

Sample #1 Introduction.

The first showcased writing sample is from the Discourse Community Analysis assignment. The lesson on discourse communities taught me skills to be sensitive to people with different perspectives. It also taught me the rules of engaging with the Early Childhood Education community and interview skills because I needed to interview an expert in the field.

Sample #1

For this report, I have interviewed two professionals: Mary Marsh (not her real name) works with children but is not a registered ECE, while Sarah MacDonald is a registered ECE. Mary Marsh has been working with children for about one year and Sarah MacDonald has been an ECE since 2015.

When asked about her goals, Sarah MacDonald said supporting the development of the children she worked with. Mary Marsh also said her goal was to “support children to develop to the best of their abilities…” (Mary Marsh, Personal Communication, 2018). Both women had similar goals, which is one of Swales Criteria for a discourse community (COMM202 – Communications II, 2018, para 1).

One question was about different types of communication in the workplace. Mary Marsh was not very sure about how to answer this question. She said that sometimes the staff communicates with parents using apps like StoryPark. Sarah MacDonald mentioned that in her center “…we don’t really use ECE specific jargon. But we do have a communication book that we use to relay specific messages, such as parent/guardian requests, early pick up’s, things like that.” (Sarah MacDonald, Personal Communication, 2018). This demonstrates that ECEs have specific genres of communication. Having specific genres of communication is a criteria of Swales discourse community (COMM202 – Communications II, 2018, para 4).

References:

COMM202 – Communications II, (2018, Oct 1) Retrieved from Fleming College, Desire2Learn: https://fleming.desire2learn.com/d2l/le/content/91019/viewContent/1011850/View

COMM202–Communications II. (2018, Oct 1). Retrieved from Fleming College, Desire2Learn: https://fleming.desire2learn.com/d2l/le/content/91019/viewContent/1011869/View

Sample #2 Introduction

The second showcased writing sample if from the Virtual Child assignment in Child Development. For this assignment I had to raise my virtual child, Amy Fleming Perdue, and see how my parenting decisions (and genetics) influence my child’s development. After I raised Amy, I had to do research and answer questions based on what we learned. Finding answers to the question in the textbook demonstrates my research skills.

Sample #2

Amy’s development might have been different if she was raised by people of a different socioeconomic status or who were from a different culture. If Amy grew up in a different culture that may influence the parenting style of her parents (Kail & Zolner, 2018, p. 261). I try to raise Amy with a high level of warmth and a high level of control. When the preschool development specialist told me that I was average for warmth I intentionally started making parenting choices that increased my level of warmth towards Amy (without losing the high level of control). However, if Amy was in a different culture the parents may have a different parenting style which may have influenced the person Amy became (Kail & Zolner, 2018, p. 261). Secondly, Amy’s life would have turned out differently if we were in a different socioeconomic status. For example, if we were food insecure then Amy may have ended up malnourished and have experienced brain damage as a result of her situation (Kail & Zolner, 2018, p. 107). This may have caused her to be less intelligent, become listless, inactive and easily distractible (Kail & Zolner, 2018, p. 107). It is upsetting that children in real life suffer from extreme poverty that has a permanent impact on their development.

References:

Kail & Zolner (2018) Children: A Chronological Approach. Pearson Canada Inc: Don Mills, ON

Sample #3 Introduction

The third sample of demonstrates my writing ability. Although it is still not perfect, my writing has improved since taking Communications 202. Throughout this course I had to blog about a hobby that I was learning. Having to write regularly has improved my skills.

Sample #3

I will discuss how conflict was resolved when I was in my high school concert and jazz band. For most of concert and jazz band I played the timpani and auxiliary percussion and sometimes the drum kit. I would also occasionally play the glockenspiel and the piano. During band practice there would sometimes be mild conflict in the group.

Usually the conflicts would be about song choices or the order of songs for a concert. These conflicts were usually easily resolved because our amazing music teacher (and conductor) would support our conflict resolution skills. Although she could have taken over and just chose the songs herself, she empowered us to make our own song choices.

Usually to resolve conflict we would have a rule that no matter what was decided we were a band and would maintain our friendships with no hard feelings or bitterness. The second rule of resolving band conflict was that everyone could be creative, and their song choices respected (even if they were not chosen). The third rule was that we would all have a discussion and talk about the pros and cons of each song choice. The fourth and final rule was that the majority ruled. Since the band had about twenty people the decision was usually made by a vote. However, out of respect for the minority vote their song choices would be played next time. If there was a tie the teacher would have the final decision. However, this was rare because most of the conflict was resolved through discussion before a vote was ever needed.

Sample #4 Introduction.

Communication 202 allowed me to practice collaborative writing in the Trend Analysis Assignment. This is different from regular group writing because every team member had to collaborate to create, edit and provide feedback on the whole assignment instead of breaking it into little bits. This process has improved my teamwork skills because I had to incorporate other people’s ideas into my work and accept constructive feedback. This is important in my field of study because Early Childhood Education is team-based work.

Sample #4

The purpose of this report is to analyze a trend that is influencing the Early Childhood Education profession. The trend that is specifically being examined is technology in the early childhood classroom. The scope of this report is limited to Ontario, Canada since Early Childhood Education is provincially regulated. However, some data is based on American research due to the limited availability of Canadian scholarly sources. Access to technology has been increasing rapidly in the last few decades (Pew Research Center, 2018). This may be a contributing factor to the phenomenon of technology integration in Early Childhood Education.

Technology in the classroom has been shown to influence the careers of Early Childhood Educators, as well as children’s learning and literacy and parents’ level of engagement. McManis and Gunnewig (2012) talk about how technology has not only influenced the children’s learning but the educators’ learning as well. They delve into how educators are incorporating technology into their learning plans and how to best support the children in their care. In Ontario, skills in educational technology are valued by Early Childhood Education professionals (LinkedIn, 2018). Therefore, it is important for new professionals to gain these skills to better prepare for their future career in early learning classrooms.

References:

LinkedIn Corporation (2018) Early Childhood Educator. Retrieved from:

https://www.linkedin.com/title/early-childhood-educator

McManis, L. D., & Gunnewing, S. B. (2012). Finding the Education in Educational Technology with Early Learners. Young Children. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ981646

Pew Research Center (2018) Broadband vs Dial-up Adoption Over Time. Retrieved

from: http://www.pewinternet.org/three-technology-revolutions/

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

College of Early Childhood Educators (2018) About RECEs. College of Early Childhood Educators. Retrieved from: https://www.college-ece.ca/en/Public/about-reces

 

 

By: Emily Perdue

For my final Communication level two blog post I am to write about a leader in the piano community. At first, I considered choosing an obvious historical figure such as  Beethoven or a relatively more modern piano player such as Paul McCartney. But then I decided to pick one that has been more influential in my recent return to the piano. His name is Andrew Furmanczyk and he is my online piano teacher.

One of the requirements of this post is that I know a lot about the person I am writing about. However, to be honest I do not know very much about Furmanczyk. I only know the limited information that he provides about himself in his videos and I have never met him in person. Despite my little knowledge of him personally I would still call him a current leader in the piano community. There are a few reasons I would call him a leader.

The first reason that Andrew Furmanczyk is a leader in the piano community is because he makes the piano accessible. Right now, I cannot afford lessons in-person or otherwise. I love music and I want to tune my piano skills. However, because I am a college student on a tight budget lessons are not possible right now. Furmanczyk believes that everyone should have the chance to learn the piano (Furmanczyk, 2008). This altruism demonstrates that he is a leader in the community. Secondly, his excellent teaching skills shoes that he is a leader. Furmanczyk encourages his viewers to practice and he provides different mnemonics and stories to help with remembering different keys on the piano and how to play them (Furmanczyk, 2008). He has many different lessons available that progress by difficulty (Furmanczyk, 2008). All these traits are valuable in a teacher. Therefore, Andrew Furmanczyk’s teaching skills make him standout as a leader in the community.

 

In summary, Andrew Furmanczyk’s altruistic effort to make the piano lessons universally available and his strong teaching skills make him a modern leader in the piano community. Although I have never met him in person he appears to be a reputable leader in the piano playing community.

 

References:

Furmanczyk, A. [Andrew Furmanczyk] (2008, July 10th) How to Play Piano: The basics, piano lesson #1 [Video File] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.co/watch?v=vphWgqbF-AM

 

For my third Communications II blog I am to write about how a trend may impact my discourse community. I have chosen to write about how technological advances (specifically the internet) has influenced piano players.

Technology has come a long way in the last few years. Specifically, the internet and how it is used has had a huge impact on our society. Can you imagine, what society was like before international leaders could Tweet? I personally can’t since I was only twelve when twitter was invented and I am pretty sure my family was still using dial-up (BBC, 2016). The internet has clearly changed in the last twenty years which has far-reaching effects on our world. It also effects how people learn the piano.

When I was a child and I wanted to learn the piano, I had to sign up for hourly lessons once a week and receive homework sheets to learn scales and notes. I would also practice for hours when I was not at my weekly lesson. Now that I am relearning the piano all I need to do is go on to my phone or laptop and look at the latest tutorials on Youtube or search for sheet music. Any tutorials I follow are self-paced and I can practice as little or as often as I want. This method has suites me because I cannot afford to take piano lessons with a real instructor right now. However, in the future that may change. Because the internet is so widely available in Canada anyone can go online and learn the basics of the piano for free. This is very positive because low-income families can still participate in musical activities. Another positive side to technology is that learners can focus on songs and genres they are interested in instead of having to follow the songs and genres that the teacher teaches.

However, not all the impacts of technology are positive. The negative aspect of learning fully online is that the human interaction of having an instructor to provide constructive criticism is missing. Because I do not have an instructor I could also be playing the piano incorrectly and not know. This is a limitation as well because it limits my ability to improve through feedback. Finally, without an instructor I cannot feel the same sense of shared pride from my successes. It is rewarding to play a song accurately and to get recognized for your hard work and to share that success with your instructor (who has been working just as hard to teach you). This is a big loss for piano players who are learning by themselves. For better or worse technology impacts everything.

 

References:

BBC (Mar 21, 2016) We look back at famous first tweets as Twitter turns 10. Retrieved

from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/35857514/we-look-back-at-famous-first-

tweets-as-twitter-turns-10

It is my job as a (hopefully) future early childhood educator to support all children in their learning and development. In order to do this best, I need to learn how to effectively develop partnerships with families. Partnerships and relationships are similar but not completely the same. According to the Australian Early Childhood Mental Health Initiative “relationships turn into partnerships when the people involved share a common goal, for example supporting the mental health and well-being of children, and share the responsibility when reaching that goal.” (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, n.d.). This demonstrates that to build a partnership with families I need to have a clear understanding of what the family wants for their child and then ensure that I can support the family and child in meeting that goal. However, this is a very general approach. All families are unique and have different needs. This means that I will need to consider each family as an individual when I am building partnerships.

Families in Canada are very diverse and so a cookie-cutter approach to building relationships and partnerships will not work for every family. In my Partnering with Families class we read an article called Todays Families: Who we are and why does it matter? This article had interview transcripts from many diverse families (King & Haugen, 2013). These quotes included helpful information about how to make families feel welcomed and celebrated in childcare programs (King & Haugen, 2013). Throughout this blog I will be taking some of those recommendations and reflecting on them. I will also be brainstorming practical ways to use the families’ advice in my practice as a (hopefully) future early childhood educator.

The first and most commonly mentioned recommendation for educators by the families was to get to know each person in the family as an individual (King & Haugen, 2013). I personally believe this is fairly easy for educators to do if they try to communicate with the families regularly. The second recommendation that was mentioned most frequently was to not assume you already know everything about the family just because of the family or family member(s) makeup, culture, adoption, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, ability, income, race(s), ethnicity or background (King & Haugen, 2013). I know this sounds very straight-forward and easy to do. However, I am sure everyone has some kind of bias that they need to learn to overcome to actually fulfill this recommendation. That is why reflecting is so important in early childhood education! If we reflect we can bring our unconscious biases to light and overcome them instead of burying them and letting them fester until they subtly or not-so-subtly make families feel unwelcome or unvalued. A final recommendation was to make sure our classroom materials reflect the children and families we serve (King & Haugen, 2012). For example, if none of the books represent the children who are in the program they may be made to feel uncomfortable, left out or unimportant. Children should be confident in who they are and proud to be a part of their family. Having educational materials that support their sense of self and represent their families helps normalize their experience and can increase feelings of inclusion (King & Haugen, 2013).

To end this blog, I will leave an inspiring quote I found from another Government of Australia article with recommendations for educators when working with culturally diverse families. It says that: “When early childhood educators respect the diversity of families and communities, and the aspirations they hold for children, they are able to foster children’s motivation to learn and reinforce their sense of themselves as competent learners.” (Government of Australia: Department of Health, 2018). Although, I will not be practicing early childhood education in Australia I found this quote inspiring. I believe this is should be something all early childhood educators strive for.

 

References:

Government of Australia (n.d.) Building Partnerships Between Families and Early Childhood Staff. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved from: https://fleming.desire2learn.com/d2l/le/content/90460/viewContent/983670/View?ou=90460

Government of Australia (2018) Cultural Diversity: Suggestions for families and educators. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved from: https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/early-childhood/about-social-development/about-welcoming-cultural-diversity/cultural-diversity

King & Haugen (2013) Today’s Families: Who we are and why does it matter? Exchange Press Inc. Retrieved from: https://fleming.desire2learn.com/d2l/le/content/90460/viewContent/983668/View

 

 

My name is Emily and I am writing this blog for my Communications Level Two class. I am very excited about this assignment for two reasons. The first reason I am excited is because I love writing. That being said I prefer writing fiction so this experience of writing about actual events is new to me. If my audience would like to provide feedback on my writing style that would be very much appreciated! The second reason I am excited about this assignment is because it is motivating. I have not touched a piano or keyboard in over six years (and even then is was briefly as I usually played percussion). So I am excited to have a reason to use the keyboard again and to gain new skills by joining a community of other instrumentalists that I can learn from! Now, since writing this post is actually an assignment I should actually spend some time creating the content that I need to create to receive a good grade. Without further delay here is some information about my discourse community!

The community I have chosen to write about is piano players. I may actually broaden this to musical instrumentalists (because the music community includes more than just pianists).  This community is very diverse and it’s traits varies by group. For example when I was in high school concert and jazz band (as a percussionist) we had a very different subculture than say, someone studying their Royal Conservatory in piano. However the love for musical arts units us all. I also think valuing practice and hard work is also important. In band we had to practice a lot. I remember most of my lunch hours involved eating quickly (in the music room) while talking to my fellow “band-nerds” about the latest songs and then spending the rest of the time practicing them. Hard-work is valued in the music community.

Since I am actually just rejoining this community of musicians my role is not yet established. I remember vaguely how to read music, however, I am sure I lost my skill in site reading. (The skill to play the piece while reading it for the first time.) Since I do have to explain my role in this community for the sake of my assignment I will say that I am a mentee. Although I do not have a role model yet to mentor me I plan on finding one. Since I am new I am a learner in this community. I also hope to find an online community of people who have more experience playing the piano than me so that I can get advice from them. If there are also any local bands I would love to join in order just to gain some more skills. I may also find a piano teacher if my budget allows me to. Meanwhile I am just going to review basic notes, practice playing them and take joy in the fact that I am rejoining my old community.

Finally, I am supposed to share what draws me to this community. I feel like that is almost indescribable. How can one explain the joy in ones soul that you get from hearing an amazing piece? The draw I feel towards music is intrinsic. Music is something that is shared in all cultures for a reason! Finally, I also love the thrill of playing a complicated piece correctly (after hours of struggle). The thrill of success is amazing! Finally, I enjoy the learning new skills. Learning is fun, especially when it involves music!

By: Emily

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton