Reflection

Through the last 16 weeks, the resources were eye-opener! There is no specific resources to proclaim as one eye-opening information.  I crossed multiple resources on various topics that are equally important in promoting high quality early childhood education. What motivate me was discovering the co-enrollment model.

Co-enrollment model has a lot of potential in changing how we include or exclude the children with hearing losses within the early childhood education programs. Although this concept is relatively new, it provokes many thoughts such as will parents accept this idea, will early childhood education professionals be willing to take professional development courses or training to provide the resources in co-enrollment model classroom or program, and many more. Co-enrollment model, to me, is like an utopia that becomes a reality. My vision is to encourage social acceptance for all children and for high quality education being available for children with hearing losses, CODAs, and others who benefit from American Sign Language (ASL).  

I inserted two images of my family and son, because we represent all of the parents across the communities in the United States and even across the world. We are parents who care and want the best for our son, who happens to be CODA (child of deaf adults). We make the educational choices for our children and that is always a challenging, especially ensuring that the programs offer high quality educators, high quality program, and many other available resources to support our child in developing skills, and master different tasks throughout the school years. 

It has been a pleasure to be here and to share all exciting and dumbfounding information! 

Mind-blowing Co-enrollment classrooms in regular education setting

Co-enrollment classrooms in regular education setting is new and begins to become contagious across the country. This is an innovative approach to partner the young children from different cultures and languages.

Co-enrollment program offers:

• co teachers
• opportunity to build friendship with peers who grow up in Deaf culture and speak in American Sign Language (ASL). 
• promote deaf children to improve their academic achievement
• English & ASL
• Social skills development

The challenges that co-enrollment program encounters:

• Teachers have different instruction philosophy/approach
• Positive role model for both
• assess children's academic achievement with appropriate strategy that accommodates the child's disability.
• limited Supporting staff (ie: behavior specialist, SLP, counselor, teacher aide)

           Kreimeyer & et.al (2000) discussed the true gain in social benefits between deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing children in the co-enrollment class. Therefore, this would apply to and support CODAs, as well. Lasser & Fite (2011) named one of the methods that universal preschool programs use to benefit the children—“instruction in both their native language and in English” (p. 170). It is clear that these articles conform to the co-enrollment concept for all children.

A number articles support the idea of providing instruction to young children in American Sign Language and in English. American Sign Language is an unimaginably rich language that can be taught to and learned by very young children, enhancing communication with all children from birth to age eight. 

To this day, looking at the many early childhood education programs, such as Head Start centers, child development centers, and many other centers that provide early education for children from the age of six weeks to five years, we see that nearly all of the centers do not offer fluent staff signers for children who are deaf, hard of hearing, non-verbal, autistic, or who are CODAs, preventing these children from accessing communication through ASL. Also, we must recognize that many early childhood education programs do not have the resources to provide the appropriate support for the children with disabilities in regular classrooms.  This may lead the parents to feel uneasy about placing their children with disabilities into early childhood education programs. At the same time the lack of resources to support the children with disabilities prevents the parents, whose children need ASL as a communication mode, from having the flexibility and security they need in placing their children in early childhood education programs near their homes. 

Co-enrollment program is absolutely the future academic setting across the world. This approach is inspiring and effective in early learning. Our children begin their life being preverbal and ASL gives them a way to communicate and develop language in preparation for the day when they begin to speak vocally. ASL and co-enrollment also invest on positive social change by place all children together in a regular classroom with staffing supports. Children will develop social skills that give them the flexibility as in how to socialize with others who have limited abilities. In turn, this will help children to develop a better understanding of what "being different" is about and how to overcome that stereotype as they become older. 

Governor Baxter School for the Deaf offers preschool class that accept deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing children. This program established in recent years in the light of budget cutting and smaller population of deaf children attending the school. I have met three early childhood education professionals who shared the successes of this program. One of the teachers elaborated the structure of the program. She explained that there are two classrooms. One classroom is for hearing children and deaf children who wear cochlear implants. Another classroom is for deaf, and hard of hearing children who strongly prefer to use ASL. The lesson is being taught separately for a short period of time. Then the lesson is applied in the following activity combined with both classes. Sometimes, the lessons are being taught to both classes in one room. This teacher also mentioned that hearing children learn ASL while attending this program. This program has became popular and received more enrollment.  Unfortunately, the website does not explain this information. Apparently, it has not been up to date. If you are interested in contacting one of the professionals, please let me know and I will provide.  If you want to contact the program directly, I recommend that you contact Mrs. Kim Matthews, the coordinator, of the program. 

This experience excites me in ways I never thought it would. I believe this occur because I was raised in a hearing family while residing and attending Maryland School for the Deaf. As a child, I had never felt challenged in classroom. I always wanted a better education. By the time I was a freshman in high school, I decided to attend public school and I did not have any support. I am glad I did attend public school for numerous of reasons: live at home, learn how to socialize with the majority population, and develop a better sense of self.  Every child should have an opportunity to live at home full time, to have and to develop skills that allow them to socialize with the majority population with full of confidence, to have a high quality education and support to success academically, and to create a better world where people can be comfortable with individuals with disabilities without judgments. 

Kreimeyer, K.H., Crooke, P., Drye, C., Egbert, V., Klein, B., & Miles Exploratory Learning

Center. Academic and social benefits of a co-enrollment model of inclusive education for deaf and hard of hearing children. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Spring 2000; 5:2.

Lasser, J. & Fite, K. (2011). Universal preschool’s promise: success in early childhood and

           beyond. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39:169-173. 

http://www.mecdhh.org/governor-baxter-school-for-the-deaf/preschool/

Children with Disabilities and Children without Disabilities..

   

Co-enrollment..

In the past few weeks, I read many of my colleagues' blogs, articles, and discussions about inclusion, technology, assessment, and the classroom environment. Each component contributes to each individual child's strengths and weakness. Each component offers advantages and disadvantages. Because I am a strong advocate of promoting American Sign Language (ASL) as a language pathway for all children to learn and use until they learn how to speak/or continue to use ASL if they do not have verbal ability, I want to present a discussion and new insight on Co-enrollment. 

Before I get into the purpose of co-enrollment, I would like to discuss what we know about children with disabilities and children without disabilities. We often see children at child development centers and there is almost no children with disabilities there. Why is that? Children with disabilities are often at home with a caregiver or at a residential school/day school that provides services for children with disabilities and that usually mean the young children are far away from home and their families. 

What is co-enrollment? Is it same as inclusion?  Co-enrollment is a bigger picture of inclusion conception. Co-enrollment classroom has two teachers (co-teachers). Both or one of them are fluent in ASL and one of them teaches in spoken English.  The students in the classroom are hearing, deaf, and hard of hearing. This concept is relatively new and gradually increasing across the global. There is not sufficient research to support the results of this program, not enough to determine if it is beneficial program. The social between deaf/hard of hearing and hearing peers seem to increase in positive ways, which means that children show acceptance toward one another regardless of his or her abilities. 

Since co-enrollment is relative new in education system, I am intrigued to learn more and possibly support this model.  What are your thoughts? This kind of education will require parental involvement, assessment, technology, inclusion, and classroom environment to meet this new idea. 

http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/content/5/2/174.full.pdf+html

http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/08/01/deafed.enu017.full.pdf+html

http://acedhh.org/files/K_Metz_ACE-DHH_Presentation_2011.pdf

http://books.google.com/books?id=qCt8AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA462&lpg=PA462&dq=co-enrollment+deaf&source=bl&ots=y-xySLPrhy&sig=K051cmsCPT0wN4dajnzXuVd7t9M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6PD3U5PALMefyATz-IDQBA&ved=0CHEQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=co-enrollment%20deaf&f=false

Child Development Milestones..... How Do We Do It the Right Way?

In the last 8 months and in related to recent blogs I read, Child Development and Milestones are the hot issues among the educators and parents.  Is there right and wrong way in ensuring that children reach the milestones?

As a first-time mother, I believed that every stage must be met on schedule in according to the child's age. From first hand experience, I realized that every child differs in when he or she is ready to achieve a new skill.

I met some educators and/or parents who believe that children should or should not reach a goal until he/she is at this precise age. I find this unreasoning, because individual child has his or her own motivation and interest.

Now I would like to encourage you to promote achievements by observing what interests the child/ren. If the child shows that he/she is interested in walking, praise is the next important task that you can do for your children in either home or classroom. Praise is an encouraging reinforcement. Talk to your child in a praising manner--good job, way to go, you can do it, "yay" in addition to applause, hugs, and kisses.

If a child struggles with a particular skill, do not force. Try to nudge the child to try by showing how he or she can achieve the skill. Or, demonstrate the movement.  Sometimes children need to see the adults mastering the task.  If that fails, do not worry excessive about not meeting the certain skill. Sometimes children return to the skill when he/she is ready and achieves it.

Last thing, it is important to encourage children to develop milestones independently as much as possible. We want children to self-direct their readiness to success at a task. We do not want them to become dependent on us. They need to have confidence in themselves.

Below are many resources available to educate yourselves about how to ensure that child/ren are achieving their milestones.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_what-every-baby-needs-to-thrive_6600.bc?page=1

http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/growth/developmental-milestones-age-two/

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002011.htm

For age 3 to 5
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/NR/rdonlyres/676DD433-449C-4A26-B364-0936353CBE4E/24408/IPSC_eng_35.pdf

Developmental Screen Tools:
http://www.medicalhomeinfo.org/downloads/pdfs/DPIPscreeningtoolgrid.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/checklists/all_checklists.pdf

Introduction...

Hello Everyone,

My name is Christina but people call me Chrissy.  Welcome to my blog! This will be the main lounge for Early Childhood Education discussion.  My goal is to reach across the world and bring the attention to the concept of implementing American Sign Language (ASL) as a part of the language acquisition for all children.  Also, to promote restoring play into early childhood programs, especially preschool, prekindergarten and kindergarten.

As a child, I always played outside. I loved every moment of it. It did help me develop relationship with other children and my siblings. Although I am deaf and had been since 2 month old, I experienced some communication barriers and play removed the barriers. How?  Play is all about imagination, fun, and involves a lot of body language/acting. It worked out very well.

Relationships/attachment were something that I always had difficult with establishing as a child. I did not have positive relationship with my mother. My father encouraged for independence. So, I grew up being very independent. I did many things on my own. Naturally, I scared my parents quite frequent with wandering off into who knows where. Independence gave me confidence to success.

As an adult, I move quite frequent unlike my sisters. All of my sisters remain in the same city or state. I lived in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Florida, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC, and so on.  I believe this came from being independence. My parents live in West Virginia and Maryland where my sisters also reside. My childhood had a lot to do with the person I became as I entered adulthood.

Early childhood developments and relationships/attachments are very important. One major issue I have to admit and share--is being left out in a family of hearing on regular basis. This began the moment my sister was born. I needed attention and time from parents and others in my life as a child.  The older I became, the more I resented them. I think this issue is imperative to be addressed because it affected how I relate to others and think of others. It took a long time for my relationships with family to heal. I am always left out regardless how old I am. I learned to not let it bother me as much as when I was a child. As an adult, I consider deaf friends my family more than my own biological family based on the fact I could communicate at dinner without asking "what are you talking about? what is so funny?" only to  be told "nothing. you don't understand anything."  Language is a large part of the childhood.

Here are several photographs...
Below: Taken at the end of June 2014.. My husband and our 7 month old son, Jacob.

Below: This was taken when I was about 6 year old. I am the one with toe-headed blond in blue sleeve shirt. I am the oldest child of the four. Theresa, in pink jacket, is the 2nd oldest. Jennifer, in light blue jacket standing behind our mother, is the third child and Deborah is the youngest in mother's arms. All have normal hearing but me. 

Below: This photo was taken in the summer 1978. I was a year old. I played with my oldest cousins, Vicki and Jimmy. Pay a close attention to my body language.. I was and am deaf. I looked at Vicki to communicate using sign language. 

Below: a newspaper photograph of me at age 4. I was enrolled in a pilot preschool program for deaf children in New Jersey. The teacher communicated in American Sign Language (ASL). 

Welcome to my old-new blog!

I used this blog for my graduate studies at Walden University. I am now using this for my doctorate studies at Walden University. Welcome Back! Please feel free to browse the blog and make comments. In meantime, I sincerely hope you will learn new things here through the year.

Chrissy

Time Well Spent!

After reviewing the resources for this blog, there are three significant keys that I learned throughout the program. (Resources: Merging Vision, Passion, and Practice

http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6990/01/mm/ec_pres/index.html, Interconnections, Part III--http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6990/08/mm/interconnections/index.html)

1. Passion.
     As Louise Derman-Sparks stated---when it comes to passion, we are always uncovering and discovering surprises about ourselves, especially about our own passion toward Early Childhood and the life in general. Through the program, I was enforced to analyze and reanalyze my burdened passion. I learned a quite few things about myself. For example, I realized that I loathe the information in relation to how deaf children must be "fixed" to belong in a hearing culture/community.  I was never "fixed," because I accepted my disability with gratitude. I also successfully accomplished many things in my life. Second, I also learned that I enjoy writing stories.

2. Value the person
     Throughout the resources, valuing the person is mentioned repetitively.  Value the person is like the oxygen that we cannot live without. We must value the people, because they are part of our lives.

3. A quote drew the determination out of me.
      "We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history"  Sonia Johnson, American Feminist Activist and Writer.  Basically, this quote rings true.  We cannot do everything by ourselves.
"For with God, nothing is impossible." Luke 1:37  God gives us the strengths, the determination, and mind to achieve a goal that we set our eyes onward.  Through the program, we all have developed new friendships via cyberspace by sharing our common visions, goals, dreams and obstacles.

I have two main goals to hold onto and pursue.  First, I am currently working as a full time nanny for a hearing family and their hearing children. My goal is to educate the two children American Sign Language and to ensure that their language development is reaching beyond standardized age-language development. With this job, I hope to reach out to the hearing parents with deaf children throughout the state.  Second, I desire to see a book published and written by me.  Even though the book may not be related to early childhood, it is related to disability and that's a starting point. Everything else will unfold in time.

Never despite a meager beginning.

Every child who is deaf or hard of hearing does not have to be perfect in order to discover his or her purpose on Earth.

Here is a video (and caption).

"Hello everybody.. Thank you for taking the time to listen to what I have to say in sign language. I want to thank all of you for your support, encouragement, and the friendships that we developed through the courses.  I want to thank the instructor (s) for tremendous support in my writing skill. My writing skill has improved greatly through the program. I truly enjoyed learning more about different subjects, especially about culture, diversity, ethics, and how we can impact others with much of determination and passion.  I really enjoyed working with all of you. I hope to see all of you in "out there in the world"  with whatever dreams you have. I hope you all will success in everything you do. Thank you. Nice to meet you. Best of Luck! "

You may contact me through facebook or email at chrissievordavis@gmail.com