On the first day of pre-school, many children may feel they are entering a different world, but for some it might just be a different country.
The struggle immigrant parents often face when sending their children to school in a new country was discussed Monday afternoon in a presentation given to more than 100 people by Joseph Tobin, an Arizona State University education professor and lead researcher for the Children Crossing Borders study.
Held in the Foster Auditorium, the presentation afforded attendees the opportunity to learn about Tobin's research. In the study, Tobin and his team observed immigrant children in different countries to understand more about educational assimilation obstacles that may arise.
Tobin showed video clips that exhibited some of the problems pre-school students encounter, such as overcoming language barriers and accepting various physical differences. People and locations of interest included: Turkish students in Germany and Packistanis in the United Kingdom, and others.
After interviewing children, immigrant parents and teachers, Tobin said there needs to be more of a dialogue between the groups to ensure that children feel as comfortable as possible in the classroom setting. He also spoke about conflicts that can arise between parents and teachers over teaching methods.
"I'm much more optimistic than my talk may have suggested," Tobin said.
He reported one of the study's conclusions was that "early childhood education and care programs won't compromise constructive principles, but will adjust curriculum and activities around cultural issues like food, dress and holidays."
There needs to be more emphasis on culture and society as opposed to developmental factors in collegiate education programs, Tobin said.
Many in attendance were Penn State students who study in the College of Education. Stephanie Serriere, an assistant professor in the College of Education, was at the event and said she used to teach in elementary schools all over the world. She said she has personally experienced clashes with parents and believes teachers should learn more about cultural assimilation in order to one day put it into practice.
