In this chapter for Developmental Science and Sustainable Development Goals for Children and Youth, Amina Abubakar, Stanley Wechuli Wanjala, Patrick Nzivo Mwangala, Moses Kachama Nyongesa and I present community dialogues as a participatory research and program development strategy through which developmental scientists and local community partners can collaboratively surface, discuss, address, and evaluate child protection … Continue reading
As we know from our work, communities are at the heart of the global HIV and AIDS response and without community involvement we could not hope to achieve innovation or progress on the ground. I was pleased to join moderator Kate Harrison and my fellow panelists Caterina Gironda, Matt Greenall, and Moses Zulu for this … Continue reading
Note: My colleague Hasina Ebrahim from South Africa invited me to review her insightful book as it was being published in late 2016. I was honoured to have the opportunity to review it and comment on its contribution to the field. Hasina Banu Ebrahim’s book, Early Childhood Education for Muslim Children: Rationales and Practices in South Africa (2017), is … Continue reading
In late February, my family landed at the small Mwanza airport in Tanzania. With our luggage and our toddler, Z, hoisted on my hip, we climbed down the airplane stairs and onto the shuttle bus that would take us to the terminal. The shuttle bus was packed and I remember feeling slightly disappointed that … Continue reading
I am happy to let you all know that I successfully defended my PhD thesis last week. It was an exhilarating experience and an immensely useful discussion with a group of academics whom I truly respect. I will be sharing more of my dissertation findings here in the months ahead, but in the meantime, I would like to share … Continue reading
[This post is part of a series highlighting particular publications or resources I have written or developed in the past which may be of interest to my blog readers.] One of the most influential approaches to early childhood education in North America is ‘Developmentally Appropriate Practice’ (DAP), articulated by the NAEYC. When I used Foucauldian and other … Continue reading
[This post is part of a series highlighting particular publications or resources I have written or developed in the past which may be of interest to my blog readers.] Many social issues need to be examined through research in order for us to better understand and act for change. These social issues are often best examined at … Continue reading
I completed my Masters in Social Work (MSW) degree at the University of Toronto almost eight years ago. Although since then I have had a range of academic, professional, and personal experiences that have affected me, I want to share a bit today about the influences of my training and background in social work on my … Continue reading
My grandmother, Dr. Shireen Lakhani (Valliani) has been one of the most significant influences in my life, and much of who I am today is because of her. Two weeks ago, she passed away. In the fields of child development, psychology, education, and social work, we know the importance of extended family, loving adults, and … Continue reading
Welcome to my website and blog! I am a doctoral candidate at the Department of Human Development & Applied Psychology at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto (Canada). I am interested in research, theory, and practice in a range of areas: early childhood development; early education (pre-primary and primary) – including … Continue reading
Sadaf Shallwani 