2. Young Children and Diversity ECS Year 3 Policy and Practice in Early Childhood Education 03 March 2016

3. Session Outline The session is focused on the lives of young children and how their experiences are affected by growing up in a multicultural and diverse society. We will discuss the issues of service provision for young children from particular groups of the community. We will explore ways of positively recognising and building cultural and ethnic diversity.

4. Cultural Diversity in the Early Years Young children in the UK are being raised in a society with many sources of cultural diversity. Good early years practice needs to support equality from the earliest months of babyhood. http://www.communityplaythings.co.uk/c/ResourcesUK/Articles/cpd/CulturalDiversity.htm?format=print

5. Valuing Diversity In early childhood settings there are children, families and staff members with many different cultures, languages, religions, ways of living and family structures. The Early Years community values the importance of showing respect to all. It is important to assist children in developing positive attitudes towards others with different backgrounds, social customs and abilities from their own. Teaching Practice for Early Childhood: A Guide for Students. Contributors: Rosemary Perry - author. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: London. Publication Year: 2004. Page Number: 17.

6. How do we ‘practice’ respect It is a ‘value’ that we can construct when we interact with each other. In a multi-cultural environment we should make clear what we understand/expect from the others. We are still learning about ‘respect’.

7. Identity Think about: -How old you were, when you first became aware of your race or ethnicity -How different racial/ethnic groups were viewed in your family or community -How different racial/ethnic groups were viewed in your schooling -Has anything changed since then?

8. Identity formation… is multifaceted: social class, gender, ethnicity, dis/ability, religion, language. Identifying ourselves as one thing we simultaneously distance ourselves from something else. We all have an ethnic/racial, linguistic, gendered and cultural identity.

9. Identity Race & ethnicity –“Race”: understood as referring to physical characteristics in peoples; –“Ethnicity”: understood as the cultural characteristics of a group, who may have developed their own language, religion, social customs and family practices over time and space –A child is born with “racial” characteristics but acquires ethnic/cultural characteristics (including language in early childhood)

10. Identity How children acquire a cultural identity -Develop self-identity from birth, through interactions with others -Parents, media, school, perceived cultural heritage (‘hidden curriculum’). -‘11 month old felt excluded. In excluded situation the child made more attempts to interact with peers (showing off, interposing body, naming toys, smiling)’ (Tremblay & Nadel, 1996) -Construct their own understandings of physical and cultural differences -They can identify “race” categories by the age of 3 -Adopt “current adult prejudices” on race -Learn the effect of racist name-calling from other children

11. Service provision for young children from particular groups of the community and parenting practices. –Inclusion and Diversity: Children at risk (Ofsted, 2000 in Bruce, 2006) Girls and boys Minority ethnic and faith groups Travellers, asylum-seekers and refugees Pupils who need support to learn English as an additional language. Pupils with special needs Children who are gifted and talented Children who are looked after by the local authority Sick children, young carers and those whose families are under extreme stress.

12. Creating a Positive Early Years Environment What does this mean as practitioners work to create a positive learning environment? In what ways should an early years setting reflect a range of sources for cultural identity? http://www.communityplaythings.co.uk/c/ResourcesUK/Articles/cpd/CulturalDiversity.htm?format=print

13. How Young Children Learn About Culture and Cultural Identity Shared culture is communicated through the events of daily life, such as food, ways of dress and familiar music or art forms. A sense of personal identity through culture is supported by shared language and ways of communicating and sometimes through a shared faith or religious backdrop to daily life. Young children of every cultural or ethnic background need to develop a secure and positive sense of their own identity. Children’s family life will be the most significant source of that identity. Nursery or playgroup life should reinforce it.

14. On a firm basis of ‘my own culture’, children are then able to make sense and learn about information highlighting less familiar cultures. Experiences outside the family, including within early years settings, can be a significant source of this broader base of understanding. So long as practitioners offer experiences in a thoughtful and well-informed way, there is a good chance that children will learn respect for ways of life with which they are less acquainted.

15. Policy framework National Curriculum (2000) –Inclusion is one of the four national standards: Teaching to respond to pupils’ needs Suitable learning challenges to be established Overcoming of barriers to assessment and learning.

16. Policy framework Every Child Matters (2005) –Every child is able to: Be healthy Enjoy and achieve Stay safe Make a positive contribution Achieve economic well-being

17. Inclusion for girls and boys –Principles –Effective Practice Analyse how a setting promotes inclusion and anti-discriminatory practice taking into account: –Strategies for supporting individual children. –Working with parents. –Whole-school policies and practices.

18. Ways of positively recognising and building cultural and ethnic diversity: –Sense of belonging –Respect and tolerance –Feel valued and supported

19. EYFS 2016 Handbook (DfE) Practitioners must take particular care to make sure the learning environment echoes pupils’ positive experiences. Opportunities such as role play, cookery, celebrations, visits to special places or events should be linked to children’s cultural experience. Relationship with parents is crucial to developing relationshipswith the child.

20. FIVE WAYS TO ANALYZE SETTINGS FOR AN ANTI-BIAS APPROACH One: Everyday AND Everywhere –Although you now recognise that both bias and the possibility of anti-bias exist, you may not know just what to do. But at least you know that something must be done. –For children, remember that it is what you make available to them that will affect their growth. –Make a conscious decision to include some anti-bias concept somewhere, everyday.

21. Two: Mirrors To Self-Esteem –All children need positive self-esteem. –Some see positive messages everywhere without trying. –Others never see themselves positively in the world around them. –If positive images elude children, begin to think about how to bring diversity and balance into their space. –If society's images are not very positive for children, make their space a safe island in a hostile world.

22. Three: Windows To Diversity And Balance –All children experience diversity because our world is diverse. –If the children’s space is naturally diverse racially and culturally the focus will be on how to promote positive interactions between the children. –If the children’s space is not diverse, help children recognise and respect the diversity of others, pay careful attention to how this "other" is generally perceived by the larger community. –The balance of diversity you bring into this classroom is what will be different, based on the context of the children who are there.

23. Four: Culturally Appropriate, Historically Accurate, AND Non- Stereotypical –If the children’s space or community is not diverse, or if you don't have personal experience with diversity, make sure any image of diversity you bring is accurate and non-stereotypical. –Be open to hearing other points of view.

24. Five: Critical Thinking and Activism –We cannot protect children from the realities of life. –We can build the child's strengths. –Children can develop skills to evaluate our world for respect and diversity. –Discussing incidences of bias rather than ignoring them will give children the tools they will need to identify and perhaps change these issues. Riehl, P. (1993). Five ways to analyze classrooms for an anti-bias approach. In Todd, C.M. (Ed.), *School- age connections*, 2(6), pp.1-3. Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service.

25. How do we ‘practice’ respect It is a ‘value’ that we can construct when we interact with each other. In a multi-cultural environment we should make clear what we understand/expect from the others. We are still learning about ‘respect’.

26. DISPELLING THE MYTHS MYTH 1: OTHER CULTURES SHOULD BE PRESENTED AS DISTINCT WAYS OF LIVING THAT REFLECT DIFFERENCES FROM THE DOMINANT CULTURE. –The emphasis on so-called exotic differences will often accentuate a "we" versus "they" polarity.

27. MYTH 2: BILINGUALISM IS A LIABILITY RATHER THAN AN ASSET. –Higher degrees of bilingualism are associated with higher levels of cognitive attainment. –Early reading skills tend to come more easily to bilingual children. –Early bilingual learning increases a child’s ability to focus on mental tasks.

28. MYTH 3: MULTICULTURAL AWARENESS IS ONLY RELEVANT IN SETTINGS WITH CHILDREN WHO ARE MEMBERS OF CULTURAL OR RACIAL GROUPS. – Our world is multicultural, and children need to experience the diversity outside their immediate environment.

29. MYTH 4: THERE SHOULD BE A SEPARATE, UNIFIED SET OF GOALS AND CURRICULUM FOR MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION. –Providing a setting that promotes recognition, understanding, and acceptance of cultural diversity and individual uniqueness then pervades everything a child does in the setting.

30. MYTH 5: MERE ACTIVITIES, WHICH ARE NOT PLACED IN AN EXPLICITCULTURAL CONTEXT, CONSTITUTE VIABLE MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM. –Activities should always be chosen on the basis of developmental appropriateness not whether they promote diversity.

31. How about you? Have you thought about some of these issues? Which ones really “speak” to you? What attitudes and actions do you think are culturally based? What do you believe should be goals for young children? What strategies might be used to achieve these goals?