Creating An Anti-Bias Learning Community: Diversity Of Cultu

Creating An Anti-Bias Learning Community: Diversity of Culture, Language, and Economic Class

As You Have Learned In The Previous Weeks Of This Course Creating An

As you have learned in the previous weeks of this course, creating an anti-bias learning community involves promoting positive interactions and relationships with children and families, establishing an environment that honors all individuals, and implementing curriculum that addresses diversity issues. For this Application Assignment, you will analyze specific ways in which to respond to and intervene with young children when they exhibit prejudice, misconceptions, fear, and/or rejection of differences with respect to culture, language, and economic class. You will develop an action plan that sets up opportunities for children to learn to understand, respect, and embrace differences and act/interact in unbiased and fair ways.

Your action plan will focus on the four aspects of creating an anti-bias learning community: Positive interactions with children, Positive relationships with and among families, The visual and material environment, and Curriculum planning. To begin, print and review the "Creating an Anti-Bias Learning Community: Diversity of Culture, Language, and Economic Class" form. As you work on this assignment and plan activities and experiences to help children expand their understanding of diversity, build respect for others, and overcome negative and biased feelings, you will complete this form and ultimately submit it as your application. Now, read the statements below that could reflect the voices of young children.

Select one of the statements to be the focus of your analysis:

- "Gabriel is stupid. He doesn’t even speak our language. Why doesn’t he learn English?" (Boy, 6)

- "Go away! My mom says you’re a lazy Mexican! I’m not playing with you." (Boy, 5)

- "You can’t play with us – your clothes are old and ugly." (Girl, 4)

- "No, you can’t be the princess because your Daddy doesn’t have a car. You can be the maid." (Girl 5)

With your selection in mind, consider activities, discussions, and techniques you might implement to respond to the biases expressed. Using the "Creating an Anti-Bias Learning Community: Diversity of Culture, Language, and Economic Class" form, record the child's statement in the upper right-hand box. Then, for each of the four anti-bias learning community elements listed on the left (Positive interactions with children, Positive relationships with and among families, The visual and material environment, Curriculum planning), develop at least two detailed action items that address the misconceptions and biases to foster respect for diversity among all children. Review Chapter 4 of the course text and the week’s learning resources to guide this process. Note: For each action item, provide a detailed description. The completed assignment may extend beyond the original one-page form.