Outcome 2: The Early Years Learning Framework

Teaching Strategies: During whole group time, read the story “We are All Different”. Discuss the story with the children. Afterward, show them pictures of people from different parts of the world. Let them discuss the differences that they see.

My first awareness of racial identity and diversity occurred when I was in Year 3. Having being raised acknowledging acceptance of people of racial or cultural difference my thoughts of children of colour were positive and impartial. However, one day a boy in my class of Sri Lankan descent got into trouble with another student, but only the Sri Lankan boy was asked to go to the principal’s office. During our lunch break he came over to a group of us and told us that he thought he was the one that got into trouble ‘because he was ‘black’’. I remember thinking to myself, ‘why would he get into trouble just because he was black?’ It was in fact that both boys

An educator who understands issues of diversity and difference will make the classroom a more enriching environment for all of the students in it, and will ensure those students who are adversely affected by such diversity and difference are given the opportunity and encouragement to overcome challenges they face. Socio-economic disadvantage among students has an impact in the classroom in terms of the ability of a child to gain an understanding of the knowledge and skills required to be a successful student. Gender issues can be one of those concerns in a classroom that, unless they are quite obvious, can be almost disregarded because they are not acknowledged as a concern, for example, asking boys to move chairs. Stereotypical roles can be ingrained in an educators psyche. Cultural diversity is becoming more prevalent in our classrooms; it is the educator’s responsibility to ensure the classroom is a welcoming and diverse environment. When considering how to approach these issues in a classroom and incorporating support for students, an educator would benefit from consulting the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) or the Australian Curriculum (AC). These documents provides frameworks for working with diversity and ensuring students succeed within their given circumstances with the support of both their educator and their school. It is imperative educators understand the effects of socio-economic disadvantage, gender issues and cultural diversity when creating an

prepare, set out and support activities and experiences that encourages learning and development in each area of the relevant early years framework

It is crucial for educators to value, understand and incorporate every child’s cultural diversity in the classroom (The Early Years Learning Framework Professional Learning Program, 2011). This means educators needs to deal with any bias beliefs they might/may hold. For example, some children might not participate in the classroom because

It is essential that educators create safe, welcoming environments that promote learning for all students in a classroom and to do this they must acknowledge issues of diversity and difference and know how to approach these issues. There are two key documents that guide educators in their planning and implementation of curriculum; The Australian Curriculum and The Early Years Learning Framework. Using these two documents to create learning programs, educators must enact an inclusive curriculum that empowers all students, regardless of differences. For educators to understand and address issues of diversity and differences such as socio-economic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, language barriers and stereotypes around gender and sexuality, they must look at their own philosophy, values and beliefs around these issues.

There is a significant importance placed on educators abilities to understand and implement diversity within educational centres, both Mary and Julie seem to have an in depth understanding of what diversity is and why it is so essential in early childhood settings. Mary and Julie share a common perspective about diversity established by their words such as individual, different, recognise, respect, value and promote. Holman (1998) believed that by accepting the differences of those surrounding us, we recognize and uphold the strength of those differences.

After knowing the cultures and beliefs of each child I care for, I will create an activity or programme for the children that includes knowing each others culture. These s activities will help the children be exposed to multicultural

Aside from providing children with academic benefits, it provides them with a better understanding and respect for diversity. Being in a setting with many different types of students with different needs and abilities provides students with a way to learn about differences and how they can help others. In the Success For All study, results showed that the children involved in the study had “a reduced fear of human differences accompanied by increased comfort and awareness.” (Stout, 2001) If children are separated in the school because of their developmental differences then they will never truly learn that it is okay to be a unique individual. The idea that it is acceptable to be different should become a common knowledge to our students. With that knowledge, our students can make the future a better place for everyone. It has been said that the goal of inclusion is to “create a world in which all people are knowledgeable about and supportive of all other people.” (Whitworth, 1999)

Build explanatory frameworks that enable you to understand, problematize and intervene in the promotion of children's human development according to the needs of learners and their socio-cultural and educational contexts where it develops their teaching, taking a perspective of diversity, inclusion, fairness and respect for the rights of

Throughout the years from the age of 3 years of age to five years, these may be seen as an exhilarating time for the children and their families. We aim to make the child’s time at the centre educational. The main thing Little Joeys is working towards in the year of 2016 are for them to become confident within themselves and develop their use of communication skills and have the readiness of being able to transition into school. The centres philosophy is coherent with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) which is used with the educators interacting with the children.

Wardle, F. (2003a) stated in her article that, “Supporting diversity in early childhood programs is a two-pronged process: helping children to feel good about themselves, their families, and their communities, and also exposing children to differences, things that are unfamiliar, and experiences beyond their immediate lives” Wardle, F. (2003a)..

Today’s classroom is very diverse and the activities should represent the classroom culture. The development of children is centered on what is taught in the classroom. Therefore, the language, intellectual, personality, social and moral, and aesthetic and creative development of preschool age children should be enhanced through multicultural activities and lessons.

A creative way to get the children involved is by using methods such as story boards, power points and drama on a particular part of geography. This way children will gain the knowledge and have fun at the same time. Looking at a particular country and planning different activities each week, one week looking at the type of food they eat and possibly bringing in some tasters for the children, another week looking at their traditions. Using a ‘talking’ bear which has been around the world for the younger children is effective as it is

Even though I was expecting different languages and cultures in the neighborhood center, I was still surprised by the amount of diversity. I thought it was cool that the walls in the center had pictures labeled in three to four different languages for the kids (English, Arabic, Spanish, and sometimes Swahili). I was surprised by the differences from family to family. Coming into the meeting, I thought that each family/child would be unique but overall fairly similar experiences. Jihan spoke about each child’s family and their dynamic. For one family it was typical for the child’s dad to be the main caretaker for the child. Plus there was little language input while he was taking care of the child. As a future clinician I would want to discuss with the parents the benefits of using language in daily interactions, but I