Understanding that most schools in the United States use a curriculum that shows preference to the western white world, I am mindful that I must support my students in a culturally relevant way. Based off of suggestions from Hyland (2010), I will seek to:
- Transform the program of study to use the child's and family's personal and cultural knowledge as part of the curriculum. Hyland (2010) shares a teacher's example of why this is important, not just for students from other countries, but also for students we currently serve: "Sometimes my Black students will have information about home remedies or stories and folktales they have heard from their grandparents. We take those stories and write them up, compare notes, see how their knowledge compares with so-called traditional knowledge. I am always amazed when my students tell me things that I don't know . . . My students know things like community politics and police brutality. I can't just feed them a steady diet of cute animal stories and happy middle-class kids. Their experiences have to be part of our curriculum too." (pp. 83)
- Work to raise critical consciousness among students through open discussion of differences.
- Engage with the family and work towards building a partnership utilizing their expertise of the child's interests, strengths, and learning styles.
- Make the effort to learn the cultural norms and values of the people Burundi and how those norms and values translate to the family specifically. I will then use this information to enlighten my teaching practice as I work to improve the educational experiences (and outcomes) I provide this student with.
- Because culturally relevant teaching requires the teacher to learn about each student's home culture, I will observe the practices of conversation, praise, and redirection that the family uses with the child. I will then use that information to inform my interactions with that student.
Teaching in a culturally relevant way supports the needs of my students (and their families) as we seek to build a sense of support and trust between the home and school, preserve home culture, and foster healthy social identity development. I believe each of these components is essential to building towards equity in our social and education worlds.
References
Hyland, N. E. (2010). Social justice in early childhood classrooms: What the research tells us. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 82-87. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/
Hi Parker,
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of Burundi. There are so many countries in the world that we can learn about. It would definitely be a challenge learning the culture and customs of other countries and teaching them the culture of the United States. It will also be an enlightening experience for the children, families, and teachers.
Great post! I wish that I would have read your post prior to doing mine. I believe that you hit on some great points with involving the child's culture into the class's curriculum. By doing that it will help to broaden other student's understanding of different cultures and beliefs. This in turn will also male the family feel welcomed especially if the child is adapting well.
ReplyDeleteHi Parker,
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I actually met someone from Burundi here in Japan, we had a great conversation, but I didnt get to ask about early childhood education in his country. However, your five ideas would be great starting points for a child emigrating from another culture.
great post parker! I would be proud to be a member of your family. You have great values that you possess. Thanks for sharing, well wishes in the future.
ReplyDelete