societal conditions and circumstances

Learning Resources

This page contains the Learning Resources for this week. Be sure to scroll down the page to see all of the assigned resources for this week. To view this week’s media resources, please use the streaming media players below.

Required Resources

Course Text: Teaching and Learning in a Diverse World
Chapter 3, “Creating Caring and Critical Communities” (pp. 43–45, 53–66)

Article: Interacting with Children and Youth on Issues of Diversity and Bias (PDF)
Reprinted with permission from the Anti-Defamation League.
Note: Though some of the content in this resource is directed to parents and covers a wide age range of children, the information is valuable to everyone, including those who plan to be working with young children and their families.

Media

Video: Laureate Education (Producer). (2004). Diversity and multicultural education [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 20 minutes.

Dr. Sonia Nieto discusses issues related to diversity and the essential role of multicultural education in today’s schools and society.

Video: Laureate Education (Producer). (2004). Fostering cultural responsive interactions [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 33 minutes.

Dr. Eugene Garcia shares six fundamental principles of effective, culturally responsive teaching.
Optional Resources

Article: Derman-Sparks, L., & the A.B.C. Task Force. (1989). Anti-bias curriculum. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Web Site: Teaching Tolerance
http://www.tolerance.org/

Web Site: Partners Against Hate
http://www.partnersagainsthate.org

Fostering Understanding and Respect

Whether you decide to work with adults or children, the early childhood field has long been committed to providing experiences, insights, and opportunities for growth that foster self-understanding and help develop respectful and responsive attitudes and interactions. To prepare for this Discussion, reflect on what you have learned about diversity throughout this course, i.e., the impact of family, culture, language, gender, sexual orientation, societal conditions and circumstances, and abilities on the healthy growth and development of all human beings. Next, consider what you have learned from this week’s reading with regard to the following:

The influence of significant adults on children’s attitudes and perceptions
Ways that adults can foster understanding and respect, and counteract bias and stereotypes
What adults can do to create environments that respect diversity
Why this work is an integral part of all areas of the early childhood field
By Day 3:

Post a summary explaining how and why you hope your future work will:

Foster understanding and respect

Counteract bias and stereotypes

Create communities that are caring, responsive, and collaborative with regard to respecting and valuing diversity