HDF 205 Final Exam Prep.
• Key points of Exam
- Implicit bias
- Anti-bias education
Culturally responsive teaching
• Anti bias education
General definition: Anti bias education is the commitment to supporting children who live in a highly diverse and yet still inequitable world. It is an underpinning perspective and framework that permeates everything in early childhood education including your interactions with children, families, and colleagues. (Source: Anti Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves by Louise Derman Sparks & Julie Olsen Edwards)
When/where did it originate: NACE, first book published in 2010
Basic components: Four core goals
1. Identity
Teachers will nurture each child’s construction of knowledgeable and confident personal and social identities. Children will demonstrate self awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social identities.
2. Diversity
Teachers will promote each child’s comfortable, empathic interaction with people from diverse backgrounds. Children will express comfort and joy with human diversity, use accurate language for human differences, and form deep, caring connections across all dimensions of human diversity.
3. Justice
Teachers will foster each child’s capacity to critically identify bias and will nurture each child’s empathy for the hurt bias causes. Children will increasingly recognize unfairness, have language to describe unfairness, and understand that unfairness hurts.
4. Activism
Teachers will cultivate each child’s ability and confidence to stand up for oneself and for others in the face of bias. Children will demonstrate
action with others or alone, against prejudice and/or discriminatory actions.
How is ABE related to early childhood development and education? How does the term apply to young children specifically?
➢ ABE directly correlates with early childhood development and education because in these early stages of development, it play an important role in children’s race and ethnical identities and awareness. It is important for this development to be guided by educated adults who specialize in ABE, so that as children grow up, they can carry that anti bias mindset with them.
➢ This term applies to young children specifically because early childhood is one of the most crucial time periods in development, and the ideas, mindsets, and behaviors that they pick up at that time can follow them for the rest of their lives. Children are the most vulnerable at this time.
Benefits of applying ABE to early childhood settings:
➢ Children develop a strong sense of both individual and group identity.
➢ Build confidence in their identity
➢ Children experience comfort and joy in human diversity and differences.
➢ Children learn how to treat others and understand how they should be treated.
➢ Children learn to identify unfairness and how to act accordingly.
Challenges of applying ABE to early childhood settings
➢ Different teachers with different experiences
➢ Children come from different households, and this could be a challenge to incorporate into education in one setting.
➢ Teaching styles, every child learns differently
➢ Life at home might not correspond with ABE.
Is ABE useful?
My stand is that ABE is absolutely useful, beneficial, and appropriate for early childhood education and development. It is very important for children to be exposed to differences, understand differences, and be comfortable with both others and themselves early on.
Charlotte WeisAnti-Bias Education (ABE) – Jigsaw Activity
Remember/Definition:
“Optimistic commitment to supporting children who live in a highly diverse and yet still inequitable world.”
Book 2010 NAEYC
Understanding: 4 Goals
Goal 1: Identity
o Teachers will nurture each child’s construction of knowledgeable and confident personal and social identities.
o Children will demonstrate self awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social identities.
o Supporting children’s identity development / without superiority
o Learn respectful and accurate language
o Be able to confidently describe who they are
o Both personal and social identities
For adults: increase your awareness of your own identities
Goal 2: Diversity
o Teachers will promote each child’s comfortable, empathetic interaction with people from diverse backgrounds.
o Children will express comfort and joy with human diversity, use accurate language for human differences, and form deep, caring connections across all dimensions of human diversity.
o Building on curiosity/talking about how people are different
o “Children learn prejudice from prejudice”
For adults: examine what you have learned about differences, connection, and what you enjoy or fear across all aspects of diversity
Goal 3: Justice
o Teachers will foster each child’s capacity to critically identify bias and will nurture each child’s empathy for the hurt bias causes.
o Children will increasingly recognize unfairness (injustice), have the language to describe unfairness, and understand that unfairness hurts.
o Empathy building
o Able to identify prejudice and injustices (learning experiences)
For adults: identify how you have been advantaged or disadvantaged by the isms and the stereotypes and prejudices you have absorbed
Goal 4: Activism
o Teachers will cultivate each child’s ability and confidence to stand up for others in the face of bias.
o Children will demonstrate a sense of empowerment and the skills to act, with others or alone, against prejudice and/or discriminatory actions.
o Providing tools to children so they have the means of standing up for themselves and others
o Growth in this goal strengthens growth in the other goals
For adults: explore your ideas, feelings, and experiences of social justice activism
Apply/Strategies:
As a teacher, inform students of terms and language that they may not understand (necessary in order to achieve these goals)
o What injustice is when someone treats you badly because of who you are and what you look like
o Show students how to work kindly
o Put students in positions for them to ask questions
Culturally appropriate books/materials
Analyze/Benefits/Challenges:
Helps students find their place in this world
Helps students understand themselves and those around them (behaviors and actions)
Showcases that everyone belongs (uniqueness)
Provides care and nurturance that will help each child flourish
Starts positive conversations about diversity and respect
Children feel valued and important
The earlier this is taught, the better they are to be equipped
Different interpretations of teaching
Can’t teach everyone the same thing/may not apply
Parents and families may not encourage or support these teachings (disconnect)
Evaluate: Agree or Disagree?
ABE adequately supports children's development by focusing on them and their needs
Focusing on students culturally and internally helps them create positive perceptions of themselves and others
It prepares these students for future injustice and experiences that hinder their development
The world is not a place of equal opportunity, teaching children and preparing them for this reality is best for their development (identity and character)
Create: Exam Question
Explain how Anti Bias Education was applied to your own education. If the ABE curriculum was not implemented into your education, how could it HAVE helped your development and helped you
o Not many identity building activities or exercises
o Could have helped me establish a better sense of self could have established my social and personal identities earlier
o Could have provided me with a better understanding of the world and people around me
o ABE could eliminate many of the prejudices that continue to exist
