Diversity and Difference in Early Childhood Education - Research Proposal Example

 Diversity and Difference in Early Childhood Education Abstract Theories of childhood education have evolved from time immemorial up to the present and surprisingly, this subject matter brings in more and more complex issues during these modern times as compared to earlier eras. Education has become a primary concern in our world today as we tend to compete in this area. This then allows or even challenges every individual particularly educators to get into the heart of the subject who is the learner. We will be discussing some of these complexities that have come out as educators, theorists and learners shared their thoughts to help make the learning process as effective as can be especially to very young learners. Reflective thoughts about the theories as observed in our daily lives is but one of the methods we are going to use in dissecting what the theories present to our modern world. Whether the theory holds true today or not, if it is of essence to the modern educator or not needs to be seen as we go along our discussion. I also wish to present an analytical report where we could compare and contrast some of the theories as opposed to practices that we experience. It is the aim of this paper to give a clear understanding of the theories presented by Robinson and Diaz through discussion and examples as well as through the use of other references that could help give light to the issue. In effect, I will be adding some of my personal experiences which may not be not worth noting, yet I believe would reveal the reflective side of me. Basically, we will be attacking the issue in different ways as the issue presents diverse angles that we need to look into. The earliest teachings could have started during the beginning of time when the first man and woman were created and were given the instructions of what to do (Genesis 1:28-29). Perhaps the how of teaching was first recorded in Deuteronomy 11:19 when Moses gave instructions to the Israelites to teach their children about the laws of God by talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up and also by writing them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates (New International Version). This kind of educational system has been largely seen in the early eras as no formal education was set for the early people to follow which eventually affected at large the education of modern learners. Theory As Robinson and Diaz said, children do not enter early childhood programmes as empty slates but bring with them diverse ideas and impressions that are entirely different one from another, learned to whatever they are exposed to like television, friends and at large, the family (4). To this idea, Claudia Jones agrees saying that a child’s education could be left to the school, teaching them to read, write and do extra-curricular activities but it is still the home that would give the greatest impact in this area of the child’s life. Jones also says that the greatest contribution on the part of the parent should come before the child’s formal education (11) Among other experiences of a child, othering gives a great impact in his education, abilities and capabilities as Foucault inclines his thoughts to relationships and power not only on the part of the state or economic structure but also to many angles where this could extend. Instead of focusing on the effects of power in the state, he considers it as rampant in all aspects of our lives and says that where there is power, there is always resistance (36). With the varied notions about gender differences and power, different people also present different perspectives regarding the issue. Thompson and Hickey tells of a story in their book Society in Focus about the Mazda Plant employees where Japanese trainers and supervisors were surprised at the assertiveness of the American female trainees. Globalization is one of the aspects in education that Robinson and Diaz considered, taking it as an important factor to consider since according to them, this involves the interconnections of linguistic, cultural and social ideologies affecting multiple viewpoints in a global level (45). For example, along with globalization comes multiculturalism which greatly affects the modern educational system as educators try to come up with a curriculum that would meet the needs of different races. Cohen and Kennedy reflectively comment on this as a challenge to create one nation from a multitude of different components as they observe nations like Australia, Canada, Brazil and post 1994 South Africa who have sought to embrace people of different backgrounds (350). Indeed, the challenge is not only to the educators but to the learners as well as they struggle to live with each other though they are from different biological and cultural backgrounds, not to mention their sociological perceptions as Miles looks at different social groups to adopt different measures of what constitutes a good or bad form of culture (89). Human beings are social animals (Bruce & Meggitt 2006, 59) so in a way, interactions are necessary and inevitable. Because of this, bilingualism or multilingualism is yet another aspect we need to see through. In Aria, Richard Rodriguez disagrees in bilingual systems of education pointing out the great advantage monolingualism has influenced his success (Schilb 2008, p. 955). Another important aspect to consider is the sex roles and socialization theory affecting the child’s perception of him/herself. Sex roles define a male or a female as children grow to know what or who they are. For instance, the role of the family comes to light again in this subject as the child learns his/her role from the mother or father and from the sister or brother. Practice To this theory I greatly agree with as it is widely observed among many families that basically, a child learns most of what he knows in his early years at home. I remember that before I even went to school, I already learned what my name is as well as the names of my parents, siblings, close relatives and friends. I also learned to recite a few short poems, sing songs, and manipulate toys and converse to my family and friends. As an overseas student living and studying in Australia, I remember my struggle with a coworker when I was working at a furniture retail store. I have been working in the store for two years and there was this Muslim from the Middle East who worked on weekends, recently hired as a casual. After being introduced, I continued with my routine in my job however I observed this new employee commanding me to do things which we were supposed to do together. In my own perspective, I see the man to be expressing power over a woman not considering the difference in the length of time that we served in the store. This incident posed a challenge to me to do my job even better and be assertive that my being a woman is not to be undermined, that just as anybody else I can do my job well as any other man as well as be equally treated along with my male counterparts. Though on the other hand, it has caused me to be a bit aloof to the man to avoid arguments between us. These reactions are but examples of Foucault’s observation that power is not always negative, coercive or suppressive but can also be positive and productive (36). The Japanese admitted the double standard they have shown towards their trainees saying they often ignored the females because they were viewed as the weaker sex while their men counterparts were trained with attention, patience and interest. Furthermore, this assertion gave a greater shock to the Japanese when a group of the American hirees traveled to Japan and were offered to attend classes in the ceremonial tea ritual, Japanese flower arranging and Samurai sword drills. They were surprised when half of the Samurai sword drill class was attended by women and pretty more so when they saw men attend the flower arranging classes (Thompson & Hickey, 282). Remember the Titans is a film based on a real story that portrays the plight of the black Americans in their struggle to fight for their rights during the early 70’s (2001). “If we don’t come together right now, in this hallowed ground, we too will be destroyed”, were the words of Herman Boone in the movie when he was trying to keep his team of blacks and whites in a crucial time when the bussing system was hot in the pan. This struggle pictures the same struggles among different cultures in our world today as each asserts his importance and existence. This fact then calls for the necessity for educators to really consider the different aspects of human beings as they relate to different cultures, whether they are assimilating languages, values and practices or not. As a Mexican immigrant to America, Rodriguez experienced difficulties in assimilating English which was the only language used in their school when he was starting school. He claims to have had the difficulties but in a way posed a challenge to him to really learn the language and is proficient in it considering English as a public language and that his home language is a private one. However, modern educators are gaining support against this idea as bilingualism and multilingualism are increasingly magnified in the educational systems concerns as studies show the demise of half of the 5000-6000 languages around the world in the next century (Robinson & Diaz, p. 107). In retrospect, the argument of Rodriguez could be strong during his time when struggling to be counted in, in an English speaking country was a necessity. However, the wide considerations of multi and bilingualism put speakers of different languages at an advantage in our modern world. A gay friend confided to me that when he was young, being an orphan he lived with his grandmother who always wanted to have a grand daughter. Taking care of the child, the grandmother always dressed him as a girl and dealt with him like he were a real girl so that he grew up thinking he was a girl with some differences and thus acted like one. Getting into an age where he fully understood what has been done to him and trying to reconcile himself with the reality that he was a man because of the biological observations he saw in himself, he did change the he looked at himself. However, his feminine actuations are still very evident which affects people’s perceptions of him. This supports the queer theory (Robinson & Diaz, 149) and shows that the way parents and other adults relate to the gender of their children affects personality and self-concept, resulting to different expectations and interactions (Wortham 2006, p. 257). As education centers its focus on the learner; theories, practices, cultures, the diversity and differences in childhood education (Robinson & Diaz, p. 170) are being considered as educators try to understand themselves and their students. It is critical that early childhood educators observe carefully for other indications of special needs particularly with infants, toddlers and very young children (Puckett & Diffily 2004, p. 89) as this could be considered the foundation of a child’s educational background. What becomes of a person can be drawn back to his home education as he is taught and as he observes. Gender is now becoming a focal point in the education of a child as gender confusion could affect a person’s thinking and actions. Thus, this is taking much attention these days and should not be deliberately disregarded by parents and teachers. Understanding the learner presents a wide array of complexities from understanding gender to learning how to deal with others and live in a world of struggle yet with peaceful and civil relationships with others. Due to these complexities, reflexive teaching now draws the educators’ attention in considering the effective education of the modern child which in turn now poses a great challenge to teachers. Nevertheless, this would encourage educators and theorists to yet continue with their studies in understanding the learner. As Robinson and Diaz presented in their book Diversity and Difference in Early Childhood Education: Issues for Theory and Practice their theories with fresh ideas based on theories from past eras, it is inevitable that in the coming years there would be other theorists or educators who would contribute new ideologies available and applicable for future use. As man discovers more of his diversities, he will also discover more techniques in understanding and dealing with these complex findings. Works Cited Bruce, Tina and Carolyn Meggitt. 2006. Child Care and Education: Fourth Edition. Italy: Hodder Arnold. (p. 59). Bruckheimer, Jerry and Chad Oman, & Yakin, Boaz. 2001. Remember the Titans. United States: Walt Disney Records. Cohen, Robin and Paul Kennedy. 2000. Global Sociology. London: MacMillan Press Ltd. (p. 350). Jones, Claudia. 1988. Parents are Teachers, Too. Charlotte, Vermont USA: Williamson Publishing Company. (p. 11). Miles, Steven. 2001. Social Theory in the Real World. London: Sage Publications. (p. 36). New International Version. 1984. Colorado: International Bible Society. Print. Puckett, Margaret and Deborah Diffily. 2004. Teaching Young Children: An Introduction to the Early Childhood Profession. Second Edition. Canada: Delmar Learning. (p. 89). Robinson, Kerry H. and Chris Jones Diaz. 2006. Diversity and Difference in Early Childhood Education: Issues for Theory and Practice. London: Open Press University. Schilb, John. 2008. Making Literature Matter: Fourth Edition. New York, USA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. (p. 955). Thompson, William E. and Joseph V. Hickey. 2002. Society in Focus: Fourth Edition. Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon. (p. 282). Wortham, Sue. 2006. Early Childhood Curriculum: Fourth Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. (p. 257). Read More