Multi Cultural Perspectives in Early Childhood Education - Essay Example

Multi Cultural perspectives in Early Childhood Education Multi Cultural perspectives in Early Childhood Education Much discussion has prevailed overthe issue of a comprehensive early childhood education policy or curriculum that includes multi cultural perspectives. One may question why it is important to educate children of such young age regarding the existent diversity in cultures as this concept could be ingrained in them when they grow older. The need for this arises because it is during this innocent age that the child develops his/her basic attitudes, values, skills and perceptions which are long lasting in nature. These attitudes would determine the future decisions, behavior and thoughts of that child. Therefore, as the aim of early childhood education is to lay a firm “intellectual, psychological, emotional, social and physical foundation for development and lifelong learning” (UNESCO, 2008), it is imperative that children of New Zealand are exposed to as many multicultural perspectives as possible. Including multi cultural perspectives in the curriculum would assist children to understand and respect the differences between their culture and that of others. Moreover, it will train them in order to function in society that is multicultural (Melendez & Beck, 2009, p.231). The policy in early childhood education that I will be focusing on in this paper is that of ‘Te Whariki’. In this paper I will first explicate the importance of incorporating multi cultural perspectives in New Zealand. Then I will explain the curriculum of Te Whariki and the ways in which it supports multi cultural perspectives. Next, I will move on to the different cultural perspectives present in New Zealand and how Te Whariki takes account of these. Lastly, I will provide two teaching and learning strategies that are pertinent in early childhood education which includes children from different cultures. The Reason why it is particularly important for New Zealand to incorporate multi cultural perspectives in its curriculum for early childhood education is because it is “one of the highest migrant receiving countries in the world” (Singham, 2006, p.33). Additionally, Statistics for New Zealand record that the population of ethnic minority, other than the Maori and Pacific peoples, is going to rise to 18% by 2021 (Singham, 2006, p.33). Te Whariki is a curriculum that is widely followed for early childhood education and care in New Zealand. Children are taught on how to accept different points of view, learn to do things in different ways, have a diversity of relationships in their lives and “make connections across time and place”.(The Purpose and structure of the document”, n.d.). This shows that Te Whariki works to shape children so that they can have positive views towards people of different cultures and also tackle different types of challenges that they will face in their lives. The OECD (2004) also states that Te Whariki literally means a “woven mat” which implies that the curriculum is organized by many stake holders and “is inclusive of multiple perspectives, cultures, and approaches”. Te Whariki sticks to a “socio cultural approach” which promotes “bi-culturalism” (OECD, 2004). It invariably takes account of the young toddlers’ “uniqueness as learners”, ethnicity and their rights in New Zealand society” (OECD, 2004). This proves that the Te Whariki curriculum takes account of the multiple cultural perspectives in New Zealand such as Confucianism, Maori, individualism, collectivism and indigenous worldviews. In order to understand how Te Whariki takes account of all the different cultural perspectives, it is imperative to acknowledge the features and beliefs of each cultural perspective. Confucianism, which is based on the teachings of the well renowned thinker Confucius, regards education as an integral foundation a good society. One of the very famous quotes by Confucius regarding education is “Education without distinction” (Rainey, 2010, p.54). This implies that in Confucianism, education should be provided to individuals regardless of their social class or ethnic background (Rainey, 2010, p.54). Children coming from this cultural background would have no problem under the Te Wharki system of early childhood education as it takes account of the diversity in cultures and, as stated by the OECD (2004) also believes that all the “principles, approaches and goals” that make the curriculum “would be common to all early childhood services in New Zealand”. This means that regardless of the social class or cultural background, children will be educated on a fair and similar basis. Two other very important distinctions in cultures are that of the ‘collectivism’ and ‘individualism’. Followers belonging to the individualist culture believe that “personal goals, ambitions and pleasures” influence “social behavior”. These ambitions don’t necessarily have to comply with the group’s overall interests. In times of conflict between personal goals and group ambitions, personal interests take precedence. In this culture, “individual accomplishment” and “self expression” are celebrated (P.Newman; B.Newman, 2008, p.68). Children coming from such cultures are encouraged to make decisions on their own. A distance is maintained between the child and the parent so that the child feels independent. This culture also emphasizes on “independent play”. Children are persuaded to compete with other children and feel proud by their accomplishments (P.Newman; B.Newman, 2008, p.69). Collectivist culture is the opposite of individualistic culture. Collectivism refers to a society where decisions and behavior are determined by goals that are set by a collective group. “Group solidarity” and “interdependence” are two important features of a collectivist culture. As opposed to individualistic culture, if conflicts arise between the personal sphere and the sphere of the group, the interests of the group take precedence (P.Newman; B.Newman,2008,p.68). Children brought up in collectivist cultures are kept closer to the parents or caregivers during infancy, breast fed for longer periods of time and are socialized through “gentle encouragement” throughout their childhood. Parents and extended family play an important part in bringing up children. Children are taught to respect their elders and their opinions. Sharing is given a lot of value which leads to children learning how to “share their belongings and to learn from one another”. “responsibility for others, a sense of duty and commitment to the family” are values that are regarded as commendable. (P.Newman; B.Newman,2008,p.69) Te Whariki employs characteristics of both collectivist and individualistic cultures. According to the OECD(2004), empowering children so that they can make better and informed decisions is one of the key factors or principles of the Te Whariki curriculum. This, as mentioned above, is one of the practices that are followed by families comprising of individualistic cultures. Additionally, OECD (2004) also states that Te Whariki emphasized on the strengthening of “family and community links” and that “children [should] learn through responsive and reciprocal relationships”. This supports the views of those children and parents that come from a collectivist culture. Amy Tsui and James W. Tollefson (2007) write on the Maori culture that is prevalent in New Zealand. According to them, Maori identity is identified by the Maori “language”, “culture” and “ancestry”. Incorporation of Maori language into the public sphere and establishing it as the “indigenous language” of New Zealand gives it a lot of importance. Because of its incomparable importance, the “Maori curriculum” forms an “integral part of the document and provides a foundation for bicultural early childhood educational scenario in New Zealand” (The Purpose and structure of the document”, n.d). It also supports the “Maori principle of empowering children to learn and grow” (OECD, 2004). Another cultural perspective is that of ‘indigenous world views’. According to Hart (2010), indigenous world views take form by a close relationship between the environment and the people. Indigenous worldviews comprise of some important principles such as that knowledge is “holistic” in nature and depends on relationships to both living and non living things, truths are derived from “individual experiences” and “all things are equal”. This culture also focuses on people “coming together to help and support one another in their relationship”. Collectivism; which characterizes a “sense of community” which is bound together by commitment; and “polite individuality” are integral parts of the culture. An individual can also enjoy freedom of self expression as a reward to his/her commitment to the society’s interests. Te Whariki incorporates indigenous world views into their curriculum because, as mentioned above, it supports stands of collectivism and individualism and these are also a part of the indigenous world views. As Te Whariki supports biculturalism, it also adheres to the indigenous world view’s principle of knowledge being ‘holistic’. One of the important teaching strategies is that of enlightening her students regarding “democratic values and practices” as without this the students will never be able to appreciate other cultures and regard them as equal to that of theirs (UNESCO, 2008) Secondly, the teacher needs to respect the children’s different languages and be trained to be efficient in each of the different languages used by children of diverse cultures. This way he/she will be able to communicate effectively with the children. Thereby she will be able to amalgamate all cultures in one classroom. Multiculturalism in New Zealand is one of the causes of the very prevalent trend of globalization. Keeping the pace of globalization, one can only imagine an increase in the diversity of cultures on New Zealand over time. Therefore, it is essential to teach the children of today and the leaders of tomorrow the importance of respecting and being tolerant towards other cultures. By including these various cultural perspectives in the curriculum of early childhood education, New Zealand will flourish not only in good relations between its diverse population groups but also serve as a universal example of a successful diverse nation. References Bleck, V., & Melendez, W. (2009). Teaching Young Children in Multicultural Classrooms (3 ed.). Belmont: Cencage Learning. Hart, M. (2010). Indigenous Worldviews, Knowledge, and Research: The Development of an Indigenous Research Paradigm. Journal Of Indigenous Voices In Social Work, 1(1). Retrieved September 24, 2010, from http://www.hawaii.edu/sswork/jivsw Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2008). Development Through Life: A Psychosocial Approach (10 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing. Rainey, L. D. (2010). Confucius and Confucianism: The Essentials. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Singham, M. (2006). Multiculturalism in New Zealand – the need for a new paradigm. Aotearoa Ethnic Network Journal, 1(1), 33. Retrieved September 24, 2010, from http://www.aen.org.nz/journal/1/1/AENJ.1.1.Singham.pdf Te Whãriki – A woven mat for all to stand on. (n.d.). Starting Strong Curricula and Pedagogies in Early Childhood Education and Care. Retrieved September 24, 2010, from www.oecd.org/dataoecd/23/36/31672150.pdf The Purpose and structure of the document. (n.d.). Welcome to Early Childhood Education. Retrieved September 24, 2010, from (http://www.educate.ece.govt.nz/learning/curriculumAndLearning/TeWhariki/PartA/PurposeAndStructure.aspx Tsui, A., & Tollefson, J. (2007). Language policy, culture, and identity in Asian contexts. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbraum Associates. UNESCO - The Contribution of Early Childhood Education to a Sustainable Society. (n.d.). UNESDOC. Retrieved October 2, 2010, from unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001593/159355e.pdf Read More