When considering the setting of a child care home one of the first things that come to mind a very obvious very direct method of making children feel visible within the classroom. I consider pictures. For me, it is important to have pictures of the children with their families. We would display them on a tree, the classroom family tree. By doing so, we also encourage interaction and dialogue between the children where they are now introducing their families, family roles and traditions or the norms within their families.
In addition to the family photos, it is important to incorporate different people, of different genders, race and physical abilities participating in different jobs as well as different extracurricular activities. It is important for children to see beyond stereotypical ideas of what certain people should or should not be doing. It is important that children understand that there aren't any limitations to what we can do within this world.
Puzzles are a great way to make different families and abilities visible within the classroom. Puzzles are perfect visual tools for children. They are also beneficial in the development of children's fine motor and cognitive development.
It is also important that children have materials and furniture within the classroom that promotes independent exploration. It is also important that the layout is carefully organized for the children within the classroom. For instance, it is important to have shelves, pictures etc, at eye level for the children so it is not uncomfortable for children to maneuver around the classroom. When the children are comfortable and can move most freely within the material they are more likely to stay interested in materials for a longer period of time.
Overall, it is important that children as well as their families are represented within their classroom. It is also important that children are exposed to people different from themselves to gain better insights of the world around them
Altrenia--
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the classroom tree! What a great way to show all that enter your facility that you are one big family regardless of the diversity between all the members. This reiterates the idea "We are all the same, we are all different" and can act as a discussion starter in order to talk about sameness and differences (Laureate Education Inc., 2011). This definitely displays everybody's worth! Great idea!!!
Heidi Law
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Thinking deeply about diversity and inequity. Baltimore, MD: Author
lternia,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the visual of your classroom. I think that it is a wonderful idea to include all material to be at the eye level of the child. I agree that having comfortable furniture is important for such small individuals. I think that your classroom definitely incorporates an anti-bias environment for children and families.