Multicultural Perspectives in Early Childhood Education Essay Example
B341: Multicultural Perspectives in Early Childhood Education
20120825 Paula Ann Signal
The purpose of this essay is to critically examine the multicultural perspectives of Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education [MOE], 1996), the early childhood education curriculum of Aotearoa. In order to accomplish this, I will examine the term ‘multiculturalism’, its place in early childhood education and its historical context, and the concepts of individualistic and collectivist approaches to childrearing practices. I will explore the diverse cultural values and beliefs of Te Ao Māori, Pasifika people, and Indigenous people of Australia, and endeavour to unpack such cultural practices in regards to Te Whāriki (MOE, 1996). Helder Cāmara (1971) once stated “Keep your language. Love its sounds, its modulation, its rhythm. But try to march together with men of different languages” (p.61). Not only is Aotearoa babbling with a number of different languages, but it consists of a myriad of cultures, and Ramsay (2004) perceives the term ‘culture’ to be that which “profoundly affects how we perceive the world and relate to people, objects and nature” (p.104). Multiculturalism is defined by languages, religions, diverse cultures, and also in the forming of reciprocal relationships in order to comprehend, and acknowledge, each other’s beliefs and values (Pluto, 2010). It is suggested in Te Whāriki (MOE, 1996) that multiculturalism is evident in Aotearoa, through its “diversity of beliefs about childrearing practices, kinship roles, obligations, (and) codes of behaviour” (p. 18). A sense of such cultural relationships surely would have been in place in Aotearoa by the estimated first migration of Polynesians and Te Āo Māori in the mid 1200’s (Irwin & Walrond, 2012). The diverse cultures in society tend to either bat for the individualistic team – where self expression and independence is nurtured and promoted (Gonzalez-Mena, 2005), or for the collectivism team, where a vision is upheld
20120825 Paula Ann Signal
The purpose of this essay is to critically examine the multicultural perspectives of Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education [MOE], 1996), the early childhood education curriculum of Aotearoa. In order to accomplish this, I will examine the term ‘multiculturalism’, its place in early childhood education and its historical context, and the concepts of individualistic and collectivist approaches to childrearing practices. I will explore the diverse cultural values and beliefs of Te Ao Māori, Pasifika people, and Indigenous people of Australia, and endeavour to unpack such cultural practices in regards to Te Whāriki (MOE, 1996). Helder Cāmara (1971) once stated “Keep your language. Love its sounds, its modulation, its rhythm. But try to march together with men of different languages” (p.61). Not only is Aotearoa babbling with a number of different languages, but it consists of a myriad of cultures, and Ramsay (2004) perceives the term ‘culture’ to be that which “profoundly affects how we perceive the world and relate to people, objects and nature” (p.104). Multiculturalism is defined by languages, religions, diverse cultures, and also in the forming of reciprocal relationships in order to comprehend, and acknowledge, each other’s beliefs and values (Pluto, 2010). It is suggested in Te Whāriki (MOE, 1996) that multiculturalism is evident in Aotearoa, through its “diversity of beliefs about childrearing practices, kinship roles, obligations, (and) codes of behaviour” (p. 18). A sense of such cultural relationships surely would have been in place in Aotearoa by the estimated first migration of Polynesians and Te Āo Māori in the mid 1200’s (Irwin & Walrond, 2012). The diverse cultures in society tend to either bat for the individualistic team – where self expression and independence is nurtured and promoted (Gonzalez-Mena, 2005), or for the collectivism team, where a vision is upheld