Self Evaluation (reflection on practicum experience)

When the semester started I set out to learn about another culture, society, and educational upbringing of young children so I could take what I learn and apply it to next semester’s program, as well as the work I will do in my future. Now, at the end of this semester I have found just about all of my goals fulfilled, and even achieved some goals along the way that I did not originally set.

At first I did not think the pedagogues at my daycare were interested in sharing knowledge, experiences, and ideas with me, however over the semester they have opened up and taught me so much about the children I work with each day, as well as the backgrounds of the families at the daycare and the relationships amongst the community. Sharing cultural background with the pedagogues gave me an opportunity to learn about cultures from different perspectives because many of them came from all around the world. They truly believe it is important for the children to be immersed in this multicultural atmosphere so the children have the opportunity to learn about other parts of the world; other foods, customs and traditions.

Personal contact and interaction with children is incredibly important to their development, and though sometimes I felt like a “playmate” for the children at my daycare, there was never once I wanted or wished for something different. As I predicted, communicating with the children was difficult for there was a great language barrier not only within my practicum daycare, but also in many of schools we visited during our study tours. Now, looking back on my first day at the daycare I remember staring blankly at the children when they asked me questions, basically because they spoke Danish and none of which I understood. However, as my days at the daycare increased I found myself progressing tremendously from asking pedagogues to help translate to more closely observing the children’s body language. From interacting with the children and working through this language barrier I have learned that it is easy to cope with language problems by use other means of communicating: body language, physical interaction, facial expressions, dances, etc.

My last few visits at my daycare have been my most memorable times spent with the children because our relationships have developed in unique individual ways. I have learned there will always be those children who are quiet and held back, such as one little girl in my group who loves to sit on my lap and follow me around, insisting on holding my hand when we go on trips, but who will only whisper sometimes in her responses; if and when there actually are any. On a different note I will remember Matias who would laugh shouting “Nej” when I would insist that I too speak Danish. Line has taught me that it is possible to communicate through visual recognition. She would take me over to things and point them out when trying to capture my attention. She would sit on my lap and tell me the story of the characters in books by pointing to them each; naming the colors of the clothes, what they were wearing and describing their actions. Then there will always be Nikolai, and I know we were not really supposed to pick favorites, but this boy is by far the one boy I always looked forward to seeing each week. My contact with him was much different than with the other children and through him I learned so much that I could not from the others. He loved to grab my attention, then run away expecting me to run after him and catch him, but taught me through this that children’s moods can change in a split second. After playing the same game over and over again for weeks on end, one week I caught him and swung him in the air causing him to get very angry with me.
Through working one on one with the children I have learned more than books themselves can explain. Having the opportunity to be immersed in a child’s play activity has given me a chance to not only learn about the ages in which children develop, but the different steps each child takes in doing so. You really do learn a great deal more when actively participating in the activities with the children rather than simply observing them. It gives you first hand knowledge you would otherwise not have and allows you to gain a frame of reference and observe the child’s experience from the position they are in. For example, during my Smore’s Sandwich making experience I learned no two children have the same capabilities. From working with them in a group I watched as some relied on me for help while others tried to make it completely all on their own. I was able to see how they attempted different tasks and understand why they took the steps they did. It is very difficult to allow a child to take responsibility to do things on their own, but when given the chance it can be very rewarding.
I would like to touch upon the receiving school in The Netherlands, for the impression it left on me was so life-fulfilling. Sometimes I think it is hard to learn Danish, but when you think about it I have the ability to choose whether or not to learn it. I can still get around and survive without speaking it here because Denmark speaks my mother-tongue language as well. However, the children at the receiving school in the Netherlands were a prime example of how necessary it is to learn the majority’s language because none of them spoke Dutch of English. To teach the children Dutch, the staff there spoke only Dutch to the children, not only because that was the language they needed to learn, but also because that was the only language the faculty spoke. Through the experience of spending a day at that school, I have seen how difficult it is for children to come into another country, but how essential these schools are because of the opportunities they offer. Looking beyond the language stimulation program, the school has much more to offer; perhaps things that are a bit more difficult to see. The benefits for children to grow and learn in a multicultural atmosphere are innumerable. The children at the receiving school were so friendly and accepting of each other. I watched children from Somalia, Syria, Pakistan, China and various other countries all playing with each other. Watching all of the children interact really just made me think a lot about the nonjudgmental nature of children. There is a world out there, where people do get along and have learned how to accept those who are different. Perhaps this is the world more people need to see, the world more people need to learn from; a school that looks beyond race and ethnicity and sees what each child has uniquely to offer.

I am excited to go back to Alfred University and sharing my experiences with my fellow students, but more importantly with my professors. At Alfred I am studying child and clinical psychology. More than anything, I am eager to share with my professors the amount of responsibilities adults put on these four year olds I work with. I have learned that children are capable of much more than we can conceive and when given the opportunity the things children may really surprise us. Watching four year olds cut potatoes with knives, climb trees without help (or supervision), run around in the pen with the goats (even while some of them knock their horns with each other) are just some things I observed at my daycare that intrigued me. I look forward to to taking these experiences and passing them on in hopes that the world of child development will grow and expand more than ever because from what I have learned it already has seemed to.

Theory (research paper)

Question to be researched
To understand why it is important for schools to be ethnically diverse, it is critical to focus on a more specific area: While dealing with cultural barriers how should educational atmospheres be structured to educate children on the culture they are living in, as well as the different cultures that exist in the world and how is it this reflected in Denmark’s daycare, Børnehuset Mågebo?

Behind the scenes
Theory allows us to examine certain things, by focusing in on specific points that relate within a broader topic, while leaving others outs. This paints a clearer picture for the reader and helps them to understand which assumptions you are basing your thoughts on and what aspects you are building on when discussing a particular topic. For the past three months I have read articles discussing many different theories regarding children in a multicultural context. Along with several academic field studies, I have had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in a Danish børnehuset where I have observed similar and different cultural aspects, teaching styles, placement of responsibilities, and structural atmospheres.

A culture is the sharing of customs, beliefs, and traditions among many individuals. From the readings and class discussions, we have examined the different perspectives some schools take and how important it is for schools to be ethnically diverse. These classroom lectures, academic visits, and hours spent in a Danish daycare have motivated me to examine this issue in more detail and not only ask why this is, but also how it is sustained: the approaches to teaching minority children and the importance of educating all children about the cultural diversity. However, the issue is derives from a broader subject, the study of minority children in a multicultural context, it draws upon many different factors that have a great influence on its development.

For this paper I will focus specifically on how centers work with a multicultural group of children using their diversity and cultural knowledge of the world to educate young children and help them grow. My intent is to draw upon the knowledge I have gained through my experiences this semester, as well as to reflect on class readings and class discussions, to review different teaching styles and structures. Though they will not be discussed, numerous other factors can also influence the success of cultural diversity programs, including religious backgrounds, the transition of ethnic diversity from pre-schools and daycare to later schooling, the different placements of multiculturalism programs within a curriculum, and the barriers children face outside the classroom.

The Foundations along with an Analytical Approach
A theory is a principle formulated to explain specific parts of a larger issue, in an attempt to draw a workable conclusion or hypothesis. One theory discusses how language barriers create challenges for both teachers and children in multicultural and diverse classrooms. This creates obstacles for staff members who are expected to develop a classroom teaching style that best suits all students. If one’s mother tongue is not the official language of the country they are living in, it is crucial they become bilingual in order to get a good education and develop socially (Skutnabb-Kangas, 1988). It is necessary for centers to create common educational experiences for each of the children. This means that centers need to be structured so that children will not become disengaged when interacting with other children just because of a difference in dialect. Therefore, when teaching minority children, one theory suggests that instruction should first be given in the child’s mother-tongue (Bowman, 1990). At the same time, all children should be allowed to choose when they want to use their mother-tongue language (Skutnabb-Kangas, 1988). It is important for the child’s family values to be reinforced in school, and essential for the teachers to educate themselves on the many diverse ethnical groups, different meanings of cultural gestures, and different traditions that stretch across cultures (Bowman, 1990). This is a suggested blue-print for educating minority children from different cultures. However there are other ways of looking at education, ways in which support this blueprint, contradict it, or simple examine the issue from a different angle.

This brings us to the structure of børnehuset in regards to the ways different cultures are viewed. Children learn so much through adults as far as cultural acceptance and cultural rejection is concerned, thus pedagogues need to always set positive examples when working around children. The children do see the differences in their peers and will naturally absorb negative stereotypes they hear about or learn from others. However, caregivers have the ability to change these perceptions through creating activities that incorporate all of the children. Gathering the children in a group can provide them with a group identity where they can all feel equal and yet can each express their uniqueness (Dixon and Fraser, 1986). Through group activities, the instructor has the opportunity to discuss each of the students’ different cultures and have everyone feel accepted.

The principles behind a Danish daycare, Børnehuset Mågebo, are derived from each of the theories discussed here, draw parallels between their approaches, but do differ in certain ways as well. At Børnehuset Mågebo, pedagogues suggest that a common language (Danish) is spoken to the children, and those who do not speak it learn through nonverbal cues such as body language. They believe that children learn through seeing and doing, through repetitive communication, and by taking part in hands-on activities. In working with students from varying ethnic and cultural backgrounds it is also important to educate them about the cultures and traditions of their fellow peers (Mågebo, 2005). The rate of child development varies from child to child, thus making it impossible for a developmentally appropriate standardized curriculum to be developed. Teachers must recognize that children come from different backgrounds and use principles of child development when trying to educate minority children (Mågebo, 2005). They have created programs to help promote social development and understanding within the children to help them understand the world they are living in and accept all of the different people they see.

Closing Comments
Teaching is a critical element in the development of children. The perceptions and attitudes of a caregiver regarding other cultures is easily passed to children, therefore it is extremely important for a child to be able to attend a safe and well-developed educational atmosphere. Language barriers are clearly challenges when working with such diverse groups of children and need actively addressed, because they will always impact work within a multicultural atmosphere. When teaching minority children, it is important to respect their individual mother-tongue, but also to encourage acquisition of the second language. Minority students have the right to identify positively with their culture, their origins, and their mother-tongue while being accepted and respected y others at the same time (Skutnabb-Kangas, 1988). The children are encouraged at Børnehuset Mågebo to continue to speak their mother-tongue in their homes. This allows them to remember that their background is still a part of them and discourages a sense of shame or embarrassment from it.

Børnehuset Mågebo has created programs with hands-on activities that encourage the children to use more than two of their senses, making it easier for them to learn foreign languages. When reading fairytales by Hans Christian Andersen the children have the opportunity to dress the characters in the story and act out the scenes. The staff is instructed to focus on promoting social development and understanding between the children because it is important to provide an understanding of the world they are living in (Mågebo, 2005). By strengthening the children’s independence on a personal level, connections are created between the pedagogues and children, as well as good relationships with the parents. Majebo Bronby reflects other aspects of the theories discussed above as well. The staff at Majebo is ethnically diverse and well-educated on other cultures. Their approaches to teaching and perspective on how a classroom should be run reflect parts of both of the theories presented above (Mågebo, 2005). However, they do not start with a child’s mother tongue when new children come to their facilities. Because some of the staff is from other countries and speak other languages they have the ability to communicate with the children in other languages, but choose to resort to that only when necessary (Mågebo, 2005).

Children should be given opportunities to develop socially and should feel comfortable while doing so (Bowman, 1991). Børnehuset Mågebo recognizes this and creates settings where the children can share their different cultures with each other. The faculty helps promote the diversity amongst their school by accepting each child as an individual and setting expectations individually for each by gathering the children into groups each morning and allowing them pick a song to sing. While singing songs they use body language to communicate as well. Touching their heads, jumping up and down, spinning, and pointing to things in the room are just some ways the pedagogues at Børnehuset Mågebo help to teach minority children songs (Mågebo, 2005). These group projects and activities help the children develop socially within a multicultural context and teach children to accept everyone and provide them with an atmosphere where they can feel equal and open to share their individual traditions, beliefs, and customs (Dixon and Fraser, 1986). Børnehuset Mågebo creates these groups for opportunities to discuss the different traditions and holidays that each child in the class might celebrate. Through cooking activities throughout the day, the children are then able to show their peers the different foods they have in their countries and enjoy the different tastes while they eat together. They understand the importance that børnehuset and other child programs to be ethnically diverse, and have accepted several theories as a basis for their structure and instruction. Perhaps we all need to educated ourselves more and reflect these same understandings.

References

Bowman, Barbara T. (1990). Educating Language-Minority Children. ERIC
Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, ED317273.

Børnehuset Mågebo. (2005) Mågebo.

Dixon, G.T. & Fraser, S. (1986). Teaching Preschoolers in a Multilingual Classroom.
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, 62, 4, 272-275.

Skuttnabb-Kangas, T. & Cummins, J.: Minority Education: From Shame to Struggle.
Multilingual Matters LTD. Clevedon, Philadephia, Chapter 1: Multilungualism
and the education of minority children. P. 9-44.