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ERIC Number: EJ1044081
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 8
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1068-6177
EISSN: N/A
Getting to Know You: Sharing Time as Culturally Relevant Teaching
Bauml, Michelle; Mongan, Katherine
Dimensions of Early Childhood, v42 n2 p4-11 2014
Early childhood educators have a responsibility to foster healthy relationships as well as appreciation and acceptance for diversity through culturally relevant teaching in their classrooms. Culturally relevant teaching, a term that has been written about extensively (e.g., Gay, 2010; Ladson-Billings, 2009; Nieto, 2010) involves intentionally making connections between children's school, home, and community by "integrating cultural experiences, values, and understandings into the teaching and learning environment" (Brown-Jeffy & Cooper, 2011, p. 67). In the majority of Pre-kindergarten (PK) and kinder classrooms, sharing time is one of many events during the day in which children purposely or spontaneously reveal nuances of their individual cultural backgrounds. The decision to include sharing time in the daily schedule is therefore one way to engage in culturally relevant teaching. When effectively employed, sharing time can provide children with opportunities to explore in sensitive and meaningful ways the uniqueness of themselves and others. In doing so, children can gain cultural knowledge and understanding, which can lead to valuable social and academic skills and most importantly to acceptance and value of others. Thus, sharing time in early childhood classrooms allows for culturally sensitive teaching. This article describes capabilities teachers should possess in order to promote learning by demonstrating respect and appreciation for culture and background experiences. It goes on to discuss the benefits and risks of classroom sharing time using the O.P.E.N. (Outline, Prepare, Engage, Notice) method. Next, it describes how to make sharing time a culturally relevant experience through the use of personal/family artifacts and literature response talks. Finally, it concludes with teaching tips for effective sharing time.
Southern Early Childhood Association. PO Box 8109 Jacksonville, AR 72078. Tel: 501-221-1648. e-mail: info@seca.info; Web site: https:// www.seca.info/dimensions
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A