Understanding Cultural Diversity in the Early Years
- Peter Baldock - Education Consultant, Sheffield
Inclusion/ Mainstreaming
Taking the discussion about cultural diversity beyond the usual topics of anti-racism and inclusion but without overlooking these issues, Understanding Cultural Diversity in the Early Years considers current debates around the alleged failure of multiculturalism, and encourages practitioners to utilize their own cultural backgrounds and experiences as a way of developing their teaching.
With an optimistic outlook, and focusing on the advantages for learning that cultural diversity can offer, the book discusses the concepts of culture, multi-culturalism and inter-cultural competence, and describes the principles that underpin good practice. It is packed full of case studies from a variety of early years settings, with ideas to try out and interactive exercises to aid reflection.
Issues covered in the book include:
- addressing cultural diversity in staff meetings, and on short training courses
- planning a critical audit of your setting
- working with parents from a variety of cultural backgrounds
- how to explain diversity to young children
- the overwhelmingly white British setting
- settings where white British children are in the minority
- curriculum developments in different parts of the UK, post-devolution
Written for all early childhood students and early years practitioners, it is relevant to anyone interested in inclusion, society and global citizenship.
A really good look at cultural diversity with some thought provoking topics - will be good to promoted discussion within lectures. Particularly liked the chapter entitled "the idea of intercultural competence"
A book that is very useful in teaching this subject. it is set out clealry and has some useful exercises to support learning. I will be recommending this to the learning centre and the students.
Worked very well in a module surrounding diversity. Great value to the lessons
Excellent resource for a vital subject.
This is a Core subject and also links to numerous mandatory and optional units.
This text is valuable to support students to understand the meaning of cultural diversity and how it impacts on practice. Easy to follow and very useful as a lecturer providing current practice knowledge in relation to this ever changing topic.
Essential reading for the equality, diversity and inclusion module on the early childhood studies programme.
Our 'Diversity and Inclusion' module delivery was certainly enhanced by having access to this text. The geographical areas in which most of our students work tend not be very diverse in terms of culutre and Baldock's book was useful in helping them frame some of the issues and arguments that previous programmes of study had not crystallized particularly well and it helped set a framework for moving on ideas about diversity beyond their often 'black-white' dichotomy.
Intercultural competence was used as a measure in many students investigations of their settings' working practices and the 'daily practice' chapters helped them to think about markers to analyse this practice and suggest how to move it on.
In all, a very welcome addition to the bookshelf and a strong suggestion for a revised module reading list.
This will now be the set book for this module. A really good book with a useful range of activities and discussion points.
This is a clear easy to read book with excellent in class activities. This can be used with a wide range of students at all levels. The book also contains a useful resources and futher reading section.
Very good book, essential reading for FD Early years
Sage College Publishing
