DS 5

Fostering Understanding and Respect

Whether you decide to work with adults or children, the early childhood field has long been committed to providing experiences, insights, and opportunities for growth that foster self-understanding and help develop respectful and responsive attitudes and interactions. To prepare for this Discussion, reflect on what you have learned about diversity throughout this course, i.e., the impact of family, culture, language, gender, sexual orientation, societal conditions and circumstances, and abilities on the healthy growth and development of all human beings. Next, consider what you have learned from this week’s reading with regard to the following:

• The influence of significant adults on children’s attitudes and perceptions
• Ways that adults can foster understanding and respect, and counteract bias and stereotypes
• What adults can do to create environments that respect diversity
• Why this work is an integral part of all areas of the early childhood field

By Day 3:

Post a summary explaining how and why you hope your future work will:

• Foster understanding and respect
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• Counteract bias and stereotypes
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• Create communities that are caring, responsive, and collaborative with regard to respecting and valuing diversity