April/May 2024 newsletter
The many languages of caring
Creating a welcoming environment for children and families of all cultures is important. It is an important part of providing responsive care. “Understanding the cultural beliefs, values, and attitudes of culturally and linguistically diverse children is an important first step in developing a warm and caring relationship with the child and family” (Teaching Dual Language Learners, Lisa Lopez & Mariela Paez). Educators who share culturally responsive practices support children develop empathy and compassion. This enriches the experiences of each child, family, and educator in a program.
Educators celebrate the cultural and linguistic diversity of young learners in many ways. One way is to create learning spaces that celebrate and honour children’s home languages. This helps children learn to appreciate what makes them special and unique. It also helps children and families feel valued and accepted.
There are many ways to support young dual language learners (DLLs) in early learning environments. Imagine a classroom filled with children speaking and hearing their home language. Picture a classroom filled with materials and books that represent each child’s home and culture. Envision an early learning centre where families and community members feel welcomed, and share their languages with one another. Children in this classroom would feel safe, loved, and ready to play and learn!
Children are better able to learn when the classroom climate is positive, warm, and inviting. Part of being welcomed is seeing your own language and culture reflected throughout all aspects of the classroom.
Teaching Dual Language Learners by Lisa Lopez and Mariela Paez
Do you know?
Pathways for engaging with communication and literacies
The British Columbia Early Learning Framework (2019) suggests several ways to inspire communication and literacies. As educators, we can design environments and practices that consider these pathways (page 81):
- Multiple modes of communication: educators listen to and honour the incredible range of expressive languages children use to communicate.
- Culture, family, traditions, and knowledge: children hear stories, poems, rhythms, chants and songs that connect to the child’s culture.
- Language and communication: Children and educators engage in meaningful, reciprocal conversations.
- Vocabulary, symbols, and written language: Children have opportunities to engage with verbal, symbolic and written languages that are meaningful to them and their community.
- Sound and word play: Educators recognize the sounds children make as forms of communication, and provide opportunities for children to explore and play with sounds and words.
These practices support young dual language learners to develop their home language, as well as the language of the early learning environment. Culturally responsive educators respect and support the diverse languages, abilities, and knowledge that children bring.
Play-based early learning environments provide children with opportunities to engage in movement, dance, drama, art, music, and storytelling. These modes of communication and expression celebrate and respect children’s voices. We can create “environments and practices in which diverse abilities, cultures, languages, traditions, and heritages are celebrated and woven together” (BC Early Learning Framework, 2019, p. 84).
Welcoming dual language learners
(from Welcoming Dual Language Learners)
- Find out what languages are spoken by children in your class.
- Fill bookshelves with bilingual and multilingual books (and audio books) in each of the languages needed.
- Ask families to help you label items in the classroom with words in both English and their home languages.
- Play music from different countries and different languages.
- Learn to say some key words in each child’s home language (use an online translation app or ask families to record words for you to learn).
- Make a picture communication board to help children communicate their needs and feelings.
- Encourage families to visit the classroom to interact with children and teachers.
- Partner with families to ensure continued home language development.
- Encourage Indigenous cultural identity at home and in the early learning environment.
- Celebrate dual language learning as a strength!
Something very magical happens in those classrooms where skilled and caring adults who celebrate diversity are committed to truly inclusive teaching and learning.
Making Preschool Inclusion Work, by Anne Marie Richardson-Gibbs & M. Diane Klein
A multicultural classroom
Creating responsive and reciprocal relationships
What message does your environment send to children and families about diversity, language, and culture? Educators show value for the role of families by building respectful and trusting relationships. Language is an important gift that families give to their children.
Educators should encourage families to continue using their home language with their children.
Research shows that children who learn more than one language benefit in many ways, including social-emotional development, early language and literacy, cognitive development, and approaches to learning (WIDA).
- The early years: dual language learners (PDF)
- Many languages, one classroom
- Encouraging the development and achievement of dual language learners in early childhood (PDF)
- Helping you meet the requirements - supporting dual language learning
- Dual language instruction supports young learners
- Language acquisition in immigrant and refugee children: first language use and bilingualism
Book Nook
In our classroom safe and sound, fears are lost and hope is found.
Children’s books can provide a way to help each child see themselves reflected in their early learning program. By selecting and displaying books from many cultures and languages, you help children feel seen, valued, and loved. Reading with children provides an opportunity to teach children about kindness, empathy, and diversity.
All are Welcome shares a story about a school where all young children have a place, have a space, and are loved and appreciated. A school where students from all backgrounds learn from and celebrate each other’s traditions. A school that shows the world as we will make it to be. (from the publisher)
Sample extension activities to use with All are Welcome:
Help each child pick one place in the world to learn about and visit the library or look online together to explore similarities and differences.
Think about what you might do to help make someone who is new to your school or community feel welcome. (adapted from Social and Emotional Development, naeyc.org)
Grow
Honouring diversity is based on the principle that differences that are recognized and celebrated benefit our communities. Honouring diversity requires that we encourage understanding, acceptance, mutual respect and inclusion in order to make schools, communities, and society as a whole more equitable for all people (B.C. Early Learning Framework, 2019, p. 102).
Consider these reflective questions to support diversity (p. 82-83):
- What opportunities are there for oral storytelling (e.g., personal narratives, traditional stories)?
- How are children’s cultural backgrounds represented in the stories and symbols used from day to day? How are these representations integrated into other aspects of practice?
- Do children experience the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures?
- In what ways do I welcome the use of languages other than English in the child’s environment (e.g., by encouraging bilingual children to use both languages or by singing songs in other languages?)
Explore
Activity idea: Discover culture through food
Dramatic play with culturally diverse materials helps children share who they are, and learn more about others. The kitchen (both the play kitchen and the real kitchen) is an ideal space to share culture!
Materials:
- Play food from a variety of countries and cultures.
- Cookbooks and magazines showing food from different cultures.
- Children’s books (include board books) that show foods from around the world.
What can you do?
- Invite families to share their traditional foods with the program.
- Ask children to name their traditional foods in their own language.
- Share celebrations that encourage families to bring foods from their home countries and cultures.
- In the play kitchen, let children prepare and share their meals with you. Show your appreciation for their efforts!
Learn more: Discover Culture Through Food
To be culturally responsive, teachers utilize, embrace, develop, and foster children’s appreciation for and understanding of their cultural, ethnic, and language backgrounds.
Promoting Intentional Teaching, by Kidd, Burns, & Nasser