Outcome 2.2

Portfolio Post

 

2.2 Recognises subtle differences & levels in literacy & numerical learning & development according to age, ability, culture & social circumstances

An experience:

During my last prac I was in a kindergarten that had a broad range of different cultural and social backgrounds, therefore I was able to observe the interplay between age, ability, culture and social circumstances all coming together. Not only were there a mix of cultures but also beliefs and religious backgrounds and varying range of ability with disabilities and social backgrounds. One little girl in particular was struggling to communicate and open up to people in the social situation, who will be referred to as *Naomi for the purposes of confidentiality. *Naomi was emotionally and physically reserved and resistant, however it was known that she was able to speak English and had come from a bilingual background, although she existed in a different cultural setting, coming from an Indian family who had not been in Australia very long.

*Naomi had been at the centre for almost a year and was four years old and about to begin her last term at kindy. Occasionally we would notice *Naomi coming out of her shell and showing a smile or saying an utterance of enjoyment when engaged in particular activities, often these activities would be playing with baby dolls in the home corner or playing hide and seek games around the block corner, the things she enjoyed and felt comfortable doing, possibly activities she had been already exposed to at home. One day, me and another staff member were given the opportunity to attend the multicultural resource centre where we wanted to find culturally specific toys and props to use with *Naomi, and the other children, to incorporate a more culturally diverse atmosphere within the centre.

We came back with many great multicultural resources that related to *Naomi’s Indian heritage, these included books that included her first language with English captions, as well as Indian costumes and dolls. *Naomi loved reading the stories and would frequently point to the pictures, smile and say things about the story in a much more coherent and socially engaged way. The costumes were hung up around the room and also prompted many children to have conversations about them, as well as playing Indian music, therefore many of the children began to build relationships with *Naomi as she began to communicate more, whereas before they had been hesitant and tended to interact with her less.

This experience has taught me how individual learning must be to really get children to engage with their situations, as learning is such a social process as well. For *Naomi’s situation it was about making her more comfortable within the environment, giving her things to relate to so she could open up to the social situation and feel a sense of belonging. Consequently l now understand the importance of literacy and numeracy from a social perspective as being vital for not only communication but also understanding, being able to decode and make connections within the environments that surround you. For *Naomi to achieve successful literacy and numeracy learning she first needed the support that recognised her individual learning needs in ways of ability, culture and social circumstances. This thought process highlighted to me how differences and levels of literacy and numeracy learning cannot be assessed without taking in to consideration a child’s cultural and social identity.