Embracing and accepting cultural differences is essential to valuing and respecting culturally diverse children and families.

Embracing Similarities and Differences  

Embracing and accepting cultural differences is essential to valuing and respecting culturally diverse children and families. What are practices that teachers use to demonstrate acceptance of diversity? What active steps can teachers take to ensure they are being respectful of diverse cultures? Watch the video Multicultural Lesson: Embracing Similarities and Differences in Preschool Education to hear a literacy coach and teacher share how they approach multicultural education in their early childhood classrooms.  As you watch, take note of how they embrace cultural differences and compare these examples  to what you have observed in your practicum classroom.

Describe two examples from the video and two examples from your practicum classroom that illustrate practices that value and respect cultural differences and that demonstrate how culture shapes child guidance. Drawing on what you learned in the text, briefly summarize (in your own words) how prejudice, racism, and discrimination damage child development.

With a peer, compare your practicum examples and share two examples each of how you plan to embrace and accept culturally diverse families and children.