Making the Multicultural Learning Environment Flourish: The Importance of the Child-Teacher Relationship in Educating Young Children about Diversity

Early Childhood Australia. P.O. Box 7105, Watson, ACT 2602, Australia. Tel: +61-2-6242-1800; Fax: +61-2-6242-1818; e-mail: publishing@earlychildhood.org.au; Web site: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au

Y

8

Teachers

Role Models; Early Childhood Education; Young Children; Cultural Pluralism; Foreign Countries; Educational Environment; Cultural Awareness; Teacher Student Relationship; Multicultural Education

0312-5033

In Australia multiculturalism and diversity are part of daily experience. In such a society, children grow up with diverse norms, traditions and role models and are expected to become open-minded and tolerant individuals. A key figure in children's lives will often be the teacher, one of the first significant role models they interact with outside the family. The special character of these dyadic relationships and the challenges faced by the teacher have not been emphasised sufficiently in the literature. Successfully catering for a multicultural group of young children requires reflection and understanding of one's own culture, as well as a sound knowledge of the children and their culture. This paper reviews the various factors teachers need to be mindful of when educating young children, and concludes by presenting a model illustrating how relationships work in the early childhood education setting. (Contains 1 figure.)

As Provided

39

2008

EJ799726