Assignment 1: Fostering Inclusion

Fostering inclusion in any early childhood setting means working intentionally with children (and colleagues) to help them develop respect, understanding, and acceptance of others. In this Application Assignment, you will have the opportunity to hone your skills for creating an anti-bias setting that encourages children to be open about their ideas, questions, and feelings, particularly as they relate to differences in ability. The assignment is divided into two parts.

Part 1: Communicating with children about abilities and disabilities
For this part of the assignment, you will practice ways in which to communicate with young children about varying abilities. To do so, study the conversation examples provided in Chapter 10 of the course text. Then, print the "Fostering Inclusion" document and complete Part 1. Read the sample comments and questions posed by young children on the left side of the document and consider how you would respond to the children. Write your response to each comment or question directly into the document. Do not feel restricted by the space provided on the form. Prepare a detailed response that will ensure that all children in your setting or children with whom you would like to work feel nurtured, encouraged, and respected.

Part 2: Teaching young children about varying abilities
For this part of the assignment, you will develop ideas for teaching young children about varying abilities. To do so, return to the "Fostering Inclusion" document and complete Part 2. Begin by examining ways in which to introduce a variety of varying abilities to the children with whom you work through the books you make available in your setting. Then, explore effective strategies for helping all children find ways to learn from each other and for planning learning experiences to counter misconceptions.

Submit your completed "Fostering Inclusion" document.

Save your written assignment as a ".doc" or " .rtf" file.