Two significant connections between Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. (2015) and Kerry and Diaz (2005) are dominant norms and democracy terms that are the effects of globalization. For the term of dominance, people usually have a belief that children are vulnerable and future citizens (Pacini-Ketchabaw, 2015) and Kerry and Diaz (2005) states that “Children and adults from diverse socio-cultural groups, such as people of colour, people from Indigenous cultures, gays and lesbians, and people with disabilities, are underrepresented and often constructed as social problems.” (p.56). As early childhood educators, we should be aware of this issue to respect the uniqueness of children and promote children’s potential and democracy. Additionally, Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. (2015) convinces that children play a role as co-constructors and educators should facilitate children's democracy. However, global corporations exploit the term of democracy to produce massive products only for children and educate selling-behaviors to get profit. As global corporations use media, communications and televisions to access and educate children to become consumers, children seem to not be themself and unnecessarily approach the adult world. 

References:

Pacini-Ketchabaw, V., Nxumalo, F., Kocher, L., Elliot, E., & Sanchez, A. (2015). Journeys: Reconceptualizing early childhood practices through pedagogical narration. University of Toronto Press.

Robinson, K., & Jones Diaz, C. (2005). Diversity And Difference In Early Childhood Education: Issues For Theory And Practice: n/a. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

I think with story, because it’s really about the grand narratives of our times in which we dwell, where some stories are positioned as the dominant narrative while others are left to the back burner. I think it is urgent for us as educators to investigate ‘what’ is happening, and to become a voice for those who are marginalized. It can’t be a one size fits all system of standardized testing and assessments, which is currently the dominant narrative of Western European logics.

Globalization is very much present, and I am troubling what it means to affect change while yet acknowledging that this polarization is something we are within, and cannot be free of. The global political landscape is an ever widening chasm. We are all complicit in the system of consumption, and can we move to a global revolution where multiple perspectives can be given a voice at the table, as Moss states (2014, p.106) seeing “change as fundamental re-thinking.”

What does capitalism do to ECE? What does neoliberalism do to ECE? And….what can ECE do to capitalism, to neoliberalism? What if we flip the questions, what happens. Democracy and capitalism are entangled with each other – its hard to separate the two. How much of my own thinking about this has been subtly and slowly shifted by the forces of neoliberalism? How many classrooms are perpetuating the ‘have’ mindset at the expense of a more natural, more human and ongoing desire to become? How can we rupture the story of capitalism, consumerism, neoliberalism, globalization – a story thrust on us since birth. 

This reading and my following thoughts/response perhaps lead me down a rabbit hole of more questions than answers. But as Educators we should be always questioning and responding the dominant grand narratives of our times. We live (with)in Globalization and capitalism. 

“Through critical reflection and ethical resistance, we can create new ways of seeing, understanding, and working with children. As we do so, we also engage in resisting and reworking dominant discourses that emerge in our lives and our practices.” (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al, 2015)

Moss, (2016), Transformative Change and real utopias in early childhood education, Routledge

Pacini-Ketchabaw et al,(2015), Journeys Reconceptualizing early childhood practices through pedagogical narrations, Toronto Ontario; University of Toronto Press

Robinson et al, (2005), Diversity and difference in early childhood education: issues for theory and practice, McGraw-Hill Education 

All these diversities have been separated into group between race, ethnicity and class and in the political side. Globalizations mean in an early childhood setting.? The image of the educator role is in globalization? The image of an educator are always shifting in the process of becoming (Pacini-Ketachabaw, et al, 2015, p.53) For example: children and educators will have debates because what they have learnt in their culture and have different values from their community or back home, whereas educators might have a different perspective on how they were taught and learnt and now teaching to children. As an educator we have different roles to fill were not just an educator, such as the diversity of different cultures and how educators come to challenge themselves and educate themselves in this cultural political and social roles.
(Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission 2004, p.54) the small numbers of refugees in austrailia there is a debate about treatments of refugees and asylum seekers and the relation to have them in detention centres. For example, the 600 hundred children in those centres and the rest were separated from their families. Rutter 2004 argues that refugee children face difficulties at school due to racialized constructions and anti-refugee sentiments, which manifest them being intimidated or being bullied because of anti-immigration debates in britian. So critically in the early childhood educators’ racial discourses effect and influence the relationships with children.  

 

Globalization is linked with immigration and the refugees says by (Castles, 2000) he predicts that forced migration and is likely to continue in a globalized world in views that has in which political, religious and ethnic and their conflicts in accordance with the fast capitalist globalizing economies and its rapid achievement. Children are affected by its social, economic and political issues and the complications that come out of them that are reincurring and reconstructing by governments neoliberal agendas.

Journeys to Activism. Becoming Postructurally Reflective #2 Reading Response 
In this article I wanted to understand more about truth, but do we know what the truth really is?  Who tells the truth and who doesn’t? This starts with a quote at the beginning of the chapter by Kylie Smith (Early Childhood Educator and Researcher, Victoria, Austrailia) which states, “I Continue to remind myself that it is with political intent that I should choose my truths”. Understanding this concept of discourse “regime of truth “it comes with the operation and the brain thinking which comes with thought. The Author Foucault is proposing power as a psychological discipline of control and it may not be aware or obvious to the person or subject that is being manipulated and for them to critically think about this power and the act that has been presented. In Early childhood educators and with children were always supposed to breath the truth and speak the truth. In my childhood I used to lie a litte to get away from telling thee real truth of what I had done because I didn’t want to face the consequences but when, telling the truth was the right way to go it wasn’t so bad at all. 

In this video which was presented to us in our class that I was so interested by shown called” The Emperors clothes” 
This Emperor Had his heart set on new clothing’s but the clothing makers tried to trick the king that there were no clothes and in an analytical sense and this was a conforming discourse and the critical reflection that only intelligent people were made to see this truth. The emperor was naked in front of everyone embarrassed in fact, but the child could see through everything, even though this emperor was quite smart but the been tricked and his leaders that it was a magnificent piece being made. The power were in the two makers that were operating this charade to trick everyone in the situation by stealing the gold thread. The ones that had power weren’t able to do anything. The one that benefited this was the Makers that took the gold thread and got away with it. 

References: 

Routledge, (2009, Doing Foucault in early childhood studies: applying poststructural ideas, New York
 

MacNaughton, G. (2005). Doing foucault in early childhood studies Applying post structural ideas. London: Routledge.

 

Reference: MacNaughton, G. (2005). Doing Foucault in early childhood studies: Applying poststructural ideas. New York, NY: Routledge.

While thinking with this reading, I considered how our pedagogical decisions always create conditions and are often unintentionally complicit in reproducing privileged knowledges such as developmental psychology. (Pacini- Ketchabaw et al, 2015, p. 24 as cited in BCELF p.11); “Child development theories privilege certain voices, knowledges, and understandings by suggesting universal ways of thinking about children, educators, and communities, while other perspectives are marginalized or silenced.” I wonder how we decide what ideas of knowledge we “use”, and how as early childhood educators we can reflect on our daily practices and ordinary moments to think about what what knowledges are shaping our pedagogical decisions and how this shapes our shared world. As MacNaughton suggests; “No knowledge is true knowledge free from ideology.” (2005, p. 18) What changes could we make in our daily practice to disrupt the taken for granted knowledges in ECE. We may be bringing in our own values, beliefs, bias, and ethnocentrism to the classroom. By maintaining the status quo, by reproducing ‘these allegedly universal norms’ are acts of violence. Violence that marginalizes the other. 

Language makes worlds, and so I think with the word resistance, and how it does not only mean totalizing overhauls of systems, but also exists in microactions. When we hold onto certain developmental ‘words’ of ECE, what dominant discourses do we continue to perpetuate, and what systems of oppression continue to be reproduced. 

When I began my career as an ECE 30 years ago, I was fully immersed in developmentalism with all its habitual phrases, assumptions and practices that seemed ‘right and natural’ - 'The Truth'. I took it upon myself though to reconceptualize my practice. I share this story of one who has lived with the process of questioning all my ‘right and natural’ truths. 

Thinking with multiplicity offers hopeful opportunities to disrupt a euro-western dominant way of doing ECE that has historically and continues to oppress and marginalize specific bodies and ways of knowing. 

“Foucault argued that we can choose the truths we privilege and that the possibility of choice implies the possibility of disrupting a regime of truth and it inequitable effects.” (2005, p.30.)

MacNaughton, G. (2005). Doing Foucault in Early Childhood Studies. Routledge

Province of British Columbia. (2019). BC Early Learning Framework

I loved Kummen’s (2011) words when she said, “children need to be viewed as ‘human beings’ rather than ‘human becomings’” (Kummen, 2011, p.211). The essence of being gets lost, not only in children, but in parents and communities when neoliberal regimes of truth come into play. I agree with Kummen (2011) when she brings up that classification creates a mentality of ready vs. not ready, and therefore good vs. bad. I feel this is happening a lot in schools right now with children who are being labeled as ADHD. This label means they are not always ready, cannot always follow instruction, need more supervision (another regime of truth). In a different story though, they could be creative, excited, thinking outside the box and much more. 

 Kummen, K. (2011). Once upon a time there was a ready child. In, Pence, A., White, J. (Eds.), Child and Youth Care: Critical Perspectives on Pedagogy, practice, and policy.  (pp. 199-217). UBC Press.

Toni, I find that many school environments are ADHD, not the children ....

FEB 23, 2021

 

Reading Response #3

 

In Once Upon a child by Kummen’s (2011) article, Readiness is a framework that is embedded within children, it’s embedded with the environment and the child as an individual for that environment.  Urie Bronfenbrenner says Readiness has always presented from an ecological perspective. A Child’s development is influenced not only by the environment responds to a child. In my individual environment how my parents made me ready for school, taken me school shopping for supplies so I would have general materials for my studies, I did not realize that when I went to school I felt not good when I wasn’t attending regular classes like the rest of my classmates and back then I didn’t even try and want to deal with trying because the way I learnt I couldn’t understand so being ready in that way didn’t meant just the tools of that, it’s the learning the that comes into the challenges that come within that. One question is how can you prepare children for school readiness?  Moss, Dilon, and Statham (2000, 250) refer to this image as that a “rich” child, as opposed to a child in need, who is “born equipped to lead, neither asking nor needing adult permission to start learning”. 

(Moss and Petrie (2002, 111) he envisions spaces where children and adults come together as a community to construct relationships as o-constructors of knowledge. As a child I came from a poor family not rich and the space and school I was equipped with I didn’t need to ask permission to learn, but I did regret not learning like the other children, but I was equipped to learn my own way. 

 

 

Reference: 

Kummen 2011, K. (n.d.). Once Upon a child. Once Upon a Child. In Pence, A, White, J. (Eds.), Child and Youth care: Critical Perspectives on Pedagogy, Practice, and policy. (Pp. 199-217). UBC Press

     

Reference:

Ministry of Education (British Columbia). (2019). British Columbia Early Learning Framework.

Kummen, K. (2011). One upon a time there was a ready child: Challenging readiness as a single story. Child and Youth Care: Critical Perspectives on Pedagogy, Practice, and Policy, (pp.199-218).

FEB 23, 2021

 “Permission to a Learning Environment”
In Once upon a child by Kummen’s (2011) article, she talks about readiness in a child perspective to be brought to the attention of how and what is meant to be “ready”. A Child’s development is influenced not only by the environment responds to a child. For example, my individual environment on how my parents set me up for having me “be ready”, taking me out to get materials for my studies, in fact I hadn’t realized that my classes were going to be ESL based and I needed “extra support, and learning difficulty” This created discomfort for me because I didn’t understand the difficulty nor did I try to get into the material, society made me feel like I wasn’t ready, and made me feel like I wasn’t ready or didn’t even try to learn, I wanted to be in their class and be considered “Normal”. All Children can learn they are “normal” Children should be not singled out by being told how they are ready or when they are ready to learn and develop, it should flow in their journey through educational life. What is Readiness and how do you define readiness? Moss, Dilon, and Statham (2000, 250) refer to this image as that a “rich” child, as opposed to a child in need, who is “born equipped to lead, neither asking nor needing adult permission to start learning”. (Moss and Petrie (2002, 111) he envisions spaces where children and adults come together as a community to construct relationships as co-constructors of knowledge. Kummen (2011) says children’s livehoods are not entirely ordered or predetermined the children by adults or their experiences or relationships to be legitimated by their wok and what their outcomes are. She also mentions, readiness should not be heard as a single story in which children should be ready or not ready. As a child I came from a poor family not rich and the space and school, I was equipped with education, but I didn’t need to ask permission to learn, learning in Canada was a privilege and a right, but I did regret not learning like the other children, but I was equipped to learn my own way, just not like the rest of the class. 

Reference: 

Kummen 2011, K. (n.d.). Once Upon a child. Once Upon a Child. In Pence, A, White, J. (Eds.), Child and Youth care: Critical Perspectives on Pedagogy, Practice, and policy. (Pp. 199-217). UBC Press

  Battiste outlines the various ways the indigenous peoples were assimilated towards a white-washed, european culture, colonized and thus marginalized in this week’s reading. Much of my own western educational experiences relate closely to how the indigenous had their traditions, culture and languages disregarded through a systemically racist eurocentric education system (Battiste, 2017). In order to uphold various regimes of truth, which are knowledge and truth practices dictated by those in power, the education system purposefully dismisses immigrants and indigenous cultures (MacNaughton, 2005). Therefore, it is designed for only certain racial groups to succeed.  Minorities become marginalized as a result; having them indirectly compete against white students. This becomes amplified as they lack the same opportunities, access and means as the more privileged. Children having to compete with others that are viewed more highly and valuable on various dimensions such as race may be discouraging, resulting in lower personal and educational confidence in the long-term. In this way, students also lose their core selves and no longer live their truths (MacNaughton, 2005). 

  In my western school experience, I faced discrimination and assimilation on various levels. The materials taught in my history and social studies curriculum was unreflective of my own upbringing. I was forced to see colonialism and imperialism through a positive lense to obtain high grades. Only by accepting a flawed, discriminatory education was I able to pursue higher education. In competing with my white, un-marginalized counterparts, I often viewed myself as incompetent in my skills. This caused me to refrain from pursuing leadership roles and asking questions in the fear of feeling further inadequate. 

  As coming from an immigrant myself, the effects of assimilation and marginalization are highly relatable. It is difficult for immigrant parents to uphold their traditional culture for children living and learning in western societies. My own white-washing created a cultural gap between my family and I. It’s unfortunately much harder for me to relate and communicate with my relatives and grandparents since coming to Canada. Though modern Aboriginal Rights movements and amendments are underway, I wonder when true political, educational and social systemic change will come for all marginalized groups - immigrants and people of color alike. 

References: 

Battiste, M.(2017). Decolonizing education: Nourishing the learning spirit. Saskatoon, Sask.:    Purich Publishing Ltd.

MacNaughton, G. M. (2005). Doing Foucault in Early Childhood Studies: Applying 

poststructural ideas (1st ed.). Routledge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

Battiste, M. (2017). Decolonizing education : nourishing the learning spirit. Purich Publishing Limited.

 

Ministry of Education. British Columbia early learning framework, British Columbia early. learning framework10–70 (2019). Victoria, B.C.

 

 

 

Reference

Battiste, M.(2017). Decolonizing education: Nourishing the learning spirit. Saskatoon, Sask.: Purich Publishing Ltd. 

 

Barriste, M. (2017). The Legacy of Forced Assimilative Education for Indigenous Peoples. In M. Barriste, Decolonizing education : nourishing the learning spirit (pp. 23-33). Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Purich Publishing Limited.

Reference

MacNaughton, G. (2005). Doing Foucault in early childhood studies: Applying poststructural ideas. New York, NY

“Talking about race and racism is a difficult topic for teachers and students, as well as for anyone unwilling to consider their complicity with this country’s long history of racism. Yet confronting and eliminating the false concept of racial superiority is a necessary initial process in developing a decolonization consciousness in Canadian education” (Battiste, 2017, p.125). 

This week my mother and I were having a conversation about the capabilities of children and histories of Canada and I was able to send her an article I read about the topic and we had a discussion. I think these little moments are what make a difference in our world. If we are educated about subjects like neoliberalism, and geopolitics, we can share that with others. We can bring awareness to issues that Kristen and Lisa were discussing, like residential schools and the importance of preserving indigenous culture. Not to appropriate it, but so those that identify as indigenous can regain their identities and traditions, ones that were stolen from them through forced assimilation.

Battiste, M. (2017). Decolonizing education: Nourishing the learning spirit. UBC press.
Moss, P. (2018). Alternative narratives in early childhood: An introduction for students and practitioners. Routledge.

              As educators, listening to the alternative narrative invites them to reflect on what is happening around the world in cultural, political, social, and economic perspectives. I think it is important that educators need to work in partnership not only with families, but also with government and community. Thinking the alternative narrative is ongoing changing and living with us instead of shaping and constructing us. What stood me out is to “engage with that diagnosis” and “living pedagogy” that educators recompose the knowledge together, recreate and remade the curriculum through reflecting on the conditions in the global world (Moss, 2019. p.172). For example, educators can start to think how do we live with technology and how do we talk about the climate change in the classroom?

 

 

 

. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable 

From reading Moss’ (2018) story, I choose to resist from the positive paradigm because I learned that there are many alternative stories and truths that need to be voiced out in today’s time. One alternative story that I am continuing to learn and unlearn about is Indigenous knowledge. When I was younger learning about Indigenous people and their cultural practice was never fully introduced to my school. In fact, I was only introduced to the idea that Western and European settlers/voyagers came to Canada to claim new land. However, I was not taught or aware about Indigenous peoples’ perspective and that the alternative story ended up harming Indigenous peoples’ rights. This personal experience of mine continues to push me to think critically with what I need to do as an educator. In this case, I need to unlearn the dominant truths and start educating myself with Indigenous knowledge and their culture. Although this involves on-going work, I believe that this is an important conversation with children since I, myself would also like to correct  the dominant knowledge and learning that I experienced in the past. Overall, I think that contesting the positive paradigm invites educators to see what is significant in children’s education. In this way, educators and children are aware of political and social issues while also remaining true, authentic, and real with each person’s cultural identity.