Overcoming Stereotypes in Early Childhood Education

In her TED speech “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Adichie addresses the subject of stereotypes and how they shape an individual’s perception of other nations. She calls these stereotypes “single stories,” on which people’s knowledge of other countries is based (Adichie, 2009). For example, the single story of Africa is that it is a poor continent full of dying people “unable to speak for themselves and waiting to be saved by a kind, white foreigner” (Adichie, 2009, 00:06:22–00:06:28). The most thought-provoking idea in the speech is that most people’s perceptions are one-sided and are shaped by the media and their childhood experiences. The main consequence of this is that until people know only one story, they cannot perceive members of other nations as equals.

This idea can be used in early childhood education to change the way different people and countries are presented to kids. In the guidelines developed by the Ontario Ministry of Education (Ontario Ministry of Education), respect for diversity, equity, and inclusion is named as one of the fundamental principles of the early learning framework. Children need to be taught about diversity through real-life examples demonstrating that people from other nations are in many ways similar to them. According to the Practice Guidelines of the College of Early Childhood Educators (2020), the best way to do this is by considering the diverse contexts and experiences of the community and incorporating them into the curriculum. Learning about the culture and language of their classmates and teachers will help children see the world not from the position of common stereotypes but unbiasedly. Instead of being presented with different versions of a single story, children should be encouraged to see the world from various angles and perspectives to embrace its diversity. Overcoming stereotypes in early childhood education is essential for raising children who would recognize all people around them as equals and treat them with respect.

References

Adichie, C. (2009). The danger of a single story [Video]. TED.

College of Early Childhood Educators. (2020). Pedagogical practice: Practice guideline. Web.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2014). How does learning happen? Ontario’s pedagogy for the early years. Web.