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There are many forms of 'unfinished business' in the politics of early childhood education. Issues of gender, 'race', ethnicity and sexuality are constantly being raised, challenged or preserved in teaching and learning.
By taking a critical turn in how we understand and peruse 'children's interests', along with a recognition of our own identities as part of the curriculum, we are able to share the following two stories that illustrate our struggles around gender, 'race', ethnicity and sexuality as 'children's interests' in the early childhood classroom.
Tracey reflects
I am an Aboriginal woman from the Gamilaroi clan and work in an Aboriginal preschool in Sydney. I am interested in the part gender plays in children's learning.
The following story highlights that gender bias happens across the board. It makes me consider questions about cultural protocols regarding gender and Aboriginality, such as:
- Do children have gender bias because of the way society is constructed?
- Is this a deeper cultural issue about gender, based on 'women's business' and 'men's business' in Aboriginal terms?
Girls can't be Batman!
I was sitting at the computer in the classroom wearing a Batman cape when Kye spoke to me:
Kye: Take that off Aunty (pointing to the cape).
Tracey: Why?
Kye: You can't be Batman.
Tracey: Why not?
Kye: 'cause you a girl.
Tracey: But I like Batman.
Kye: You can't, you have to do girl things.
Tracey: What are girl things?
Kye: You know Aunty.
Tracey: No I don't, what are girl things?
Kye: Aunty, girls look after babies.
(And he ran off, arms spread out flying around the room.)
This story shows how young children have a deep knowledge of the perceived rules about gender in society. It also indicates the way that popular culture can influence children's understandings of gender (MacNaughton, 2000).
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I was surprised at the way children can be so confident about the rules about gender, yet, when I reflected on the context, it seemed that these 'rules' were being reiterated.
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We have expectations that children will see women operating in different roles yet, in our societies often Mum looks after children at home and female teachers/Aunties take on this role in the classroom.
Given this:
- how do we create curriculum that promotes gender equity but also takes into account and is respectful of cultural protocols?
- what are the implications for Aboriginal women and men?
Miriam reflects
Like Aunty Trace, I have been asking questions about how rules concerning gender and culture influence children's learning and my teaching. As a second generation Italo-Celtic Australian, I have some insight into how gender and culture interact, and the complications of gender equity and cultural negotiations in early childhood education.
In the following story I explore the way that children use developmental knowledge to include and exclude in the context of 'race' and gender.
The importance of knowing your colours
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This story reminds me that children know and use similar methods of measuring each other's skill in the same way that educators can. These developmental skills can also be used as a method of inclusion and exclusion.
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At the drawing table sit six children:
Four girls: Leilani (Pacific Islander), Jo (Irish Australian), Drew (Polish Australian) and Kindra (Kenyan).
Two Boys: Bożen (Irish Australian) and Sean (Anglo-Celtic Australian).
The usual shenanigans about who would sit where took place before the group settled into drawing. Jo and Drew did not want Kindra and Leilani to sit next to them, but eventually moved their chairs to the corner of the table. As they worked, I was interested to hear their conversation:
Leilani: I've got red!
Jo: Well that's not a girl's colour, you have to have pink.
Leilani: Red is a pink one.
Jo: (whispering loudly to Drew) She doesn't know her colours because ...
Drew claps her hands to her mouth drawing in her breath and looks with shock at Leilani.
Jo: (still whispering loudly) She will have to learn before school won't she.
Leilani draws flowers with the red texta silently.
Kindra: (leaning across to join the whispering huddle) I know mine.
Bożen: (to Sean) We don't know pink.
Sean: Na that's really bad. I know red and blue.
Bożen: Is red girl colour?
Jo: (still whispering loudly, rolling her eyes, referring to the boys) They have no idea.
Sean: We only need blue. That's all we need to know.
Leilani reaches across for the pink texta.
Jo: (still whispering loudly to Drew) Now she thinks she knows.
In order to make sense of this conversation I used a method of critical reflection (MacNaughton, 2000) and specifically focused on the way children were so interested in commenting about each other's knowledge and skills. Additionally, I focused on the way that children were included and excluded, and considered the connection between identity and learning.
The questions that arose during and after this conversation include:
- How does this conversation about knowing your colours enable discrimination about both 'race' and gender, and how does this impact on literacy learning opportunities for some children in the group?
- How does the early childhood context reinforce or question gender stereotypes around colour? What could be done differently?
- What knowledge can children access around development that helps construct particular understandings of gender?
- What methods can children use to include and exclude?
- What can I read to help me better understand?
- How can we act for change?
Working for 'racial' and gender equity in early childhood presents many challenges. We have illustrated here that children use overtly explicit knowledge of gender norms and subtle methods of excluding children based on 'race' and gender using knowledge about skills and learning.
It is a reminder that our work for social justice is ongoing and there are many complexities and sensitivities to consider in terms of Aboriginality and multiculturalism. Finally, we are reminded that issues of 'race', gender and culture directly impact children's learning.
Tracey Freeburn
Wunanbiri PreschooL
Alexandria, NSW
Miri Giugni
Centre for Equity and Innovation in Early Childhood
University of Melbourne
References and further reading
MacNaughton, G. (2000). Rethinking gender in early childhood education. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
van Keulen, A. (Ed.) (2004). Young children aren't biased are they?!: How to handle diversity in early childhood education and school. Amsterdam: B.V. Uitgeverij SWP.
Every Child magazine vol. 14 no. 1, 2008, pp. 32-33
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