Running head: REFLECTION HD 390 DEVELOPING ANTI-BIAS CURRICULUM:

TEACHING VALUES
1
TO OUR CHILDREN

Reflection HD 390 Developing Anti-Bias Curriculum: Teaching our Values to our Children
Pauline Abu-Tayeh
Melissa Pinkham
Pacific Oaks College

REFLECTION HD 390 DEVELOPING ANTI-BIAS CURRICULUM: TEACHING VALUES

TO OUR CHILDREN

Developing Anti-Bias Curriculum: Teaching Values To Our Children

The expectations in this course were to learn about the components for Anti-Bias
Education. In the first component, I learned that children will gain confidence and develop
identities. Next, I learned that children will express comfort in diversity and acknowledge the
differences in one another. In the third goal, children will understand bullying hurts. Lastly,
children will speak up and take action against bias. The motivation for me to acquire skills is to
teach these goals to children so that children can be empowered to stand up for themselves. In
order to help us understand, we were given several anti-bias activities. The main activity for
these 4 goals was using the persona doll. The professor brought in two dolls. She said that when
you use these persona dolls in class make sure that these are dolls that are not used during the
daily routine. They are kept in a special place. She said these dolls are used with a group of
children and centered on social issues such as gender, conflict, etc. We each took turns and talked
about name calling issues using the persona dolls. For example, when we speak to the children,
we show them the doll and say, Sarah is sad because her friend called her a name? How do you
think she feels? How can we help her solve her problem with her friend? I did try it in my
class at work. This activity minimized and had a positive effect with most children. I will
continue to use these persona dolls as I observed more empathy from my students. For example,
they are expressing feelings more when someone gets hurt. In the HD 390 text, Rethinking
Early Childhood Education, (Pelo, 2008), personal dolls are highlighted as an effective tool:
Telling stories with your dolls will allow you to easily involve your students in practicing prosocial skills, problem solving, cooperation and dealing with emotions (p. 24).
In addition, this class added to my proficiency in understanding a familys culture. In this
activity, we got into pairs and asked each other questions about our cultures. The activity was

REFLECTION HD 390 DEVELOPING ANTI-BIAS CURRICULUM: TEACHING VALUES

TO OUR CHILDREN

called Cultural Interview. The questions were about a familys education, emotions, money,
punctuality, housing, language, values, and intergenerational relationships. I realized I got to
know more about myself. I also began to know the other cohort peers. I realized the importance
of sitting down with the families and being prepared to ask specific questions so that I can get to
know the child and his/her family in a better way. The Cultural Interview was a great guideline
in order to feel comfortable when asking a family member questions about their culture and
home.
It surprised me to find out that I do not know as much about anti-bias vocabulary as I
thought I did. In our glossary writing assignment, we spent time reviewing the anti-bias terms.
We had to choose three terms new to us. The 3 terms I chose were ableism, bias, and
covert/overt. Not only did we write our own views on our terms but also presented three
different formats for learning our glossary terms to our cohort peers. In one of my activities for
bias, I played a YouTube video regarding the different types of bias. For my ableism term, I had
the students play a bingo using prejudicial statements toward disabilities. For my covert/overt
term, I created puzzles that showed how messages can impact a child whether visible or hidden.
This activity helped all of us in the cohort connect the different glossary terms to handson activities. I also learned other terms such as classism, cultural continuity, internalized
oppression, etc. I realized that when we shared our activities, I acknowledged my view of antibias from a different perspective. There will be a better environment in my classroom when I
implement anti-bias curriculum. By learning these glossary terms, it will assist me in guiding
children in a better way in order to combat social issues.
Another assignment was doing a classroom assessment and analysis. We were given a
checklist for assessing the visual materials and environment in a preschool classroom. My

REFLECTION HD 390 DEVELOPING ANTI-BIAS CURRICULUM: TEACHING VALUES

TO OUR CHILDREN

expectation was to see a classroom influenced by anti-bias materials. The materials and labels in
each area had an ample amount of reading materials in English, Spanish, and Arabic. They hung
pictures made by the children of themselves and their families. They also had photos of the child
and his/her family member. I noticed the dramatic play area contained many diverse dolls and
same-gender clothing for both female and male dolls. My views on an enriching an anti-bias
classroom have been to maintain the balance of each culture present in the classroom. As I
returned to my own classroom, I realized that I needed to take a closer look at my school
environment in order to implement or add appropriate anti-bias materials to each area and on the
walls so that the children and their families can feel comfortable and appreciated.
I completed a major social action project for this course on the topic of children and
homelessness. My specific topic was children and homelessness. I selected this project
because I too have experienced being homeless many years ago due to domestic violence. I am
also involved in several organizations and shelters that serve the homeless and/or domestic
violence. In a country as rich as ours, it is outrageous that even one child is homeless. The
social problem for parents and children who are homeless is that there are not enough shelters to
house them. In America, 2.3 to 3.5 million adults and children experience homelessness in a
lifetime (Facts and Figures: The Homeless, 2009). This social action project caused me to
wonder about the effects of homelessness and children. They may encounter bullying at school.
They may lack food, shelter, and clothing. According to Hart-Shegos (1999), 75% of homeless
children 5 and under have developmental delays such as impulsivity problems and speech issues
(Hart-Shegos, 1999). I will continue to take my social action project to the community. My goal
in life is to help those in need, especially those who have experienced or are currently homeless.
As educators, I want to support all the children and families I serve. Those who are experiencing

REFLECTION HD 390 DEVELOPING ANTI-BIAS CURRICULUM: TEACHING VALUES

TO OUR CHILDREN

homelessness deserve more comprehensive supports and resources from the school systems and
the community. Early childhood centers should be an intrinsic part of their support, in addition
to the classroom itself promoting social justice for all those marginalized in our society. This
social action project is important to me because I work with children and have children of my
own. I understand the pain, frustration, and emotions of being homeless. Supporting families
one step at a time is a movement toward unity for all children and families who are homeless.

REFLECTION HD 390 DEVELOPING ANTI-BIAS CURRICULUM: TEACHING VALUES

TO OUR CHILDREN

References
Hart-Shegos, E. (1999). Homelessness and its effects on early childhood development.
Retrieved from http://www.fhfund.org
Facts and figures: The homeless. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org.
Whitney, T. (2008). Using persona dolls to help children develop anti-bias attitudes. In A. Pelo
(Ed.), Rethinking early childhood education. (pp. 23-28). Wisconsin: Rethinking
Schools Publication.