Session 2

Session 2: Respecting Cultural Diversity

Learning Activity 3: Self-Reflective Journal Entry

Focus

In this learning activity you will compose a journal entry where you will have the opportunity to think critically about your beliefs and attitudes about children. You will also reflect on how your beliefs and attitudes shape your practices with children and families.

Engaging in this critical thinking will support you in further understanding how, as a child care provider, you can live by practices in child care settings that honour the diversity of children, families, co-workers, and yourself.

Directions

Step 1: Brainstorm and record ideas for how you could describe and/or incorporate the following into a self-reflective journal entry:

• your views and attitudes toward supporting children’s development and the guidance of children
  
  
• how your experiences in this and the other Early Learning and Child Care courses have influenced your practices with children
  
  
• how you will apply what you have learned about cultural diversity to your work with young children and their families
  
  
• a minimum of four ideas for how a child care facility could be welcoming to, and inclusive of, diverse children and families. Consider the following examples:
  • dolls with different skin tones
  • books in different languages
  • photographs of the children and families who attend the facility (be sure the photographs are at eye level for the children)

Step 2: Reread what you wrote in the Session 2 Getting Focused Activity: Cultural Diversity—What Does It Mean? As you do so, consider how your views have changed.

Step 3: Review the Journal Entry Exemplar.

Step 4: Complete Learning Activity 3: Self-Reflective Journal Entry.

Step 5: Review the Student Checklist for Learning Activity 3: Self-Reflective Journal Entry. Assess the quality of your work and make any necessary adjustments.

Checking In

Save your completed learning activity and your checklist in your course folder.