This paper was prepared by Ali Glasgow
Biography
Ali Glasgow is a lecturer in the School of Educational Pedagogy and Psychology at Victoria University of Wellington College of Education. She currently co–ordinates a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood ) paper on Inclusion and diversity, which focuses on the teacher’s role in developing inclusive relationships with children and families within the diversity of our early childhood communities. She is of Cook Island Maori heritage and has worked with early childhood education groups in the Cook Islands and the Solomon Islands; she has also been a professional development facilitator with Pasifika language nests in the wider Wellington area. This article is based on her work in the field and a review of the literature around cultural literacy and practice.
Cultural literacy
Cultural literacy can be viewed as shared knowledge which includes skills, understandings and values that enable members to participate fully within a group. Early childhood is an optimum period for this process to begin.
Teachers can greatly contribute to cultural literacy by developing their own cultural understandings. New Zealand teachers are fortunate to have access to the fast growing Pasifika cultural group to develop cultural skills.
By examining and reflecting on their own personal world views and cultural backgrounds and beliefs teachers are better placed to empathise with others and appreciate the world through other cultural lenses. Whilst this may be challenging, I have found that this process allows us to learn more about ourselves and other cultures. Teachers can then respond more successfully in culturally relevant ways and develop authentic relationships with those from culturally diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, teachers’ socio-cultural awareness is raised, enabling them to understand how children construct knowledge. They can then become capable of promoting knowledge construction and build a stronger knowledge base of diverse and cultural ways of learning.
The Pasifika language nests in New Zealand have become a very significant part of the early childhood scene and add to the richness and diversity of our sector. They were originally established to ensure culture and language preservation and have achieved significant results in this regard. Children who attend mainstream settings will also benefit from reinforcement and practices of their cultures whatever they may be. The diversity of cultures means that teachers need to be careful about assuming every cultural group is the same or similar. This is no less true for Pasifika cultures.