diversity
WHO IS THE CHILD?
Developmental Characteristics Of
Young Children in a Diverse Society
Chapter 4
Key Concepts
- Child development
- Developmentally appropriate practices (DAP)
- Socialization
- Racial awareness
- prejudice
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What Is Development?
- Development is a process of continuous physical, emotional, and intellectual changes that are experienced by all humans.
- The process is holistic, dynamic, and transactional.
- Culture influences the process and patterns of development.
Factors influencing positive child development
- Ongoing positive and nurturing relationships
- Safety in the environment and physical protection
- Developmentally appropriate experiences relevant to the child’s needs
- Reasonable expectations and predictable structure and routines
- Stable and supportive community
- Cultural continuity across home, school, and community
Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)
- Concept that guides and defines ways to design and deliver teaching and learning experiences for all young children based on general and individual developmental characteristics.
- Culture and family characteristics are an essential dimension of DAP.
Factors that contribute to identity
- Heredity
- Prenatal environment
- Family environment
- Religion
- Race
- Ethnicity
Figure 4-1: Universal Factors That Influence Development
What is socialization?
- A process through which individuals learn the accepted patterns of behaviors and interactions in the context of society to which they belong.
Major Elements of Cultural Socialization
- Parents or guardians
- Family members
- Community environment
- Friends and peers
- Teachers and school staff
- Media
Taxonomy of Prosocial Skills
- Interacting with others (listening, being courteous, showing respect, asking for help following rules)
- Establishing relations with others (greeting others, participating, smiling, cooperating, sharing, accepting differences)
- Showing empathy towards others (showing concern for all, expressing feelings for others, taking action to help others, dealing with and accepting differences)
In original file, this is NL: check text
Gender Roles
- Socially and culturally bound
- Emerges during early years and develops over time
- Dependent on external clues
- Physical and societal
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Perception of Physical Differences
- Commonly noticed physical characteristics by children :
- hair texture
- skin color
- eye color and shape
- tone of the voice
- height and weight
- physical impairments
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