Transcript

LIZ PEMBERTON : When we think about extending learning opportunities, I often get practitioners, educators, teachers to think about the ways in which we use resources. I often have my mind brought to the notion in the early years, particularly this fascination with a flat pack Eid celebration, the flat pack-- what we’ve commonly come to know as Chinese New Year celebration, instead of using this more inclusive language and calling it Lunar new year, it’s flat pack Diwali.

And I think this is born out of a notion of misunderstanding and wanting to have a quick fix. We also need to be sure that we’re not making assumptions about who the children are in the environment that we may create. Are we making sure that we’re using information children are giving us, as opposed to thinking, oh, well, that child looks Chinese, so they must eat with chopsticks? That’s an assumption.

It may be the case that they do, but it may be the case that they don’t. And so when we’re thinking about setting up the home corner, for instance, we have to be really conscious about saying to ourselves, let’s address that. We don’t know everything. Let’s give the children, if they're in a place or space where they are able to communicate, what is it that makes you feel like you’re at home here?