Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/supporting-young-children-as-activists-anti-bias-project-work/5014438/
Many of us have embraced in-depth project work with young children as a way to grow curriculum that is responsive to children's pursuits. We pay careful attention to children's questions and passions, to their developmental themes, and their cultural contexts. And, in response to what we observe about children's thinking and experiences, we grow emergent, in-depth projects, perhaps inviting children to study friendship, or the life cycle of salmon, or the ways in which families celebrate birthdays.We may balk, though, when children present us with opportunities to take up issues like homelessness, racism, hunger, and environmental concerns. These issues are weighty; we carry strong beliefs and commitments around these sorts of issues, and we know that the children's families do, too. We're anxious about possible conflicts with families if our perspectives on an issue differ. We worry that our adult agendas will take over a project, or that we're burdening children with adult issues and adult responsibilities. We care about keeping our curriculum developmentally appropriate, and worry that anti-bias activism isn't a developmental fit for young children. All in all, it often seems easiest to avoid such loaded subjects with children, or to respond to children's queries about issues of ...