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List of contents
Part I: FOUNDATIONS FOR MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION IN TODAY'S EARLY CHILDHOOD CLASSROOMS.
1. Living in Diversity: The Intricate Nature of Our Society.
2. The Nature of Culture, The Nature of People.
3. Families in Our Classrooms: Many Ways, Many Voices.
4. Who Is the Child? Developmental Characteristics of Young Children in a Diverse Society.
Part II: EXPLORING THE ROOTS OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION: ISSUES AND DIRECTIONS.
5. Tracing the Beginnings of Multicultural Education.
6. Approaches to Multicultural Education: From Frameworks to Action.
Part III: INTO ACTION: IMPLEMENTING A MULTICULTURAL PROGRAM FOR YOUNG CHILDREN.
7. Classrooms, Where Words Become Action.
8. Language Diversity in the Classroom: Working with Young Dual Language Learners.
9. Activities and Resources for Multicultural Teaching: A World of Possibilities!
10. A World of Resources: Engaging Families, Friends, and the Community.
Appendix A: Recommended List of Selected Multicultural Children's Books.
Appendix B: Organizations That Support Multiculturalism and Diversity.
Appendix C: Developing Multicultural Awareness: Sample Activities.
Glossary.
About the author
Wilma Robles de Melendez, Ph.D., is a professor of early childhood education at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She has over two decades of experience in the field of early childhood and is a specialist in multicultural education and diversity issues and practices. An active member of state, national, and international early childhood associations, she has written and published several books and articles in education journals as well as another text with Vesna (Ostertag) Beck for Cengage, Teaching Social Studies in Early Education.Vesna Beck, Ed.D., was a university administrator and professor at the community college and university levels for over 40 years. During her 24-year tenure at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she was the administrator of the doctoral program in organizational leadership and professor in the Master of Science in early childhood education where she taught research and assessment courses. Vesna’s partnership with Wilma, which began more than two decades ago, resulted in two books, many workshops, conference presentations, teacher training, and journal publications. Vesna is the co-author (with Wilma Robles de Melendez) of Teaching Social Studies in Early Education.
Summary
This in-depth exploration discusses the need for addressing diversity and multicultural realities in the classroom. It prepares you with the necessary knowledge, skills, and strategies to create a developmentally appropriate, respectful, and culturally responsive classroom and teaching environment. You'll find practical information, ideas, and strategies that you can apply to classroom practice for young children. There are guidelines on how to create relationships between the school, community, and family as essential partners that influence a child's success. Questions about how to deal with a bilingual child, a child with exceptionalities, and non-traditional parents are also addressed. Finally, you'll learn the benefits of teaching multiculturalism from a global perspective.
