Dismantling Bias Through Dignity

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 1:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Centering Antibias, Antiracist, and Culturally Responsive Practices in Early Care and Education (Table 1)

Abstract

This study explores how 4 early childhood professionals describe their positionality as an intentional stance that informs their anti-bias pedagogical practices. Overall, participants indicated a metaphysical perspective that all things hold dignity. This fundamental ideology asserts the inalienable value individuals possess and in turn, the inherent respect they are due. The shared ideology of all things possessing dignity informed participants’ classroom engagements consciously and subconsciously. Three subthemes were found to be interrelated and evident in the participants’ anti-bias practices. Dignity perspectives facilitated the participants’ intentional engagement with young children and included the following aspects (1) child centered pedagogy, (2) the implementation of social constructivism, and (3) impromptu engagements with children that promote anti-bias understanding

Authors

• Kayla Angelosante, George Mason University

• Leslie La Croix, George Mason University