Activity 1.1 | Personal and Societal Values and Beliefs in Early Years Settings
| Site: | RRU Open Educational Resources |
| Course: | Responsive Pedagogical Approaches in ECE |
| Book: | Activity 1.1 | Personal and Societal Values and Beliefs in Early Years Settings |
| Printed by: | Guest user |
| Date: | Sunday, 11 May 2025, 6:53 PM |
Influence of Values
The Influence of Societal and Personal Values
Educators' personal values heavily influence Early Childhood programming. Examining educators' inherited social and personal values and beliefs about children and education is essential for critically reflecting and leading effectively in ECE contexts.These values and beliefs are shaped by historical and contemporary societal influences, experiences, and theoretical foundations. It is important to understand where we have come from and consider the possibilities for the future.
Expand each heading to explore definitions of "Societal" and "Personal" values:
While personal values are unique to the individual, social values are shared across groups. Social and personal values often become so ingrained that we do not question or reflect on them.
Our values often influence how we view children and interact and what experiences we offer children.
Consider
- What is your view or image of the child?
- How have societal and personal values influenced this?
- How does it influence your interactions in early years spaces?
- What if we allow these values to overtake current evidence-based practices?
- What happens when an Educator's values and understanding of children don't align with the centre's philosophy or with those of the other Educators in the centre?
- What if they do not align with research-based practices, human rights, or frameworks for ethical practice?
How do your values and beliefs influence your image of children and childhood?
If we consider the view that children are constantly interacting with inherited ways of being in this world and that they are both “of the world” and in the world, how can we think differently about childhood and children?
Reconfiguring the Natures of Childhood (Taylor, 2013) explores the complex relationship between children and nature, reflecting on how cultural perceptions shape childhood experiences.
Step One: Read
Read an excerpt from Reconfiguring the Natures of Childhood (Taylor, 2013), shared on the Early Childhood Pedagogies Collaboratory website by Kim Atkinson, reflecting on innocence and non-innocence in early learning spaces.
Step Two: Reflect
Reflect on your own values and beliefs to be curious about the story you just read (Taylor, 2013) by considering the following questions and documenting your thoughts in your journal:
- Where does the idea that childhood is a time of “innocence” come from?
- How does this interact with your image of children and childhood?
Be curious throughout the rest of this first module. As you engage, ask yourself, How do society, theory, and Educators' personal beliefs and values intersect with social and theoretical underpinnings?
References
Atkinson, K. (2021). Pedagogies of non-innocence. Early Childhood Pedagogies Collaboratory. https://www.earlychildhoodcollaboratory.net/pedagogies-of-non
Taylor, A. (2013). Reconfiguring the Natures of Childhood (1st ed.). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203582046/reconfiguring-natures-childhood-affrica-taylor