Contents

Before you begin v

Topic 1 Reflecting on your own cultural identity and biases 1

1A Reflect on your cultural heritage 3
1B Understand cultural competence 7
Summary 12
Learning checkpoint 1: Reflecting on your own cultural identity 13

Topic 2 Identifying and developing cultural competency 15

2A Developing cultural competency 17
2B Analysing the service 21
Summary 26
Learning checkpoint 2: Identifying and developing cultural competency 27

Topic 3 Researching Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities 29

3A Indigenous Australian relationships 31
3B Acknowledging impacts 34
Summary 35
Learning checkpoint 3: Researching Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
communities 36

Topic 4 Supporting individual cultural identities 39

4A Identifying cultural groups 41
4B Demonstrating cultural sensitivity 44
4C Extending cultural knowledge 49
Summary 51
Learning checkpoint 4: Supporting individual cultural identities 52

Topic 5 Supporting children’s cross-cultural understanding and relationships 55

5A Planning inclusive experiences 57
5B Supporting cross-cultural relationships 60
Summary 65
Learning checkpoint 5: Supporting children’s cross-cultural understanding and
relationships 66

Topic 6 Implementing inclusive learning experiences 67

6A Providing diverse experiences 69
6B Implementing cultural events and celebrations 72
Summary 75
Learning checkpoint 6: Implementing inclusive learning experiences 76

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Definitions
Familiarise yourself with the following key terms used in this learner guide. Definitions
are from oxforddictionaries.com unless otherwise specified.
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person: someone who is of Aboriginal and/or Torres
Strait Islander descent, who identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person
and who is accepted as such by the Indigenous community in which they live (www.
snaicc.org.au).
Bias: the inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way
considered unfair.
Cultural heritage: something that is passed down from preceding generations; the
legacy of physical artefacts (cultural property) and intangible attributes of a group
or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and
bestowed for the benefit of future generations.
Cultural identity: the identity of a group or culture, or of an individual as far as one is
influenced by one’s belonging to a group or culture.
Culture: the ideas, customs and social behaviour of a particular people or society.
Discrimination: the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people,
especially on the grounds of race, age or sex.
Diversity: a range of different things.
Equity: the quality of being fair and impartial.
Identity: the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.
Prejudice: a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.
Racism: the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities or
qualities specific to that race, especially as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to
another race or races.
Stereotype: a widely held, but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular
person or thing.
Traditions: the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the
fact of being passed on in this way.
Values: principles or standards of behaviour; one’s judgment of what is important in
life.

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 Topic 1 Reflecting on your own cultural identity and biases

1A Reflect on your cultural heritage

Before you reflect on your own cultural heritage,
you need to understand what the term ‘culture’
means. For many, culture is about the country
they are from, the language they speak and their
physical features, such as or the colour of their
skin. However, culture includes much more than
this. It is influenced by the set of beliefs, values
and traditions that have been instilled since birth
through socialisation, and is influenced by family
and the wider society.

Culture
Culture involves rituals, practices, stories, customs, beliefs and values. It includes how
we live our lives, what we believe in and the values we hold dear. It influences goals
in life and beliefs about others, and may change slowly over time through experiences
that formulate views and understandings.
You may not realise your own culture until you are removed from it. This may occur
when you are exposed to new experiences or new people who live in different ways to
you.
Examining your own culture and how it has developed will help you to understand how
the culture of others has evolved, and how important beliefs and values change to
form new ways of viewing the world.
To become a culturally competent educator, it is important to respect and celebrate
diversity.

Family history
If you research your own family history, you may identify many traits of your ancestors
that are evident in your family’s behaviours. For example, you may discover that
your ancestors have lived through tragedies or triumphed against the odds. You may
discover that your own attitudes are linked with this history.
Added to this is your own set of life experiences. Who you are today and the values and
beliefs you hold have been shaped by these events, your family and your environment.
Here are some examples of how an individual’s family background and environment
influence their current values and beliefs.

Example 1 Phoebe was raised in a family that ran its own business.
Phoebe and her siblings all worked in the business, where
they learnt early about having a strong work ethic. Phoebe
was always on time for her shifts and concentrated on her
tasks, completing each one before beginning another. Now,
as a mother, she promotes the same values and work ethics
with her children, ensuring they are punctual and always
focused on the job at hand.

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 CHCECE001 DEVELOP CULTURAL COMPETENCE

Avoiding biased communications

Example
Someone is telling a story. The person telling the story labels people by personal
information, such as their gender, skin colour, age and health status. All of these
factors are irrelevant to the issue being discussed:
‘Two ladies from the morning shift accused the cleaner of not doing his job. Marilyn,
the black educator, and Margaret, the cook, accused Mr Engerrand of not cleaning
properly. Mr Engerrand is 42 years old and an epileptic, and he says that he has had
no complaints before.’
The same information can be told in an unbiased way:
‘Two staff from the morning shift accused the cleaner of not doing his job. Marilyn, an
educator, and Margaret, the cook, accused Mr Engerrand of not cleaning properly. Mr
Engerrand says that he has had no complaints before.’

Frameworks and legislation

The National Quality Framework (NQF), including the National Quality Standard (NQS),
Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework (EYLF), My time,
our place: Framework for school age care in Australia (MTOP), and your service policies
and procedures all support you to work toward developing cultural competence. Your
pedagogy (the way you work with children) should demonstrate acceptance of others.
This is supported by the principles and practices in the frameworks that emphasise
respect for diversity and the need to develop cultural competence. Because they affect
your daily work, these NQF components are available to you in every education and
care organisation. You can also find them on the Australian Children’s Education &
Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) website: http://aspirelr.link/nationalqualityframework
In addition, anti-discrimination legislation should be represented in your organisational
policies and procedures. This legislation includes the following Commonwealth Acts:
XX Age Discrimination Act 2004
XX Disability Discrimination Act 1992

XX Racial Discrimination Act 1975

XX Sex Discrimination Act 1984

Practice task 2
1. Read the following table and rate yourself out of 5 for each skill, where 0 means
you have not obtained the skill and 5 means you are very skilled.

Rating Skill

0 1 2 3 4 5 I reflect on my own skills and knowledge often.

0 1 2 3 4 5 I like to learn about different cultures.

0 1 2 3 4 5 I interact with a diverse group of people.

0 1 2 3 4 5 I attend professional development opportunities aimed

at developing my cultural competence.

0 1 2 3 4 5 I model interest and respect for all people.

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 Topic 1 Reflecting on your own cultural identity and biases

Learning checkpoint 1
Reflecting on your own cultural identity
Part A
1. Write down at least three significant events in your family background or history
that have influenced your values, beliefs and attitudes.

2. Explain how at least three aspects of your environment have influenced your
cultural identity.

3. What impact might your own background have on interactions and relationships
with people from other cultures?

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Topic 2 Identifying and developing
In this topic you will learn
about:
cultural competency
When you are sensitive to children’s individual
2A Developing cultural
differences and aware of the impact their families
competency
and communities have on them, you can create an
2B Analysing the service environment that supports children’s identities,
wellbeing and engagement in learning.
Each child has the right to their own cultural identity,
and they should be supported to develop pride in
this. This is a starting point for developing cultural
competency. Respectful relationships and environments
that support diversity and inclusiveness enable children
to gain skills and knowledge that help them to navigate
their world in a fair and just way.

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The following table maps this topic to the National Quality Standard and both national
learning frameworks.

National Quality Standard

Quality Area 1: Educational program and practice
Quality Area 2: Children’s health and safety
Quality Area 3: Physical environment
Quality Area 4: Staffing arrangements
 Quality Area 5: Relationships with children
 Quality Area 6: Collaborative partnerships with families and communities
Quality Area 7: Governance and leadership
Early Years Learning Framework My Time, Our Place
Principles
 Secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships
 Partnerships
High expectations and equity
 Respect for diversity
 Ongoing learning and reflective practice
Practice
Holistic approaches Holistic approaches
Responsiveness to children Collaboration with children
Learning through play Learning through play
Intentional teaching Intentionality
Learning environments Environments
 Cultural competence Cultural competence
Continuity of learning and transitions Continuity and transitions
Assessment for learning Evaluation for wellbeing and learning
Outcomes
 Children have a strong sense of identity
 Children are connected to and contribute to their world
Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
Children are confident and involved learners
Children are effective communicators

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 Topic 3 Researching Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities

3A Indigenous Australian
relationships
Archaeological evidence suggests that Aboriginal
people have lived in Australia for over 60,000
years. Aboriginal culture is one of the oldest
cultures in the world. Aboriginal people were
traditionally hunter-gathers who lived off the
land and had a strong spiritual connection to
it. Before the white colonisation of Australia,
Aboriginal families lived together in a communal
environment with roles and responsibilities shared
among the group; for example, men hunted,
women were responsible for cooking and child-
rearing, and the Elders shared their knowledge.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples inhabited most areas of Australia,
speaking more than two hundred languages, and following distinct lifestyles and
cultural traditions. Since colonisation, Aboriginal people have been denied their right to
live according to their customs and are still experiencing lower health and educational
outcomes than non-Indigenous Australians.

Legislation and policies

The word ‘colonisation’ means that a new group of people have come and settled an
area of land and taken control of the territory or country. This usually involves mass
migration of the colonising people, and incorporation of their own culture into the
area. Often, colonisation does not take into account any indigenous people already
occupying the land.
Following the British colonisation of Australia, the government put in place policies that
took away Aboriginal people’s rights. Many Aboriginal people were placed in reserves
and missions outside towns or in remote areas. They had to cease their normal lives
and could not continue to live the way they wanted, or express their values or beliefs.
The new expectations forced on them created issues that were dealt with through
government control using curfews, alcohol bans, separate education and restricted
travel.
The government took automatic guardianship of all Aboriginal children, and between
1910 and 1970, forcibly removed Aboriginal children from their families and placed
them into non-Indigenous homes and institutions. In 1937, the Australian government
implemented an assimilation policy in which Aboriginal people ‘not of full blood’ were
assimilated into the wider ‘white’ population.
This event, now referred to as the ‘stolen generation’, devastated many Indigenous
families. Aboriginal people still remember this with fear and sadness. This period of
history was documented in the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
report of 1997, titled, Bringing them home: National inquiry into the separation of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.

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Topic 4 Supporting individual
In this topic you will learn
about:
cultural identities
Children’s personal, family and cultural histories shape
4A Identifying cultural
their learning and development. Children have better
groups
outcomes when educators respect their backgrounds and
4B Demonstrating cultural provide them with support and opportunities to feel valued.
sensitivity The EYLF, MTOP and NQS endorse programs that
4C Extending cultural enhance opportunities for learning and development
knowledge by providing experiences based on children’s interests,
cultural identities and strengths. They call for educators
to recognise the importance of partnerships with
families in achieving programs that deliver sound
learning outcomes.
A commitment to supporting individual cultural identities
is critical to develop strong partnerships with families for
the education and care of their children. The best way
to gather relevant information about cultural identity is
from the families themselves. There are also people and
organisations in your community who can assist you in
supporting cultural understandings and relevance.

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2. For each aspect of the families you identified, explain how you could represent this
in an image, book or resource. You might like to present the information in a table
like the one below.

Aspect Family details Represented in the

following

Family 1

Racial background

Lifestyle

Language

Family structure

Family 2

Racial background

Lifestyle

Language

Family structure

3. If you were collecting this information from families in your role as an educator,
what could you say to each family to check their preferences to either authorise
that they would like you to maintain their privacy and confidentiality, or incorporate
their details into the program?

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 Topic 4 Supporting individual cultural identities

4C Extending cultural knowledge

When you are aware of each child’s family background,
you have information that allows you to make the service
environment more like home and an enjoyable place
to be. By focusing on specific attributes such as skills,
knowledge and values that show the uniqueness of
each child, you can create an environment that enables
children to learn from each other.

Involving families
The following strategies may encourage parents to
become involved in cultural activities:
XX Encourage families and other community members to volunteer their support by
attending service events.
XX Ask family members how they would like to participate as volunteers and respond
in a timely manner to those indications.
XX Encourage family and community members to become involved as:
−− participants in meetings
−− presenters of activities
−− assistants with art shows, read-aloud events, workshops, book swaps and other
activities
−− volunteers on excursions
−− instructional assistants in specific activities
−− non-instructional assistants in general activities
−− contributors working from home; for example, assembling materials and typing.
There is a range of ways you can provide opportunities for both children and families
to enhance their experience of cultural diversity. Use the following checklist to assess
whether you are providing these opportunities.
Questions Yes No
Are resources available in community languages?
Do you know any non-English words used by children?
Do you provide posters and resources that represent people from
different backgrounds and abilities?
Do you collect background information from families?
Do educators represent a range of cultural backgrounds?
Does the curriculum include aspects from a variety of cultures?
Are the cultures of the children incorporated into the program?
Do you encourage parents to become involved in the program?
Do you celebrate a range of cultural occasions and celebrations?
Are you aware of how to access the interpreter service, and is this
service available/accessible for parents if needed?
Are parents informed of your philosophy, policies and planned
activities?
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The following table provides some experiences that may be used to help create an
inclusive learning environment.

Experience Details

Props in the home Avoid big cultural displays or specific themes such as
area disability. Instead, create an inclusive view by adding
one item that represents each group to the regular home
corner; for example, crutches, a sling, chopsticks, a
wheelchair, a walking stick, sari, bamboo steamer or flag.

Treasure hunt Have children hunt for natural items outside, such as
stones, bark and leaves. Talk about how these natural
items have similarities and differences just like people.

Polls Ask children to identify which things they like most and
which they do not like, then discuss the similarities and
differences in these choices. You might poll children about:
XX experiences
XX activities
XX celebrations
XX events
XX foods
XX indoor or outdoor play.

Discussions and Spontaneous or planned discussion can be used to share

group times information and learn about each other.
Talk about family structures, what children do on the
weekend, how they celebrate Christmas (or another
celebration) at their house and what it is like to live in or
visit another country.

Human bingo Ask questions such as:

XX Who has the same colour hair?
XX Who has the same colour eyes?
XX Who has a baby in their house?
XX Who knows someone who lives in another country?
XX Who celebrates Easter?

Using mirrors Encourage children to look at themselves and others, and

highlight their similarities and differences.

Disability activities Choose a disability or impairment and discuss what it

means with the children; for example, vision-impaired
means that you cannot see very well.
Have children complete tasks or activities simulating this
impairment. Support the children to identify the difficulties,
but also work out alternative ways to be successful. Point
out skills that are not affected by the impairment.

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 Topic 5 Supporting children’s cross-cultural understanding and relationships

Children use behaviours and attitudes they see adults modelling in their everyday play
and social interactions. For this reason, it is important to use oral communication skills
to role-model open, inclusive and ethical interactions with all children, families and
colleagues.
Children can feel comfortable with diversity and see it as positive if you encourage
open exploration and discussion. New or different things are usually interesting to
children and prompt them to ask questions.

Take the following steps to role-model appropriate behaviours:

XX Use open communication in which each person is treated equally and is provided
the information they need. When open communication is occurring, each person
communicating will feel safe to share their views and ideas, and participate in
decision-making.
XX Use inclusive communication by ensuring you use language that everyone
understands; this may mean presenting information in a simple way and avoiding
jargon.
XX Engage in ethical interactions that demonstrate your respect for the rights of
others and their importance as part of your service and curriculum.

Watch this video about working with others appropriately.

Challenging stereotypes
You may notice that children’s reactions or participation suggests
a need for additional cultural support or further understanding of
cross-cultural concepts.

v 0070
To avoid children developing fears and concerns about
differences, which may cause them to form stereotypical or biased
views, you can:
XX encourage children to ask questions about differences they notice
XX help children feel comfortable about asking questions

XX answer questions honestly

XX avoid criticising children

XX make sure your answers match the children’s level of understanding

XX guide children to ask questions in positive ways

XX let children know that biased words are inappropriate and can be hurtful.

Consider the following example.

Michaela: ‘Why does Azara always wear that scarf?’
Educator: ‘Azara’s scarf is important to her. In her family all the girls and women wear
a scarf. It is part of their culture.’

Identifying and addressing prejudice

Some educators believe that if they challenge prejudiced comments or actions of
children and others it may create conflict. However, by being open, honest and succinct
in your responses, you can successfully manage situations where prejudice occurs and
develop confidence in your ability to promote the value of diversity.

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 Topic 5 Supporting children’s cross-cultural understanding and relationships

2. You are including a celebration of National Aboriginal and Torres Islander children
in your plan. A parent comments, ‘Why do we need to do that when there are no
Aboriginal people in the service?’
How would you respond to this parent’s comments in a way that strengthens your
relationship and respects the parent’s views?

Summary
XX There are many activities and opportunities that allow you to help children develop
an understanding of others.
XX Experiences that share similarities and differences are useful for sharing ideas and
finding out about others.
XX To develop a trusting and positive relationship with parents, create a setting where
individuals can be accepted for who they are and be sensitive to the needs of
others.
XX Children can learn desirable behaviours through positive role-modelling.
XX Implement strategies to ensure children reject stereotyping and/or biased views.
XX Part of modelling inclusion is addressing prejudice when it happens.
XX Through role-modelling, you can educate children on how to respect the
communication styles of others.

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6B Implementing cultural events

and celebrations
There are many events that are celebrated across
the world. The events your service participates
in often depend on the cultural mix of families in
your service.
Events and celebrations include:
XX birthdays
XX name days

XX festivals

XX celebrations of achievements

XX religious occasions

XX community events

XX the beginning and end of a school term or holiday

XX cultural events

XX graduation.

You can incorporate various types of events and celebrations into the service’s
routines; for example, singing ‘Happy birthday’, or learning Christmas carols or about
Hanukkah in December. This provides children with a variety of social experiences,
while also acknowledging diversity and that it is valued and respected.
Discuss with parents what events and celebrations they participate in and explore how
these can be incorporated into your program. Parents can provide information and
support you by helping children prepare for and participate in events and celebrations.
This can even help to broaden your own view of the world and other cultures, and to
gain a better understanding of how to approach your role.

Cultural and religious events

Religious and cultural calendars alter each year. In Australia, some events always
occur on particular dates; for example, Christmas is always on 25 December. However,
there are also events that are based on a lunar calendar, such as Easter, which
occurs on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon. In addition, there are days that
acknowledge particular celebrations or events, such as Anzac Day, Father’s Day and
National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) week.
There are calendars available online that outline most national events, national weeks
of celebration, and cultural and religious dates. These calendars can be found on the
Australian Government website: http://aspirelr.link/special-events-calendar
Experiences based on these events and celebrations need to be well-planned and
appropriate to children’s development and learning. They need to be presented in a
way that meets children’s needs and is relevant to the families and communities who
use your service. There is no need to celebrate every event: consult with families,
colleagues and children to determine what is relevant. If you work out what the
main emphasis of each event is, this will assist you to create sensitive, meaningful
experiences and activities for children.

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Topic 7 Supporting personal and
In this topic you will learn
about:
cultural identity
There are many ways you can encourage children to
7A Creating a sense of
be connected to their family, their community and
belonging
your service. By providing secure environments where
7B Engaging and relationships with others extend knowledge and develop
collaborating connections, children will develop an understanding of
others and feel a stronger sense of self.
7C Supporting specific
needs

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7B Engaging and collaborating

Communicating in a culturally sensitive way
enables children to develop a strong sense
of identity and wellbeing, and helps them
form connections with their world. These are
fundamental outcomes of the EYLF and MTOP.
Educators who engage with children positively
help build strong reciprocal relationships that
enhance children’s understandings about how to
interact and exchange ideas in a sensitive way.
Engaging and collaborating with children enables
them to develop a sense of belonging and
ownership in their environment, as well as agency
in their own learning.
When you encourage children to be involved in everyday choices, decision-making and
problem-solving become part of normal thinking. These skills assist children as they
grow and develop to deal with larger issues when they arise.
Watch this video about engaging with children.

Supporting interactions
You may support children’s interactions by involving them in:
XX recognising problems

v 0042
XX clarifying goals

XX planning strategies

XX finding solutions

XX answering open-ended questions

XX sharing their ideas with others

XX using open-ended materials

XX using new and stimulating materials

XX using everyday events to explore the world

XX talking about routines and choices

XX consulting children about their ideas.

Working collaboratively
Collaborative problem-solving involves parties working side by side to solve a problem
and find a solution that is acceptable to everyone involved. The group activities you
implement need to include children in this process so the solutions reached meet the
majority of needs and interests. This process can increase the group’s satisfaction with
what is agreed to. It also helps to establish positive working relationships as no child
should dominate another. When you plan group collaboration tasks, check that the
children are interested.

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 CHCECE001 DEVELOP CULTURAL COMPETENCE

To encourage a collaborative process for solving problems, provide suggestions for

consideration rather than being directive, which reduces the amount of thinking or
exploring that children can do. The following are examples:
XX Encourage children to interact with each other. Introduce activities that are open-
ended and involve children in planning and implementation. This encourages
children to feel important and put forward their own ideas.
XX Help children clarify or adapt their shared goals. To successfully make a decision,
all participants need to have the same or a similar goal. You can help them talk
about what they want to achieve.
XX Involve children who are unlikely to initiate ideas to support their involvement.

XX Avoid constantly demonstrating or solving problems for children. Allow the children
to think about their options and consider all outcomes.
XX Ask the children to share their ideas and listen to others. They can be supported to
problem-solve by considering the opinions of others.

A collaborative approach to problem-solving

Example

Ashleigh, an educator, has observed a small group of four-year-olds playing with blocks
for long periods. She often needs to go in and solve problems when the children have
conflicting ideas about their play. She decides that she wants to teach the children
strategies to help them solve problems for themselves.
To encourage a collaborative problem-solving approach to their block play, Ashleigh
moves the blocks to the bark area outside. She places posters of farm animals on a
divider that she uses to define the area of play. She chooses a farm setting because
one of the children’s grandparents lives on a farm, which they visit every weekend.
She knows this will engage the children and give her an opportunity to model a
problem-solving approach during the course of their play.
To ensure the problem-solving approach goes according to plan, Ashleigh does the
following:
XX She is present in the block area when the children arrive and she shows them the
area, assisting them to talk together and identify what they would like to achieve.
The goal they set is to create a farm.
XX When an issue arises about who will be the farmer and who will build the
paddocks for the animals, Ashleigh assists by asking the children what the
problem is (defining the issue). She restates the goal the children set (identifying
the interests) and then facilitates a discussion that enables each child to share
a solution they believe will fix the issue (generating options). Ashleigh then
states the agreed option (deciding on objective criteria) and obtains agreement
from each of the children to implement the solution (evaluating and reaching
agreement).
XX She observes the children’s reactions to the agreed solution and ensures they
participate to implement it.
XX She ensures any required materials are provided, and assists the children to talk
about new ideas and how to solve further issues.
XX She discusses the children’s progress, takes a photo of their work and encourages
others to have a look.
XX She encourages the children to stand back to look at their progress and reflect on
how they have all worked together to achieve their goal.

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