(EDU40004) Advocacy and social justice assignment discussing the significance of social justice in the field of early childhood education in Australia

Question

Task: You're required to write a 1200-word advocacy and social justice assignmentessay that identifies and challenges your own and/or others’ bias and stereotypes in relation to categories of diversity and difference. In your discussion and reflection, you will draw on various theoretical and disciplinary perspectives.

Answer

Introduction
Educators in Australia have made it a top priority to incorporate a focus on social justice into the country's curriculum in recent years. Social justice fosters a supportive classroom community, a secure learning environment, and positive change in the world, but its implementation presents some challenges for teachers and parents. In the following advocacy and social justice assignmentessay, I will provide a definition of social justice and discuss the significance of knowing its underlying principles, policies, and implications before entering the field of early childhood education in Australia. This advocacy and social justice assignmentwill use introspection to examine my own and society at large's preconceived notions and biases regarding various types of diversity and difference. To better understand and support the perspective of the biases, this advocacy and social justice assignmentwill discuss the ways in which social justice's regulations, policies, and practises are linked to diversity and difference.

Importance of having understanding of social justice discussed in the advocacy and social justice assignment
To put it simply, social justice is the practise of ensuring that everyone in a society has equal access to economic resources, opportunities, services, and rights. However, it is found in this advocacy and social justice assignmentthat inequalities are pervasive because of the asymmetry in the distribution of costs and benefits within our societies. As a result, achieving social justice necessitates striking a balance between the duties of each member of a society and the collective obligation of that society to ensure that all its members enjoy equal rights and protections (Tyler, 2019). For this reason, those who incorporate them into their work—for example, teachers in a pre-school setting—need to take initiative and provide the results of their careful consideration. Individuals' cultural beliefs, ages, sexes, genders, abilities, and races are just a few examples of what make up a society's diversity and difference. Because it fosters segregation via prejudice, bias, discrimination, and unfair advantages, diversity and differences are intrinsically linked to social justice inequality.

Although the concept of social justice is deeply rooted in Australian policy and practice, diversity and differences among social groups and individuals impede its core aim. It is found in the advocacy and social justice assignmentthat this is often the case because of the unequal distribution of economic resources, the lower pay of women compared to men, and the stereotypical debauchery of individuals and groups (Hage, 2020). Furthermore, wealth systems segment societies by dividing people into distinct classes, each of which benefits from the system while the others are left behind. As per the advocacy and social justice assignmentfindings, people of lower socioeconomic status, of certain racial or ethnic backgrounds, and of both sexes face unique disadvantages as a result of diversity and difference. Indigenous Australians are disproportionately impacted by this inequality because their human rights are routinely violated and they experience higher rates of poverty and disadvantage than any other social group in Australia (Dodo-Balu, 2018).

Biases and stereotypes that challenge implementing social justice explained in the advocacy and social justice assignment
Using principles of social justice, the Australian government hopes to rectify these disparities in the country's pre-K education system, foster acceptance of one another's unique qualities, and bring people of diverse backgrounds closer together through shared principles. As per the advocacy and social justice assignmentfindings the Australian Curriculum, Assessment, and Reporting Authority (ACECQA) have implemented social justice practises into the Australian school system, with an emphasis on community, connection, and cultural sensitivity. It discusses the underlying principles that teachers should support and include all children and their families, no matter their background or circumstances (Meerow, 2019). Principles 4, 5, and 6 as well as outcomes 1 and 2 of the EYLF all centre on teachers guiding young students toward cultural competence and an appreciation of diversity. This may seem obvious in a preschool setting, but in my experience I have seen many forms of exclusion due to individual differences. Due to concerns about the behaviour of even just one or two of the children, plans for a group outing have been scrapped. Due to these biased foresights, children's opportunities and involvement have been restricted (Curtis-Boles, 2020).

To the forefront of the fight for social justice John Rawls's theory centres on the idea that everyone should have the same fundamental rights and a fair shot at success. Standard 1 of the NQS addressed in the advocacy and social justice assignmentemphasises a child's individual identity and connection to community, which is consistent with the overarching principles of Rawls and with other contemporary education frameworks such as the UNESCO and the Early Years Learning Framework. Race No Way also takes this into account with its overarching principles of equal opportunity in participation and results (Byrd, 2018).

The newly adapted anti-bias curriculum researched for the advocacy and social justice assignment, as well as the philosophies of Reggio Emilia, promotes valuing and celebrating individual differences and working to change pervasive societal assumptions that suppress people's ability to see past their similarities. When children are exposed to cultural norms and social practises that are at odds with their own, they may form negative stereotypes and prejudices against those who are different. As a result, people of less dominant classes, races, and sexes often act in stereotypical and biassed ways because of their perceptions of those differences (Asakura& Maurer, 018).

Due to the fact that we learn most of what we know through cultural lenses, changes in our worldview and the way we apply common sense are typically precipitated by experiences in our immediate social and familial contexts. When we are young, we unconsciously form attitudes and opinions about other people and groups that can follow us into adulthood and cause discrimination. It is normal for kids to form first impressions of others based on how they look or act differently than they do, and this can lead to stereotyping as early as age two (Singh, 2020). Therefore, as per the advocacy and social justice assignmentpromoting social justice principles besides providing experiences that foster cultural besides non-stereotypical behaviours that support each learner's cognitive and emotional development can only be accomplished through early education.

Theoretical perspectives in challenging bias and stereotypes
Our discourse and worldview, which are products of our historical and cultural influences, are put to the test by theoretical viewpoints. They help teachers examine their own assumptions and examine the influence of media, personal history, and upbringing on their own biases and stereotypes. Understanding that bias, stereotypical behaviour, and social constructs like gender binaries are all socially constructed is one way in which postmodernist perspectives contribute to the challenge of these things (Liu, 2021). As per the advocacy and social justice assignmentthis dearth of males in the early years of schooling can be traced back to a variety of social factors, including gender roles and social stratification. Each of us comes to the classroom with our own set of preconceptions and prejudices, and these can have a major impact on our teaching. These social justice principles and theoretical frameworks stress the importance of self-reflection, incorporating diversity and cultural understanding into everyday life regardless of one's emotional state, and actively working to dismantle stereotypes that students may internalise from their social environments (Shih, 2019). As per the advocacy and social justice assignmenta paradigm shift in early childhood education is necessary because the NQS, EYLF, and Rawls only provide a small amount of literature guidance. The goal is to train people to be culturally competent, to foster a sense of community and belonging for all people, and to foster a healthy appreciation for diversity and individuality. As a social justice scholar, Nancy Fraser advocates for a model of the world based on fairness that is inclusive of people with different perspectives (Asakura& Maurer, 2018). However, she also acknowledges that schools have a tendency to focus on just one aspect of social justice, which leads to confusion about how to apply the concept of social justice in different settings and thus diminishes equity.

We are prompted to consider the degree to which our classrooms are truly inclusive through contemplation of theoretical perspectives on this issue. As per the advocacy and social justice assignmentit forces us to examine whether underrepresented groups are being heard and included. This includes underrepresented groups whose cultures are not being taught about or reflected in the classroom. A lot of the time, I feel like cultural experiences end up being tokenistic because they are not integrated into the programme as a whole, and that's a missed opportunity for people to learn about and appreciate one another's cultures.

Conclusion
By the time a child is in middle school, he or she has formed a fundamental worldview, making it imperative for educators to foster an in-depth awareness of differences and diversity. Therefore, it is crucial to cultivate equity and children's social justice stance through genuine discussions and explorations of differences and diversity and the effect these have on individuals within societies on a social scale. It can be concluded from the advocacy and social justice assignmentthat to promote diversity and difference for a more socially unbiased future for my students, I hope to use these principles as a guide as an early childhood educator.

References
Asakura, K., & Maurer, K. (2018). Attending to social justice in clinical social work: Supervision as a pedagogical space. Clinical Social Work Journal, 46(4), 289-297. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kenta-Asakura/publication/326044603_Attending_to_Social_Justice_in_Clinical_Social_Work_Supervision_ as_a_Pedagogical_Space/links/5b364180aca2720785f5adcc/Attending-to-Social-Justice-in-Clinical-Social-Work-Supervision-as-a-Pedagogical-Space.pdf
Byrd, M. Y. (2018). Diversity branding strategy: Concealing implicit stereotypes and biased behaviors. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 20(3), 299-312. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1523422318778006
Curtis-Boles, H., Chupina, A. G., & Okubo, Y. (2020). Social justice challenges: Students of color and critical incidents in the graduate classroom. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 14(2), 100. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-29616-003
Dodo-Balu, A. (2018). Fairness and inclusion: Online learning as an enabler of Australian higher education policies aimed at student equity and social justice. International studies in widening participation, 5(2), 26-39. https://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/services/Download/uon:39396/SOURCE1
Hage, S. M., Miles, J. R., Lewis, J. A., Grzanka, P. R., & Goodman, L. A. (2020). The social justice practicum in counseling psychology training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 14(2), 156. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-29616-009
Liu, S., Liu, P., Wang, M., & Zhang, B. (2021). Effectiveness of stereotype threat interventions: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(6), 921. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Songqi-Liu/publication/343149798_Effectiveness_of_Stereotype_Threat_Interventions_A_Meta-Analytic_Review/links/5f18ead4299bf1720d5c8f5d/
Effectiveness-of-Stereotype-Threat-Interventions-A-Meta-Analytic-Review.pdf
Meerow, S., Pajouhesh, P., & Miller, T. R. (2019). Social equity in urban resilience planning. Local Environment, 24(9), 793-808. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13549839.2019.1645103 Shih, K. Y., Chang, T. F., & Chen, S. Y. (2019). Impacts of the model minority myth on Asian American individuals and families: Social justice and critical race feminist perspectives. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 11(3), 412-428. https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/downloads/rf55zb55b
Singh, V. K., Chayko, M., Inamdar, R., &Floegel, D. (2020). Female librarians and male computer programmers? Gender bias in occupational images on digital media platforms. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 71(11), 1281-1294. https://arxiv.org/pdf/1912.05474
Tyler, T., Boeckmann, R. J., Smith, H. J., &Huo, Y. J. (2019). Social justice in a diverse society.
Routledge. https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=sAeiDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT9&dq=Importance+of+having+understanding+of+social+ justice&ots=ohesHr4ZD-&sig=gP1z38eC8TcAOe4fe4Fl_QGPAdA