Los Angeles Mission College
Lilamani de Silva
What is an Anti-Bias Curriculum?
An anti-bias curriculum is culturally responsive.
It capitalizes on the students’ cultural backgrounds rather than attempting to
override or negate them.
Activities should be child centered and connected to the children’s lives. They
should employ materials from the children’s culture and history to illustrate
principles and concepts.
The teacher should recognize multiple intelligence’s and diverse learning styles.
The instructors should utilize cooperative learning and work to build self-esteem
in children.
Why Implement an Anti-Bias Curriculum?
To educate children to value human differences.
To help each child to construct a knowledgeable confident self-identity.
Help promote a comfortable interaction with people from diverse backgrounds.
Help promote critical thinking about bias.
Help all children gain the ability to stand up for themselves and for others in the
face of bias.
How to Get Started?
Include concrete activities in which parents and other family members can take
part such as field trips and classroom presentations.
Include time for discussion, so that children can ask questions and address their
concerns.
Displays in classroom should represent people from diverse racial, ethnic, and
cultural backgrounds engaged in meaningful activities.
Include family photos, work the children created and contributions from parents.
A big hit in every classroom is books made by the children themselves.
Have the children create stories about their families, friendships, class activities,
field trips etc.
Use parents as a resource to share items like magazine pictures, family recipes,
dramatic play props, stories, family experiences, and artifacts.
Include good children’s literature.
Ask parents, grandparents, and others to participate in story telling about their
culture and its development.
Use music and drama either recorded or created by the children themselves to
support children’s multicultural development.
Visit local restaurants, museums, workplaces, churches, and government facilities
on field trips.