Persona Dolls: Supporting Practitioners

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Persona DollsSupporting Practitioners

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Background

• Me
• Working for 30 years in early years in a range
  of contexts and settings
• Trustee of Early Years Equality for nearly 20
  years

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Early Years Equality

• Vision A future where all children grow up free
  from discrimination
• Purpose Striving to create an equality of
  opportunities for all children
• Provides high quality equality training
• Produces publications to inform and support
  effective equality policies and practices
• Website www.earlyyearsequality.org.uk

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Local Context The county

• Geographically large, mainly rural county. 1 in 6
  people live in sparsely populated rural areas
• In contrast there are several large towns
• Population is mainly white
• 25 of wards are in the 20 most deprived

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National Context

• The ongoing War on Terror
• Choice for parents, the best start for children
  a ten year strategy for childcare. December 2004
• Race Relations Amendment Act 2000
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Commission for Integration and Cohesion
• Every Child Matters 5 outcomes

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The World Children live in

• Consider -
• What we hear people say about, for example,
  asylum seekers
• or Travellers and Gypsies?
• These comments are usually negative.!!
• Where have you heard these comments? Children
  also hear.

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Children as Social Actors

• Are people at birth
• Absorb AND INTERPRET what they see and hear in
  the light of their experiences
• Notice differences and attribute value to them
  from an early age

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What children know

• Many writers and researchers have considered what
  children know and understand.- including
• David Milner
• Cecile Wright
• Chris Gaine
• Louise Derman-Sparks
• Babette Brown
• Glenda MacNaughton

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What does this mean for practitioners?

• We must think seriously about what we have
  created for children and the world these children
  will create for us. We are urged to think about
  early childhood education as though it really
  mattered, as though our pedagogy could make a
  difference in addressing inequalities and
  injustice.
• Sapon-Shevin, in Kessler and Swadener (1999)

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How the dolls were introduced in one county

• All Early Years Partnership workers received
  training on the use of the dolls
• Early Years Practitioners were invited to cross
  county conferences on the use of Persona Dolls
  building knowledge and interest

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Ongoing support for practitioners

• Qualified teachers support the Voluntary,
  Independent and Private sector through
• Visits to the setting
• Action Planning targeting areas for development
• Training
• Joint Visits
• Modelling good practice
• Working groups

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Working with practitioners

• Initially interested settings chose a doll at
  local cluster meetings choices reflected the
  needs of their setting.
• The support teachers (known as Early Years
  Development Officers EYDOs) work closely with
  settings as the dolls are introduced and used.

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EYDOs reinforce key elements of working with
Persona Dolls

• For example
• Practitioners doll- not for casual use by the
  children, a special visitor
• Diverse reflecting the diversity within the
  setting or extending it.
• Full of Stories to share
• With an occasional problem to ask children to
  help solve.

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Creating the Personas

• EYDOs and Practitioners worked together to build
  personas thinking about
• Family where the doll lives and with whom
• Language
• Religion (in some instances)
• Cultural context likes/dislikes, favourite
  foods, toys, activities, TV programmes etc

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What was easy and what was difficult?

• Choosing the doll Often much discussion
  everyone knew who they wanted and why!
• Naming the doll often the first point at which
  practitioners realised they needed to do some
  research.
• Terminology how do we describe our doll and his
  features, ethnicity etc.

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What was easy and what was difficult?- (cont)

• Avoiding Stereotyping being aware of our own
  prejudices and needing more information.
• Need for research for correct information about
• Cultural backgrounds
• Religious backgrounds
• EYDOs ensured ownership by encouraging
  practitioners to seek out further information

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Using the dolls

• Visitors? Initially all the dolls were brought
  into the setting by the EYDO
• Introductions EYDO introduced the doll giving
  practitioners the opportunity to observe
  childrens reactions
• Body Language treat the doll with respect- she
  has a seat belt in the car
• Real? Children may ask its OK to say no!
• Using the doll builds on existing skills of
  practitioners

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Using the dolls helps us move from from
Multi-cultural Practice.

• Which often focuses on
• Resources
• Celebrating diversity
• Celebrating festivals
• Displays
• Talking about differences/similarities
• BUT does little to challenge bias and
  discrimination

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To.anti-discriminatory practice

• Which think about how we
• Remove bias, stereotypes
• Remove prejudice
• Remove discrimination
• Prevent inequalities
• Treating all children with equal respect and
  concern.

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Problem solving

• Practitioners were asked to develop a story with
  an anti-discriminatory theme a story about
  something that happened to the doll that he or
  she would share with the children.
• The doll would look for some help and supportive
  solutions from the children

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What kind of problem?

• Reflecting those of the children in the group
  and beyond
• Gender, Race, Disability, Class, Exclusion,
  Name-calling

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Thinking Critically

• Practitioners share the dolls difficult story
  and ask children three key questions.
• How do you think Sam felt?
• What would you have if you had seen this happen?
• What can Sam do next?

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Working with Persona Dolls helps children develop

• Thinking Skills
• Through
• Encouraging children to be creative, use their
  imaginations and to take risks
• Encouraging problem solving
• Helping children to make links and transfer ideas
  from one context to another
• Challenge! Shows we have high expectations and
  confidence in their abilities

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Emotional Literacy

• Through
• Recognising, listening and responding to the
  emotions and feelings of others
• Extending childrens emotional vocabulary, using
  language to negotiate shared meanings

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Empathy

• Through
• Caring about one another feeling anothers
  sorrow or joy
• Enabling children to recognise and describe bias
  and discrimination
• Listening carefully to others

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Emotional well-being

• Through
• Helping children develop a realistic and healthy
  self-image
• Showing that family backgrounds and members are
  acknowledged and welcome in the setting
• Celebrating a childs culture and or religion
  positively and encouraging respect individual
  perspectives

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Emotional well-being

• Through
• Encouraging children to feel proud of their
  developing skills
• Dealing with fears and anxieties
• Creating a secure and safe place to express
  feelings and share distressing experiences

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Next steps for the Project

• Disseminating good practice the original
  settings share their knowledge and practice with
  others
• Developing interest through including the dolls
  in training courses etc.
• Multi Agency working eg with Traveller
  Education services, Gypsy Liaison Group, Service
  for Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment service
  etc.
• Building joint understandings dolls dont work
  alone, emphasis on Equalities training across all
  sectors.

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The Dolls work best when

• They are not working in a vacuum
• Practitioners have a shared and positive view of
  the child
• Practitioners work effectively as a whole team
• Practitioners have good story telling skills and
  use circle time effectively

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The Dolls work best when

• Settings work in real partnership with parents
• Practitioners have good observation skills
• Practitioners recognise the importance of
  listening to young children and understand their
  100 languages

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And critically

• The dolls work best when practitioners are truly
  reflective, respect childrens rights and
  acknowledge that children are competent to take
  part in processes that initiate and bring change
• Listening to Young Children Y Penny Lancaster