Abstract
Aim: This Names Project aimed to promote social interaction and positive self-identity, through sharing the background of names of culturally diverse children. Methods: Parents were engaged to provide an account on the background of their child__s name, including why they gave the child that particular name. They were encouraged to divulge details on what the name linguistically means and what it means to them in a personal sense. This included details on any relatives or historical characters that they considered when selecting the name for their child. Their contribution was included in the curriculum, as a book shared with the children during the group time that is part of their daily routine. Each day, we explored the name of one child and shared his/her parent__s account among all children. Results: The parents of all 42 children in Kinder Room 9 submitted their contributions within weeks. Children were excited, and summoned each other to participate by drawing/writing their names on the entry their parents made. There were a lot of discussions and interaction among children regarding their names. Many children had non-English names, and some had asked to be called by these names, after having developed self-esteem through sharing the proud background of their name. Conclusion: Sharing the background of a child__s name is a positive experience that highlights cultural diversity and enhances self-esteem among children. This is evident by the level of participation and their pride to be called by their traditional non-English names.
Author Information
Mariana Boules, Gowrie Victoria, Australia
Paper Information
Conference: IICEHawaii2016
Stream: Education for intercultural communication
This paper is part of the IICEHawaii2016 Conference Proceedings (View)
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