For this part of the project, you will select a group for your Anti-Bias Action Plan.
You will then gather background data and information about the group you select, and then submit a paper of your findings.
Part 1: Select a Group First, identify a diverse group of children that you would like to focus on for the course project. Examples include a cultural group you are interested in or concerned about, a specific language group whose linguistic needs are not being met, children with special needs, a diverse religious or socioeconomic group, a gender/sexual orientation group, and so on.
Your focus should be on children ages birth through 8 years old in the selected group.
Try to select a group that is genuinely interesting to you. Is there a group of children who you have been struggling with in terms of how best to work with them and/or support their learning needs?
Is there are diverse group you would like to work with in the future? Is there a group of children you feel are not being treated fairly in a particular education setting? Has it been brought to your attention that the educational conditions for a specific group are not ideal? You will work on a part of the Anti-Bias Action Plan in each module.
Therefore, it's important to think carefully about your focal group because you will be researching and working with that same group throughout the course.
Part 2: Gather Background Data and Information In this part of this week's assignment, you will research and learn more about the diverse group of learners you selected in Part 1 of this assignment and the group's experiences with discrimination and bias.
To help you gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the group you are focusing on, gather, examine, and compare relevant facts, figures, statistics, and research results (for example, the population of your selected group in the United States, test scores that compare members of your group to the overall population, or the number of children who live in households with same-sex parents).
The U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, and United States Census Bureau are excellent resources for gathering data. State Department websites or local school district sites may also be helpful depending on your focus. See Part 3 below for specific requirements for these resources.
Part 3: Complete the Assignment In at least 5 pages, describe the group you are going to focus on for the course project and share the relevant background data and information you researched about the group. Include the following details: Identify the group you selected and explain why and/or how you selected the group.
Use a minimum of 4 credible sources* to gather, examine, and compare relevant facts, figures, statistics, and research results for the group you selected. Include a variety of resources, such as a subject-specific encyclopedia entry, your textbook, a scholarly journal article, a magazine or newspaper article, or a web resource.
Two of your sources must be academic/scholarly sources, such as a book or an academic scholarly journal. Academic scholarly journals can be accessed through the Rasmussen Online Library.
For ECE sources, Education Research Complete, Education via ProQuest, and EBSCO Host are helpful. Based on your research findings, describe the group and the form of discrimination it has endured, both in the past and currently.
Describe what type of action (if any) it has taken in the past. Include details that illustrate the group's experience along a timeline. Discrimination examples: African-American people have been subjected to discrimination in schools. Disabled children are discriminated against on the playground when there is no equipment for them to use.
Include quotes or anecdotes from group members that help describe their situation. If appropriate, you might consider talking with members of the group who can provide you with details and/or examples. Integrate the facts, figures, statistics, and research results you gathered and synthesize them to plan improvements and support for the group.
Format your paper using APA formatting, including a cover page and a references page that contains the sources you used. For help with formatting your paper, visit the APA Guide.
*A note about credible sources: Credible sources are reliable, accurate, and trustworthy. These sources are written by authors respected in their fields of study.
You want to identify sources where the author of the article is listed, if they've referenced other information, the sources should be cited so that you can check for the accuracy of and support what they have written.