Strand I
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Strand I: Entwined
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To develop accessible, practice-grounded resources that translate critical theories, such as critical literacy, critical race theory, and culturally sustaining pedagogy, into meaningful tools for early childhood educators
“Living knowledges are knowledges capable of nourishing the field’s conditions to allow new possibilities. We insist on living knowledge… because it provokes pedagogical and curricular acts of creation, invention, and regeneration”
(Vintimilla et al., 2023, p. 6).
This strand is grounded in the understanding that learning and teaching are never neutral; they are always shaped by relationships, culture, history, and power. From a critical sociocultural perspective, learning environments are sites where power circulates through everyday practices. As Esmonde and Booker (2017) explain, “inequitable distributions of power and privilege” (p. 162) are embedded within all learning environments, influencing not only who participates, but how participation is interpreted and valued.
In early childhood education, these dynamics show up in ordinary pedagogical decisions - what stories are read, whose languages
are welcomed, which family practices are affirmed, and which forms of knowing are positioned as ‘normal.’ Educators’ own ways of thinking, being, and doing, and that of the institutions in which they operate, should be understood as socioculturally co-constructed and reconstructed through current and historical interactions as well as broader societal norms and values (Holloway, 2018).
This strand responds to that reality by centring knowledge translation: creating practice-grounded resources that support educators in noticing how power is interwoven into daily practice and in making intentional pedagogical decisions that disrupt harm while prioritizing belonging and equity.
At the same time, these artefacts reflect my own emergence - the work that energized me — the projects that prompted me to dig deeper, to follow unexpected lines of inquiry, and linger in spaces of discomfort and curiosity. In pursuing these questions, I found myself down research ‘rabbit holes,’ discovering a growing commitment to anti-racist practice. This strand therefore documents not only the production of resources but also a movement toward understanding myself as someone who seeks to expand both my field of practice and my scope of influence.
This strand also acknowledges the privilege of graduate education. The learning, growth, and stretching I have had access to over the past three years bring with them a “response-ability” (Vintimilla et al., 2023, p. 6) to invite other educators into shared spaces to “dialogue, inquire, invent, and encounter” (p. 6). Critical ideas are not meant to remain abstract or ‘kept’ within academic spaces; they must be made accessible, usable, and responsive to educators’ lived realities.
“Encounters with difference can provoke experimentation, movement, and new thinking” (Moss, 2019, p. 14).
Each artefact within this strand represents a thread - theoretical, relational, and practical - that becomes meaningful only through connection. Theory takes life when it is woven into educators’ everyday decisions in ways that remain responsive to children’s lived experiences and families’ funds of knowledge. The artefacts within this strand are intended to serve as entry points into critical conversations around social justice in early childhood education and
to support educators in practicing with care, attentiveness, and ethical responsibility, while also reflecting my ongoing commitment to grow as an advocate and change-maker within the field.
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Stories shape how children come to understand themselves and others. The books we choose and the conversations we invite through them “send powerful messages about who is visible, who is valued, and whose stories are worth telling” (Steinke, 2025).
This artefact is a self-created website designed to support early childhood educators in engaging with anti-bias and critical literacy practices through children’s
Artefact I
The Anti-Bias Bookshelf
ECED 533 - Advanced Seminar on Research in Early Childhood Education:
Leadership and Policy in Early Childhood Education, Dr. Iris Berger
literature. Grounded in practice and serving as an accessible entry point for educators beginning their engagement with anti-bias practice, the website supports Strand 1, creating a tangible tool that translates critical theories for educators. The site offers guiding questions and practical strategies intended to support educators in selecting and using books with intention as part of their everyday pedagogical practice.
Inspired by my grandmother’s enduring question - “What if?” - this artefact invites educators into possibility. What if the stories shared in early learning environments were intentionally curated to reflect the children and families present, as well as those beyond the immediate community? What if educators engaged toddlers in conversations about skin colour and hair texture, or invited preschoolers into discussions about immigration, fairness, and belonging? What if?
This artefact remains unfinished. Feedback from Dr. Berger highlighted the need for my own story to be more visible within the work, and I see opportunities to expand the site to include resources that support family engagement and dialogue. Further, this artefact requires the stories of others. With time, I hope to include the voices, experiences, and questions of those who share a commitment to disrupting dominant narratives and co-creating alternative stories alongside me.
Artefact II
Transforming Early Literacy:
An Anti-Bias Approach for Educators
LLED 566 - Theory and Research in Early Literacy, Dr. Harini Rajagopal
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This artefact is a professional learning workshop that positions early literacy as a site for anti-bias and social justice work in early childhood education. It situates literacy as deeply connected to children’s identity formation, sense of belonging, and developing understandings of fairness, emphasizing that even very young children are already navigating complex social dynamics related to race and belonging (Souto-Manning & Yoon, 2018).
Drawing on sociocultural theory, critical race theory, and culturally responsive teaching, this workshop demonstrates how children’s books and literacy practices function as “salient messages about the social expectations connected to particular times, places, and identities” (Burton, 2020, p. 36). Literacy, within this framing, becomes a thread through which dominant narratives may be reinforced or intentionally disrupted.
The workshop supports Strand 1 moving theory into practice, positioning educators as critical curators of literacy environments, and providing tangible tools to support this work. It emphasizes the importance of family partnerships, multilingual resources, and honouring home literacies as central to culturally responsive practice.
Artefact III
Funds of Knowledge Artefact I -
Exploring Culture & Funds of Knowledge
ECED 532 - Advanced Seminar on Research in Early Childhood Education:
Sociocultural Perspectives on Early Childhood Education, Dr. Allison McCann
Photo from UnSplash, Kate McLean
This artefact emerged from my ongoing commitment to family-centred practice and my reflections on how family diversity is understood within early childhood education. While the concept of culture is foundational, it can often feel abstract or is narrowly defined. Through a lens of critical sociocultural theory, culture is recognized as intersectional and, as a unique system of meaning, must not be essentialized (Holloway, 2018). In contrast, the concept of Funds of Knowledge offered a more tangible entry point for understanding the rich, historically accumulated knowledge embedded within families’ everyday lives.
This artefact supports Strand 1, translating critical theories through exploring how everyday family practices, cultural histories, and relationships create interwoven forms of knowledge that are often overlooked or undervalued in traditional educational settings. By translating these concepts into concrete examples, the artefact supports early childhood educators in recognizing families’ lived experiences as legitimate and essential sources of learning.
Artefact IV
Literature Review -
Bridging Home and School: The Role of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in Supporting Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children in Early Childhood Education
ECED 532 - Advanced Seminar on Research in Early Childhood Education:
Sociocultural Perspectives on Early Childhood Education, Dr. Allison McCann
(revised for EdD application)
This artefact explores the role of culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) in early childhood education, examining how educators can “re-centre and pedagogically normalize languages, cultures, heritages, and ways of being that have been oppressed” (Nash et al., 2021a, p. 4). This work positions CSP not as a response to demographic change alone, but as a justice-oriented commitment grounded in
Photo from UnSplash, Mike Haupt
the recognition of inequality (Alim & Paris, 2017, as cited in Nash et al., 2021a, p. 2).
The artefact supports Strand 1, demonstrating how fostering home language use, drawing on families’ funds of knowledge, and engaging in critical reflection are central to building inclusive, equitable, and socially just learning environments. Educators are called to move beyond surface-level inclusion towards practices that validate, maintain, and celebrate the cultural and linguistic identities of all children, strengthening the threads that connect home and school.
Artefact V
Funds of Knowledge Artefact II -
Branching Narrative: Diverging Journeys - Childhood, Privilege, and the Ecological Model
ECED 532 - Advanced Seminar on Research in Early Childhood Education:
Sociocultural Perspectives on Early Childhood Education, Dr. Allison McCann
“Imagine cultural pathways themselves as consisting of cultural activities that we ‘step’ into – engage in – and walk alongside throughout life”
(Weisner, 2002, p. as cited in Holloway, 2018, p. 96).
Photo from UnSplash, Stephane Gagon
This artefact emerged as a reflection on the visible and invisible mediators that shape children’s experiences. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model, it explores how social, cultural, and societal factors act as constellations - complex, intersecting influences that do not determine outcomes, but significantly shape the privileges and barriers that children may encounter (Hayes et al., 2023).
This artefact supports Strand 1, developing accessible, practice-grounded resources by translating complex theoretical concepts into an experiential format that allows educators to witness how structural inequities and protective factors operate in everyday life. The branching narratives foreground the significance of home language, cultural identity, relational supports, and access to responsive services, encouraging educators to consider how policies and practices can either reinforce barriers or foster belonging. Educators are invited to reflect on how children’s pathways are shaped by interwoven systems rather than individual characteristics alone, strengthening the threads that connect home, community, and early childhood experiences.
As this artefact represents the many and multiple pathways families can take, it remains unfinished, open to revision and to the development of new narratives and additional branches. My next steps include refining each pathway to more clearly articulate both protective and risk factors, ensuring that the complexity of children’s lived experiences is represented with care and authenticity.