Kindergarten Study-Unit: Development and Nurturing Awareness of the Existence of the Arab ‘other’ and the Existence of the Jewish ‘other’ by Means of the Arts at the Preschool Level

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In this paper, we describe an educational initiative which is a studyunit for kindergarten: “Development and nurturing awareness of the existence of the Arab ‘other’ and the existence of the Jewish ‘other’ by means of the arts at the preschool level”. The unit was written as part of my graduate studies for the M. Ed. degree at the Oranim College under the guidance of Prof. Moshe Itzhaki. It evolved from my need to affect change in matters that I am responsible for in the educational field where I work. In Israeli society, the Jewish-Arab conflict is prominent (Bar-Tal, 2007). There is discernible cultural withdrawal between Jewish society and Arab society, while the two separate education systems deepen the alienation between them from very early childhood. The lack of curricula about the “other” leaves the students in a void of ethnocentric ignorance that is filled by other entities which are supportive of the development of the conflict ethos (Yona, 2007). The proposed study unit exposes the children to the narrative of another cultural group that exists in the social reality in which they are raised. This is achieved using the arts and through intercultural meetings between Jewish children and Arab children. This initiative is implemented in my kindergarten since three years, thanks to a grant received from the Fund for Innovative Teaching and thanks to an Encouragement Award from the Oranim College. As part of the initiative children from various sectors meet together and interact in Hebrew and Arabic, learning about a different culture. This process leads to experiential and meaningful learning that has received support in both the Jewish and Arab communities.