Virtual School Bag
References:
Thompson, P 2002, 'Vicki & Thahn', Schooling the rustbelt kids, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, pp. 1-18.
Within the reading Vicki & Thahn (Tompson 2002), we are introduced to two students from completely different backgrounds.
Vicki is a girl whose parents are both university educated. Her mother runs a business from home and her father is a high school teacher. Vicki has grown up interacting with her mother's business, going to childcare and pre-school. Vicki, at age five, has already begun to read, has a strong understanding of english and knows what behaviour is expected of her in the class room.
Thanh is a boy whose parents are refugees. He has grown up interacting with his family in Vietnamese and Chinese, watching Australian television and working in his family's restaurant. His parents experienced a disrupted education but have a keen interest in music and books.
These students both have valuable skills and interesting backgrounds. Within our society, however, one students is favoured to achieve more than the other. Vicki's 'virtual school bag' contains knowledge, skills and interests that are more likely to help her achieve within the current school system than what Thahn carries in his 'school bag.'
The following questions frame an analysis of the literature:
What skills did Thanh possess that were not utilised to increase his chances of school success?
Thanh possessed a range of skills, such as the ability to speak multiple languages, understanding of multiple cultures, knowledge of Australia understanding of business and money (including mathematical skills), and interest in musical instruments. Unfortunately Thahn's teacher focused only on his mathematical abilities within her classroom. In order to help Thanh increase his chances of school success his teacher could have drawn on his cultural knowledge or his knowledge of Australia, framing learning activities in contexts he is familiar with.
Using your teaching method, what ways could you connect – in terms of curriculum and pedagogy – with Thanh’s virtual school bag?
Within the Media Arts, there is a lot of room for students to explore their own interests. I would encourage Thanh to select an interest that is personal to him, such has his cultural knowledge, his musical interests or his multilingual abilities to explore in his product creation. Furthermore, in order to frame educational experiences in familiar contexts I could utilise Australian Television in certain learning activities.
What is required of you as a teacher – and how will this shape your teaching practices – for you to be able to respond to Thanh’s (and other student’s) virtual school bag?
As a teacher, it is required of me to provide each of my students equitable opportunities to achieve to the best of my ability. In order to do this, it is important to develop meaningful relationships with your students, to connect to their interests and past knowledge and experiences. The understandings gained from these relationships will inform teachers within their planning and classroom practices. Furthermore, it is important to connect to the student's experiences by planning activities the student can relate to, in contexts they can understand. It would also go a long way to plan for ways the individual students can present their ideas in activities. For example, a class activity, usually framed for the majority in society, could be turned and taught from the individual's perspective (i.e from Thahn's perspective), allowing the individual to teach the other students their skills.
Moving forward, the understanding gained from this reading will shape my teaching practices by cementing my belief in getting to know my students and forming meaningful relationships with them. Furthermore, I will actively question in my planning, during my classes and within my reflections:
- Whether I have provided equitable opportunities for all students
- Whether I have catered to the majority or the individual
- Whether I have connected to my student's interests and backgrounds
- Whether I have utilised the skills in my student's 'virtual school bags'