Placement Moments

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While on my current placement round, my associate teacher said something that really stood out to me. She said to “start each day as a new day”.

This is such good advice. Too often we focus on punishing bad behaviour, and if we know a student is prone to misbehaving, we watch them like a fox until the eventually slip up. We then jump on them and yell. However, if we start each day with a clean slate, we have the opportunity to focus on praise good behaviour, hoping to encourage that behaviour to continue.

When you think about it, if the only thing your teacher did was punish your poor behaviour and ignore your good behaviour, you’re more likely to misbehave. It ends up in an ugly cycle. This could end up with the teacher losing that student as they feel victimised.

As I continue my placement, I will be aiming to praise the good behaviour of the students who usually play up in an attempt to engage them.

5 Learning Moments

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1. Unbelievably, I never really considered that there was more than one learning space. To see 5 shocked me.

2. Having said that, a key moment was when I saw that even though they are 5 different learning spaces, they still all interact in different ways. All learning spaces are important to incorporate into your teaching as it gives students authentic experiences with all of them and teaching them about themselves, their classmates and how life is outside of school.

3. I never thought I would be able to even begin to understand WordPress, but after hours of exploring, I finally had it. It came to me like a lightbulb moment. It is something I can continue to use to develop my teaching knowledge in the future.

4. Collaboration with fellow students and other people is important go continue to grow and develop your own learning, along with reflection.

5. Liminal Space? I kept reading about what a liminal space was and remained confused for quite a while. Eventually, after reading other’s postings and other resources, I started to understand what a liminal space is. I learned that this space can be utilised in teaching and can provide some great knowledge for the students.

Bidna Capoeira

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This clip caused me to be shocked with myself. How could I ignore the fact all children, no matter where they are from, need exercise? I was so caught up in the other needs refugees need, such as shelter, food and education, that I forget they are still normal children who need to be active and have fun, just like any other child. It opened my eyes to see that being safe, while important, isn’t enough. Children need to have family, relationships, fun, play sport, exercise, have healthy food, shelter, tantrums, dreams and education. It’s part of being a child. With everyone aware of the Syrian crisis, they focus on the basic material needs, but neglect the other needs, such as equipment for play.

Refugee Treatment

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After watching Melissa Fleming’s TED Talk, it really hit home. Refugees spend an average of 17 years in the liminal space. MINIMUM! They don’t know where they’re going, when they will be able to go home or find a new home, they’re so unsure about where they are going. She mentioned how 86% of refugees flee to developing countries – places where they are struggling to cope with their own population, let alone those seeking asylum.

It makes you think and reflect. How can we treat out fellow humans this way? Abandon them in their time of need? In Australia, it is required that we complete an education up to at least year 10. Those in refugee camps are lucky to even be offered any form of education. We need to break the cycle. If we let this situation continue how it is, there will never be peace in Syria. More and more people will flee to other countries, they will be packed like sardines into refugee camps offering the basic human necessities. They won’t receive proper education. They won’t gain working skills. They won’t be able to get a job and find their own house. They will be trapped in a liminal space, in limbo, waiting for something to happen. A miracle. To be resettled somewhere like the United States.

There has to be a solution. We must end this war in Syria. There has to be a way to restore the lives of these refugees so they can live in their own country without the fear of an armed raid, without the fear that they will be killed for no reason. They deserve, just like we do, to feel safe in their homes. Instead, we pack them into refugee camps with little resources, lots of neighbours and little indication for what their futures hold, leaving them feel that their life has no future or purpose.

Fleming, M. (2014). Melissa Fleming: How to help refugees rebuild their world [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/melissa_fleming_let_s_help_refugees_thrive_not_just_survive?

Teachers Without Boarders

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‘Teachers are the largest professionally trained group in the world – the key local catalysts of change and hope. Teachers Without Borders connects teachers to information and each other in order to bring about social change—worldwide‘.

This statement is what teaching is all about – changing the lives of children. We impart knowledge to our students on a daily basis. For some children, this is not possible. They don’t have access to a teacher, or the teacher they have is very inexperienced and has limited knowledge. This program allows seasoned teachers to share their knowledge and understanding of being a teacher with the teachers who are just beginning their careers or don’t have the knowledge bank to make an impact on their students. It also gives all teachers access to information they can use in their teaching to help educate their students, no matter where they are from. This statement is about sharing the resources of teachers and information with other teachers in order to change the trend of uneducated children in places such as developing nations.

Teachers Without Boarders. (2015). Teachers without boarders. Teachers. Leaders. Worldwide. Retrieved from http://www.teacherswithoutborders.org

Syrian Refugees staying with Australian Families

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This set up provides support for refugees entering the county with no Australian knowledge. It allows them to observe the countries social norms and practices in an authentic context, getting them ready for resettlement.

Although it is a liminal space, it also allows for support as opposed to people who are just shoved into a hotel room and left alone.

This is such a great program because it not only benefits the refugees, it also exposes the Australian families to other cultures and beliefs. They are able to learn about other countries without having to travel there. Providing they have or work to obtain the right qualifications, they can also find work and contribute to the economy and community.

Retrieved From https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a61ca5c57e75f032088a1fe28a36eaad3d97ad4f/0_230_4246_2549/master/4246.jpg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=f95b8b2a621326c27fde7ea188051909

Calaiss’ Syrian Refugees

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This is very much a liminal space. These refugees are stuck in the French Port of Calais as they await to see if their bid for asylum will be accepted in the United Kingdom. Their future is unknown as they have no idea if they will be accepted or not. It’s heartbreaking to think that people treat refugees and something less than a regular human.

On the other hand, I can see the reason behind a limited intake of refugees, as the impact of accepting so many people could over populate, exceed the resources they have available. I feel like countries such as Australia aren’t helping as much as we are able to, which is disappointing.

Zaatari Refugee Camp

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Zaatari is a Syrian refugee camp located in Jordan that is estimated to house around 83,000 refugees. There is very restricted movement out of the camp, giving it a prison like feel. People often try to escape. Due to so many people fleeing Syria, the campsite filled up, so a second camp site had to be built, which is where all new Syrian refugees are now sent.

This place is a liminal space because those housed there, although they receive the basics such as food, shelter, education, sanitation etc., it is only temporary for some. It is the transition between their previous lives and where they are going next. Will they be placed somewhere else? Will they be sent back to Syria? Due to the high number of people fleeing Syria, it’s becoming more of a permanent place for the refugees to stay as there is no where else for them to go.

Retrieved from http://blogs.holyfamily.catholic.edu.au/eal/files/2015/06/children-at-zaatari-2abphvp.jpg

The Liminal Space

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A liminal space is a place of limbo. It’s where you’re unsure of where you’re going next – a place of in-between. Dewal (2011) describes it as a place of transition.

When considering a place of transition, I’m drawn back to the thought of the transition between year levels at school, especially in high school. As students move to the next year level, they don’t know what to expect. Will the work load be a lot more? Will there be any major changes in the teaching style of the new teachers?

Another away that it can be viewed from an education point of view is that the liminal space is the transition between known information and learning something new. It provides a lot of opportunity for students to think and wonder about ideas before bullying grasping the concept. The teacher should provide a wide range on information in a variety of ways (visual, spatial, audio etc.) to give the students enough information to help them comprehend a concept or new idea. This lines up with the knowing where you’re going, as if you give the students the opportunity to explore information on their own, they can decide where this information will lead them. Perhaps one topic sparks an interest and they head in that direction, conducting their own research. This can be considered the transition from basic understanding to applying higher order thinking to a concept.

Dewal, J. (2011). What is a liminal Space. Retrieved from http://inaliminalspace.com/about/what