Virtual Schoolbags: A Case Study

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Understanding the point of view of a child is an important place to start when looking at an issue such as dealing with cultural diversity in a class. Malaguzzi reflects that a child is closely linked to their reality and they are unable to separate their experiences, relationships or feelings from this reality (Malaguzzi, 1993). In the situation when the child comes from a foreign country and have migrated to Australia, they have a very different reality than what many other children can relate to. Many things can prompt migration, and being aware of the student’s situation in regards to this is important. Sometimes moving to a new country can be exciting, other situations it may be something negative, knowledge behind the move for the student’s family will help the …show more content…
Thomson referred to this as the child’s virtual schoolbag (Thomson, 2002). Within this schoolbag there will be many skills and abilities they have learned from their culture and family. In some cases, there will also be some negative experiences, and some trauma. Alerby and Brown state that new research supports this fact. Children are coming to Australia as refugees under the Australian Humanitarian Programme with limited or no educational experiences, poor literacy and in most of these cases, experiencing trauma (Alerby & Brown, 2008, p.111). Trauma in a child can result in cognitive delays issues which may affect a child’s development and learning (Queensland Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services and Department of Education, Training and Employment, 2013, p.13). Awareness on a negative experience in a student’s virtual schoolbag will help the teacher understand subsequent behaviour and reactions. Being able to predict or positively plan for the support of a child who has experienced trauma help assist the child in