What's in my bag? Understanding refugees and their educational needs

Reading the article 'What's in my bag,' highlighted what refugees bring when they run for their lives and often what they also lost throughout the journey.

By reading this article, I was able to get a small glimpse into some of the journeys that refugees have endured whilst seeking asylum and to reach safety. It was a real eye opener to see the bare necessities that refugees fled and travelled with, often having to give up things along the way. This really made me realise how privileged we are, living in a world, with so many possession that we take for granted. If we found ourselves in a situation where we needed to flee our countries, which of these possessions would we take?

These individuals have come from such challenging backgrounds and endured so much throughout their journey to safety. What is it that refugees and displaced people require from an educational setting? I found this to be a very challenging question as I cannot fully empathise with these individuals and it is difficult to highlight their needs. Although, I reflect on this question and the biggest thing that is highlighted to me is the need for a safe and supportive learning environment. This space would rely heavily on the development of positive and respectful relationships between the educator and student. This space would have the potential to provide hope, a sense of self-worth for both the individual and their community, a sense of meaning, and a sense of direction. A safe and supportive learning environment that fosters these values and individual perceptions will provide these people with a richer and more successful future.

The beyond the classroom learning space has the potential to really benefit refugees and displaced students as it provides opportunities to extend beyond the four walls of the classroom and utilise the community and community connections. These connections provide opportunities to develop an awareness and acceptance of refugees, whilst also providing a community of people that either share similar experiences or can shed light on different perspectives and life experiences. Although, utilising the beyond the classroom connection requires teachers to initially develop a safe and secure environment where students are prepared to learn and feel empowered. The community setting would initially be very daunting and there would be many social and emotional barriers to overcome prior to this integration. Once the ample barriers have been overcome, a lot of learning from their surroundings can occur.

The group, cooperative and collaborative learning space would have initial social and emotional barriers, along with potential language barriers. Although, once these barriers have been broken down, the group, collaborative and cooperative environment would provide opportunities for interaction with others students and facilitate learning through social interaction. In saying this, utilising this space would not be an initial or ultimate focus for teachers in this context and would rely on positive classroom environments where students have an understanding that everyone is different, are accepting and empathetic towards those that have had difficult journeys.

The e-space would not be an initial component of the education in this situation and access may be limited or not available at all. The e-space would be a beneficial tool for educators and an invaluable resource for online learning, communication and resources, supporting their education of refugees and displaced people. The e-space also ensures they are able to access the TWB programs to enhance their teaching and learning of students in their care. Eventually, this e-space may have a place in the classroom as it would develop a range of 21st century skills that are often essential for individuals to be successful in the long term.

The personal learning space is essential in this situation. Each of these spaces will be different and require educators to really get to know the students on a personal note. These personal and prior experiences that impact on individual learning are where the learning will begin, allowing educators to build on their skills and knowledge, and allowing lives to be rebuilt. This space would be aimed at building the self efficacy, self direction and self reflection of students through a safe and supportive environment, as these are all elements that are needed for people to learn effectively and successfully. Developing a sense of worth for refugees and displaced people, a sense of direction and a sense of the future through an understanding of their personal learning spaces is integral in enabling them to move forward, both in an educational sense and in a personal sense.

The liminal space will be very apparent, especially in the early days, as they are in an unfamiliar country, where everything and everyone is completely foreign, with minimal belongings and no connections. There is so many unfamiliar situations that refugees and displaced individuals will need to be supported to overcome upon their arrival in a new country, particularly emotionally and socially. Building on the personal space and recognising the underlying value of self efficacy, self direction and self reflection is integral for refugees and displaced people. This recognises that they are in the liminal space both physically, emotionally and educationally. By understanding that the liminal is a space of discomfort and difficulty, but that through endurance and determination the destination enables transformation is essential for refugees and displaced people to truly move forward in a multitude of ways, not just the educational sense. This space relies heavily on a safe and supportive school environment.

This reflection really highlighted the individual educational needs that students in our classrooms may have. Refugees may well be in any of our classrooms and understanding their background and prior experiences is key to supporting them socially, emotionally and educationally. This understanding also ensures that you can provide effective education that caters to their individual needs.

#refugeeeducation #EDFD459 #Educationalneeds