Considering children from different classes, race, cultural contexts
‘Social class as a site of difference was perceived by some children, although with a specific focus and understanding which positioned materialities as a key and common mode through which difference was noted. For example, how children spoke about housing was particularly interesting in relation to their understanding of social-class difference’ (Iqbal et al. 2017, p. 136).
This was a different interpretation of ‘wide range of pupils’ which I felt was pertinent having taught in extremely diverse primary school settings; I am interested in the dynamics of how children interact in these multicultural school settings and if there are any associated effects on their learning outcomes. I wonder how teachers can be aware of and possibly mitigate this awareness of ‘materialities’ as reflective of differences between pupils and their classmates, and how this may extend to other ‘sites’ of differences children perceive: ethnicity, learning needs, etc. Is this, as the essay title phrases it, considered a ‘challenge’ to including a wide range of children in the mainstream classroom? Furthermore, what are the possible opportunities that children being aware of these differences and embracing them may occur?
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