Journal Entry #1
Terry Finnigan’s “Tell Us About It” is a thought-provoking article that addresses some key issues within the UK’s educational system, issues which also resonate within North America. The claim that international students are often perceived as “other” or assumed as “problems” is particularly of great concern to me, however, this problem stems far beyond the realms of higher learning and isn’t exclusive to Western Europe. Racism and cultural bias are heavily entrenched within our greater societal structural and often reinforced by a range of geopolitical factors.
There were a number of points that stuck out to me in this reading: the importance of knowing students’ stories to enhance their learning experience (Finnigan, 3), the success of Tell Us About It being contingent on a complete openness about how the students could respond (which brought a certain freedom of expression to the process) (Finnigan, 4), and the notion that it was very important for students to be able to explore their own identity in their creative artwork through their course (Finnigan, 7).
I want to be more mindful of these points in the future, and establish a better understanding of the individuals I’m working with rather than just assume how they may think or feel about a topic. I should try to create open-ended assignments that accommodate each student’s subjective vision, and allow students to create personal work that is meaningful to them. Students should be able to explore and allow their identity to flourish in their work – assignments that are open to interpretation allow students to become self-invested!