I also found this reaction unfortunate Krystal, though I guess it taps into misrecognition... or maybe just a lack of initiative/effort from the individual teacher. Also concerning was the teacher who targeted guidance about university towards the high achieving class. Hopefully that with a little more context, both examples are not quite as bad as they appear. It was great to hear about careers advisors helping students attain places in experiential programs like the one about the Observatory in Canberra. Whether university, TAFE, gap year or work/work experience is going to be the next best step for a student, I think a whole school approach is important. A single dedicated teacher can affect change, but a cohesive team who has an understanding of the concepts in this course are going to be able to present and promote more opportunities to more students.

I absolutely agree Jodie. The concept of misrecognition hit home immediately. I need to be aware of it in my ‘teacher talk.’ Having just completed an end-of-year handover I have to reflect on the language I used when handing over students that required various types and levels of support. How much of this remains teacher talk and how much of it seeps out into the classroom? What are the effects either way? More obvious are the unwanted side-effects of ability streaming and grouping, assessments, rubrics and A-E reporting. It doesn’t take long before students identify themselves (and others) as a part of the supported group of learners… though they tend to frame it as ‘the low group’, ‘the dumb group’ etc. Clearly the flow on from primary school can have life-long consequences. But the immediate effects are no less concerning in terms of student well-being, motivation and identity.