Week 6 lit circle

One question i found of particular interest was "3. Does parent participation have a significant impact on a student's success in school?" (https://online.uts.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_12582_1%26url%3D). My initial thoughts towards this were "yes of course". However there are many examples especially in the business world of individuals with difficult upbrings where they experienced neglect and disinterest by their parents and went on to be extremely successful. Parent imput does have a significant impact; parents being invested in their childrens education (not just financially) can be a driving factor towards a childs success. However I do not believe that a lack of parent participation can prevent a child from being successful in school but it would make it more difficult.

Reflections on class

This week we discussed equity and the digital divide. Although many of us could talk around the issue of equity and overcoming the digital divide in classrooms it seemed that addressing the issues that arise from it are more difficult. The question was posed that if 5 children in your class of 28 did not have access to a computer how would you accommodate them or would you do anything different. After a long period of silence answers started to flow in. The consensus was that you should do something to help them but not in a obvious was that might cause them to be stigmatised. I agree with this but its such a tricky situation and its issues like this that technology will have us dealing with on a daily basis. I think when there isn't a clear cut or straightforward answer its very important to consider all the options and the potential repercussions of each and even consult with the students involved to find what they would feel most comfortable with.