RAS reflection

During my experience working with newly arrived refugees I was surprised by the new range
of skills that I developed. These skills aimed at enhancing their engagement in all areas of
their school life and gaining an understanding of their experiences. I demonstrated my
knowledge of teaching strategies during the RAS program by assisting students to improve
their literacy skills through conducting tutoring sessions in a group environment with other
tutors. In order to encourage students to strive for higher academic outcomes, I assisted in
organising their content such as assessments and class work, as well as working with students
to set achievable learning goals.

Prior to the commencement of the RAS program, I conducted research into what the program
was, how it was implemented, what my individual role would be and what the benefits and
outcomes were for the students involved. I also researched what the best learning
environment would be for refugee students in order to allow them the feel safe, trusting, in
control and empowered. It became apparent throughout my research process and during the
compulsory training days, that creating a safe and positive learning environment is essential
as it alleviates potential trauma triggers.

Prior to beginning the service learning activity of RAS I set the goal of being able to
effectively communicate with my students and provide refugee students with the support that
they require to improve and excel in a new and possibly unfamiliar learning environment. My
aim was to successfully implement the strategies and techniques developed during the
training sessions to assist students with learning in language and literacy. One of my major
goals was to place value on, and model certain academic outcomes to create a safe space for
successful and engaged learning. I aimed to provide students with assistance in areas of need,
helping them to develop an increased understanding of literacy, language and classwork in
general. I developed a deep understanding of how individual students learn and the ways in
which different teaching strategies can be implemented for different students to increase their
learning ability. I am confident that students have developed an increased understanding of
literacy, language and how to tackle their class work and assignments. I hope that this
increased confidence in language and literacy will be able to be transferred into their other
Key Learning Areas and other areas of their school and social life.
I believe that this experiences has allowed me to successfully demonstrate, develop and
implement a range of teaching strategies that I will successfully be able to employ in the
classroom as a teacher. Throughout this program I have learnt the importance of knowing my
students and how they learn and that providing lessons that are inclusive of all students with
diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds is essential.
I have also learnt that is it important to provide students with constructive feedback in relation
to their school work for further success. Working with refugee students has allowed me to
develop an understanding around how students’ life experiences shape the way they learn. It
also allowed me to understand that all students are at different stages of learning and that my
pedagogy and teaching strategies may need to be differentiated to meet the specific learning
needs of students across the full range of abilities (APST, 2011).