Abstract:
Evidence suggests that despite a fragmented educational history and exile-related stressors, many refugee children succeed in schools and do well in life (Boyden 2013). These children are not 'miraculous exceptions' (cf. Bourdieu 1979), nor are their stories uncommon. Yet, their experiences are often submerged in research by predominantly deficit-based discourses that position the refugee child as a victim of barriers due to trauma, limited literacy and other gaps in education-related skills and schools as remedial places (Graham, Minhas & Paxton 2016; Major, Wilkinson et al 2013).
This presentation deliberately departs from this predominantly deficit approach in refugee education by presenting the stories of six refugee students in Australia and Finland, exploring how the pedagogical aspects of forced migration supported their paths in becoming successful learners in their countries of destination. We show how the past learning practices that students developed in and outside of formal schooling have "travelled" (Wilkinson, Olin, Lund & Stjernstr
This presentation deliberately departs from this predominantly deficit approach in refugee education by presenting the stories of six refugee students in Australia and Finland, exploring how the pedagogical aspects of forced migration supported their paths in becoming successful learners in their countries of destination. We show how the past learning practices that students developed in and outside of formal schooling have "travelled" (Wilkinson, Olin, Lund & Stjernstr