Lavoie explains that a child’s definition of fairness might not appropriately fit the meaning of the word, as they often mistake this for equality. When a teacher offers more attention to a child who has more needs, the other students might not properly interpret this and may label the instructor ‘unfair’. A teacher should then offer the explanation for fairness, which according to Lavoie, is that every child gets what they need, rather than identical or equal treatment (2019). From this perspective, it becomes apparent to the learners that individual needs necessitate different treatment.
Lavoie also goes on to explain that parents may be caught up in worries about balancing equality amongst their children and this may compromise their attendance to some child’s needs. Children with disabilities require more time and resources and they should receive this without compensating to their siblings. To counter this ‘fairness hole’, parents need to let their children understand that that is what fairness entails, and that they would receive the same treatment were they in the same position.
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While interacting with children, assumptions are never recommended, especially not with special needs students. He argues that instructors may never truly understand what special needs children go through and they need to admit and accept this ignorance. However, they may try to really understand what the student goes through and help with these struggles.
From the video, three concepts that stand out and that I will be implementing in my teaching practice are to never make assumptions, to always be fair and to net lever tell a child with a learning disability that I understand how they feel. With regard to assumptions, these should be avoided as they might discredit the knowledge a student has, or even worse, assume that they understand something while they need further guidance. When looked at from this perspective assuming things carries more probability for causing harm than helping out. Similarly, fairness might require me to change some aspects of my teaching methods, curriculum, or workload to fit a particular child’s needs. Furthermore, each student should understand that the teacher’s objective is to ensure every student gets to understand, and that this is the definition of fairness. Finally, I have to avoid telling children with learning disabilities that I understand how they feel. An alternative approach would be to ask them how they feel so that I may better understand them.
References
Lavoie, R. (2019). How Difficult Can This Be- The F.A.T City Workshop. Retrieved 20 July 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3UNdbxk3xs&feature=youtu.be
Lavoie, R. (2019). Fairness: To Each According To His Needs. Retrieved 20 July 2019, from https://www.ricklavoie.com/fairnessart.html
