Lockridge PS introducing new teaching strategy for multicultural students

WITH 30 cultural backgrounds among 275 students, Lockridge Primary School is introducing a new teaching strategy for its multicultural students in 2018.

The 47-year-old school has students from different backgrounds including Aboriginal, Egyptian, Vietnamese and Italian.

At its peak, the school had 45 nationalities.

Principal Joe Dellaposta said the “professional learning community” strategy, which involved teachers planning in small groups of three, would be implemented in term one.

“All the research in the last 10 years say that is the best way to improve a school is through improvement of teachers, sharing of the planning and increase in the ownership of student performance in that group,” he said.

“I genuinely believe that the different cultural backgrounds add a nice mix to a school – it is like a real society.”

Mr Dellaposta said communication was the school’s main challenge because English could be the second, third or fourth language for some students.

“The benefit is that most of the cultures have a high respect for schooling and they have a high respect for teachers,” he said.

“We might have to use interpreters from time to time, especially for case conferences.”

He said most students wanted to be seen as an “Aussie”.

“(Being) an Aussie means being picked in the footy team, representing the school in cricket or joining a club on a weekend and going over to someone else’s house to play,” he said.

“I think that is a strength for Australia.”