Teacher for Learning Module – Misunderstanding
“The North” or living in the north is one of the most pertinent to the area of teaching I undertake. The North can be defined many ways (e.g., geographic, administrative, political, distance, etc.); however, prior knowledge is often shaped by stereotypes, misinterpretation, misinformation, etc. established through lack of familiarity and the understanding that comes with it. It can then even be subject to correlation equating causation, confirmation bias, etc. Unfamiliarity also often gets construed as “backward” and, sadly, can take negative connotations. While many aspects can be discussed comparatively (and content can clarify or demonstrate inaccuracies of many aspects), one of the most important is homeland versus hinterland. An analogy to begin discussions is to have students think about how they can close their eyes and navigate around their house/apartment. I also often use the image of an ice-berg. Why is that? I use homeland/hinterland to unpack the concept because of familiarity and understanding of their surroundings and also to play-off a image typically used to represent “north.” I then get them to discuss how this concept can be used to tackle their preconceived notions. I also use the ice-berg image to speak to there is more below surface knowledge/preconceived notions. There is a lot more to it than that (plus a bunch of reading) and we usually spend an entire class unpacking many other aspects on the concept of the “north.”
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