Representation​

Overview

Sample learning outcomes ​​​

By the end of this unit, students will:​

• Students are going to explore the issue of representation.

• Representation is to do with how different ideas or groups of people are represented in texts.

• Authors are never neutral and neither are texts. Incidentally or deliberately, authors represent different groups of people in different ways.

Key concepts

Construction:​​​​​

This is the process used by authors to make texts. It involves conscious and unconscious choices by the author about who and/or what is included and excluded from the text, as well as how people and things are represented.

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Critical literacy:​​​​​​

• “Describe(s) ways in which teachers and students can deconstruct traditionally taken-for-granted texts. Critical literacy teaching helps students see that texts are social constructions
• Texts are not neutral. Authors draw upon particular discourses (often majority discourses) and assume that readers will be able to draw on them as well
• Authors make certain conscious and unconscious choices when constructing texts
• Which means that all texts have gaps, or silences, and particular representations within them; and,
• That texts then have consequences for how we make sense of ourselves, others and the world

Representation​​​​​​

No text is neutral. Authors construct topics, characters, and so on in particular ways. These representations affect how we make sense of the text and the opinions we form about particular groups or topics. 

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Stereotypes

Is an oversimplified opinion or image of a group of people.

For example, “All people who wear glasses are smart” is a stereotype.

What are some stereotypes of:

• Academics?
• Librarians?
• Redheads?

We could look at representations of people of particular :
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• Cultures or ethnicities
• Ages e.g. children, “tween-agers”, adolescents, older adults
• Occupations e.g. teachers, doctors, gardeners, farmers
• Political groups e.g. environmentalists
• Recreational activities e.g. players of a particular sport, gamers, readers
• Genders
• Sexualities
• Disabilities
• Intersections of two or more groupings e.g. representations of female rugby players

We could look at representations of people of particular :
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• Representations of one particular group e.g., Older adults
• Representations of two or more contrasting groups  e.g., representations of older adults versus teenagers, male versus female sportspeople, doctors versus nurses

The focus might be further narrowed by focusing on representations of a particular group in a particular medium or genre e.g., representations of scientists in superhero texts, representations of fathers in Father’s Day advertising or in TV sitcoms. 

There are different possibilities about the group of people whose representation will be explored: 
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• All students/groups might explore the representation of one group of people e.g., older adults
• Different students or groups of students might select their own inquiry focus

We all need to be very thoughtful and sensitive when selecting the class focus and planning for this unit. It is likely (even inevitable) that negative and hurtful stereotypes will arise in texts, discussions and learning activities. Efforts to draw attention to, and critique, negative and harmful stereotypes can inadvertently reinforce those same stereotypes.

It’s always good to consider…​​​​​​​​

• What are some issues that you think are important but which you would feel uncomfortable addressing with your class?
• What are the reasons you would avoid this?

The purpose of this reflection is not to convince you to necessarily move out of your comfort zone!​​​​​​​​​

What are some risks or opportunity costs of NOT exploring an area you are not comfortable with? 

There are different approaches that can be taken. Selena and I decided that for our modelling of this unit we would minimise the risk of a particular group in the class feeling targeted by deliberately choosing to have a focus on representations of older adults. This is not to say there is still not potential for unintended consequences!

Consider: Possible positive and negative effects of an exploration of stereotypical representations of older people on children who are close to older adults who are more different or more similar to the stereotype. 

• What can you do as a kaiako to keep all children safe as you explore potentially sensitive issues?
• Remember that there is a risk that a teaching focus on stereotypes runs the risk of unintentionally reinforcing problematic stereotypes.
• There are different ways that the whole class learning focus and individual or group activities could work in this unit. Selena and I decided that representations of older adults would be the focus of the class text set(s) and activities, but children (individually or in groups) would then select another group for their own inquiries which would be presented in the DLO and synthesis activity.
• In other words, a shared focus on representations on older adults would allow us to support students to develop confidence and knowledge in identifying and critiquing representations of one group with the aim that they develop transferable skills and knowledge they can apply in their own inquiries about different groups.

Links to other T-shaped Units

• There are several big ideas from the T-Shaped unit of characterisation that are highly relevant to this unit.
• One important idea is the distinction between flat and rounded characters. Flat characters are one -dimensional whereas rounded characters are more than one thing. Often negative stereotypes are associated most strongly with flat characters – all longer texts (novels, films, computer games etc) have rounded and flat characters. An important question is who gets to be a rounded character? Which groups of people more often only get “bit parts” (flat characters) in these stories?

ROUND vs FLAT CHARACTERS​​​​​​​​​