Supporting social and emotional learning with Little J and Big Cuz: Case Study 3: Marion Primary School

Marion Primary School is located 10 kilometres south of the Adelaide CBD. There is a high level of student transience due in part to the mobility of families in short-term rental accommodation, which includes parents who are students at the nearby Flinders University. Students come from a diversity of cultural backgrounds with more than 14 countries represented in the school. In 2018, there were 21 students enrolled who identified as being of Indigenous descent. To support these Indigenous students and their families, the school has an Aboriginal Community Education Officer, Eileen Butler, known to everyone as ‘Aunty Eileen’. A team of four teachers at the school incorporated the Little J & Big Cuz television series into their junior primary teaching and learning programs. This case study explores how the teachers incorporated the series into their planned curriculum as a key element of the Social Emotional Learning program. They also looked for opportunities to incorporate episodes in other curriculum areas such as language and geography. It also explores children’s reactions to watching Little J & Big Cuz .