Inclusive Education at a South African University: Awakening the Sensitivities and Democratic Consciousness of Pre-Service Teachers

One of the chief goals of inclusive education is to provide pre-service teachers with a learning environment and prospects that enable them to become independent, responsible and critical educators. This study sought to determine how pre-service teachers at a South African university experienced inclusive education training. A purposeful sample of 6 pre-service teachers was selected. Data were collected using open-ended questionnaires which were exploratory in nature, and then analysed thematically. Findings showed inter alia that studying inclusive education proved to be an “eye opener”: students were enlightened to various aspects of being an educator: (i) curriculum differentiation, (ii) diversity, (iii) learners’ rights and (iv) the fact that learners experiencing various barriers to learning can be accommodated successfully in regular classrooms. It was revealed that studying inclusive education allowed pre-service teachers to appreciate the scope, value and higher purpose of teaching. The study shows that awareness of inclusive education enriches the training of pre-service teachers in South African schools.

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The South African national school curriculum: Implications for collaboration between teachers and speech-language therapists working in schools

South African Journal of Childhood Education ◽

10.4102/sajce.v5i1.348 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 23 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Anna-Marie Wium ◽

Brenda Louw

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

School Curriculum ◽

White Paper ◽

Main Stream ◽

Close Collaboration ◽

Barriers To Learning ◽

Roles And Responsibilities ◽

National School

This critical review addresses the implications of the Curriculum and Assessment Plan Statement (CAPS) for collaboration between teachers and speech-language therapists (SLTs) in schools. A historical perspective on changes in the roles and responsibilities of SLTs is provided, reflecting a shift from supporting the child to supporting the teacher. Based on the role of SLTs and audiologists in schools, an innovative approach to the support of teachers is conceptualized. The curriculum content and methods support learners who experience challenges and barriers to learning in main stream classrooms. The implementation of the curriculum necessitates close collaboration between teachers and SLTs in order to ensure the best possible outcomes for all learners. This collaboration is reviewed by identifying the benefits of, and barriers to, the process, as well as crucial areas of collaboration. Inclusive education is mandated by White Paper 6, and collaborative support of teachers by SLTs is presented from the learners’ perspective within the context of the curriculum. An example of teacher support through the response to intervention (RTI) approach is described.

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Developing inclusive policy and practice in diverse contexts: A South African experience

School Psychology International ◽

10.1177/0143034310386536 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 631-643 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Berenice Daniels

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

South African ◽

School Psychologists ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

White Paper ◽

National Commission ◽

Barriers To Learning ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Inclusive Policy ◽

Education Support

Pre-1994, South Africa was a country riddled with inequality and discrimination stemming from the policy of ‘apartheid’. Since 1994, there have been considerable efforts made to enable the country to move toward becoming non-racial and democratic, with a culture of human rights and social justice. One of the primary tasks of the new democratically elected government was a reform of the education system. Specialized Education was initially neglected, but then in 1996 a National Commission was appointed to investigate Special Needs in Education and Education Support Services, of which the author was one of the co-ordinators. The timeline for the full implementation of the resulting White Paper 6 on Inclusive Education is 20 years. Inclusive Education in South Africa aims to meet the needs of all learners by addressing barriers to learning, welcoming diversity and fostering maximum participation by all in the culture of the school. This article, based on the author’s experience, will discuss the challenges for implementation of the policy in one of the South African districts which field-tested the recommendations in White Paper 6, a district with diverse contexts, the emerging promising practice, and the implications for specialized support professionals, in particular the role of school psychologists.

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Developing Inclusive Schools in South Africa

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.441 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Petra Engelbrecht

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

South African ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

Education System ◽

Learning Needs ◽

Learning And Development ◽

Barriers To Learning ◽

Diverse Learning ◽

Wide Range ◽

Inclusive Schools

In South Africa, new legislation and policies on inclusive education in the post-apartheid era since 1994 have placed a strong emphasis on equity, equality, and human rights, as defined in the South African Constitution. As a result, a White Paper on building an inclusive education and training system was published in 2001. It acknowledges the failure of the education system to respond to the barriers to learning and development experienced by a substantial number of learners, including diverse learning needs caused by, for example, language, socioeconomic, or gender issues as well as disabilities. This policy document describes inclusive education as being based on the ideals of equity and equality and as a result recognizing and respecting learner and learning diversity within mainstream schools. As stated in the policy, in practice this means identifying and removing barriers in the education system to ensure that the full range of diverse learning needs are met in mainstream classrooms as well as providing support to learners and teachers in addressing barriers to learning and development. Research studies on the implementation of inclusive education in South Africa, however, are finding that despite the development of a wide range of implementation guidelines since 2007, complex interrelated issues continue to complicate the development of successful inclusive schools. These issues include a continued divergence of views of inclusive education with a continuing strong belief in special education and separate educational settings by most teachers, therefore leading to a resultant lack of clarity regarding the implementation of inclusive education at the level of local practice in schools and classrooms. These differences in the understanding of inclusive education and its enactment in diverse school contexts also bring the question of power and agency into South African debates about inclusive education: who should decide which version of inclusive education should be the goal of the development of inclusive education in a specific school district or a specific school. Furthermore, contextual issues including the lack of financial and human resources, for example effectively trained teachers, effectively functioning district educational support teams for schools in specific school districts, lack of textbooks, and overcrowded classrooms, play a dominant role in the development of effective inclusive schools.

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The Functions of SBST and DBST in South African Primary Schools

Volume 5 - 2020, Issue 9 - September - International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology ◽

10.38124/ijisrt20jul721 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (7) ◽

pp. 1243-1248

Author(s):

Sefudi Isaac Nong

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Research Policy ◽

Barriers To Learning ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Inadequate Knowledge ◽

Short Period ◽

Proper Training ◽

Inclusive Schooling

This research focuses on the functions of the SBST and DBST in supporting the teachers to address the challenges they face in teaching inclusive education in South African primary schools. In some instances, inclusive education seeks to identify and dismantle barriers to education faced by all the learners, so that they can have access to quality education. Furthermore participate effectively in class and achieve optimal academic outcomes at school. Although inclusive education has developed and established itself as field of educational research, policy and practice in a relatively short period of time as stated some of the literatures. There is inadequate knowledge and lack of skills in supporting teachers involved in teaching inclusive education and there has been no proper training for those teachers. The collected data has revealed some of the frustrations and challenges experienced by teachers who need support in teaching learners inclusive education. Teachers in South African public primary schools have been assigned to teach classes that include learners with special needs, in a regular classes as emphasised by Whitepaper 6. Over and above, this move requires positive experiences and the support of inclusive schooling, otherwise teachers are unlikely to succeed in teaching inclusive classes (Ernst and Rogers, 2009Guskey, 2002). In responding to what is perceived unjust for these learners experiencing barriers to learning and the teachers involved in teaching inclusive education, this paper attempts to chart the relationship and functions of SBST and DBST as a means for analysing the weakening support offered to inclusive education.

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