DPP1501 Notes: Unit 1

Diversity Pedagogy and Practice

DPP1501

Study notes by Simoné (@101Simi101)

DPP1501 Notes: Unit 1

STUDY UNIT 1

D
iversity: involve people from a range of different social and ethnic
backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.

South African school learners are more diverse because they have more
cultures, different life experiences, different backgrounds and different
characters.

The above includes:

➢ Behaviour
➢ Learning styles
➢ Family background
➢ Language and cultural background
➢ Pace of learning
➢ Physical make up
➢ Cognitive abilities
➢ Race
➢ Ethnicity
➢ Attitudes
➢ And many more.

Some of these are clearly visible where in class while others require careful
observation.

Diversity in a classroom comprises of various differences learners bring to a

classroom, which may evident in physical appearance, manner of approach,
unique abilities etc.
DPP1501 Notes: Unit 1

Diversity affects learning experiences.

Diversity entails meeting the needs of diverse students and creating a

welcoming classroom where ALL STUDENTS feel SAFE, VALUED, and
RESPECTED.

Inclusive education:

Is the principle that schools provide for all children regardless of their
uniqueness, difference, social, cultural and lingual difference.

➢ Requires regular and special education teachers to consult and

collaborate with one another, as well as the families and
community in order to put affective strategies in place that is
important for teaching and learning.
➢ Inclusive education is about how we develop and design our
schools, classrooms, programs and activities so that all students
learn and participate together.
➢ Benefits of Inclusive Education
• All children benefit from inclusive education. It allows them
to:
▪ Develop individual strengths and gifts, with high and
appropriate expectations for each child.
▪ Work on individual goals while participating in the life
of the classroom with other students their own age.
▪ Involve their parents in their education and in the
activities of their local schools.
DPP1501 Notes: Unit 1

▪ Foster a school culture of respect and belonging.

Inclusive education provides opportunities to learn
about and accept individual differences, lessening the
impact of harassment and bullying.
▪ Develop friendships with a wide variety of other
children, each with their own individual needs and
abilities.
▪ Positively affect both their school and community to
appreciate diversity and inclusion on a broader level.

Having a diverse group of learners in the classroom, basically mean

acknowledging that people are different and unique in their own ways.

Inclusive education is about appreciating the diversity of our learners and

building on similarities.

As an inclusive teacher it is your responsibility to identify diversity in YOUR

classroom as YOU need to provide necessary support.

❖ Inclusion is about creating EQUAL

opportunities to ALL LEARNERS.
DPP1501 Notes: Unit 1

When people value diversity, they recognize and respect the fact that people
are different and differences are in generally a good thing.

When teachers fail to respond to the diverse needs of their learners in their
classroom, barriers may develop.

BARRIERS

Inclusion:

➢ Involves changes in content, approaches, structures and strategies

that cover all children.
➢ Inclusion in education refers to a basic human right and
foundation for a more equal society.
➢ Process that help overcome barriers limiting the presence,
participation and achievement of learners

Barriers to learning:

“Any factor that may cause the breakdown in learning is a barrier to learning”.

“Difficulties that arise within the education system as a whole, the learning site
and /or within the learner her /himself which prevent access to learning and
developing”.
DPP1501 Notes: Unit 1

Barriers to learning come from a range of factors that include:

➢ Poverty
➢ Language
➢ Curriculum
➢ Classroom practices
➢ Factors within the learner etc.

These barriers can be divided into two categories namely INTRINSIC and
EXTRINSIC

Intrinsic barriers:

➢ Refers to the factors situated within the learner such as.

❖ Impairments
❖ Psychosocial problems
❖ Different abilities
❖ Particular life experiences
❖ Socio-economic deprivations.

These factors may include but are not limited to conditions such as:

➢ Cerebral palsy
➢ Epilepsy
➢ Impairments in the body
➢ Giftedness
➢ Learning difficulties.
DPP1501 Notes: Unit 1

Although these conditions are intrinsic to the learner, as a teacher it is your

responsibility to provide appropriate support in class/at school to ensure
access to the curriculum.

NEVER use conditions to label children or exclude them from

participation in class or school activities.

Extrinsic barriers:

➢ Negative and discriminating attitudes to and stereotyping

differences
➢ An inflexible curriculum
➢ Inappropriate languages or language of learning and teaching
➢ Inaccessible and unsafe built environments
➢ Inappropriate and inadequate supports services
➢ Inadequate policies and legislation
DPP1501 Notes: Unit 1

➢ The non-recognition of and non-involvement of parents.

➢ Inadequately and inappropriately trained education managers and
educators.

Inflexible curriculum

➢ The inflexibility of the curriculum and the institutional barriers

are the most significant barriers in both special and ordinary
schools.

Some issues raised in this regard includes

❖ The content
❖ Language of learning and teaching
❖ Organization of a class
❖ Methods and processes of teaching
❖ Pace and pace setters to complete curriculum
❖ Learning
❖ The assessment

Negative and harmful attitudes

➢ Negative and harmful attitudes towards difference in our society

remain a critical barrier to learning and development.
➢ Discriminatory attitudes resulting from prejudice against people
on the basis of race, class, gender, culture, disability, religion,
ability, sexual preference and other characteristics manifest
themselves as barriers to learning when such attitudes are
directed towards learners in the education system.
DPP1501 Notes: Unit 1

➢ Sometimes negative attitudes and labelling result from fear and a

lack of awareness about the particular needs of learners or the
potential barriers which they may face.
➢ For the most part, negative attitudes toward different learners
manifest themselves in the labelling of learners.
➢ Sometimes these labels are just negative association between the
learner and the system such as ‘drop outs’, ‘repeaters’ or ‘slow
learners’.

Language of teaching

➢ Teaching and learning for many learners takes place through a

language which is not their first language.
➢ This not only places these learners at a disadvantage, but it also
leads to linguistic difficulties which contribute to learning
breakdown.
➢ Second language learners are often subjected to low expectations,
discrimination and lack of cultural peers.

Inaccessible and Unsafe Built Environment

➢ Inaccessibility is particularly evident where centres are physically

inaccessible to learners, educators and members of the
community with disabilities who use wheelchairs or other mobility
devices.
➢ Such inaccessibility often also renders centres unsafe for blind and
deaf learners.

Inappropriate and Inadequate Provision of Support Services

➢ Particular enabling mechanisms and processes are needed to

support diversity and enable the education system, including
educators and learners, to minimise, remove and prevent barriers
which may exist or arise.
➢ Where no provision exists for such services, barriers cannot be
overcome and needs cannot be met.
DPP1501 Notes: Unit 1

➢ One of the key contributing factors to inappropriate and

inadequate support provision relates to the nature of human
resource development of both educators and personnel who
provide services to learners and their families.

Lack of Parental Recognition and Involvement

➢ The active involvement of parents and the broader community in

the teaching and learning process is central to effective learning
and development.
➢ Such involvement includes recognition for parents as the primary
care givers of their children and, as such, that they are a central
resource to the education system.
➢ More specifically, they are critical components for effective
governance of centres of learning and for facilitating community
ownership of these facilities.

The implications for the education system: ethos of inclusivity.

➢ The scope and extent of the barriers to learning which learners may
experience in the system have implications for the learners’ success
as well as the system of Education.
➢ One of the pre-requisites for Inclusive Education is the
transformation of the whole system of education.
DPP1501 Notes: Unit 1

➢ In Africa inclusive cultures are embedded in Ubuntu which is

strengthened by humanness, interdependence and communalism.
DPP1501 Notes: Unit 1

Building Inclusive Cultures and Schools

The schools are at the centres of transformation. Transformation of school

culture and practice is therefore central to the implementation of Inclusive
Education which will in turn provide support to all learners in the education
system

➢ Whole school development is one of the approaches that some

schools employ to transform every section of the school life
towards inclusive education.
➢ In this manner, the implementation of Inclusive Education will
involve not only the teachers but rather, a whole school approach
is necessary.
➢ While overcoming barriers to learning is centralised within
classroom activities, it extends to all sections of school life.
➢ The implementation should start with the re-structuring of the
vision and mission of the school and be incorporated in all school
policies.
➢ Combatting negative attitudes towards diversity would be part of
the job description for all those employed within the inclusive
school.
➢ All systems at school should become part of the development of
inclusive practices.
➢ With reference to embracing diversity in this module, humanness
entails caring and being compassionate to one another, regardless
of individuals’ acquired or inherent characteristics.
DPP1501 Notes: Unit 1

Collaboration and Support

➢ Other forms of collaboration involve teachers and stakeholders

such as parents, the community, professional bodies, non-
governmental organisations, potential funders etc.
➢ In Africa inclusive cultures are embedded in Ubuntu which is
underpinned by humanness, interdependence and communalism.
➢ If teachers listen to and work closely together with parents, they
are more likely to make a positive difference to a child’s schooling
experience.
➢ Collaboration is an essential part of proving support to all learners
at school and in the classroom.
➢ Even the best teachers need support at times to ensure the
implementation of inclusive practices at school.
➢ It can therefore be concluded that collaboration and support are
the main foundations upon which inclusive education can be
developed.
➢ Collaboration may take various shapes depending on the need for
collaboration and the aim.
➢ Example: One teacher may be able to share a successful strategy
that she has used to support the learner.
➢ In inclusive schools, the teachers also collaborate in a School-Level
Support Team where they design strategies to support fellow
teachers as well as learners.
➢ Teachers in these school-based structures also work
collaboratively with the District-Based Support Teams which in
turn provides support to the entire school.
DPP1501 Notes: Unit 1

Teacher Training and Development

➢ As an important resource, teachers ‘skills, capacity and expertise

should continually be sharpened before they can start their
teaching career and continuously developed throughout their
teaching career.
➢ This can be done through pre-service and professional
development workshops/classes.
➢ One of the reasons for continual professional development is the
growing complexity of the diversity in the classroom, necessitating
new approaches to teaching and learning.
➢ Diversity should not be seen as a threat but can be used as
strength from which to make further developments.
➢ Some schools organize one-day on-site development workshops.
➢ Some of the current workshops have been structured to support
teachers in terms of the Screening, Identification, Assessment and
Support Strategy (SIAS).
➢ Inclusive Education requires teachers to work with, and through,
other stakeholders who respect the dignity of learners as full and
equally valued members of the classroom.