At Good Hope High School we have a diverse, multicultural, multinational and multiracial school population. We acknowledge and are aware that students from different cultures, backgrounds and educational environments learn in distinctly different ways.
Barriers to learning
Cultural Diversity
The first contact of children with culture is
through their parents’ lenses or filters through which they view the world. It
is central to what they learn, how they make sense of what they see, and how
they express themselves. When children reach the point where they start
attending school, then it becomes the role of both the parents and teachers to
help filter information.
Parents carry the first responsibility in
educating their children about diversity, and they should provide a safe
environment to discuss the topic, where stereotyping is not accepted or engaged
in. Parents need to set an example that reinforces acceptance, equality and
cultural competence, by looking at the way they handle diversities themselves,
and how they handle their prejudice and bias.
In the Classroom
In the Classroom
*Every classroom has learners
with barriers to learning. In the past, these learners were simply labelled as
stupid, naughty, bright, physically disabled, hyperactive and so on. But today,
we understand that we are here to teach; and to teach effectively, we need to
identify the needs of each learner in our diverse classroom. How can you know which of your learners needs
additional support? What can we do with the ‘different’ learners we encounter
in our classroom? Our goal is to develop the full potential of all learners,
including those with physical, mental and emotional barriers to learning.*
Auditory
learners prefer to receive ideas and
information by hearing them. These students may struggle with reading and
writing, but excel at memorizing spoken words such as song lyrics. They often benefit
from discussion-based classes and the opportunity to give oral presentations.
Visual
learners prefer to receive information by
seeing it. Typically these students pay much attention to detail. They are less
likely to speak in class than their auditory peers, and generally use few words when they
do. Outlines, graphs, maps and pictures are useful in helping these students
learn.
Kinesthetic-Tactile learners tend to learn best via movement and
touch. These students are often labeled “hyperactive” because they
tend to move around a great deal. Because they like movement, they may take
many notes and learn best when allowed to explore and experience their environment.
*The National Curriculum and
Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) came into effect in January 2012 to improve
the implementation of National Curriculum Statement (NCS). The CAPS are
designed to support teachers by combining all the important information from
the NCS into a single document, and by covering all content, planning and
assessment requirements for each subject. The CAPS also continue to support the
key principles that underline the NCS, including:
- Social
transformation
- High
knowledge and high skills
- Integration
and applied competence
- Progression
- Articulation
and portability
- Human
rights, inclusivity, environmental and social justice
- Valuing
of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS)
- Credibility,
quality and efficiency *
At Good Hope High School we are committed to
deliver all the requirements of the CAPS programme, and to embed its key principles into
all teaching and learning.
* B.E.
Johnstone, E.L. Llewellyn, S.I. Mathibela, S.M. Oelofsen, B.G. Rennie, A.A.van
Kampan
July 2011. Via Afrika Computer
Applications Technology Grade 10 Teacher’s Guide. Cape Town: Clyson
Printers
S. Andrade. 2010. Diversity and
Children Series. Available: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/diversity-and-children-series-part-2/
(Accessed:
08 January 2013)
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