UNDERSTANDING DIVERSITY

Assignment 01
Unique no. 578478

Diversity, Pedagogy and Practice DPP1501

Name: Genevieve

Surname: Paul

Assignment Number: 578478

Unique Number: 01

Due Date: 11-May-2021

Student Number: 44881932

Group Number: DPP1501-21-ALL

Lecturers: Dr Kate Malahlela and Dr Margaret Chauke

1
Table of Contents
UNDERSTANDING DIVERSITY .............................................................................. 1
Assignment 01 ........................................................................................................... 1
Unique no. 578478 .................................................................................................... 1
Diversity, Pedagogy and Practice DPP1501....................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 3
THE MEANING OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION ...................................................... 4
1.1. My understanding of Inclusive Education in the learning
environment. ........................................................................................................ 4
BARRIERS TO LEARNING ...................................................................................... 5
1.2. Barriers that can hinder teaching and learning for students in inclusive
education environments. .......................................................................................... 5
1.2.1. Inherent barriers to learning: ............................................................. 5
1.2.2. External barriers to learning: ............................................................. 5
DIVERSITY IN THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT........................................ 7
1.3. The concept of diversity and its implications in an education
environment. ............................................................................................................. 7
IDENTIFING BARRIERS WITHIN SCHOOLS ....................................................... 8
1.4. Recognising and identifying barriers that exist within a school .................. 8
1.4.1. Inflexible curriculum ............................................................................ 8
1.4.2. Negative and discriminating attitudes to and stereotyping of
differences ............................................................................................................ 8
PERSONAL VIEWS OF INCLUSIVITY IN EDUCATION ................................... 11
1.5. My view of the ethos of inclusivity. Considering the following variables,
what does it imply and mean for the education system ....................................... 11
CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................... 12
LIST OF REFERENCES .......................................................................................... 12

2
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this assignment is to understand and discuss the principles
that identify the connections between culture and human development in
relation to education. The theory in practice and suggested application
settings will be highlighted. The ideal is to create a universal learning
framework that offer the necessary foundations, tools, and structures to an
inclusive education where diversity is embraced and is used as a support tool
to education and development for all learners, educators, and parents alike.

3
THE MEANING OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
1.1. My understanding of Inclusive Education in the learning
environment.
My view of the concept of inclusive teaching is that it is an approach to ensure
that needs of students from all walks of life and social skills are provided equal
access to learn. It is a learning environment or system that allows students to
feel valued in their contributions. This learning approach allows diverse groups
to work together, learning, and growing side by side so that everyone benefits.
When we develop and design our schools and classrooms, our programs, and
activities as well as equipping teachers, educational faculty members and
parents within the framework of inclusive education will ensure all students
learn and participate together.

The idea of inclusive education is to benefit all and not a select group,
irrespective student backgrounds or challenges they may face. Placing
students in general education classes within the appropriate age groups
allows for the impartation of high-quality education and support. However, it is
a principle that must be fulfilled by the educators and the environment in
which the students are meant to learn. This also includes the education facility
as a whole and parents. Everyone plays a part, large or small in a child’s
education, whether it is in the classroom, on the sports field, or at home at the
dinner table.

4
BARRIERS TO LEARNING
1.2. Barriers that can hinder teaching and learning for students in
inclusive education environments.
First, we must understand what are barriers to learning? A barrier to learning,
is anything that is blocking or standing in the way of a child or student being
able to learn efficiently. This can be anything negative within the life of the
child or student that that hinders their learning.

1.2.1. Inherent barriers to learning:

Intrinsic barriers are located within the learners themselves such as physical,
psychological and personality factors which hinder their learning.

Birth defects, speech problems, physical impairments, medical conditions,

neurological disorders are as a result of genetic inheritance or an accident

Factors such as these are not a fault of the learner and is not in their control.
In addition, there are few accessible support mechanisms to assist in these
impediments if at all possible. Unfortunately, in society and within the
educational system, these barriers are not generally provided for. Especially in
relation to personality challenges and emotional instabilities.

These factors hinder teaching and learning in the sense that learners,
educational environments including the teachers and staff are not set up in a
manner that students with these varying factors can learn through. From
visual, hearing, or other physical and emotional impairments, it is very difficult
to find the means, have the training and resources to mitigate these factors.

1.2.2. External barriers to learning:

Extrinsic barriers are outside of the learner. Factors that fall in this category
such as the environment, their home, lack of schooling and their upbringing
are so inadequate that they eventually cause barriers to their learning. Many
face barriers such as poverty, lack of education and/or language impediments,
unsafe environments, an absence of support from parents, family or in their
communities. These barriers exist in cultural, social, and economic contexts
and permeate can permeate throughout key development stages of that child
or student.

5
With poverty as one of the key factors in South Africa, it leads to the lack of
food, shelter, basic living services and education. This is one of the main
starting points that have ripple effect leading to poor development of social
and educational skills. These factors hinder teaching and learning in the
sense that from an early age, we start to develop are learning from an
emotional, physical, and intellectual level and if that is blocked by any of these
external factors, it negatively affects the journey into adulthood and beyond.

6
DIVERSITY IN THE EDUCATIONAL
ENVIRONMENT
1.3. The concept of diversity and its implications in an education
environment.
Diversity is the observation, consideration, exploration, and fusion of these
differences to enrich learning in our classrooms. It promotes an understanding
of our students and that they bring a sense of uniqueness in terms of their
strengths, ideas, and experiences into the world of others. Diversity matters. It
is a responsibility as educators to ensure our students can adapt to any
environment they are placed and collaborate well with others from both a
professional and personal perspective. Diversity in the classroom encourages
the student to see new perspectives and challenges thinking by incorporating
a safe and welcoming learning environment to everyone.

Working and learning with others of different backgrounds teach others to

have a better tolerance to one another’ differences, encouraging intercultural
sensitivity. When diversity is incorporated in the learning environment, it
creates a rich environment for ideas to evolve, but where differences are not
just accepted but also understood. Diversity in the classroom allows learners
opportunities gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter
when it is expressed from someone else’s viewpoint. It promotes creativity,
motivating students to concentrate and push themselves further when there
are people of other backgrounds working alongside them.

I believe students feel safer in school and in life when they are educated in a
diverse setting, there is a sense of comfort in your differences. Diversity in the
learning environment should be encouraged at all levels, in the classroom,
with the teachers and parents at home. Incorporating lessons that account for
all forms of diversity is key. Incorporating aspects that are the foundation of
diversity such as religion, gender, economic background and even learning
styles are all notable factors in improving the actual learning and critical
thinking of a student in a classroom setting.

7
IDENTIFING BARRIERS WITHIN SCHOOLS
1.4. Recognising and identifying barriers that exist within a school

1.4.1. Inflexible curriculum

An inflexible curriculum is recognised when the teaching styles, methods, and
tempos are fixed. They do not adapt or change to meet the actual need of
learning that the students have. This inflexibility is critical in undermining
effective learning. What is taught, the way it is taught, how the classroom and
educators are managed, including materials used in the learning process are
immovable, then we have an inflexible curriculum. It is a learning environment
that does not allow for diversity in its educational influences and teachings. It
is strict and upholds a singular standard of conduct which leaves no room for
broader experiences or allows critical thinking outside of its own singular
perspective. Educators through inadequate training use teaching styles that
do not meet the needs of some students.

Subjects are taught in a specific language with no alternatives. There are not
many choices or any choice in the subjects taught. Gender inequality or
prejudice against learners for with disabilities or backgrounds of supposed
inferior origin.

Teaching materials are specific and not diverse in nature which would allow
for critical thinking. Assessment processes are focused more on memorisation
instead of memorisation and application with the ability to adapt thinking.
These are all identifying factors in recognising learning barriers within a school
system.

1.4.2. Negative and discriminating attitudes to and stereotyping of

differences
Stereotyping is a negative view or attitude of individuals or groups of
individuals. This viewpoint labels people with what others consider
undesirable traits, characteristics, behaviors, or backgrounds. Usually, this
sort of labelling causes exclusion and marginalization towards people that fit
these so-called undesirable categories. The threat of being ‘stereotyped’ is a
fear of being judged on these negative stereotypes and further to this, the fear
that you do something that confirms this stereotype of you.

8
People are categorized in very broad and usually baseless ways.
Discrimination however is how we behave based on these stereotypes and it
can lead to hostile attitudes towards others. Usually this sort of attitude is
unfounded and unjust. It permeates an attitude of aversion and hostility
against the members of a certain group, for the simple reason they belong to
that group and therefore those members also have those negative
characteristics.

These attitudes can be recognized by the hostile treatment of certain

individuals that fall into categories due to their age, race, sexual orientation,
religion, or economic status. A stereotype is an assumption and discrimination
are the behavioural factor or output of that adopted assumption from one
person or group of people towards another. Such factors are recognised as
barriers of learning within a school system.

1.4.3. Inaccessible and unsafe building environment

Historically, both on a local and global scale, the accessibility and universal
design as they relate to education both in the physical and learning
environment has been inadequate. For example, in South Africa, learners,
mainly those with physical disabilities have not had easy access to centres of
learning. For example, learners that are wheelchair bound or limited to other
forms of mobility. Subsequently this lack of access leads to both a difficult and
unsafe environment. Impairments such as visual or hearing disabilities are not
catered for making it very unsafe for learners with these concerns. Usually the
attitude to this is that the problem is the learner and not the environment,
creating a lack of empathy towards learners.

Surety, E (2006:01) stated, “Education structures, systems and learning

methods should meet the needs of all learners”, acknowledging the lack of
proper education centres and provided a focused plan on addressing this
issue and changing this for the benefit of learners. These many challenges of
inaccessibility of impaired learners are aspects of barriers that can be easily
recognised within a school system.

1.4.4. Inappropriate and inadequate support services

These types of barriers to learning are often tricky and enabling change can
be difficult. Many are resistant to the fact that they as an educator or form of

9
school body system may need to re-evaluate how they teach, how they
engage and react to their students based on their very different backgrounds.
Often, the service of teaching is focused on the problems existing within the
learner instead of the actual education system. It is resented by many that the
existing teaching methods are not sufficient or in fact, poor. These result in
removing learners from the learning environment, rather than changing the
environment. In many cases, these learners require focused and individual
attention but there is a fear among educators and similar roles to provide this
sort of attention, having to deal with learners that fit this category. It means the
educator or parent must change their way of thinking, their way of teaching
and whatever methods they use to provide learning support to a student.
Unfortunately, this mostly due to communities who suffered indignities such as
social, economic, and educational segregation and all forms of exclusion and
inequalities imposed due to the purposely indoctrinated racial divide.
Individuals are reduced to poverty, little or no parental support as well as
positioned in rural or poor residential areas. And as these vulnerabilities are
learnt as part of daily life, people from these backgrounds become
marginalised.

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

The level or degree of parental involvement is often a by-product of the social
economic marginalisation’s that occurred primarily due to racial segregation.
Parents or the support structure in place of parents, if any, are crucial to the
wellbeing and education of a child. As primary caregivers, they are the central
resource within an educational system. Parents play a vital role in ensuring
that the educational governance handed down in the school system is
followed through in them home. However, parents are not given this
recognition or parents fail to play their part in their child’s education. There is
also a negative attitude by educators towards parents’ involvement which
leads to the parents failing to participate. The key identifying factors are when
parents do not engage with the school system on how they can assist in
progressing their child’s learning process. Instances where there was no
communication from the school to the parent and vice versa to attend
teacher/parent meetings. Sadly, when the parents are also uneducated a
divide is created in the home environment as the parent and child do not
relate to each other or understand each other’s needs and abilities. Such
signs are identifying factors of inadequate support services from a parental
variable in education.

10
PERSONAL VIEWS OF INCLUSIVITY IN
EDUCATION
1.5. My view of the ethos of inclusivity. Considering the following
variables, what does it imply and mean for the education system
Inclusive education is not an elusive concept, but it must be given diligent
attention, budget, practical change, and everyone must play their part in
making sure the turnaround of the education environment in a way that
benefits all learners is supported. In building an inclusive education we strive
to value differences of all learners and their contributions to the learning
process.

1.5.1. Building inclusive cultures and schools

Creating an inclusive culture is not easy but it is not impossible. A few ways to
begin this change. Ensure everyone is welcome, students are encouraged to
engage, teach, and learn from each other. Educators and staff in educational
facilities collaborate together to better the learning process. Everyone
respects each other. Communities are involved in the educational aspects of
their children and involved in the school system. These strategies will foster a
healthy working environment, for both the learner and teacher. Productivity
and engagement are increased, and a safe space is created where there was
possibly none before. The focus is on inclusivity, rather than exclusion. A
platform for educators and parents is created as they need to actively
participate in the child’s learning.

1.5.2. Collaboration and support

In order to have an effective inclusive educational system, there needs to be
an effective approach towards teaching and support in the learning
environment. Co-ordination of learning must be well planned through the
school system. Ideally setting time aside for educators and staff to plan the
learning approach is key. It will keep learning consistent and any deviations
can be the exception and handled appropriately. It is highly important to build
training programs for educators and recognition programs to award initiatives
of educators and related staff. It is essential that educational staff are not
overworked, and a manageable task-load is assigned. It is imperative that
respect is promoted at all levels in the education system.

1.5.3. Teacher training and continuous support

None of the above will work without qualified teachers and educators at all
levels. Teacher training must be an ongoing process and supported by the
education division as a priority in ensuring the quality of the education passed
down to learners is of the highest standard. Efficient programs of teacher
education or professional development must be in place to promote
continuous learning. Learning goals must be set out within these programs
and support structures. Knowledge, understanding and respecting diversity in
the education system must be central figure in the education of educators.
Furthermore, continuous evaluation of the educators will impact the process in

11
positive ways as we track the progression and efficiency of the programs put
in place to develop our educators.

CONCLUSION
Inclusive Education should be a priority for everyone. There must be a
persevering determination in ensuring inclusive education and an
understanding of the positive impact this would provide the learner in the
education system. It is up to each individual to determine if inclusive education
is a ‘good thing’ but can the sensibility of ensuring that our future generations
are able to survive and also pass down their knowledge and education to the
next generation a sufficient reason to incorporate inclusive education? It is by
no means an easy process. It requires commitment from every sector, and we
must all do our best to bring it to fruition.

LIST OF REFERENCES
• PUGH, RICHARD. “Attitudes, Stereotypes and Anti-Discriminatory
Education: Developing Themes from Sullivan.” The British Journal of
Social Work, vol. 28, no. 6, 1998, pp. 939–959. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/23714915. Accessed 1 May 2021.
• Surty, E., 2006. Department of Education | Speeches 2004. [online]
Education.gov.za. Available at:
https://www.education.gov.za/Newsroom/Speeches2/Speeches2004/ta
bid/180/ctl/Details/mid/580/ItemID/2365/Default.aspx

• V. Loopoo, p. Singh (2010) Barriers To Learning Within A South

African Context, iceri2010 proceedings, pp. 3627-3634.
• Tlale, l. 2007. Educators' Perceptions About The Learners With
Barriers To Learning And Development. Undergraduate. North West
University.
• Department of Education (2001). Education White Paper 6. Special
Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training
System.
• Pretoria Department of Basic Education. (2011b). Guidelines for
Responding to Learner Diversity in the Classroom through Curriculum
and Assessment Policy Statements. Pretoria. Available at
www.education.gov.za
• Department of Basic Education. (2010). Guidelines for Full-service
Inclusive Schools. Pretoria: Department of Basic Education, Republic
of South Africa

12