In Southern Africa, the education system has certain issues concerning barriers and inclusivity. The group that will be covered in this essay is intermediate phase learners, who are middle-school students from grades four to six. The students are young, impressionable and have just overcome the basics of education. The socio-political context of South Africa is the long-term process of decolonization – the dismantling of the segregated society (Mfuthwana and Dreyer, 2018). The country has passed many laws to improve the education system and promote inclusivity (Adewumi and Mosito, 2019). Students with special learning needs often struggle with completing assignments and retaining information. It is especially difficult considering how young the students are because they may not realize the socio-political context that affects their behavior. Teachers often struggle with implementing inclusive design due to limited resources in the financial, physical, human, material, infrastructural, curricula, and support departments.
Teachers in South Africa have certain methods of overcoming these challenges that could be used as a possible solution. The positive behavior support (PBS) model encompasses holistic support for struggling students. Teachers apply compassion and empathy when instructing young children in the classroom. The model has shown results in overcoming inclusion problems in the classroom, especially in developing countries (Dwarika, 2019). The model promotes teachers re-examining ecosystemic challenges when it comes to student behavior and performance and overcomes the barriers that students face. This type of model would be incredibly useful for implementation in South Africa, where lawmakers are developing an inclusive educational system. Teachers must educate themselves in developing strategies to meet the needs of struggling students and managing and designing an educational curriculum to ensure a proper inclusive educational system. Educators must be instructed to eliminate bias and apply tolerance and empathy in their educational strategy.
Reference List
Adewumi, T.M. and Mosito, C. (2019) ‘Experiences of teachers in implementing inclusion of learners with special education needs in selected Fort Beaufort District primary schools, South Africa. Cogent Education, 6(1).
Dwarika, V.M. (2019) ‘Positive behaviour support in South African foundation phase classrooms: teacher reflections. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 9(1), pp.1-11.
Mfuthwana, T. and Dreyer, L.M. (2018) ‘Establishing inclusive schools: teachers’ perceptions of inclusive education teams. South African Journal of Education, 38(4), pp. 1-10.