Mainstream - allows the child to learn along with other children with the intention to help the child fit in with the norm.
Inclusion - stresses abilities rather than disabilities and believes that all children will learn and grow through being exposed to the whole spectrum of normality.
For more detail read page 17 of White Paper 6 on Education.
What about special educational needs and learners with disabilities?
Disabilities are only one source of barriers to learning. Education to learners with disabilities received specific attention in White Paper 6, even though this paper also deals with redress for those who have been excluded from learning and participation.
Will Inclusive Education mean closure of schools catering for special needs?
There will always be schools where learners with severe barriers to learning receive high levels of support needed to successfully access the curriculum.
When will Inclusive Education be implemented?
Most educators are already involved in inclusive education on a daily basis as they address the various needs of their learners and the barriers they come across in their classrooms. An educator, who for example, teaches mathematics to a class of 35 learners, will have a few who are excelling, some with average mathematics ability, a number of learners who have to deal with severe poverty which causes hunger, transport problems, a lack of basic school stationery and other learners dealing with difficult family circumstances. As the educator addresses each of these problems, through e.g.:
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finding alternative ways to help learners get to school on time if their transport is a problem,
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organise alternatives for stationery,
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organise school feeding schemes,
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arrange for extra emotional support for learners dealing with difficult home situations,
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providing further challenges for those who excel and
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extra help for those who battle, she/he is already implementing inclusive education.
In other words, when educators adapt and tailor the curriculum to meet the needs of learners and support them to reach the various outcomes stated, they are implementing inclusive education.
For more details on the national implementation time frames, read White Paper 6 http://education.pwv.gov.za
How will I, as an educator, cope with disabled children in my class when I am already overburdened?
Inclusion is not only about disability. It often only needs a change in attitude. When educators start to address barriers to learning that already exist within the class, the learning environment will become more accommodating to learners with disabilities. The type of disability is not what is important, but rather the support this learner will need te be able to succeed. Where a learner will be educated, will depend on the level of support the learners needs. If only slight adjustments are necessary, a learner can attend a local school. If high levels of support is needed, like a number of different therapies and constant medical assistance, the learner will be accommodated in resource schools or other special schools.
Educators should then not be worried about the disability, but rather concentrate on what level of support the learner needs in class.
Admission to schools should be based on the availability of support for the learner at the particular school and not on the basis of disability. On admission, a school must consider whether the necessary support for the learner can be given. Schools should also strive to broaden their capacity to support a wide range of barriers to learning over time.
What strategies will help me to implement Inclusive Education?
- Identify support available in your school
- Identify support available in the vicinity around the school
- Identify barriers to learning in class
- Identify barriers to learning in the broader school environment
To be able to do this, observation skills must be sharpened and observations recorded and analysed.
- Talk to learners when learning breakdown occurs - find out what is wrong
- Together make decisions on ways to address barriers they experience
- Should learning breakdown continue, take the matter further to a Institution Based Support Team, established at your school.
Is Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy compulsory subjects in Grades 10 – 12 for learners who have severe mathematical problems?
No. If a registered medical practitioner, according to the recognised DSM IV criteria has diagnosed a Grade 10 – 12 learner with Dyscalculia, or a learner has a history or severe mathematical problems over a number of years, another subject may be chosen to replace compulsory Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy. Such a learner will then be in the position to still present 7 subjects for Grade 12 certification, without having to take Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy. For more information about Dyscalculia visit the resources section of this website.
How can assessment be seen as an integral part of inclusive teaching and learning?
- Assessment of learners and their learning is integral to the teaching and learning process.
- Assessment is an integral part of curriculum adaptation. It helps us identify what learners need so that we can adapt, our teaching methodology, strategies and activities in our lesson plans.
- Information from various assessments helps educators get to know their learners. Through assessment educators find out what their learners know and can do and what their learners do not know and cannot do. Many barriers to learning are uncovered and learners can be supported in class to develop to their full potential.
- Assessing learners’ interests, prior knowledge and learning styles help educators to provide learning activities that engage and encourage learner learning.
- We need to assess the academic performance of learners, their characteristics, their performance of skills and their performance on tasks using a variety of techniques.
- Educators can assess learners by: observing them, reviewing their work, using pre-assessment strategies to find out what the learners already know and can do, and having learners’ self-reflect and respond to questions and inventories.
- Assessment techniques most useful for differentiating the curriculum include: observation, entry-level indicators, error analysis, record keeping (e.g., anecdotal records, work portfolios/folders and journaling), performance assessments and learner-led conferences.
- All of these assessment techniques can be used by both the educators and the learners. Educators should invite learners to be involved with them in the assessment process. (Changing Teaching Practices: using curriculum differentiation to respond to students’ diversity, UNESCO, 2004)
