In the past learners with disabilities have experienced severe forms of discrimination,
isolation and separation. They were perceived as persons with deficits and in need of
help. They were separated from society as they were considered to be inadequate
people. The discriminative practices against learners with disabilities and the
doctrines of apartheid that contributed to discrimination and separation on racial
differences resulted in learners with disabilities being doubly handicapped. The
discrimination against learners with disabilities is largely the result of adherence to
the medical model and deficit theory to disability.
However, the current trends which support the social rights theory and ecological
systems theory to disability which are consistent with the Constitution and its Bill of
Rights, adopts an inclusive approach and promotes equal rights and equal opportunity
to all people, including learners with disabilities. This commits schools to enrolling
learners with disabilities and providing equal education opportunities for them. To
provide a meaningful educational experience for all learners, education structures
need to be enabled, and attitudes, teaching and learning methodologies, and the
curriculum changed to reflect inclusive values. Furthermore, Education White Paper
6 (DoE, 2001) clearly states that classroom educators are the primary resource for
achieving the goal of inclusive education. This implies that educators will need to be
empowered to change their attitudes, refine their teaching practice and where
necessary, develop new ones. Hence, this study aims to explore the teaching practices
of special needs educators in the context of building an inclusive education system.
A qualitative case study approach was adopted in this study, whereby six participants
who were teaching at special schools were interviewed using a semi-structured
interview schedule, exploring their day to day teaching practices. The findings reveal
that the teaching practices of special needs educators are in line with inclusive
practices that could benefit mainstream educators. Special needs educators adjust and
adapt their teaching practice to accommodate and address the diverse needs of all the
learners so that each individual learner receives a learning experience that "fits".
However, acknowledgement and recommendations are made with regard to the
challenges encountered when adapting teaching practices. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/3675 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Naidoo, Primmithi. |
| Contributors | Combrinck, Martin. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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