There’s so much to reflect on here that I barely know where to start. In fact, I joked about wanting to pull my children out of their school and send them here; and I was only half kidding. Remarkably, Lebone II was putting into practice much of what we had been reading about and discussing over the previous weeks and months.
Even without having seen actual students in the classroom, for example, it was clear that Lebone II was putting culturally responsive pedagogy into practice. Prior to arriving in South Africa, from Brownell et al. (2012), we learned the importance of varying and adapting instructional practices in relation to diverse needs. This was at the very heart of what Lebone II appeared to be doing--tailoring projects to multitudinous needs, providing opportunities for independent study, encouraging students to participate in the planning of their lessons and classrooms, and, perhaps above all, practically insisting that students feel seen and heard. Nowhere was that latter intent more evident than in the administrative conference room we glimpsed. Hung carefully across on the far wall were pictures of each and every student in the school. What struck me upon first seeing this was the humanizing effect it had. When students are no longer “just another student amongst the masses,” when they are placed before you as breathing, feeling human beings, it becomes a lot harder not to take their interests and needs into account. It becomes a lot harder not to insist on hearing their voices. There can be no question that Lebone II has what it has as a result of financial resources. Ignoring that fact would be to discount the lack of resources we saw in other schools and the extreme poverty we’ve witnessed during our stay in South Africa. However, what is also clear is that Lebone II has succeeded in not simply taking those resources as a means of providing students with the best of material things, but of ensuring that they are providing students with opportunities that match their needs and desires. This is critically important if they are to continue serving students and, nearly as important, the local community. Brownell, M. T., Smith, S. J., Crockett, J. B., & Griffin, C. C. (2012). Inclusive instruction: Evidence-based practices for teaching students with disabilities. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
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AuthorI'm Kelly. I teach English as a Second Language, business English, and writing. I eat poems for dinner. Archives
January 2019
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