Inclusive

Teaching and
Learning
for South Africa
Unit 2
Learner Diversity
Overview of study unit

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Specific outcomes
By the end of the unit, you will be able to: 
• Explain the concepts of learner diversity, intersectionality and equity for different
relevant school contexts (with specific reference to disability, language, race, socio-
economic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, cognition, communication
and interaction and psychosocial differences)
• Demonstrate how these concepts will enable quality teaching and learning for all in
your own teaching context
• Demonstrate how understanding language and cultural diversity contributes to access,
acceptance and participation in inclusive classrooms
• Demonstrate how understanding cognitive, communication and interaction, physical
and sensory, psychosocial and societal differences contributes to access, respect and
participation in inclusive classrooms

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
The bell curve
Our most frequently-occurring characteristics are placed in the middle of the curve. These
are “normal” characteristics. Any characteristics that occur less frequently, at the edges of
the curve, are “abnormal”.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
The iceberg
Think about an iceberg in which you can only see part of the iceberg above the water line.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Five areas of learner difference
• Cognitive (the way a learner acquires knowledge, how they think)
• Communication and interaction
• Psychosocial (social and emotional)
• Sensory and physical
• Societal factors (e.g. socio-economic and family circumstances, gender identity,
sexuality, religious beliefs, culture)

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Levels of learners’ access to the
curriculum
• Learners who have already mastered the grade level content (these are gifted learners
requiring enhanced or more complex content)
• Learners accessing the curriculum at grade level
• Learners requiring “scaffolding” or support to access or engage the curriculum at grade
level
• Learners who are “grade straddling” or engaging the curriculum at one or more grades
below grade level

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Poverty cycle
In South Africa the resources and quality of education offered in schools are still largely
unequal.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
“Children with better-educated caregivers
and more educational resources in the home
are more likely to succeed at school and
consequently later on in life. The educational
expectations of family members and the
broader community may, furthermore,
influence child expectations of and behaviour
towards educational attainment.”
SAHRC & UNICEF, 2014

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
“In South Africa less than 30% of children in
the poorest 75% of schools have attended
two years of preschool or more, in
comparison to 60% of children from the
wealthiest 25% of schools (Spaull, 2013).
These early inequalities precede, and
arguably cause to some degree, the large
inequalities that are evident later on in
children’s schooling careers.” SAHRC & UNICEF,
2014

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Onions
Let’s explore psychological health by comparing it to an onion.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Internal factors that affect our thoughts
and feelings
1. Attachment
2. Adolescence
3. Needs

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Styles of attachment
• Secure: The infant uses mother as secure base for exploration, is comforted by
caregiver when reunited after separation
• Insecure–ambivalent: The infant does not show much evidence of using caregiver as a
secure base for exploration, passive or upset when reunited
• Insecure–avoidant: The infant does not show much evidence of using caregiver as a
secure base for exploration, keeps distance when reunited
• Disorganised or disoriented: The infant shows no predictable attachment response to
caregiver; this style is often seen in children who have been regularly abused or
neglected

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 
American psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is perhaps the most
common model used to summarise human needs in relation to psychosocial wellbeing.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
I am human

“Sexuality is who
you go to bed with,
and gender identity
is who you go to
bed as.”
(Brendan Jordan, 2017)

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
 Different types of disability
• Physical: ability to move or physical functioning
• Psychosocial: thinking, mood and behaviour, social and emotional state
• Cognitive: learning, reasoning, problem-solving, everyday social and practical activities
• Communication and interaction: acquisition and expression of language and speech,
interaction with others
• Sensory: the use of the senses, most commonly, hearing and vision
• Albinism
• Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Autistic Spectrum Continuum (ASC); Asperger
Syndrome
• Down Syndrome
• Dyslexia
• Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD)
• Hearing impairment
• Stress, anxiety and depression U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
• Visual impairment
Learner profiles 
It is very important in the study of inclusive education to examine not only how your
learners are different from one another, but also how some of these differences are shaped
by power hierarchies in our society.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Equality and equity
Often the concepts of “equality” and “equity” in education are used interchangeably. But
there is an important difference between the two.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
One size fits all
As a teacher teaching diverse learners you will need to differentiate—or adapt—how you
teach.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Equality and equity
Let’s go back to an extended version of the equality/equity cartoon to explain the impact
of differentiation.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Medical model of disability
The medical model  sees the person with a disability as the problem. In this model the
focus is on the disability.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Social model of disability
The social model  sees attitudes, as well as social and environmental barriers, as the
problem. People are “disabled” by the world around them.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Head, hand, heart 
What you do with this knowledge and  how you use it are equally crucial. It should be
about “knowing”, “doing” and “believing”.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Lens 1 
Understanding a diagnosis or label is useful, but other factors are just as likely to be at
play; it is combination of all the pieces of information to support the child’s learning and
what you do with this that is much more important.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Lens 2

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Four stages of competence
This diagram is commonly used to describe feelings in relation to the learning process. It is
particularly important to know about the feelings you get.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Definitions of mother tongue

Criterion Criterion

The language one learned first (the language one has established
Origin
the first long-lasting verbal contacts in)

Identification
a. The language one identifies with/as a native speaker 
a. internal
b. The language one is identified with/as a native speaker of, by
b. external
others

Competence The language one knows best

Function The language one uses most

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
A surprise
Here is an example of Desai’s research (2016, op.cit.) in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape.
A writing task was given to Grade 4 learners based on the picture story below:

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Grade 4 writing sample

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Example text

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Writing sample

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y
Sentence-building activity 
Matching activities between sentences and visuals can also be a useful way to support
language
development.

U N IT 2 : L E A R N E R D I V E R S I T Y