Week 15- University of Zululand- Sawubona! Unjani? Ngikhona ngyibonga! Wena unjani? (Hello! How are you? I am good thank you! And you?)
My Program |
April 16th- My first meeting was
with the Deputy Vice Chancellor followed by the Dean of Education. I was graciously
introduced, welcomed, and debriefed on the goals for the collaboration. In
addition to the spelled out plan, I was asked to make observations about the
university. I was also asked if I would be willing to give a debriefing at the
end of the week with a larger audience of university representatives. The Vice
Chancellor is concerned with the 40% dropout rate of university students and
the language and curriculum issues. He was hoping we could use this week to
work together on possible options for collaboration in the future. I was given
a temporary office next to the Dean’s office in the school of education.
My Evening Office |
From the university meetings, I was taken to
Khethiwe Special School in Ngwelezane to visit the staff and hear about their
school needs. The school enrollment includes 30-50 students who were taken away
from their homes by the welfare system. Although the school is residential,
many of the learners are trying to get back to their families. All of the
students have social workers and many have other support personnel as well.
The principal was concerned about a lack of
inclusive practices; she said most of the teachers had not really been trained
on disabilities or strategies that would help the students. The ages ranged
from birth to 18 years old. Many students were from child-reared families
because of the high rate of HIV/AIDS, crime, abuse, and other risks in the
area. The staff reported they wanted to hear about adaptations to curriculum,
abuse issues, working effectively with students with disabilities, and help
planning for the future of their students. My thought was to provide a workshop
on identifying diverse learners’ needs, helpful strategies, and how to support
learners by working as a team.
The next stop was a visit to Sinaye Senior
Primary School in Nseleni. The assistant principal introduced me to five
teachers from their staff. They explained the school was grades 5-7, housing
between 40-47 students in a classroom. There are 33 teachers at the school. The
major issues they identified included not having strategies for learning
disabilities, language issues (teachers had barriers elaborating/grading in
English), background issues (lack of support at home, child-headed families,
poverty, crime, diseases, and abuse in the homes), lack of basic skills,
unknowledgeable about strategies, and discipline at school. The teachers also
mentioned the incredible resilience of the students at their school. They
reported there was some help from the NGOs, but they are not always functional.
The meeting was in a computer lab, however, I noticed none of the computers
seemed to be on. The teachers said they had not been trained on technology but
they hope to begin using the computers in May, however, they are a full service
school- meaning they house the computer lab for all of the schools in the area.
I mentioned to the school faculty that I had some trainings on inclusive
academic and behavioral strategies to use when working with diverse learners.
They said four teachers could get out of class and attend the training on
Thursday. I asked why only four could attend, was it not possible for all of the
teachers to be there? They said they didn’t usually train everyone. I offered
to do the training in two sessions so that more of the teachers could
participate.
That evening, I prepared for the Khethiwe
workshop. Khethiwe means “one who was chosen” (Zulu). I started with my introduction-
I explained my family is from farmers, teachers, nurses, businessmen,
travelers, and storytellers. I am from the United States- I started out in
psychology and working with severely abused children. I worked in foster
care…then was laid off and ended up in Indonesia. When I returned to the United
States, I had planned to travel the world teaching English. I needed a job and
because many of my family members are teachers and they encouraged me to work
in the schools. Part of my job with the district, was to go into classrooms and
give suggestions to teachers about how to reduce the negative behaviors in the
classroom…the teachers often told me, “You are not a teacher, you don’t know.” Long
story short(ish), I asked to teach a history unit in one of the classes…and I
found out I was supposed to be teaching. I moved to California and took a job
in Oakland with “the worst of the worst of OUSD.” Through mentoring, support,
and encouragement I earned my credential, then masters, then doctorate…and now
I am here.
In the presentation, I compared the issues
students experienced in the school I teach at in San Francisco to the issues
they raised in Khethiwe. Then I prepared some slides about the information on
brain research- parts of the brain related to learning, brain chemicals, and
how the brain retains information (Sousa, 2007). I also went over common
challenges of diverse learners (auditory processing, visual processing,
language issues, emotional, social, and behavioral challenges) and different
accommodations teachers can use to address these issues. I finalized the
presentation with information about how to use observations and assessments to
guide practice when working with diverse students.
I also had to prepare to teach the Master’s
level Educational Psychology students on Inclusive Education (3 hour class).
For this class, I focused more on the history of special education in USA and
SA. Inclusion in both countries is an interesting topic. Inclusion is the idea
(some say ideal) that all students should be educated in the same classroom,
hence, there would be no special schools or classrooms. In the US, we are
trying to move towards more inclusive education, however, with districts,
universities, and the federal government it is a slow and litigious process
(from the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Improvement Act of 2004). In
the US, students are provided with “free and appropriate public education” in
the “least restricted environment.” More than full inclusion, many districts
are working toward inclusive practices. In South Africa, after apartheid ended
(1991) and the constitution was approved (1996), the writers expressed a need
for creating a country without segregation where ALL people were given the same
opportunities in education and life. White Paper #6 outlined the country’s plan
for Inclusive Education. Inclusive education is one of the most progressive
ideas in education systems, and South Africa’s plan included getting rid of
special schools and educators. Unfortunately, since the plan was set out, most
educators have not been trained on how to work with students with diverse
needs.
Because the school systems, especially
government schools, are already overwhelmed with intense needs (social,
emotional, and language barriers), the addition of learning and physical
barriers has been difficult. The last part of the training I prepared focused
on strategies for different subject areas (math, reading, and writing) and
challenges (behavioral issues, emotional issues, on the spectrum, and attention
issues). I created a document that allowed teachers to discuss what things they
were already doing in the classroom that are successful and at the end of the
presentation I provided simple and complex accommodations and modifications
based on research.
By this time it was after midnight and I
had to be at the university at 7:30am…
April 17- First thing this morning I went
to the Thuthukani Special School. Thuthukani is Zulu for growth and
development. Ninety-seven percent of their school population is Zulu, rural,
and poor; the other 3% is White, Indian, or Coloured. They teach in 4
languages- Zulu, English, Afrikaans, and South African Sign Language (everyone
in the school learns sign language). They found that, due to financial and
technological issues, most of the assistive technology is not suitable for
their students, so learning sign language and picture messages are effective
modes of communication. The school was started 32 years ago in a garage, they
served 4 blind students during apartheid…2 weeks later the number had gone up
to 20 students. They were one of the first multiracial schools in the area in
the 1980’s. They now serve youth with intellectual disabilities (deaf, down
syndrome, on the spectrum, physical impairments, and fetal alcohol syndrome).
There are 356 students ages 6-18, however, they also house a program for
students older than 18 who want to come in and work in the vocational program
(they get paid a stipend for the weight of the work they produce).
Finally, for my last meeting, the debriefing with representatives from the university, I had put together a document beginning with thanks for the opportunity to work with them for the week. I gave three textbooks as “gifts.”
Although my visit was supposed to be for
one hour, they had schedule 4 hours of information for me- we agreed to keep it
to 2 hours because I needed to teach the class at the university. They took me
on a tour of the school and I was able to see the different classrooms for the
prefoundation, foundation, intermediate, and senior grade levels. In one class,
they were singing and using a sign language on a song about HIV/AIDS. In addition to their
classrooms, they had a workshop for sewing, cleaning, manual labor, and
artistic expression. Another positive is the food program they have established
on campus. The issues the staff at Thuthukani identified included the lack of
mainstreaming of learners; lack of appropriate curriculum from the department
of education, incorporating basic skills, children disappearing into society
without skills to take care of themselves…and many end up in jail. They also
mentioned the stigma and families not taking their needs seriously. Another
theme of the department of education saying they are not doing enough and then
when they ask for help they are told they are the experts. After speaking with
them, it seemed like giving a workshop on service learning projects may be
helpful for increasing skills, community involvement, and social justice issues
for their learners.
We were finally able to leave the school
and head back to the university for the master’s level class I was guest
lecturing. I had to take a few minutes to get organized and when I finally
entered the room, I found out the students had been waiting since 8am for me
(all I could think is that, I wish I had known there was plenty of work I could have
left). I went through my presentation and Mike made copies of the handouts I
had prepared. I thought all of the students had been teaching in the classroom
before, but I found out that was not the case for all of the master’s level
students here. Also, I realized there were some language issues I had not
expected. I could tell they were trying to understand me, so I slowed down my speech
and presentation even more. As I presented on working with diverse learners, I
modeled many of the strategies I speak about in my workshops. Modeling is positive, the more frustrating part is that I struggled to understand their
responses well. We worked together for the next hour and thirty minutes and
in the end, the group thanked me for my time and they each told me something
they had learned that they did not know before.
After the class I was supposed to meet with
the Dean of Education for a lunch, however, she had a class to teach and had to
leave soon after I arrived (which was of course late). I had a few minutes to
gather myself together and organize the necessary supplies before heading to
the Khethiwe for their workshop.
The principal and teachers were waiting in
the principal’s office when we arrived, the district was doing a training and
the room we were originally going to use was not available…neither was
technology for my powerpoint. It is funny to think that I didn’t think about
the digital divide while I was working on the powerpoint. Luckily, I had printed
off a copy along with the handouts. The group was small so we used the office
and I turned my computer around to present. The temperature was quite hot, but
everyone involved was so positive and engaged in our conversations so the 2
hours went by quickly. They thanked me for the information. The principal said
she was so happy to have support from the university. She said the information
presented on strategies, skills, and knowledge about disabilities she was not
aware of, no one had ever trained them. She felt “blessed” the university
thought of their little program.
Once again I headed back to the hotel with
just enough energy to finalize the workshop for Sinaye Senior Primary School
and prepare for the seminar I would be holding with the staff from the language
department from the university the next day. I think my brain stopped working
at some point that evening…so I closed my eyes and went to sleep.
April 18th- According to the
schedule, I was supposed to meet with individual faculty from the university
this morning, luckily, due to busy schedules most of the people had to cancel…I
was relieved because this gave me a chance to write down some of the
observations I would include in my report for the debriefing.
A little after noon we arrived at Sinaye
(Zulu translation- “we are with him”) School to give the double workshop.
Because of photocopying issues, I was running late again (ugh). Once we arrived
and I was looking for the cord to plug my computer into the LCD projector, I
realized they had an overhead projector for me…luckily I had printed off the
powerpoint before I left campus (I had asked them if they had an LDC projector
in the interview). Mike went to make copies and I began with the first
activities- the emotional photos, the cloze story (fill in the blanks), and the
make a sentence without using words with the letters R, T, N, S, or E. I gave
each small group a few minutes to try to do the activity, then I asked them to
share out. To the first group I said, “Okay, pick one picture on the paper,
explain what is in the picture and what emotion goes with the scene, then tell
the group how that emotion would affect a learner.” Nobody spoke. I called on
people, they looked at me blankly, so I walked over and asked them to point out
a picture to me. They didn’t move. I didn’t know what to do…were they being
rude or did they not understand the question? So, I rephrased the question- “What
do you see in the picture?” Still nothing. I asked the teacher to point to a
picture…no movement. I pointed to a picture and she finally spoke…she said,
“Marikana.” Yes, it was a picture of the police aiming guns at the Marikana
miners. We were making progress. Then I asked anyone in the group about the
emotion and the effect on learners. Another teacher said the police hurting the
people they are supposed to protect makes everyone feel unsafe. YES! We were
making progress.
After the warm up, I went into the civil
rights issues around inclusion. I tied the legal requirements to strategies
when working with diverse learners. Because I only had an hour, I wanted to jump
right into the strategies the teachers could use so I split the teachers into 8
groups (jigsaw style). Each group I gave a chapter of the SIOP Model book
(Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2013) and a graphic organizer. I showed them
how the headings matched the graphic organizer and that under the headings was
the information to put in the boxes. After everyone had their materials I went
around to give support (and directions again). First, I realized the
photocopies were out of order (frustrating). Next, two of the graphic
organizers were missing (when I sent the papers to be copied the machine must
have left out two pages). Finally, as I met with each group I realized that
they were not being disrespectful, the teachers were struggling with English…to
the point that they weren’t able to read the text and find the main points like
I was asking. I didn’t expect this. Actually as I was going through my notes
later, I saw that they original group of teachers told me the educators had a
hard time teaching from the English text, I thought it was because of the learners’
language issues, but now I realize it was the educators' as well. Hmmmm…was
there a way for me to save this workshop (or the next one to be held in 20
minutes)? We finished up what we could and I told them this was an introduction
to the model and I asked them to revisit the information I had shared at a
later date.
Group 2 came into the room. I took a deep
breath, I asked for guidance from the universe, and I started the beginning
activity. This session went better because I understood the language issues
and that I would need to be more specific with how to complete the graphic
organizer. One unfortunate thing was that the group before had taken my handouts
and I didn’t have any extra copies, so the groups were larger and I wasn’t able
to give all of the materials to the school as I had planned. Some of the
statements from the teachers as I went around the room included, “These are important
strategies, I hadn’t thought of that.” “I think this might work.” Okay, a
positive was coming out of this session, thank goodness. The teachers assured
me they would revisit the information and thanked me for coming to their
school. I do have to say I was surprised that when I left the school at 2:20,
almost all of the cars were gone. I asked why we had held the seminar during
the school day while students were still there and yet once the students left,
the teachers did as well. Mike said, “I think it is just that way.”
Those 2.5 hours took quite a bit of energy,
and I still had another seminar with the Language Department. Another deep
breath. At least they had catered lunch for this session. My plan was to review
the SIOP model and how they could use it to support the learning of the
university students and future teachers. The fact that I had just presented to
a group of teachers who didn’t understand my English was an eye-opener.
I made it to the seminar and asked the
group to tell me about themselves (I had to not talk for a while) and what they
would like from me. I received rather formal responses. I showed them the
textbook on the SIOP Model. Then I told them that I would be debriefing with
the Vice Chancellors, Deans, Directors, and such tomorrow and that I could be a
voice for them…what could they tell me? The energy in the room changed- and
they all started talking. The lecturers mentioned the universities' students
struggled to put “pen to paper” and write. The reading and writing skills in
English were very low. Some of the lecturers related this to apartheid where
they relied on education for success, and now post-apartheid they can make it
without academic credentials, so the motivation to learn and improve scholastically
is very low. Also, the families are not educated so there is a low level of
academic expectations and support from families. Students arrive at UZ with a
deficit and then with the large numbers, crowded venues, and lack of supports
in place, the students often fall through the cracks or drop out. The lecturers
rely on a lot of group activities which could lead to some students not
contributing to the assignment but still passing. Most of the undergraduate
classes are between 400-1000. The schools are not teaching skills because many
of the teachers do not have the skills…and university is not the time to teach
basic skills. Also, the students (and faculty) have very little exposure and
comfort with technology. Finally, in the Zululand area, people can survive on
just speaking Zulu…the radio, newspapers, and community conversations are all
held in Zulu, so there is very little opportunity to practice and expose
students to English. Aha, this is why the teachers who I have been meeting with
struggled to understand me as well! Is there a way to fill in the education and
language gap to meet the new generation of learners?
Friday, April 19th- I drove to
Thuthukani School to present at 8am. This was the special school for students
with intellectual disabilities. After meeting with them and hearing their focus
of inclusive practices, community involvement, and culturally responsive
pedagogy, I decided to do a workshop on service learning projects. We began the
session discussing issues they encounter in their school, this was a powerful
dialogue about stigmas, lack of parent involvement, and protecting students
from negativity while giving them exposure to the “outside” world. I then
reviewed the elements of service learning that Dr. Tess Reid and I presented on
in Spain (2009): integrated learning,
meeting genuine need, student voice, collaboration, reciprocity, systemic
reflection, and civic responsibility (Frey, 2003; Teng, 2008). Then we talked
about how they could address the school issues using service learning projects.
The group seemed very appreciative for the workshop.
Finally, for my last meeting, the debriefing with representatives from the university, I had put together a document beginning with thanks for the opportunity to work with them for the week. I gave three textbooks as “gifts.”
*Echevarria,
J., Vogt, M., and Short, D. J. (2013). Making
content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP
model (4th Ed). Boston: Pearson.
This book
highlights best practices to use when working with English language learners (or
learners who do not speak language as their mother tongue). The text provides
helpful strategies that help ALL educators improve their practice.
*Sousa, D. A.
(2007). How the special need brain learns
(2nd Ed). Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
This book
reviews brain research and how development can affect learning and retention.
It also provides helpful strategies for working with learners with learning
difficulties, attention disorders, speech disabilities, reading disabilities,
writing disabilities, math disabilities, emotional issues, behavioral issues,
and are on the spectrum of autism.
*Spandel, V. (2013).
Creating writers: 6 traits, process,
workshop, and literature (6th Ed). Boston: Pearson.
This book provides ideas for increasing
writing skills in learners, how to support writing and expression abilities.
Although it is a bit dense, there are some good information and creative lessons
included in the book.
I listed the presentations I had given, and
then, the strengths and concerns written in the most objective and honest way I
know. They thanked me for the input, agreed with the information, and asked if I
would be willing to return after my time at the University of Johannesburg to
work more closely with the faculty. They offered to write a proposal for my
return based on the recommendations and support I have already provided. I left
that meeting feeling blessed.
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