In terms of the South African context the learner-centred teaching strategy is, however, still in line with the White Paper 6, which argues that inclusive education must create learners who are active and critical participants in the learning process (Department of Education, 2001). This also concurs with guidelines for inclusive education set out by the Department of Basic Education (2010) which argues for the need for the learner to be at the centre of all aspects of the lesson and given responsibility for their own learning, thus there is a need to focus on each individual learner and their needs and abilities. Additionally, it is argued in these guidelines that knowledge is constructed by learners individually and collectively, and this needs to be encouraged by teachers (Department of Basic Education, 2010; Vayrynen, 2003). Learners should not be expected to just reproduce knowledge (Department of Basic Education, 2010; Vayrynen, 2003). This is because within inclusive education in South Africa there is a focus on constructivism where knowledge is constructed by the learner and not simply transferred, which is consistent with the learner-centred approach (Brown, 2003; Kemp, 2013; Naiker, 2006).
The emphasis within the learner-centred strategy of focusing on each individual learner and their individual and unique needs and abilities is, however, not necessarily always feasible within South Africa as classes tend to be quite large, sometimes with up to 50 learners (Brown, 2003; De Jager, 2013). With regards to learner-to-teacher ratio within ordinary mainstream schools there is no weighting system based on learners’ disabilities and barriers to learning that is used to determine the maximum learner-to-teacher ratio per classroom (Human Rights Watch, 2015). As a result there are no regulations that adjust the learner-to-
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teacher ratio in accommodating for the needs of learners’ with disabilities and barriers in such classrooms (Human Rights Watch, 2015).
In such situations it is not necessarily possible to continually focus on every learner’s individual needs and abilities (Brown, 2003; Burman, 2008; De Jager, 2013; Lee & Tseng, 2008). Similarly a study examining learner-centred teaching in Turkey found that in large class sizes, with an average of 36 learners, teachers felt they could not adequately implement learner-centred teaching (Altinyelken, 2011). It was argued that smaller classes were needed in order to effectively enable active learner participation as active learner participation is time-consuming and requires much of the teacher’s attention (Altinyelken, 2011). Large class sizes as well as the lack of discipline and pervasive disorder and disobedience in many classes also make it difficult to ensure learners are constantly active and reflecting critically on what they have learned, as is required in the learner-centred approach (Bray et al., 2010; De Jager, 2013). Therefore it is important to question and consider how feasible it is to use a learner-centred strategy when classes are very large and it is not necessarily possible for teachers to teach to the individual needs of each and every learner (Burman, 2008; De Jager, 2013). It also tends to take longer to instruct learners and set up activities in the learner- centred strategy as teachers function more as facilitators and learners need to take on more active roles while the teacher steps back and acts more as a guide rather than fully controlling and leading the lesson (Polly et al., 2014). The learner-centred classroom, thus, tends to be more difficult to manage as teachers are required to relinquish control in order to allow learners to be more active and autonomous in their learning process and develop internal discipline (Burman, 2008; Department of Education, 1998; Polly et al., 2014).
This role of teachers as leaders and facilitators, rather than controllers of the classroom, where learners are expected to have internal discipline is encouraged within the South African school context (Department of Education, 1998; Harley et al., 2000). However, as
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discussed, it is important to keep in mind that this may not always be the best strategy especially when classes are very large and there are unruly learners and much disorder in the class, as is often the case within South African classes (Bray et al., 2010; Harley et al., 2000). Moreover, De Jager (2013) found that teachers indicated that they lacked knowledge about utilising different techniques for managing learners’ behaviour and maintaining order in the classroom.
In discussing discipline within the learner-centred classroom it is also important to consider attentional problems, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) which has been identified as a frequently occurring disability among learners in ordinary mainstream schools within South Africa (Department of Basic Education, 2015). In identifying learners who are disobedient and frequently misbehave in the classroom teachers need to ensure there are no attentional difficulties that are responsible for the learner’s disobedient behaviour (Donald et al., 2006). Furthermore, it is essential to identify attentional difficulties as these can be a factor that contributes to a learner’s impaired cognitive performance (Donald et al., 2006).
With regards to resources many schools in South Africa still lack many basic resources and this impairs the ability of schools and teachers to overcome barriers to learning and implement strategies, such as learner-centred teaching, which are said to promote the inclusion of all learners into the classroom (Bray et al., 2010; Department of Education, 2001; Engelbrecht et al., 2006). Faced with insufficient resources, such as a lack of textbooks, no electricity and no chairs and tables, teachers in a study by Harley et al (2000) were found to rely more on ‘‘teacher talk or verbal exchange with learners,’’ (Harley et al., 2000, pp. 297). This, as discussed previously, was also found in Bray et al’s (2010) study where teachers in the schools with a lack of resources tended to simply read from textbooks or write information on the chalk board without engaging learners. It is important to note that these teachers were not necessarily ineffective and some were still able to conduct good
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lessons despite the lack of basic resources and reliance on a more teacher-centred strategy (Harley et al., 2000). Although in Bray et al’s (2006) study many of the learners indicated that they found such lessons boring and did not seem to learn effectively.