Barriers to Learning

Ways to motivate and encourage teachers and parents to accommodate learners who are experiencing barriers to learning.

Teachers * Institutions offer free training for educators acquire necessary skills * Offer incentives to teachers to go on this training * Offer the teachers the required teaching media and aids to teach * Increase the salary for trained educators
Parents
* Professionals offer talks and advise for parents to help them identify and or cope with these barriers * Creating awareness about the effects of the barriers * Have free communication between teacher, parent, learner and professional.

2.1.2
It is a basic human right for all learners to receive the same education, it also encourages and teaches pupils to respect each other no matter what their age, culture, disability, gender or language they speak. By including learners from a diverse background and different barriers in the same school/class we will build a country with a firm and uniform education and training system in place.

2.1.3
Implications of Inclusive Education for the teacher are as follows:
The teacher will have had to undergone some form of training in inclusive education so that they are aware of the responsibilities and how to implement teaching in such an environment. Teachers need to be empowered in Inclusive Education. To do this successfully they will have to have the correct attitude not only to the teaching style but also to the diverse learners they will encounter on a daily basis in their class. Teachers will have to set examples and lead other to raise awareness and accept that people are all different and some face more challenges than others and that they need extra support and help. We as teachers need to build onto the curriculum. Teachers will also need to communicate with members of the community, health services such as doctors, psychologists and nursing sisters for a complete well-rounded education of the learner.

2.1.4
If an educator is inadequately or inappropriately trained they will hinder rather than help the learner with a barrier to learning in the implementation of Inclusive Education. If educators do not change their attitudes, and methods of teaching the learner will still be disadvantaged by the teacher as he/she will not have the required skills to cope with the changes not only in the classroom but with regard to their entire teaching method and the way in which the treat and teach learners who do not suffer from barriers to learning. An untrained teacher can do more harm than good by labelling a learner rather than understanding the barrier and teaching using a different method and different aids. Many teachers are prone to discriminate against these learners.

2.1.5
Factors at various levels can cause barriers to learning at various levels in the education system in the following ways;
Microsystem: At school for example, is where proximal processes are played out which refers to the immediate environment.
Exosystem: is the environment which the learners have no influence or controls over e.g. what they learn at school and their home life circumstances.
Mesosystem: this is linked to the relationship in the microsystem like the learners immediate friends, acquaintances and family.

2.1.6 Barriers outside the learner can affect his learning in the following ways:
Environmental factors: The home life of the student, housing facilities and transport issues, safety and security are not always available to the learner.
Socio-economic factors: Lack of financial aid and funding will prevent the student having the best advantage and resources available to them.
Various school factors will also affect the student negatively if not addressed properly. All the above circumstances can negatively affect the student in these important years where some learners are not entirely confident to overcome these hurdles without any support from parents, friends or teachers. The school needs to provide an on-going support structure for the learners to rely on.

Factors which can cause barriers of learning in my phase (Grade 4 -6) are as follows: Inappropriate language or language of learning and teaching. If a learner whose home language is Xhosa attends an English Primary School and that learner has not been able to grasp the basics of the language in the Foundation Phase, the learner will suffer the consequences of learning to his/her full potential if they do not understand the English language.
Parents play a very important role in the child’s education and if that parent influence is not available or the parents are not involved by circumstances or by choice will have an impact on the leaners ability to reach their full potential as education is a task for teachers and parents not just teachers alone. They must work together for the benefit of the child.
All educators and management at the school must receive the appropriate training and guidance to implement inclusive education successfully in their school. There must be policies and legislation that is adhered to and monitored and training should be available to all and updated regularly.