ENGLISH 7_Q4_LESSON 2_ Employing a Variety of Strategies for Effective Interp...
Mayisela can education be therapeutic-handouts
1. Can Education Be Therapeutic? An Exploration of the Therapeutic Nature of Inclusive Education in Classrooms with Diverse Learner Needs. Ms. S’mangele Mayisela. University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg , South Africa S’mangele.Mayisela@wits.ac.za
2. STRUCTURE OF THE PRESENTATION Aim of the Presentation Research Questions Background Wits – B. Ed honors Programme on Emotions Students view on the questions of therapy and education Therapeutic pedagogical practice as used in the mainstream classroom with reference to three examples. Conclusion
3. AIM OF THE PRESENTATION This paper seeks to explore the therapeutic nature of education by discussing three therapeutic pedagogical practices as applied in a mainstream inclusive classroom with the purpose of educating and addressing diverse learner needs.
4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS Can education be therapeutic? What is meant by therapeutic education? In which way can pedagogical practices have a therapeutic impact on learners?
5. THERAPY AND EDUCATION Therapy – a medical term for treatment of diagnosed physical and psychological conditions Education – concerns itself with the total development of an individual The goals of therapy and education – total wellbeing of a person
6. THERAPEUTIC EDUCATION Therapeutic Education refers to classroom education practices that enhance individual learners’ development through therapeutic social interactions, curriculum content, learning support materials, teaching strategies and a healthy and safe learning environment.
8. THERAPY : A MEDICAL CONCEPT? Does therapeutic education subscribe to a Medical model of addressing diverse needs in education? The Medical model as was used – is described impairment as disability, disability is seen a objective and scientific, meant exclusion from society and economic activity, needing charity and support. Medical model integrated with Social model in an Ecosystemic approach – creating a therapeutic system.
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10. CASE STUDY 10 1988. Gloria, 16years old, grade 8, mild cerebral palsy. She is limping, her mouth and eyes twitch when she speaks, she speaks slower, her voice is squeaky but audible when the listener listens attentively, she can write but she is slower that the rest in her class, as her hand is shaking her writing is not so legible Average intellectual ability New school, new environment, coming from primary school. Her class is on 2nd floor, takes time to reach there but she usually early Her teachers are sensitive, are sending her to a special school – even when she refuses.
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12. INCLUSIVE EDUCATION Inclusive education as a therapeutic form of education in addressing segregation according to race, disabilities and gender differences. Inclusive education draws all communities to participate in the transformation process. Gives the majority of people an opportunity to redress issues of past racial inequities. In the classroom, it calls for the participation of the teacher, specialist, and community members.
13. TEACHERS’ VIEWS ON THERAPEUTIC EDUCATION A part of class activity in the B. Ed Honours, offered at the Wits School of Education at Wits University, Issues in Primary Education which primarily addresses issues of Emotions in Education, Prof Karin Murris was observed working with her students on the topic of Therapy and Education. She posed the question to her students; “Can education be therapeutic?”
14. TEACHERS VIEWS ON THERAPEUTIC EDUCATION The students, who did not have teaching experience, trained in post-apartheid era believed that education can be therapeutic. The teachers who have an average of about 10years teaching experience believed that education cannot therapeutic. They believe that education is about giving knew knowledge and has little to do healing and rehabilitation. They asserted that therapists in a school should focus on learners therapeutic needs while they (teachers) focus on teaching and facilitating new knowledge. These teachers have an experience of teaching in schools the support specialist is on site, where learners consult the specialist on an pull out system.
15. TEACHER REFLECTIONS AFTER THE SEMETER Student 1: no teaching experience, just qualified as a teacher. “We then moved to the topic that i am now researching in my research project; Therapy and Education. I believe therapy involves the promotion of self and I believe education supports the same goal. At this point in the course I realised that this course was made for me as it addresses the topics I am interested in. It had been so interesting to learn how to teach a learner using different methods and different techniques. This course has confirmed my opinion that an inclusive way of teaching is the best way of teaching”
16. TEACHER REFLECTIONS AFTER THE SEMETER Student 2: 10 years teaching experience “Education and therapy was quite an interesting thought processing for me. I have always looked at these two ideas as being separate yet interlinked. What I have found incredible to look back on as we progressed together as a group of people is that we all have different views on this matter and I find that it strongly pertains to our age and the way we were educated to become teachers”
17. TEACHER REFLECTIONS AFTER THE SEMETER Student 3: 13 years teaching experience “The link between therapy and education is not clear cut as I thought it was. There is a definite overlap or link between the two and in the reading I was surprised at the amount of educational practices that are used or found in the therapy sessions. At the same time, if education has the therapeutic practices why isn’t the system more nurturing or beneficial to the learner? The need to perform and deliver the National Curriculum is so overwhelming that educators and learners are not benefitting at all.”
19. CURRICULUM AS A THERAPEUTIC TOOL Curriculum Addressing fantasy and imagination through knowledge acquisition Created a point where fantasy and reality meet Prevents anxiety of not knowing as depicted in Laing’s poem. CURRICULUM AS A THERAPEUTIC TOOL
20. There is something I don’t know That I am supposed to know. I don’t know what it is I don’t know And yet I’m supposed to know, And I feel I look stupid If I seem both not to know it and not know what is it I don’t know Therefore, I pretend I know it. This is nerve racking Since I don’t know what I must pretend to know. Therefore, I pretend to know everything Excerpt from ‘Knots’ quoted from Stoll, Fink and Earl (2003)
22. BASIC COUNSELLING SKILLS AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS Basic counselling skills are life skills Manage learners emotions and help develop problem solving skills Uses five basic skills: observation, listening, reflection, paraphrasing then problem solving.
23. DISCIPLINE AND BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT AND CONTAINMENT Containment – a psychoanalytic concept. Winnicott’s view - containment as body and mind in unison, whereby from infancy the dwelling of the psyche remains in the child’s body. From conception, skin is formed, womb, mother’s arms, blanket – all form limiting membrane to contain the psyche. Later, family rules, social rules, classroom rules used to contain and embody the psyche.
24. BIBLIO-THERAPY AND COMMUNITY OF ENQUIRIES To assist learners to deal with life challenges that are emotionally charging, and abstract concepts and moral and social justice concepts like death, emotions, corruption, etc. Children’s books are therapeutic, due pictures which can used as projective identification by learners. The author serves as therapeutic observer, non intrusive reflections
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26. COMMUNITIES OF ENQUIRIES A pedagogical methodology used in Philosophy for Children (P4C) – pioneered by Matthew Lipman. Is a structured dialogue on a particular concept With community rules, it develops self-control, respect for others, logical thinking skills, language processing skills It facilitated inclusion promoting community citizenship by shared values and acceptance difference in pinions.
27. CONCLUSION Considering the willingness of teachers to engage therapeutically with learners as evidence in the reflection of B. Ed Honours, student in the course on Emotions, there seem to be a need in teacher education to raise this consciousness in teachers. This paper has demonstrated how education is inherently therapeutic if good teaching strategies are used in a healthy and socially inclusive learning environment. It is assumed that many other pedagogic strategies, when examined ,can be found to therapeutic for all involved in education.
