Teacher Education And The Challenge Of Diversity In South Africa

Conflicts in schools over race, fees or language frequently make headlines in South Africa. Such conflicts reflect the multifaceted issue of learner diversity, encompassing racial, class, gender, religious, linguistic, physical and other differences. The need to handle such differences in equitable ways poses new challenges for teachers and teacher education. How are teacher education institutions preparing students for teaching in schools that are different from the ones they experienced as learners? What kinds of skills are they providing to enable teachers to deal with diversity and difference amongst learners.

Foregrounding the diversity that characterises various educational settings, this book discusses how histories and geographies of oppression, exclusion and marginalisation have impacted on teacher education. Contributors draw on first-hand experiences of living and working in countries including Brazil, China, South Africa, New Zealand and Malawi. Positioned in a geographical and metaphorical ‘Global South’, the book draws critical attention to debates which have been otherwise marginalised in relation to those conducted in the ‘Global North’. Chapters address difference and diversity on both a conceptual and empirical level, acknowledging the significance of various global trends including increased migration and urbanisation; and broadening understandings of race, religion, gender, sexuality and dis/ability. Taken together, these chapters reveal the extent of the work which still remains to be done in the field of teacher education for diversity. The issues discussed are of global significance, making this text key reading for teachers, teacher educators, and those concerned with the advancement of social justice and reduction of inequality through education.

Self-Study and Diversity II is a book about the self-study of teacher education practices in a diverse world. In this volume, the authors examine the preparation of teachers through a shared orientation to diversity grounded in a commitment to addressing issues of identity, equity, diversity, social justice, inclusion, and access in their professional practice. The first chapters are autobiographical studies in which teacher educators reflect on how their personal identities as minorities within a historically oppressive culture inform their professional practice. These powerful narratives are followed by accounts of teacher educators addressing diversity issues in the United Arab Emirates, India, South Africa, and Thailand. The closing chapters attend to the challenges of preparing teacher candidates to become inclusive educators in a diverse world. Even though each chapter focusses on a particular dimension of equity and social justice or dilemma of practice, the insights in these self-studies are relevant to all teacher educators interested in improving teacher education by respecting diversity and becoming more inclusive. Particular strengths are the diversity of authors and international scope of the book.

This book describes a different approach to teacher education designed to create "carriers of the torch"--teachers who have a sense of efficacy and the attitudes, dispositions, and skills necessary to teach students from diverse racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. Through her examination of teacher change and teacher education in two countries--the United States and South Africa--the author proposes new ways to prepare teachers for a rapidly changing global society.

Studying Diversity in Teacher Education is a collaborative effort by experts seeking to elucidate one of the most important issues facing education today. First, the volume examines historically persistent, yet unresolved issues in teacher education and presents research that is currently being done to address these issues. Second, it centers on research on diverse populations, bringing together both research on diversity and research on diversity in teacher education. The contributors present frameworks, perspectives and paradigms that have implications for reframing research on complex issues that are often ignored or treated too simplistically in teacher education literature. Concluding the volume with an agenda for future research and a guide for preparing teachers for diversity education in a global context, the contributors provide a solid foundation for all educators. Studying Diversity in Teacher Education is a vital resource for all those interested in diversity and education research.

This book is about the self-study of teacher education practices at a time when inclusion and diversity are being questioned. Authors of various backgrounds and identities draw on their own experiences to examine the challenges of preparing teachers.

In this book, Francis highlights the tension between inclusion and sexual orientation, using this tension as an entry to explore how LGB youth experience schooling. Drawing on research with teachers and LGB youth, this book troubles the teaching and learning of sexuality diversity and, by doing so, provides a critical exploration and analysis of how curriculum, pedagogy, and policy reproduces compulsory heterosexuality in schools. The book makes visible the challenges of teaching sexuality diversity in South African schools while highlighting its potential for rethinking conceptions of the social and cultural representations thereof. Francis links questions of policy and practice to wider issues of society, sexuality, social justice and highlights its implications for teaching and learning. The author encourages policy makers, teachers, and scholars of sexualities and education to develop further questions and informed action to challenge heteronormativity and heterosexism.