Abstract
This article offers our reflections around a case of facilitating systemic thinking and practice in which the first author of the article (Tlale) interacted with research participants/participant researchers with the intention of strengthening systemic thought and action toward fostering inclusive education in the setting (a rural school in the Eastern Cape in South Africa). We reflect upon the process and also how our engagement was perceived by participants, as expressed in feedback received from them. We point to how Tlale introduced the idea of systemic thinking (to teachers, school management team, school governing body, and a district officer for the district) as tied to the possibility of acting to generate transformation toward a more inclusive educational context for the benefit of the learners at the school in question, thus acting as a systemic mediator on their behalf.
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Notes
The inclusive education policy in South Africa adheres to the idea of mainstreaming where possible (so that so-called mainstream schools can cater for learners with barriers to learning, including disability, poverty, psycho-social problems, etc.). Inclusive education is based on the idea that learners with barriers to learning should ideally not be segregated, but should be included in a classroom with their typically-developing peers. This policy is established on the fact that a learner with disabilities (as long as these are not “severe”) may benefit from being in a general education classroom, both academically and socially.
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Acknowledgements
We wish to acknowledge the Community Engagement Directorate at the University of South Africa which financially supported the 500 schools project on which this article is based. We would also like to express our special thanks to Mr Ntsaluba (School Principal), Mr Sodladla (School Governing Body Chairperson) and Mr Mdingi (Senior Teacher) who agreed to participate in follow-up phone calls with us in December 2014 and February 2015, and further to this the conversation with Mr Ntsaluba and Mr Mdingi in October 2016. We also wish to acknowledge the contribution of Janet McIntyre-Mills who took the time to critically read our text of this article. (Some of her comments and input we have included in the text itself.)
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Ethical clearance to conduct the research was obtained from the College of Education Ethics Review Committee at the University of South Africa.
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Tlale, L.D.N., Romm, N.R.A. Systemic Thinking and Practice Toward Facilitating Inclusive Education: Reflections on a Case of Co-Generated Knowledge and Action in South Africa. Syst Pract Action Res 31, 105–120 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-017-9437-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-017-9437-4