TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE VIOLENT NEIGHBOURHOODS OF THE CAPE FLATS

Authors

  • Bailey C Amanda Facilitator of life-skills programmes,Department of Social Development, University of Cape Town
  • Collins J Kathleen Department of Social Development, University of Cape Town

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15270/40-3-331

Abstract

This research consists of the presentation and analysis of focus group data obtained from a non-probability sample of foundation phase teachers from a primary school in a middle-class community on the Cape Flats. Like other communities in this area, the ordinary citizen is subjected to constant territorial gang wars, with the ever-present danger of being caught in the sudden crossfire of a violent uprising. Violence exists not only on the boundaries of school children’s areas, but also intrudes into the schools, including the school playground. Cognisant of the difficulties of teaching and learning in a perpetually unstable environment, a local non-profit organisation, Think Twice, provides training programmes in life skills in a pilot project called Circle Time to schools. Prior to this study, the programmes had not been evaluated. Think Twice consequently committed itself to researching programme effectiveness and to involve the teachers who are presenters of the programmes as co-researchers in the generation of data. Using a participatory design, the research aims to: 1) identify the precise need for life skills programmes in schools; and 2) institute relevant changes to the programmes in collaborative action. The researcher-facilitator is a representative of the organisation which designs and provides the training programmes

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

ADAMS, H. 1998. Cognitive development. In: KRUGER, N. & ADAMS, H. (eds), Psychology for teaching and learning. Sandton: Heinemann.

AKHURST, J. & NTSHANGASE, S. 1998. From school guidance towards life orientation. In: KRUGER, N. & ADAMS, H. (eds), Psychology for teaching and learning. Sandton: Heinemann.

BURMAN, S. & PRESTON-WHYTE, E. 1992. Questionable issues: Illegitimacy in South Africa. Cape Town: Oxford University Press.

COLLINS, K.J. 1982. Children with learning difficulties and their parents. Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand. (PhD Dissertation)

COLLINS, K. 1999. Participatory research: A primer. South Africa: Prentice Hall.

DAVEY, C. & GOODWIN-DAVEY, A. 1998. Teaching for language and cognition. In: KRUGER, N. & ADAMS, H. (eds) Psychology for teaching and learning. Sandton: Heinemann.

DE VOS, A.S.; STRYDOM, H.; FOUCHE, C.B. & DELPORT, C.S.L. 2002. Research at grass roots. Pretoria: Van Schaik.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2002. Department of Education Annual Report 2001-2002. Available: http://www.gov.za/annualreport/2002/doe/part2.pdf (accessed on 29 March 2003).

FISHER, J. 1996. Starting from the child? Teaching and learning from 4 to 8. Buckingham: Open University Press.

KING, C. & KIRSCHENBAUM, D. 1992. Helping young children develop social skills: The social growth programme. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.

KRUGER, N. 1998. Getting to know and understand the learner. In: KRUGER, N. & ADAMS, H. (eds) Psychology for teaching and learning. Sandton: Heinemann.

LOUW, A. 1998. Developmental Psychology. In: LOUW, D. & EDWARDS, D. (eds) Psychology: An introduction for students in Southern Africa. (2nd ed) Johannesburg: Heinemann.

MALAKA, D.W. 2003. A life skills awareness project for grade 7 learners on substance abuse and HIV/AIDS: An intervention research project. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 39(4):381-392.

McWHIRTER, J.J.; McWHIRTER, B.T.; McWHIRTER, A.M. & McWHIRTER, E.L. 1998. At-risk youth: A comprehensive response for counsellors, teachers, psychologists and human service professionals. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.

POTTERTON, M. 1998. What makes schools effective? In: FIELDGATE, K.; HOFMEYR, J. & PEROLD, H. (eds) Education Africa Forum. (2nd ed) Gauteng: Education Africa.

RECKSON, B. 2003. Narrative analysis of educators’ accounts about gangsterism occurring at Hanover Park High School in the Western Cape. Cape Town: University of Cape Town. (MSocSci dissertation)

ROOTH, E. 1997. Introduction to life skills, Pretoria: Via Afrika.

RUTTER, M. 1975. Helping troubled children. London: Penguin Books.

STRYDOM, H. 2003. HIV/AIDS and South African adolescents. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 39(1):59-72.

WEISEN, R.B. & ORLEY, J. 1996. Mental health promotion in schools. World Health, 49(4):29.

WEIST, M.D.; LOWIE, J.A.; FLAHERTY, L.T. & PRUITT, D. 2001. Collaboration among the education, mental health and public systems to promote youth mental health. Psychiatric Services, 2001:52(10). Available: http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/reprint/52/10/1348.pdf (accessed on 29 August 2003).

WOOD, D. 1998. How children think and learn. (2nd ed) Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

Downloads

Published

2014-07-31

How to Cite

Amanda, B. C., & Kathleen, C. J. (2014). TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE VIOLENT NEIGHBOURHOODS OF THE CAPE FLATS. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 40(3). https://doi.org/10.15270/40-3-331

Issue

Vol. 40 No. 3 (2004)

Section

Articles

License

This journal is an open access journal, and the authors  and journal should be properly acknowledged when works are cited.

Authors may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, and with conferences.

The following license applies:

Attribution CC BY-4.0

This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation.

Articles as a whole may not be re-published with another journal.