Die verband tussen differensiëring as onderwysbevoegdheid en die integrering van onderwysmedia in lesaanbieding

Abstract

This thesis deals with the relationship between differentiation as teacher competency and the integration of education media in lesson presentation. An attempt is made to indicate how the justifiable selection and effective integration of media in education can support differentiation, especially where differentiation has to take place in one classroom. The study commences with the identification of the major moments of child development. Knowledge of these developmental moments is of utmost importance to the teacher who thoroughly wants to evaluate pupils and who wants to group pupils sensibly for differentiated teaching and learning in the junior primary school phase. By using Piagefs development and learning theory, the importance of taking into account the level of thinking on which a pupil operates at a given moment, is explained. This level of thinking, which should be identified in advance, forms the starting point for all teaching and learning events. Because the junior primary pupil finds himself, according to Piaget, in the concrete operational phase, it is essential that concrete life reality should always form the starting point of any teaching-learning event. The use of concrete media in education may provide for this need. Piaget's explanation of how a child's cognitive structure developes is further scrutinised. It is shown how media in education can support the progress of assimilation, accommodation and the forming of schemes. Thus the realization of new cognitive structures should be promoted. Secondly the most important components of a differentiated lesson presentation, as they appear from different individualized programmes and recent research findings, are highlighted. Knowledge and insights obtained in this way, is used to compile a model which might serve as a guide for differentiated teaching and learning in the classroom. The model clearly shows that media in education form an integral part of each component of the teaching-learning event and thus is essential for the success of a differentiated lesson presentation. I n the third instance this study focusses on the necessity of knowing the different media attributes, in order to make a justifiable selection of media in education for the integration in a differentiated lesson presentation. The different media attributes are discussed in depth and a table is compiled to help the teacher in identifying those media attributes which are most suitable for a differentiated lesson presentation in one classroom. It is further shown how the selected media in education should be integrated in a differentiated lesson presentation. It can be inferred from the hypothesis postulated and confirmed by this research, that if teachers can select media in education sensibly and can integrate them effectively in lesson presentation, it will lead to more efficient differentiation.