After a review of the findings from the study, here are my recommendations:
6.3.1 Resilience education should be included in the professional development of educators A significant volume of literature that points to the fact that the recognition and enhancement of educational resilience is an important contributor to the academic progress of learners otherwise
‘at-risk’ for academic failure due to adverse socioeconomic circumstances that are beyond their control. In certain districts like the one selected for this study, learners attending South African public schools who come from poor living conditions represent the norm rather than the exception. In order for educators to maximise the opportunity the school affords learners to change their life outcome, it is imperative that their depth of insight about the concept is deepened together with an understanding of its implications for classroom instruction. It is recommended that training in the subject, its identification and enhancement be included as part of professional development at a pre-and in-service level. Although the responsibility for the training of its educators in the concept of educational resilience rests with the Department of Education, educators should be encouraged by their peers and the school management to expand their knowledge base for the benefit of the school, its learners and the community. Educator training institutions should review their training curriculum to include this important topic in their undergraduate training programs (cf. 2.11 & cf. 2.12).
6.3.2 Educators should have a positive attitude toward learners in the classroom
Educators have the opportunity to positively influence the lives of learners who are in the ‘at risk’ demographic, especially those learners who do not have parental support. As a caring, supportive adult, an educator can be a consistent parent figure through the foundation phase of a learner’s education which would cause them to build on their inner strength. By simply expressing interest in a learner and taking the time to assist them with their learning challenges, an educator can contribute to a learner’s sense of security and their self-esteem. Literature reviewed for this study suggested that a positive attitude in the classroom towards learners
cxxviii enables learners to benefit from the classroom environment and encourages them to focus on their studies. Studies indicate that there is a degree of ‘academic invulnerability’ in children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds that an interested educator can access and build on through constructive changes in the classroom. Research studies indicate that changes in instructional style, inclusion of various methods to engage non-resilient learners in lessons and a consistent and caring approach that fosters a culture of learning can make an immediate difference. Learners from disadvantaged backgrounds may display negative social behaviors in the classroom and instead of negative responses to their lack of interest or learning deficits educators should incorporate classroom methods that engage learners by creatively including them in lessons. This would alter the educational outcome of learners in their care (cf. 2.12).
6.3.3 School management should play a role in developing educational resilience
Other suggestions for the enhancement of educational resilience at schools can be the incorporation of specific skills into the curriculum like communication and problem solving skills which could be incorporated into the different learning areas that educators teach in the foundation phase. This will benefit all educators as they will be encouraged to gain an understanding of how to build resilience and inculcate a sense of wellbeing in all learners. It is also suggested that the school management team’s role could be to create a nurturing environment that supports educators by providing them with the opportunity to air their views on educational resilience and express their ideas about its enhancement in a staff exchange- experience. Workshops should be arranged for educators who display an interest in the topic and take an initiative to engage learners because they wish to make a difference in the classroom.
Teaching programs that are successfully used in other countries where there are established classroom practices geared to enhance resilience in learners ‘at-risk’ for academic failure can be modified for the South African classroom (cf. 2.11). The international trend towards a systemic approach in understanding educational resilience establishes the role of all components in the school environment, not just the educator as having the responsibility to enhance resilience in all learners.
6.3.4 Parental support should be encouraged and supported; parental non-involvement should be investigated
cxxix Parental involvement in school activities should be encouraged by teaching and management staff of public schools. This will allow for better communication between parents, educators and learners. Parents can thus be encouraged to become sensitive to their children’s educational needs. Where a learner’s academic progress is being adversely impacted by lack of parental involvement, the school management team together with the class educator should enlist the help of community agencies or Social Welfare services to work together to facilitate good parenting practices and skills. Home visitation programs may provide support to parents overwhelmed by their socioeconomic environment or identify more specific problems that need to be addressed.
The school can also forge links within the community with relevant cultural and spiritual leaders who may be able to assist by liaising with parents on behalf of the educators (cf. 2.13)
In some cases parents’ non-involvement in school activities may be a reflection of ethnicity concerns or language barriers and community leaders may be able to assist by communicating with these parents. One practical suggestion is all school notices and circulars should be communicated in the home language of learners which would help those parents who are not literate in English. Learner profiles should be updated to include all information relevant to their home circumstances and interpreters should be available to assist parents at registration to complete all the necessary forms. Since English is the second language of a significant proportion of learners at public schools, the assumption can be made that their parents are more comfortable with discussions in their mother tongue. Educators fluent in IsiZulu should be used routinely at parent-teacher meetings to communicate with parents to ensure that there is understanding of the issues being discussed.
6.3.5 Educators teaching techniques should be varied to enhance learner resilience
The time that learners spend in the classroom with their educators represents a unique opportunity for educators to build resilience in learners identified by them to be’ at risk’ of academic failure simply by creating a caring environment and encouraging them to engage in lessons in a consistent manner. The educator’s relationship with these learners is the cornerstone to shifting the odds; educators can provide learners who are ‘at risk’ with opportunities to participate in the classroom activities by being sensitive to the challenges experienced by them due to language and other barriers. Educators should also consider varying their teaching techniques in sustainable ways to incorporate the needs of learners they identify as displaying a
cxxx lack of resilience. Simple changes to the type of classroom approach used when teaching may create the opportunity to enhance resilience; educators can provide learners with specific skills identified as being lacking when compared to their peers like problem solving skills. Educators could ensure that their teaching approach is more conducive to facilitating learning in all learners in their classroom. A more active learner-based learning approach is preferred to a whole- classroom instructional style. Research in resilience education also has identified teaching practices that are considered more effective for learners ‘at risk’. Literature makes reference to cognitively-guided or technology-enriched instructional style, culturally-responsive teaching, cooperative learning and instructional conversation (cf. 2. 12). The following paragraph discusses the limitations to this study.