12/6/2018 0 Comments Critical Reflection #4Describe two barriers to learning. Give examples of how this barrier plays out in society from this week’s module (reading and class discussion) and your own experience.
One barrier to learning is the limited and unequal access to educational institutions. From personal experience, my own social identities could have determined my life’s trajectory. However, I was fortunate enough to have people advocate for me because of my capabilities and potential. The access I had early on to spaces that fostered my academic and personal growth is what has allowed me to be on my current path. Unfortunately, for a lot of individuals, their circumstances and upbringings determine their limited educational opportunities, which should not be the case. This barrier of access is the initial factor that leads to the inequities we see present in our current educational system. Another significant barrier, as described by Anna Hugo, is the use of language as an excluding factor (Phasha et. al, 2017) in learning. Hugo writes in the context of South Africa, but this issue is universally understood. In South Africa, the majority of students, for varying reasons, are taught in a language other than the one spoken at home. As a result, they end up not mastering their home language or the language they are taught in. By not teaching students in their native tongue, their comprehension and verbal skills are compromised as they move further along in their education. Overall, “language is the vehicle that carries content and knowledge, and well-developed language abilities and language skills are essential for learning to take place” (Phasha et. al, 2017, p. 115). By not accommodating student needs, learners are disadvantaged in their learning and development. Group Presentation https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1lhzWAftdi3EQDcyEZbFRuR34FZLSt4JoGBJzLTCIFBE/edit#slide=id.p References Phasha, N., Mahlo, D., & Dei, G. J. S. (Eds.). (2017). Inclusive Education in African Contexts: A Critical Reader. Springer.
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