Abstract
M.Ed.
Every child has the right to education regardless of race, religion, colour,
creed, or ability or disability. Learners with disability experienced great
difficulty in gaining access to education (Department of Education,
2001:9). It is therefore imperative that such inequalities be amended and
the process of 'education for all" accelerated.
In a foreign country such as the USA for example, “Calls for educational
reform” and “school restructuring” within the educational community are
echoed in media, in state legislatures and in local schools. Questions
regarding the effectiveness of current educational systems approaches to
educating an increasing diverse student population are raised. The
concept of “inclusive school practices” is discussed as a philosophical basis
for reconstructing the manner in which schools are organized to meet the
needs of all learners” (Sands, Kozleski & French, 2000:1-4).
As teachers alter their instructional methods in response to student
diversity in South Africa, they also need to change their practices in
response to other social, political and economic conditions. Information
Technology (IT) has expanded both the amount of information we access and the ways we access it (Dede, 1989:4). Changes in the world
necessitate changes in what and how students are taught.
Prof. D. Van der Westhuizen