Teaching and learning strategies to accommodate all students at a university of technology

Abstract

There are many challenges facing university education in South Africa. Despite the transformation efforts to improve the quality of education, the system continues to produce inequalities in terms of class, gender and race as well as access to higher education. For many of the students who have access to higher education, particularly those who emerge from the previously disenfranchised black communities, academic achievement and learning success are problematic. This is due to, among other factors, insufficient preparation for learning, lack of adequate English language competence, socio-economic background and other social burdens, including poverty. It is against this backdrop that this article explores teaching and learning strategies that can be employed to accommodate all students despite their social, economic, political and intellectual backgrounds. Use is made of different theories to locate our arguments. We argue that teachers are able to mediate student learning if we collaborate with and engage our students in the learning processes.