Hello again fellow bloggers,

I can’t believe the time to write another blog is already here! All I can say is wow, what a busy week it has been. Our big WIL assignment is due 20^th September and it has taken up a lot of my time. We as a group have met deadlines and have worked well together but putting together the final product has been stressful and time consuming. I am pleased to say that the assignment has been submitted but it took me about an hour to click on the submit button as I always get so nervous – ridiculous I know!

Musical play is something that I have been looking forward to learning more about. When you watch children play you don’t seem to think about the social level of play they might be fitting into at the time, but learning more about this and understanding what each level means will certainly allow me to identify this the next time I watch children at play. The other thing that I thought was quite interesting was the seven elements of play and how play is just a great way of bringing people of all ages together to have fun.

INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION:

What possibly made some learners uncomfortable during these activities?

• As the song was in Zulu and not all of the learners have Zulu as a mother tongue, can be daunting, and if you pronounce the words incorrectly there is this fear of your peers making fun of you.

• Dancing in a circle where all eyes are on you can be equally daunting for learners. At this age these learners start to become more aware of their surroundings and become self conscious of what they do and how their actions will be received.

• Some learners struggle to do two things at a time and passing a stone while singing can be difficult for some.

Why were some learners uncomfortable?

• The song – although the teacher was very good at explaining the pronunciation of the words to the learners, especially to those whose mother tongue is not Zulu, unfortunately she did not explain what these words meant in English. If this is not done it can make learners feel uncomfortable as they don’t understand what they are singing.

• The games – playing a game like passing the stone allows all eyes to be on the learner that ends up with a pile of stones in front of them. This might make them feel embarrassed as they are unable to keep up with the rest of the learners making them feel as if they are unable to do what their peers can do.

• Dancing – due to the fact that all learners come from different cultural and religious backgrounds dancing in front of someone else might not be accepted or allowed. If this is the case it could make them feel uncomfortable.

Can you think of ways to address these issues in future? What will you change?

• Ensure that the song is translated to ensure that everyone understands what they are singing or do two songs one in English and another in a different language.

• Before the children dance in front of each other let them all dance together so that no one is doing it on their own first. This allows them all to relax and laugh with each other.

• Before getting learners to do any activity on their own make sure to ask questions so that whatever you have planned doesn’t go against anyone's beliefs.  

• Instead of putting the learners in one big group for passing the stone put them into smaller groups when doing this game or adapt the game to make it more inclusive.

How can we accommodate diverse learner profiles in our classrooms? What must we beware of?

• When planning a lesson we need to ensure that personal beliefs are taken into account and we need to accommodate the lesson for change.

• If there is a learner that we notice who is feeling uncomfortable it is important to ask questions and allow them to do something else.

• Get to know the learners on a personal level so that you know them and understand their backgrounds.