PART 1: In the beginning of the week, I felt like I was drowning in work. Being at work every day as well as having to teach 4/5 days this past week, was extremely tiring. I was so tired by the time I got home, but I still had to carry on with university work. This past week was long and draining, however I have managed to catch up with all the tasks I have needed to do for the week.

PART 2: During this study unit, I became aware of how important it is to include culturally diverse songs and literature within your classroom. However, it is also important to consider children’s culture and religious values, as well as consider things that children would be comfortable with doing in front of each other. I have also learnt that children learn best through play and that using music in your classroom develops children physically, emotionally, cognitively and socially.

PART 3: This study unit is extremely valuable and it has taught me the importance of play in a child’s life, as well as the importance of learning about music through play.

What possibly made some learners uncomfortable during these activities?

Some learners felt a bit uncomfortable, because some of them might not have understood the meaning of the Zulu song and game, which would have made them feel excluded from the lesson. Some children might also have felt embarrassed to dance in the middle of the circle whilst the other children were watching them, because they are not confident to dance in front of other people and they might feel like the other children will make fun of them.

Why were some learners uncomfortable?

One learner felt excluded as he didn’t understand the meaning of the words in the Zulu song. A girl felt uncomfortable dancing in front of the boys to house music due to religious reasons.

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

If this were my classroom, I would have first made the children aware that they will be learning songs in all different languages, because it is important to make sure everyone feels included. If I had to have chosen a song in Zulu, I would have taught the children the song and I then would have translated it into English so that the non-Zulu children could understand and therefore would also feel included. With regards to the game where a child would dance in the middle of the circle, I would rather have just let all the children dance freely throughout the game, instead of putting the children on the spot and making them dance alone, because not all children are confident enough to do this.

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

In diverse classroom, we need to include songs in different languages and thus translate them into English so that all the learners understand the song. We also need to include games from different cultures. We need to be aware of cultural and religious values and ensure that all our activities make everyone feel included and respected.