Thoughts on the practise in theTownship (Lungisa)

The first experiences with the South African people have been very positive. They are welcoming, and are always talking friendly to us, asking us how we are doing, and are sincerely interested in listening to us – and most importantly to tell us about themselves and their stories, which often are a lot different from the ones we know from Denmark.

We often don’t think about how lucky we are, being born in a country that has the resources and power to help its people. Instead of being happy about we tend to discuss stupid things and bitch about the luxury we can’t have because of our “lack” of money. But here, they feel lucky – they feel happy, even though they don’t have anything. As long as they’ve got food on the table, as the kids are able to go to school, as they have hot water and they have the feeling of being free they are happy, or at least it seems that way.

The school system works a lot different than ours. The children are much more disciplined than Danish kids are, and the teachers seem to distance themselves more from their students. The teaching is based on monologs instead of dialog – for example, if a teacher asks a question, he or she always knows the answer up front – no open questions are asked. It seems clear to us that kids in these schools are not at all used to be reflective, only to find the one right answer.

Morten and Stine who are at Lingisa High School, taught a class in Life Orientation for three hours, where we told the kids to make books about their dreams and life in general – where do they want to be in ten years to come? What where the thoughts about this class? => Our primary thought was to get underneath the learners skin, so to speak - to get to know them a bit better. What their dreams are and where they come from. We sorted it out so we had three consecutive hours in which we introduced the task, had the kids doing it, evaluated and collected the books they made.

Our initial thoughts on how we wanted to teach, was to give the learners the opportunity to be a bit more chaotic than usual. We didn’t want them just sitting on their chairs and feeling uncomfortable staring at the blackboard all day; it don’t seem like an inspiring or motivating way to learn at all. We initiated the progress and allowed the learners to wear hats, sunglasses, sit wherever, even outside in the sun, listen to music and to talk to each other. They didn’t call us by Mr. and Miss. – but as we are called in Denmark, by our first names. They shouldn’t stand up when they where answering a question, and where allowed to ask all the silly questions they wanted.

First of all – the physical properties of the classroom were poor. It was cold inside, 38 learners situated in a classroom of a not fitting size (way too small, they couldn’t even get around – but then again, they aren’t supposed to do that – they are supposed to sit on their chairs and take in whatever the teacher says. – what would Dunn & Dunn say to that, or Vygotski and Gardner for that sake?)

What happened was, that they actually sat still on their chairs, even though we created a somehow chaotic classroom. They work pretty quietly and music was organized by the learners only. It was easier doing group work and make them do the assignment with 38 South African kids compared to 15 Danish kids. Discipline and respect are good things – but where do that come from. How do we form kids to be the way we like? 

Morten and Stine