Focus Statement to guide your discussion
“Feuerstein and his colleagues have carried out pioneering work on the teaching of thinking and reasoning with diverse populations worldwide. Because of the systemic nature of the work, which takes into account all sectors of society, it has relevance for South African society, ranging from underachieving disadvantage.
Specific Essay Instructions: To begin this assessment, you will be required to critically evaluate the focus statement.
You will be awarded marks for an insightful evaluation of Feuerstein’s theory and its applicability within the South African context.
Finally, you will be required to design and detail a systemic action plan or enrichment programme to overcome a particular challenge within the South African teaching and learning context.
You must select a specific issue from the following broader areas of concern:
1. The developmental learning gap in either literacy or mathematics as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Academic barriers caused by language barriers.
3. Negative learner attitudes and/or poor relationships between the educator and learner.
You will be required to present this enrichment or action plan to overcome the specific identified challenge. You will then be expected to support your rationale by researching the underlying cause of the issue and then presenting aspects of Feuerstein’s theory and teachings as a solution to overcome the challenge. You must consider presenting your plan realistically and grounding your plan and arguments through drawing of Feuerstein’s theory and concepts surrounding constructivism.
PART 1: Essay Component Guidelines
1. Provide a suitable introduction to your assignment. Provide an overview and context for your discussion. Remember to indicate your thesis or position statement and your core focal arguments and basic understanding of theory. [5]
2. Critically analyse the guiding statement and evaluate the applicability of Feuerstein’s theory within the South African context. You may agree or disagree with the statement, but you must provide sufficient supporting detail to justify your argument and position. [20]
3. Add an appropriate conclusion to round off your argument and discussion. [5]
4. Proofread your assignment and make sure that your academic tone, language, and sentence construction is appropriate and coherent. Redrafting and editing your work before your final submission is extremely important. [5]
5. Include a diverse reference list and in-text references which must be composed of various credible resources. You should have a minimum of 5 references. You must reference your prescribed, recommended, and independent readings as well as other reliable and credible resources (i.e., Journal articles and book chapters).
