Name: Zubair Kathrada Student Number: 56155336

Course Code: SDSGC0D

Unique Number: 586839
Assignment Number: 01
Pages: 05

Title - The aspects of information about a school and its place

and function in the community.

TABLE OF CONTENT PAGE

A- The essential guidance activities in life orientation 2

B- Axelsons activities that form part of the life orientation

teachers tasks 3

C- Considerations to be taken into account when dealing with

learners in a group 4

D- Variables when assessing different learners from different

backgrounds 4

E- What is a grief crises? 6

Gillis guidelines on assisting learners in crises caused by
separation by parents 6

List of sources 8

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Name: Zubair Kathrada Student Number: 56155336
Course Code: SDSGC0D
Unique Number: 586839
Assignment Number: 01
Pages: 05

Question A

Essential guidance activities with life orientation.

It is the responsibility of teachers to act as life orientates while fulfilling their

roles as teachers in specialised learning areas. It is also the responsibility for
adults to guide children (learners) in a meaningful way which will allow
them to be productive and happy citizens. In this process, the learners are
increasingly able to realise their full potential, that is, to become what they
can be, want to be, and should be. In other words, reach their self-
actualisation.

The following can be seen as essential guidance activities within Life

Orientation which makes the above possible:

1.1. Providing a sense of security

The guiding presence of adults (educators) gives learners a sense of
security and encourage them to engage in further activity, exploration
and decision making. This includes the willingness to listen attentively to
learners, to support learners during a crises, to design problem
solutions with learners and to treat learners affairs as confidential.

1.2. Confronting (contact) with reality

Adults present learners with aspects of reality at levels that are suitable
to their development phase and context in which they live. By setting a
good example, Adults encourage learners to become responsible,
productive and independent adults. Adults also present learners with
knowledge, information and alternatives regarding their careers and
personal and academic betterment. Adults allow for learners to explore
new areas by clarifying things and dissolving learners confusion.

1.3. Accounting for and making sense of life

Once learners have gained a sense of security, understood their
personal reality and have orientated themselves towards their future,
they need to reflect weather they have used or lost out on valuable
opportunities in life. Learners need to account for their past, present
and future actions. Through their relationship with adults, learners will
be guided towards taking responsible and justifiable decisions and
actions towards self-realisation.

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Name: Zubair Kathrada Student Number: 56155336
Course Code: SDSGC0D
Unique Number: 586839
Assignment Number: 01
Pages: 05

1.4. Anticipating and envisaging future events

Adults help learners to set objectives which they need to work towards
to achieve their goals in the future. For example, learners could respond
to adult guidance by dispensing with an unrealistic or undesirable goal
and reach out to attain new attainable goals.
1.5. Actualising the self-realisation and personal potential
Through the guidance of life orientation teachers, learners can work
towards what they can and want to become.

Question B

Axelson (1985) has defined a number of activities that form part of the Life
Orientation teachers task. These activities include:

Helping learners develop the possibilities of their personalities.

Temperament is a set of in-born traits that organize a childs approach
to the world. They are instrumental in the development of the childs
distinct personality. As an educator of life orientation we need to try
and tailor learners temperaments in a way that will create personalities
that can adapt to real world situations in the future. This can be done
through guidance and counselling for individual learners.

Helping learners draw from their natural resources and strengths.

As an educator in Life Orientation, we should take responsibility in
trying to bring out the best in each learner. Even though all learners
have limitations and not the same availability of resources, we should
focus on each individuals strength and promote it in such a way that it
will be beneficial for them to use in the future.

Help make something needed by learners available or useable.

It is important for a Life Orientation educator to be seen as someone in
which learners can go to for guidance and advice to discuss various
matters. Many learners may feel neglected and need the feeling of
understanding, sincerity and acceptance. Educators should create an
environment of openness but at the same time confidential. Guidance
counselling can be given to individual learners in which we should not
be judgmental but rather empathetic and understanding towards
learners issues.

Helping learners move from a present situation to providing more

opportunity for effective use.

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Name: Zubair Kathrada Student Number: 56155336
Course Code: SDSGC0D
Unique Number: 586839
Assignment Number: 01
Pages: 05

Many learners are faced with difficult challenges in their lives. As a Life
Orientation educator, we should be empathetic towards their issues
and help them to overcome their current challenges in life and give
hope that a better future awaits. Challenges learners may face may
include Academic, Social and personal.

To help something gradually unfolds for the learner.

As an educator in Life Orientation, we should try and create
opportunities for learners in which they were previously restricted to.
This may done through counselling and coordination that manages a
variety of indirect services that benefit learners.

Help learners to grow to what they want to be.

It is important that we take into consideration each learners strength
and weakness and advise them on a suitable career path for the future.
We should also consider learners interest and its practicality in the real
world. Once learners strengths are highlighted, we should work with
them on a continuous basis for them to reach their full potential

Help learners to acquire something they need or want.

An educator plays an important role in helping learners achieve their
goals. It is important that a life orientation educator sets guidelines for
which learners need to follow to achieve their goals. At times, certain
learners with great abilities may be restricted with opportunities. For
them to grow and prosper, we should try to create these opportunities
so that they are able to reach their full potential in the future.

Help learners expand by a process of growth.

Human development unfolds in a series of life stages as it is influenced
both heredity and the environment. As a life orientation educator, we
are faced with the task of helping learners master the task of
adolescents. As educators, we need to continually guide learners in all
academic, social and personal aspects of life as well as create
opportunities for them to grow.

Question C

The following needs to be taken onto consideration by Life Orientation

teachers when working with learners in a group:

Is it a homogeneous group?

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Name: Zubair Kathrada Student Number: 56155336
Course Code: SDSGC0D
Unique Number: 586839
Assignment Number: 01
Pages: 05

Do all the group members share the same problem/have the same
need?
Are the group members familiar with each other?
How can the group work process be followed up?
How do I adapt the choice of my area, Identity and theme to suit the
group

Question D

A number of variables need to be taken into consideration when

assessing learners from different cultures:

Learners language proficiency.

Learners proficiency in the home and additional language should be
assessed before the evaluation is done. After this assessment, learners
may be assigned to a culturally sensitive professional who is fluent in
that same language. If need be, a translator may intervene between
educator and learner but the following needs to be taken into
consideration:
- He/she must be aware of the issue of confidentiality.
- Transilators should be thoroughly trained to the administration of the
tests to be used.
- Extra measures must be taken to ensure rapport between teacher,
learner and translator. (The learner should not feel threatened by a
third party)

Acculturation.
When assessing culturally different learners, it is important to consider
learners who are new and trying to adapt to a different environment.
For example, a learner who arrives to the city from a rural area present
challenges that are different from those who have been brought up in
the city. When dealing with acculturation, we need to take the following
steps into consideration:
- Learners isolation and alienation from the new culture with rigid
adherences to their own cultural norms.
- Rejecting their own culture by dressing style, habits, changes in
values and sometimes names.
- Uneven adaption to the new environment by different family
members which may lead to conflict within the family system.
- Integration into the host culture while important attachments to
the old culture are preserved.
-

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Name: Zubair Kathrada Student Number: 56155336
Course Code: SDSGC0D
Unique Number: 586839
Assignment Number: 01
Pages: 05

The role of parents.

The role of parents in assessments for a learner involves much more
than signing an authorization form. Many parents may not know about
assessments and may even mistrust the whole procedure. It is therefore
our task to attract parents to come to the school and explain to them
how learner assessments are beneficial. Life Orientation educators
should encourage parents from different cultures to get involve in
school activities.

Question E

Grief crises A grief crises is presented when individuals find

themselves unable to cope adequately with the death of someone.
Unfortunately little is done at home and at school to prepare a learner
for the inevitable death of a loved one. Grief counselling should be
offered to learners as mourning is a natural and necessary process. Not
only should learners be comforted and supported, they should actively
be helped to work through the process.

Gillis (1994) provides the following guidelines for learners dealing with a
crises caused by divorce and separation:

Prepare them in advance: Parents should agree beforehand how

children will be told and they both need to be present. The discussion
needs to take place in a caring manner and both parents should
emphasize their love for their children. Learners need to be helped to
understand why there has to be a change and they should be allowed to
express their emotions.
Following the initial shock, learners should be helped to work through
their feelings.
Reassure them: Learners need assurance that
- The divorce will not affect their parents love for them.
- They are not losing a parent and will still have a fulfilling
relationship with both of them.
- They will not be rejected in any way.
- They do not have to take sides.
- They will be financially secure.
- They are in no way responsible for the separation and there is
nothing that they could have done to prevent the separation
- They will have access to noncustodial parents.

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Name: Zubair Kathrada Student Number: 56155336
Course Code: SDSGC0D
Unique Number: 586839
Assignment Number: 01
Pages: 05

Keep them informed: learners need to continually be updated on what

is going to happen. Where appropriate, they should be encouraged to
take part in any decisions that affect them.

In terms of primary intervention, learners need to be provided with

coping skills before a crises occurs. Such skills may include
- An understanding of what constitutes a crises.
- An awareness of feeling, thoughts or unfinished business that could
be reactivated by a crises.
- Changes in feelings and thoughts that may occur overtime.

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Name: Zubair Kathrada Student Number: 56155336
Course Code: SDSGC0D
Unique Number: 586839
Assignment Number: 01
Pages: 05

List of sources:

Alexson, JA. 1985 Counselling and development in a multicultural society.

Monteracy, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Gillis. 1994 guidelines on assisting learners in a crises

Locke, DC and Parker, LD. 1994. Improving the multicultural competence of

educators in schools: Allyn and Bacon

Greenan, H, MCIIveen, K and Humphreys, P. 1997. Involving students in

counselling and learning: A nessesary evil? Quality assurance education 5(4):
231-238

UNISA, Pretoria.2015. Subject didatics: life orientation SDSGC0-D

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Name: Zubair Kathrada Student Number: 56155336
Course Code: SDSGC0D
Unique Number: 586839
Assignment Number: 01
Pages: 05

9
Name: Zubair Kathrada Student Number: 56155336
Course Code: SDSGC0D
Unique Number: 586839
Assignment Number: 01
Pages: 05

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