Boundary talk in Life (dis)Orientation: Collaborative conversations across Higher Education Institutions
Life Orientation (LO) as a compulsory subject in the South African school curriculum (Grades 7–12) aims to develop the learner’s self-in-society. This implies a holistic approach that includes the personal, social and physical development of the learner. In most Higher Education Institutions (HEIs),...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AOSIS
2021-09-01
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| Series: | The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1091 |
| _version_ | 1831589208734564352 |
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| author | Janet Jarvis Sarina de Jager |
| author_facet | Janet Jarvis Sarina de Jager |
| author_sort | Janet Jarvis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Life Orientation (LO) as a compulsory subject in the South African school curriculum (Grades 7–12) aims to develop the learner’s self-in-society. This implies a holistic approach that includes the personal, social and physical development of the learner. In most Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), LO is not offered as a specialisation that includes these three broad aspects of development. In many cases, the emphasis rests with personal development, focusing, in particular, on modules taken in Psychology. Physical Education, if it is included in any LO programme, usually falls within the ambit of Sports/Human Movement Science programmes. The social development aspect is, by and large, omitted and Human Rights Education, including Religion Education and Citizenship Education, is neglected. Alternatively, pre-service teachers are required to select from a smorgasbord of modules and they often graduate without having included all three broad aspects of this specialisation. This article speaks to the importance of collaborative relationships across HEIs with a view to meaningful boundary talk that can be transformative in nature and provide the platform for research ventures. This collaboration that commenced as a community of two in conversation, led to a community of many in conversation, in the form of a national colloquium in 2020 that focused on LO in the HEI space. This article presents the themes emerging from this colloquium and recommends that transdisciplinary knowledge can lead to transdisciplinary education that serves the mandate of the LO specialisation in HEIs, namely, to prepare pre-service LO teachers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T00:38:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-65e66d4774a3497f8e2e2e183d6b332f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1817-4434 2415-2005 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T00:38:35Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa |
| spelling | doaj.art-65e66d4774a3497f8e2e2e183d6b332f2022-12-21T21:26:56ZengAOSISThe Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa1817-44342415-20052021-09-01171e1e810.4102/td.v17i1.1091503Boundary talk in Life (dis)Orientation: Collaborative conversations across Higher Education InstitutionsJanet Jarvis0Sarina de Jager1Discipline of Life Orientation Education, School of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanDepartment of Humanities Education, Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria, PretoriaLife Orientation (LO) as a compulsory subject in the South African school curriculum (Grades 7–12) aims to develop the learner’s self-in-society. This implies a holistic approach that includes the personal, social and physical development of the learner. In most Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), LO is not offered as a specialisation that includes these three broad aspects of development. In many cases, the emphasis rests with personal development, focusing, in particular, on modules taken in Psychology. Physical Education, if it is included in any LO programme, usually falls within the ambit of Sports/Human Movement Science programmes. The social development aspect is, by and large, omitted and Human Rights Education, including Religion Education and Citizenship Education, is neglected. Alternatively, pre-service teachers are required to select from a smorgasbord of modules and they often graduate without having included all three broad aspects of this specialisation. This article speaks to the importance of collaborative relationships across HEIs with a view to meaningful boundary talk that can be transformative in nature and provide the platform for research ventures. This collaboration that commenced as a community of two in conversation, led to a community of many in conversation, in the form of a national colloquium in 2020 that focused on LO in the HEI space. This article presents the themes emerging from this colloquium and recommends that transdisciplinary knowledge can lead to transdisciplinary education that serves the mandate of the LO specialisation in HEIs, namely, to prepare pre-service LO teachers.https://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1091boundary talkcollaborationhigher education institutionslife orientationtransdisciplinarity. |
| spellingShingle | Janet Jarvis Sarina de Jager Boundary talk in Life (dis)Orientation: Collaborative conversations across Higher Education Institutions The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa boundary talk collaboration higher education institutions life orientation transdisciplinarity. |
| title | Boundary talk in Life (dis)Orientation: Collaborative conversations across Higher Education Institutions |
| title_full | Boundary talk in Life (dis)Orientation: Collaborative conversations across Higher Education Institutions |
| title_fullStr | Boundary talk in Life (dis)Orientation: Collaborative conversations across Higher Education Institutions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Boundary talk in Life (dis)Orientation: Collaborative conversations across Higher Education Institutions |
| title_short | Boundary talk in Life (dis)Orientation: Collaborative conversations across Higher Education Institutions |
| title_sort | boundary talk in life dis orientation collaborative conversations across higher education institutions |
| topic | boundary talk collaboration higher education institutions life orientation transdisciplinarity. |
| url | https://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1091 |
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