UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA (UNISA)
College of Education
⋄
ASSIGNMENT 4: PORTFOLIO
Semester 2 Assignment 04 — 2026
⋄
Module Code: DPP1501
Module Name: Diversity and Inclusive Education
Assignment No.: Assignment 4 (Portfolio)
Due Date: 28 October 2026
Semester: Semester 2, 2026
Unique Number: 148602
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for DPP1501
at the University of South Africa.
, UNISA | DPP1501 Assignment 4: Portfolio
Question 1: Diversity and Inclusive Education Policy
1.1 Diversity in the Classroom
Diversity in the classroom refers to the many ways in which learners differ from one another
and the recognition that these differences are a normal feature of any group of children rather
than a problem to be corrected. In an inclusive learning environment, difference is treated as a
resource for learning, and the school is expected to change its structures, teaching approaches
and attitudes so that every learner can participate and achieve (Booth and Ainscow, 2011).
This stance reflects a shift away from the older medical thinking, in which the learner was seen
as the one who had to fit in, towards a social view in which barriers sit in the environment and
not in the child (Department of Education, 2001). The key dimensions of diversity are visible in
almost every South African classroom. Language is one of the clearest, since a Grade 1 class in
a multilingual setting such as a Gauteng township school may include learners whose home
languages are isiZulu, Sesotho, Xitsonga and Afrikaans while the language of learning and
teaching is English. Culture and religion shape the values, dress and customs learners bring
to school, and socio-economic status affects whether a learner arrives fed, with stationery and
with a quiet place to do homework. Gender, family structure (including child-headed house-
holds and learners raised by grandparents), disability, and differences in pace, prior knowledge
and learning preference complete the picture. These dimensions overlap, so one learner may
be a second-language speaker, live in poverty and have a hearing difficulty at the same time,
which means a teacher cannot respond to a single label (Landsberg, Kruger and Swart, 2011).
Teachers support this range of learners by planning for difference from the outset instead of
adding help only after a learner has failed. Differentiation is the central strategy: the teacher
adjusts the content, the way it is taught, the product the learner produces and the learning en-
vironment according to readiness, interest and learning profile (Tomlinson, 2014). In a Grade 4
mathematics lesson on fractions, for example, some learners work with fraction strips and
counters, others solve word problems set in familiar contexts such as sharing a loaf of bread,
and a group that has mastered the concept designs its own problems. Language diversity is
supported when the teacher allows learners to discuss a concept in their home language be-
fore writing in English, uses pictures and gestures, and displays key vocabulary on the wall. Co-
operative learning in mixed-ability groups, with clearly assigned roles, lets learners with differ-
ent strengths contribute and learn from one another, and a peer-buddy arrangement can help
a newly arrived or shy learner settle in. Assessment is also adapted, so that a learner with a
Page 1 of 6
College of Education
⋄
ASSIGNMENT 4: PORTFOLIO
Semester 2 Assignment 04 — 2026
⋄
Module Code: DPP1501
Module Name: Diversity and Inclusive Education
Assignment No.: Assignment 4 (Portfolio)
Due Date: 28 October 2026
Semester: Semester 2, 2026
Unique Number: 148602
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for DPP1501
at the University of South Africa.
, UNISA | DPP1501 Assignment 4: Portfolio
Question 1: Diversity and Inclusive Education Policy
1.1 Diversity in the Classroom
Diversity in the classroom refers to the many ways in which learners differ from one another
and the recognition that these differences are a normal feature of any group of children rather
than a problem to be corrected. In an inclusive learning environment, difference is treated as a
resource for learning, and the school is expected to change its structures, teaching approaches
and attitudes so that every learner can participate and achieve (Booth and Ainscow, 2011).
This stance reflects a shift away from the older medical thinking, in which the learner was seen
as the one who had to fit in, towards a social view in which barriers sit in the environment and
not in the child (Department of Education, 2001). The key dimensions of diversity are visible in
almost every South African classroom. Language is one of the clearest, since a Grade 1 class in
a multilingual setting such as a Gauteng township school may include learners whose home
languages are isiZulu, Sesotho, Xitsonga and Afrikaans while the language of learning and
teaching is English. Culture and religion shape the values, dress and customs learners bring
to school, and socio-economic status affects whether a learner arrives fed, with stationery and
with a quiet place to do homework. Gender, family structure (including child-headed house-
holds and learners raised by grandparents), disability, and differences in pace, prior knowledge
and learning preference complete the picture. These dimensions overlap, so one learner may
be a second-language speaker, live in poverty and have a hearing difficulty at the same time,
which means a teacher cannot respond to a single label (Landsberg, Kruger and Swart, 2011).
Teachers support this range of learners by planning for difference from the outset instead of
adding help only after a learner has failed. Differentiation is the central strategy: the teacher
adjusts the content, the way it is taught, the product the learner produces and the learning en-
vironment according to readiness, interest and learning profile (Tomlinson, 2014). In a Grade 4
mathematics lesson on fractions, for example, some learners work with fraction strips and
counters, others solve word problems set in familiar contexts such as sharing a loaf of bread,
and a group that has mastered the concept designs its own problems. Language diversity is
supported when the teacher allows learners to discuss a concept in their home language be-
fore writing in English, uses pictures and gestures, and displays key vocabulary on the wall. Co-
operative learning in mixed-ability groups, with clearly assigned roles, lets learners with differ-
ent strengths contribute and learn from one another, and a peer-buddy arrangement can help
a newly arrived or shy learner settle in. Assessment is also adapted, so that a learner with a
Page 1 of 6
