Life Orientation (LO) teachers should be prepared to employ a pastoral approach -- i.e., emotional support to learners -- particularly when facilitating the topic "Development of the self in society" as prescribed in the curriculum and assessment policy statement (CAPS). Currently, LO teachers have limited knowledge and strategies to…

Over the past few years, we have worked together in a citizen science project called "Diamonds on the Soles of our Feet" (see also Goldin et al. 2021, Goldin et al., 2023). In this project we engaged with 420 young learners in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. We came to see participating schools as collaborative ecosystems where…

Children and youth at risk, particularly those placed in child and youth care centres (CYCC) in South Africa, have suffered from school disengagement due to multiple barriers to learning such as the exposure to crime and violence at a young age. As children and youth at risk at these centres find it difficult to engage in learning, new approaches…

The Norms and Standards for Educators (2000) recognises a well-defined community, citizenship and pastoral role as one of seven roles of a competent and qualified educator. In 2005 a module dealing with the pastoral role was introduced as part of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE--Senior Phase and FET) programme in the institution…

The care and use of animals in education and medical research are very controversial and emotional public issues. Society needs to discuss these issues to reach an ethical stand. A sample of 118 sciences student teachers from a South African university responded to a questionnaire on animal rights and using animals for food, clothes, sport,…