Browsing by Author "Luthuli, Khulekani."

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Mentoring novice teachers in learner behaviour support: a deputy principal’s self-study.
(2020) Luthuli, Khulekani.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
I am a deputy principal and seasoned teacher in a multicultural urban South African school. I observed the many challenges that novice teachers encounter with compassion, and I understood their anguish when battling to manage learner behaviour in their classrooms. As I often wondered whether their plight was related to a lack of mentorship in the school, this self-study project focused on my own mentoring practice as a seasoned teacher and a deputy principal. Hence, the study’s purpose was to explore how I could improve my mentoring practice to guide novice teachers appropriately. To achieve this purpose, I sought the participation of novice teachers who were employed at my school. I also worked closely with three fellow doctoral students as my critical friends. A sociocultural theoretical perspective was foundational in the study because it was the platform from which I embarked to understand the phenomenon of novice teachers and how they should function and be supported in a school. My first research question was: What have I learned about mentoring novice teachers for learner behaviour support from my memories? In responding to this question, I recalled my own experiences of supportive and unsupportive mentoring. Addressing this question helped me evaluate the role I played – and should play in the future − concerning mentoring novice teachers for learner behaviour support. My second question was: What have I learned about mentoring novice teachers for learner behaviour support by engaging with novice teachers in my school? In response to this question, I engaged novice teachers in creative and participative discussions. By sharing our knowledge and ideas and giving feedback on the challenges and joys that the novice teachers experienced in their classrooms, I was able to put myself in their shoes. In this manner, I developed into a better manager and mentor as I understood novice teachers’ plight. Involving myself in self-study as a mentor and deputy principal enabled me to share my successes and frustrations regarding the induction of novice teachers into a school. My study offers a unique and motivational example of a senior teacher’s endeavours in self-study research.
Stimulating school-wide positive behaviour support in a primary school: a deputy principal's self-study.
(2016) Luthuli, Khulekani.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
The purpose of this self-study research was to learn about stimulating school-wide positive behavior support in a multicultural primary school. As a deputy principal, I was concerned that learners were continuously displaying disruptive behavior, thus impeding the culture of teaching and learning. By adopting a sociocultural theoretical perspective, I understood that learners’ actions take place in sociocultural context. I therefore anticipated that taking a sociocultural approach in working with learners, teachers and parents as a school-wide group who come from diverse sociocultural backgrounds could help facilitate interesting and valuable interactions. Because this was self-study research, I was the main participant in the study. The other participants who helped me answer my research questions were two of my former school friends, four grade 6 learners, two post level 1 teachers, two Heads of Departments, and two school governing body parents. I also worked with two fellow Master’s students as my critical friends. My first research question was: What can I learn about positive behaviour support by remembering supportive and unsupportive experiences? Responding to this question through memory-work and arts-based self-study methods enabled me to understand how recalling my past supportive and unsupportive experiences could help me to learn about positive behaviour support. My former primary and high school friends discussed supportive and unsupportive experiences with me to evoke memories of the past. My second research question was: What can I learn about positive behaviour support from members of our school community? In response to this question, I used arts-based self-study and collective self-study methods to engage learner, parent and teacher participants to collaborate in deliberations on positive behaviour support for learners.Self-study research enabled me to reconsider my managerial and teaching outlook and practice by interacting with our school-wide community. I learnt that it is a core part of my responsibility as a deputy principal to ensure that respectful, trusting and empathetic relationships within the school community support and promote the socio-emotional and academic growth of learners. As a school manager, I should serve as a role model in cultivating supportive relationships with parents, teachers and learners.