Problem
Maxwell and Brandon attend Happy Valley High School situated in the Western Cape. They are in grade 9 and 11 respectively.
Maxwell feels that his school is not too bad but what he really appreciates is the effort his English teacher makes to help him understand the work. English has always been difficult for him as it is not his home language. He sometimes still finds things difficult but he knows his teacher will assist him if he needs help. She made many changes in the classroom when she first came to the school. She rearranged the desks and put posters up on the walls. Some children were a bit annoyed that they now had to do things differently but they soon got used to their teacher's style of teaching. It did mean that there was a bit more noise in the classroom and sometimes the principal was not too happy with the noise levels.
Brandon on the other hand feels that his mathematics teacher is the best. She is also a new teacher and she has also implemented a few different methods of teaching. The teacher struggles some times as they have 43 learners in the class. This makes it difficult to hear what she says sometimes. Recently the teacher started using a projector to put instructions on the wall so everyone can read the instructions if they are not sure. Sometimes she plays soft music in the background. Initially the children would make a noise and it was difficult for him to appreciate the music but now the children are all quiet when the music plays. They have become used to the music playing as a signal for time to do individual work.
In an essay apply Piaget and Vygotsky theories, discussing the drawbacks as well as the advantages the theory could have in the South African setting and Challenges that you may experience in trying to apply these theories in your teaching practice and teaching profession.