Teaching Life Sciences to Blind and Visually Impaired Learners: Issues to Consider For Effective Learning Mediation Practice

This study aims to determine the factors that contribute to the improvement of life science pedagogy, as viewed by both teachers (as learning mediators) and learners (as proprietors of knowledge). A qualitative research design was used in this study. Semi-structured interviews were used to obtain responses to questions. The study involved sixty-three participants: eight teachers from eight schools in five provinces and fifty five learners drawn from the eight schools represented at the 2011 winter school). Teachers and learners believed that the quality of the learning environment, knowledge specific to the teacher and the learner and effective communication are requirements for meeting the challenge of life science teaching and learning. Teachers and learners should transform into efficient learning mediators and skilful proprietors of knowledge respectively, so that both of them can optimise their capacity to achieve the greatest number of learning outcomes