Teaching about Economic and Social Inequality

Abstract

South Africa is a country of stark contrasts, with opulence co-existing alongside poverty. Historically the issue of class has been narrowly linked to race, yet in present day South Africa, economic inequ ality and poverty know no racial boundary. Teachers often struggle to integrate these issues into the curricu l um in a meaningful way. South African education has witnessed significant curriculum reform. While some teachers view this as a da unting endeavou r, others disturb this assumption and embrace the opportunity and challenge of curriculum development especially as it relates to addressing the nation's transformation agenda. Th is paper focuses on the experiences of a novice primary school economics teacher as she engaged with the chal lenge of curriculum development in economics. It examines how a teacher's cultural capital influenced her abi lity to interpret and enact the economics curriculum in ways that offer meaningful opportunities to explore issues of economic and social inequality through innovative pedagogy.