College of Education Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies
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ASSIGNMENT 02
Year Module 2026
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Module Code: TPS3704
Module Name: Teaching Practice
Student Name: [Your Full Name]
Student Number: [Your Student Number]
Assignment No.: 02
Due Date: [Due Date]
Year: 2026
Unique Number: [Unique Number]
Submitted in partial ful
lment of the requirements for TPS3704: Teaching Practice
at the University of South Africa.
,UNISA | TPS3704 Teaching Practice: Ethics & Classroom Management
Contents
1 Question 1: Ethical Practice and Professionalism in Teaching 3
1.1 1.1 Three Ethical and Professional Breaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.1.1 Breach 1: Public Humiliation and Violation of Learner Dignity . . . . . . 3
1.1.2 Breach 2: Breach of Con
dentiality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.1.3 Breach 3: Unprofessional Use of Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2 1.2 Evaluation of Conduct Using the SACE Code of Professional Ethics 5
1.2.1 Conduct Towards the Learner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.2.2 Conduct Towards the Teaching Profession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 1.3 Four Appropriate Professional Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3.1 Action 1: Private, Empathetic Engagement with Lerato . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3.2 Action 2: Referral to School Support Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.3.3 Action 3: Immediate Correction of the In-Class Remark . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.3.4 Action 4: Re
ective Practice and Responsible Use of Social Media . . . . 7
1.4 1.4 Balancing Academic Standards with Empathy, Con
dentiality, and
Inclusivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2 Question 2: Classroom Management in the FET Phase 10
2.1 2.1 Three Classroom Management Challenges and Their In
uence on Teach-
ing and Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.1.1 Challenge 1: O-Task Behaviour and Disruptions During Instructions . . 10
2.1.2 Challenge 2: Learner Resistance to Authority and Rule Challenges . . . . 10
2.1.3 Challenge 3: Learner Disengagement and Refusal to Participate in Group
Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.2 2.2 Critical Analysis of Ms Pete's Response: Strengths and Weaknesses 12
2.2.1 Strengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
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,UNISA | TPS3704 Teaching Practice: Ethics & Classroom Management
2.2.2 Weaknesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.3 2.3 Three Eective Strategies to Enhance Classroom Interaction and Learner
Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.3.1 Strategy 1: Establish Clear Norms and Consistent Routines at the Outset 13
2.3.2 Strategy 2: Use Structured Cooperative Learning with Assigned Roles . . 13
2.3.3 Strategy 3: Build Motivational Relevance into Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Reference List 15
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, UNISA | TPS3704 Teaching Practice: Ethics & Classroom Management
Question 1: Ethical Practice and Professionalism in Teaching
Teaching practice places student teachers in complex professional environments where eth-
ical decision-making is tested daily. The scenario involving Lerato exposes several serious
failures in professional conduct, each of which needs careful examination through the lens of
the South African Council for Educators (SACE) Code of Professional Ethics (SACE, 2022).
Ethical teaching requires more than subject knowledge; it demands a consistent commitment
to learner dignity, con
dentiality, and professional responsibility both inside and outside the
classroom.
1.1 Three Ethical and Professional Breaches
Breach 1: Public Humiliation and Violation of Learner Dignity
The
rst and most immediate breach occurs when the student teacher makes a generalised re-
mark that learners who do not submit work lack discipline and commitment. Although Ler-
ato is not named directly, the remark is made shortly after she privately disclosed her socio-
economic circumstances, and classmates respond by laughing and looking in her direction.
The teacher notices this but does not intervene.
This constitutes a direct violation of the learner's dignity. The SACE Code of Professional
Ethics (2022) requires that an educator avoid any form of humiliation and refrain from psy-
chological abuse. A remark that predictably singles out a struggling learner in front of peers,
even without naming her, satis
es that threshold. The harm is not reduced because the teacher
used general language; what matters is the foreseeable and actual eect on Lerato's emotional
wellbeing. When she withdrew for the rest of the lesson and subsequently showed declining
academic performance, the consequences of that humiliation became concrete and measurable
(SACE, 2022).
From a professional standpoint, student teachers are expected to exercise authority with com-
passion. Attributing moral failure (lack of discipline) to what is in fact a resource barrier (no
data access, shared phone) con
ates poverty with laziness. This is ethically problematic be-
cause it misrepresents the learner's circumstances and exposes her to peer judgment she never
agreed to face.
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