Systemic Thinking and Practice Toward Facilitating Inclusive Education: Reflections on a Case of Co-Generated Knowledge and Action in South Africa

Abstract This article offers our reflections around a case of facilitating systemic thinking and practice in which the first author of the article (Tlale) interacted with research participants/ participant researchers with the intention of strengthening systemic thought and action toward fostering inclusiveeducationin thesetting(arural school in theEastern Capein South Africa). We reflect upon the process and also how our engagement was perceived by participants, as expressed in feedback received from them. We point to how Tlale introduced the idea of systemic thinking(to teachers, schoolmanagement team,school governing body, anda district officer for the district) as tied to the possibility of acting to generate transformation toward a moreinclusive educational contextfor the benefit ofthe learnersat the school in question, thus acting as a systemic mediator on their behalf.Keywords Co-generatingknowledge.Inclusiveeducation.Inquiryinpractice.Systemic thinking.Wholeschoolimprovemen