Abstract:
Life Orientation (LO) as a compulsory subject in the South African school curriculum (Grades
7–12) aims to develop the learner’s self-in-society. This implies a holistic approach that includes
the personal, social and physical development of the learner. In most Higher Education Institutions
(HEIs), LO is not offered as a specialisation that includes these three broad aspects of development.
In many cases, the emphasis rests with personal development, focusing, in particular, on modules
taken in Psychology. Physical Education, if it is included in any LO programme, usually falls
within the ambit of Sports/Human Movement Science programmes. The social development
aspect is, by and large, omitted and Human Rights Education, including Religion Education and
Citizenship Education, is neglected. Alternatively, pre-service teachers are required to select
from a smorgasbord of modules and they often graduate without having included all three broad
aspects of this specialisation. This article speaks to the importance of collaborative relationships
across HEIs with a view to meaningful boundary talk that can be transformative in nature and
provide the platform for research ventures. This collaboration that commenced as a community
of two in conversation, led to a community of many in conversation, in the form of a national
colloquium in 2020 that focused on LO in the HEI space. This article presents the themes
emerging from this colloquium and recommends that transdisciplinary knowledge can lead to
transdisciplinary education that serves the mandate of the LO specialisation in HEIs, namely, to
prepare pre-service LO teachers.
