EDUC 2301: Introduction to Special Populations

Power, Disparity, and Expectations CollideChapter 2

A Changing Society

Students and Teachers: A Clash of Cultures?

Increasingly, the student population in schools is a multicultural one, while the population of teachers remains much as it has almost always been: white, middle class, and predominantly female—in short, monocultural. This can create something of a clash of cultures between students and teachers.

Teachers who are culture bound have little knowledge or experience with people from different cultures. This limits their ability to interact effectively with students who are different from themselves.

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Projections of the U.S. Population

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Group Exercise

• In the same groups as you were in yesterday, discuss the following regarding the schools you attended:

 

– a. Would you describe the school you attended as monocultural or multicultural?

– b. What was the usual form of teaching? – c. What type of technology was utilized in classrooms? – d. What roles did adult men and women hold in the school?– e. What was the racial and/or ethnic composition of students in the school?– f. What was the racial and/or ethnic composition of employees in the school?– g. What religions were represented in the population of the school?– h. What types of family structures were represented in the school? – i. Was the school big or small?– j. What types of classes did you attend (e.g., math, death and dying, the

wonders of Islam)?– k. What choices of classes were available to you and what choices would you

like to have had?

• How are these things different in the classrooms you have observed recently?

Parental Involvement Barriers

Despite the verbal support for parental involvement among school educators, school norms that reflect:•hierarchy over reciprocity, •limited resources, and •a lack of knowledge about how to involve parents are key barriers.

©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.

Barriers to Minority Student and Family Inclusion in Schools

Although this may not be the intent, distancing is magnified for minority students and their families, who are even further estranged due to the powerful barriers of difference (communication, customs, language, perspectives, and representation) that may further restrict and inhibit their school involvement.

©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.

How does school climate affect achievement and opportunity?

• The psychosocial climate of the school and within classrooms can act to hinder student achievement.

• Restricted curriculum, and so-called “ability-grouping” practices tend to separate students along cultural, socioeconomic status (SES), and racial lines and thereby perpetuate segregation and unequal educational conditions and benefits.

©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.

What is cultural inversion?

Cultural inversion is the process of regarding certain forms of behavior, symbols, and meanings as inappropriate for a minority group member to exhibit because these behaviors are seen as characteristic of White America.

©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.

Why does cultural inversion exist?

Cultural inversion may exist as part of minority group members’ collective opposition to widespread intergenerational discrimination faced in school and society.

©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.

For Reflection and Discussion

1. How are one-way forms of school communications harmful to family/school relationship?

2. Why might minority families exhibit distrust of schools?

3. Can you think of a time when you felt pressure to compromise your own values in order to succeed in school?

4. Did you ever use cultural inversion in order to save face with your peers? Explain.

©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.

Rethinking Schools and Learning

As society changes, schools must also change to accommodate new needs.

Thus, there is a national movement for school reform.

Reform efforts aimed at “leaving no child behind” through testing and accountability.

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Schools in Transition

In education, we are experiencing a shift from:– schools that educate an elite, to schools that

educate everyone to the same standard;– schools that emphasize rote learning, to

schools that emphasize critical thinking;– schools that emphasize teaching, to schools

that emphasize learning.

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The Root Causes of Change

New circumstances in the society in which schools are embedded– 19th–20th Centuries: Schools reflected the

needs of an emerging industrial society.– 20th–21st Centuries: Schools are changing

to reflect the needs of an emerging information society.

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Classrooms for an Industrial Age

Futurist Alvin Toffler calls the industrial age a “Second Wave Civilization”; characteristics of classrooms for this era include:– Standardization– Synchronization– Specialization– Centralization– Large scale

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Standardization in a classroom might be demonstrated by:

All teachers are certified by standard criteria; Teachers and students dress according to a

district-wide standard dress code; Textbooks and/or a course of study are the

same for all students in grade level or subject; Student performance is judged by standardized

tests; For the most part, students work individually;

and Students compete for grades, awards, etc.

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Synchronization in a classroom might be demonstrated by:

Class periods are of equal length; so are times between class periods;

Each subject is taught on a regular basis, usually—but not always—daily;

The school day is planned and coordinated according to a regular schedule;

The school year is planned in advance.

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Specialization in a classroom means that:

Subjects are divided by disciplines; there is little interdisciplinary study;

Teachers, administrators, clerical, and support staff have differentiated roles;

Ancillary personnel (e.g., nurses, counselors, etc.) also have specific and differentiated roles.

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Centralization means that many policy decisions are made at the district level

Centralized decisions are often made about:– Curriculum– Budgets– Purchasing– Attendance– Discipline– Scheduling

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Large scale means that, in general, “bigger is better”

This tendency toward large scale can be seen in:– Large districts– Large buildings– Large auditoriums– Large bands– Large football stadiums

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Classrooms for an Information Age

Toffler names the present information age a “Third Wave Civilization.” Characteristics of classrooms for this era include:– Individualization and choice– Collaboration– Diversity– Decentralization– Small scale

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A Collin County Comparison

• High School Sizes– Allen – one school enrollment over 5000

students– Frisco – currently four schools with plans to

build up to 7 or 8 schools with enrollment of 1500 to1800 students

Individual choice may mean that:

Within a broad range of standards, teachers and students may make decisions about curriculum and pedagogy;

Students and teachers may make decisions about learning activities; and

Students and teachers may set classroom rules to produce an effective learning environment.

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Collaboration in such a classroom might look like this:

Teachers across subject areas and disciplines might plan lessons and units together;

Parents and community members might be actively involved in classroom activities; and

Groups of students might often be found working together on projects and lessons.

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Diversity in the classroom might look like this:

Students of different ages may be working together;

Students of differing abilities may be working together;

Students and teachers may be acting in multiple roles;

Students and teachers may incorporate multiple disciplines in their work; and

Students may be of diverse cultural backgrounds.

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Decentralization often means school-based decision making

Called site-based management, school-based decision making may involve:– Setting learning goals– Planning the school budget– Setting attendance policies– Developing dress codes– Hiring new teachers and other personnel

Richardson ISD Site-based plan

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Small scale means more face-to-face interaction

Classes are smaller.Everyone knows everyone else.Students work with a variety of adults.Adults work with a variety of students.It is easier to develop really meaningful

learning communities and a sense of belonging for everyone.

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As schools move through this transitional period, remember:

Change is difficult.Human beings often react to change with

hostility.Human beings often react to change by

resisting it.New circumstances often mean new

opportunities; it’s up to you. . .

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Ideological Perspectives on Diverse & Multicultural Education

Attention to differences among students is not new.

The nature of the differences to which we must attend is broadening.

Multicultural education is becoming less a matter of differences within the United States and more a global phenomenon.

Multicultural education assures that all students from all groups (racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, ability, gender, etc.) experience educational equality, success, and mobility.

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A New Role for Teachers

Recognize social and cultural change Understand culture, learning, and the culture-

learning process; teachers must expand their knowledge base of culture and different groups in the US and abroad

Improve intergroup and intragroup interactions Transmit intercultural understanding and skills to

students; teachers must be proactive and reflective practitioners so students are prepared to become reflective citizens in an interdependent world29-

Something to Think About

“The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

—Alvin Toffler

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Curriculum Project Group Meetings

• Review Curriculum Project• Brainstorm Topics• Choose Groups• Group Meetings