CH. 3

• what ways can one identify themselves?

  1. social class
  2. gender
  3. race
  4. region
  5. religion
  6. disability
  7. ethnic group
  8. disability
• • culture: the attitudes, beliefs, values, systems, norms, traditions shared by a particular group of people that can be reflected in their language, religion, dress, diet, and social customs
  • ethnic group: shared identity with a common culture
  • race: physical characteristics shared among a group
• social class or socioeconomic states (SES): in terms of an individual’s income, occupation, education, and prestige in society

  • cuts across many cultural variables
• • macro culture -> the core attitudes, beliefs, values, norms, etc. in a culture
  • micro culture -> distinct things within the macro culture
  • Individualistic culture -> responsible for themselves, can pursue their own lives
  • Collectivism culture -> well-being of group is priority; group is responsible for safety and well-fare of individuals (even weaker members); fixed social groups
• educational implications of culture:

  • multicultural education
  • bilingual education
  • bilingual special education
• multicultural education:

  • all students should experience equal educational opportunities
  • macro vs micro culture
  • macro in american schools
  • emphasize individualistic values with being competitive
  • students erode their students' other micro cultural values
  • could isolate them from their own culture
  • micro
  • working more in groups
  • not about individual but the group as a whole
• bilingual education:

  • aim is for students to function effectively in both english and their native languages
  • english learners (EL)
• bilingual special education:

  • embrace the use of the student's primary language along with english coupled with an individualized program of special education
• representation in education:

  • Overrepresentation: a situation in which greater numbers of students of certain groups are placed in special education than you would expect based on their #s in the school population
  • Underrepresentation: fewer students in a particular category than one might expect based on their numbers in the school pop
• Issues with over- and underrepresentation occur in disability categories in which professional judgement and opinion play a key role in the decision-making process

  • Why?
  • Relationship between family SES (poverty)
  • Identification procedures by professionals from culturally dominant backgrounds
  • Instructional methodologies reflect dominant culture
  • Idea that students from a collectivist culture aren’t learning in a collectivist culture (makes things hard)
  • Dominant culture teachers’ perceptions of diverse students’ learning needs
• Consequences of under/over representation

  • May result in an inferior and less effective educational experience
  • Increases risk for underachievement and school dropout
  • May create limited employment opportunities
  • May lead to disproportionate incarceration rates
• How does over/under respresentation happen?

  • Inappropriate assessment tools and evaluation procedures lead to disproportionate representation
  • Over- reliance on IQ tests
  • Cultural bias can affect these due to SES, lack of experiences
  • Different cultural and experiential backgrounds
  • Inappropriate procedures could be due to  Implicit bias, lack of culturally awareness, language barrier
  • Parent may not speak English to give consent
  • Accurate assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities is essential for identification and program development
• Educational programming

  • The child’s cultural and linguistic heritage must be reflected in his or her individualized education program (IEP)
  • Display sensitivity to the cultural heritage of all students
  • Use instructional strategies and materials that respect different learning styles and personal experiences
  • Consider the instructional environment and the impact on student behavior