Special Educationleonmmelissateacherportfolio.weebly.com/uploads/5/0/5/7/50577945/... · Special Education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals, 4th ed., Marilyn Friend

Special Education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals, 4th ed., Marilyn FriendISBN 0132836742 © 2014, 2011, 2008, 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.0

Special Education:Contemporary Perspectives for School ProfessionalsFourth Edition

By

Marilyn Friend

Kerri Martin,Contributor

Special Education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals, 4th ed., Marilyn Friend

ISBN 0132836742 © 2014, 2011, 2008, 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.1

Multicultural Perspectives

Chapter 3



Objectives

• Explain the concept of culture.

• Describe how culture affects the learning process.

• Analyze the disproportionate representation of students, explaining factors that contribute to this situation and the role of response to intervention in improving it.

• Identify recommended educational practices for diverse students in special and gifted education.

• Discuss challenges to and opportunities for developing collaborative relationships with racially and ethnically diverse families.

• Summarize issues and trends influencing the education

of diverse students in special and gifted education.

Understanding Culture

Culture: A complex system of underlying beliefs, attitudes, and actions that shapes the thoughts and behaviors of a group of people, distinguishing them from other groups (Nieto & Bode, 2012).

Values: cultural elements deemed most important by a society

Dominant culture: the culture of those in power in the US

Book title, #Special Education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals, 4th ed., Marilyn Friend


Elements of Culture

Values

Individualism vs. interdependence

Language

Importance of concepts is reflected in language

Perspective and worldviews

Book titleSpecial Education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals, 4th ed., Marilyn Friend


Macroculture and Microculture

Macroculture

Overarching cultural aspects of a society (i.e., “American”)

Microculture

Subgroups having distinguishing characteristics within a society (e.g., socioeconomic status, language, dialect, values)



Culture and Race

Racial isolation is still common

Complex relationship between culture and race

Influenced by many factors

Don’t make assumptions about a family’s culture based on their race



The Content of Instruction

American schools largely shaped by a white male perspective

Knowledge construction process (the

way in which a particular framework is used to develop, approve, and disseminate new information) is not generally studied in school



Cognitive Styles

Field independence

Analytical

Focus on specifics, less on context

Learn best in discrete, incremental steps

Field sensitivity

Holistic approach

Focus on broader concepts before details

Learn best through hands-on, authentic tasks



Effects of Cultural Dissonance

A significant discrepancy between two or more cultural frames of reference.

Academic challenges

Field-sensitive students may perform poorly on lessons that focus on step-by-step analytical thinking

Behavior Challenges

Students may be punished for behaviors that are culturally based

Students may feel alienated and isolated



Representation in Special Education

African American students are identified as intellectually disabled nearly three times more than their non-African American peers

They are over twice as likely to be identified as having emotional or behavioral disabilities

Students in the Asian/Pacific Islander group are identified for LD, EBD, or ID far less than any other group of students

Non-Caucasian student groups, especially African American, tend to be served in placements that separate them from their nondisabled peers more often than students who are Caucasian



Why Disproportionality Matters

Stigmatization associated with labeling

Educators have lower expectations for the labeled students

Leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy

Reduced opportunities to interact with typical students



Representation in Gifted Education

African American and Hispanic students, in particular, are represented in smaller percentages in gifted education than would be expected

Caucasian students comprise 71.2 percent of all students and 81.4 percent of students in gifted programs



Factors Contributing to Disproportionate Representation

Poverty

Increased exposure to lead

Increased exposure to toxins

Lack of prenatal care

Poor nutrition

Systemic bias: favoritism that occurs at

multiple levels within a society or institution

Curriculum and instruction

Teacher attitude

Special education referral process



Recommendations for Addressing Disproportionate Representation

Better teacher preparation

Improved behavior management strategies

Prevention and early intervention

Increased attention to possible bias in assessment

Increased family involvement



Promising Practices in Referral and Identification

1. Redesigning the prereferral process

• Can teacher work effectively with students from diverse populations?

• Is teacher knowledgeable with respect to the student’s culture?

• Does curriculum incorporate aspects of cultures?

• Does instruction address the student’s language characteristics?

• Does instruction reflect the student’s cognitive style?

• The overall quality of instruction and opportunity to learn?



Promising Practices in Referral and Identification, cont.

2. Alternative assessment strategies

• Portfolio assessment

• Performance assessment

• Curriculum-based assessment

3. Universal screening and early intervention



Promising Practices in Instruction

Differentiated instruction

Learning contracts

Tiered lessons

Universal design for learning

Multiple modes of presentation and response

Multicultural education

Content integration

knowledge construction

Prejudice reduction

Equity pedagogy

empowering school culture



Instruction for English Language Learners

In 2010, 21% of school-age students spoke a language other than English at home, up from 10% in 1980.

Bilingual education

Transitional approach

Maintenance approach

English as a second language (ESL)

Sheltered English



M2ECCA Framework

Methods of instruction

Materials of instruction

Environment of the classroom

Content of instruction

Collaboration in instruction

Assessment process



Participation of Parents and Families who have Diverse Learners

Factors educators directly influence Inaccurate beliefs about family concern

Use of “one-size-fits-all” approach

Different cultural conception of disability

Factors beyond the influence of educators Family preconceived ideas about schools

Socio-economic realities that interfere

Stress of having a child with a disability



5 Steps to Developing Collaborative Relationships with Parents

1. Intake and assessment (determine needs)

2. Selection of goals

3. Planning and implementing activities

4. Evaluation of activities

5. Review the process



Issues Affecting the Education of Diverse Exceptional Learners

Geography as an element of diversity

Urban education

• Equity issues

• School choice programs

• Teacher preparation

Rural education

• Disability identification and access to services

• Teaching conditions

Sexual Orientation



Documents

Special Educationleonmmelissateacherportfolio.weebly.com/uploads/5/0/5/7/50577945/... · Special Education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals, 4th ed., Marilyn Friend