Teaching Diverse Students

Chapter 3

Student Diversity Socioeconomic differences Cultural differences Gender differences Developmental differences Learning style differences Learning ability difference Attention differences

Socioeconomic Differences Poor children are more likely to:

Be born outside of marriage Live in one-parent, female-headed household Live in rental housing or be homeless Have a working mother Have medical and dental problems Engage in sexual activity early Become more involved in crime, violence,

and drug abuse

Socioeconomic Differences

Children in poverty are more educationally disadvantaged

Live in communities and states that spend less on education

Live in places where teachers are paid less Perform more poorly academically Are more often identified as retarded Drop out at a higher rate Enter school with experiential deficits

Teaching Low-SES Youth 3 things fundamental to helping

children of low socioeconomic status living in poverty

Early intervention by communities and schools

Efforts must be made to generate a sense of efficacy

Promote the achievement of low-SES

Promoting the Achievement of Low-SES Students

Hold high expectations that children can and will learn

Respect each student’s background, culture, and language style

Help students understand what they are learning

Teach thinking and problem-solving skills Plan interesting and engaging learning

experiences Set & maintain high standards of behavior Maximize heterogeneous academic grouping Provide individual help

Cultural Differences

Culture: when a group of people have many things in common (language, values, traditions, and behaviors)

Problems occur when minorities encounter schools run on the culture of the majority

Teaching Minority Students

Teaching the Culturally Different Human Relationships Single-Group Studies Multicultural Education

Gender Difference

Gender roles

Efforts should be made to avoid perpetuating encouragement of girls to be dependent and passive and boys to be aggressive and reluctant to show emotion

Gender differences

Exist but are not great

Gender Differences in Classroom Behavior

Boys Speak in class more often Receive more

disapproval and blame Receive more animated

feedback Receive coaching Receive encouragement

in academic striving and accomplishment

Girls Speak less in class Tend to be punished

more promptly for aggressive behavior

Receive blander feedback

Receive complex task completion

Receive encouragement in grooming and manners

Developmental Differences

Psychosocial Development/Self-esteem

Cognitive Development Moral Development

Facilitating Development Children should not be shamed Provide children with activities that foster

initiative without censoring questions Present elementary school students with

tasks they can accomplish, rewarding efforts Encourage secondary students to accept

themselves, their appearance and sex roles, and explore and confirm their occupational choice

Allow young children more free play and guided experimentation

Cognitive Development

Piaget’s Stages of Development

Sensorimotor Stage Preoperational/prelogical Stage Concrete Operational Stage Formal Operational Stage

Moral Development

Morality of constraint Morality of cooperation

Kohlberg’s Levels of Moral Reasoning

Children with Exceptional Needs

Describes children with special physical, social, emotional, and mental qualities

“Least restrictive” or “most inclusive” classroom placement

Individualized Educational Program (IEP)

Learning Style Differences

Conceptual tempo Field-sensitive or Field-independent

learners Convergent/divergent thinking Perceptual modality preferences/ strengths

Learning Ability Differences

Student Aptitude Multiple Intelligences Emotional Intelligence

Student Attention Differences ADD ADHD