Who Are Today’s Students?
Welcome to the Diversity Inigma!
Cultural Diversity
• Cultural Pluralism
• “Melting Pot” philosophy
• By the year 2010, the four states of
California, Texas, New York, and Florida
will have more than one-third of the
nation’s young people
• Youth population will be > 52 percent
minority
Diverse needs
• Students from
different family
patterns
• Glasser’s fundamental
needs:
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Survival
Love and belonging
Power
Freedom
Fun
Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy
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Self-actualization Needs
Aesthetic Needs
Need to know and understand
Esteem needs
Belongness and Love needs
Safety Needs
Physiological Needs
Multiple Intelligences
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Linguistic
Musical
Logical-mathematical
Spatial
Bodily-kinesthetic
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
Learning Styles
• Visual
• Auditory
• Kinesthetic-Tactile
Students with Disabilities
• Mentally retarded
• Learning Disabled
• Orthopedically
impaired
• Emotionally Disturbed
• Hearing Impaired
• Visually Impaired
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Speech
Traumatic head injury
Autistic
Other health impaired
Multiply impaired
Giftedness
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“Gifted and talented” or simply gifted?
Acceleration
Enrichment
Acceleration includes grade skipping,
advanced placement tests, early college
admission
• Enrichment can include learning centers,
learning contracts, learning packets,
mentors, community resources
Characteristics of Social Classes
• Source: Macionis, J. J., (1991). Sociology,
3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: PrenticeHall. Pp. 262-264.
Upper class
• Income is $100, 000 +
• Occupations are
corporate,
professional, family
money
• Education=prestigious
colleges and
professional schools
• Political power at all
levels
• Homeownership=at
least one home
• Health coverage is full
• Full access to
community resources
• Neighborhoods are
exclusive or
comfortable
• Send children to
college easily
Middle class
• $40, 000 - $100,000
income
• White-collar or skilled
blue collar
occupations
• Education is high
school, college, or
professional school
• Usually own home
• Health coverage is
usually full
• Access to most
community services
• Comfortable
neighborhoods
• Usually can send
children to college
• P. Power is state or
local
Working class
• Income $12,000 to
$40,000
• Blue-collar jobs
• Education is high
school
• About 1/2 own a home
• Limited health
coverage
• Some access to
community resources
• Modest neighborhoods
• Seldom have ability to
send children to
college
• Limited political
power
Lower class
• Income less than $12,
000 in 1991 dollars
• Jobs are minimum
wage unskilled labor
• Education is high
school or less
• No home ownership
• No health coverage
• Little access to
community resources
• Deteriorating
neighborhoods
• No ability to send
children to college
• No significant political
power
Cultural differences
• Color: the main color difference in the
United States is GREEN
• Socio-economic status predicts much more
in terms of student achievement than skin
color)
Other noticeable cultural
differences
• Perception of time-time’s importance,
punctuality, wasting
time, keeping time
• Visiting distance--12
inches or 4 feet?
• Treatment of those
who are older--sages
or more experienced
buddies?
Other cultural differences (2)
• Differences in
literalness or idiomatic
speech. How much
deep structure?
• Self determination-self determined or
fatalistic?
• Attitudes towards
exceptionalities
• Treatment of women
Bilingual Education
• Transitional model is associated with
traditional bilingual instruction
• Immersion model features a bilingual
teacher but English-only is spoken
• Submersion model is “sink-or-swim”
English
Inclusion
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Least restrictive environment
Mainstreaming
Regular Education Initiative
Inclusion
Full Inclusion
Teachers, then, today will need to
accommodate a variety of learning
styles and capabilities. This will be
necessary for the schools to accomplish
their mission.