EXCEPTIONAL AND CULTURALLY DIFFERENT APPROACH This approach attempts to assist exceptional and culturally different students to acquire the knowledge and skills expected of the so-called average white middle-class student.

GOALS To equip students with the cognitive skills, concepts, information, language, and values traditionally required by U.S. society, and eventually to enable them to obtain a job and to function well within the existing institutions and culture of the nation.

APPLICATION Teachers begin using this approach by first determining the achievement levels of the students, comparing their achievement to grade level norms, then working to help those who are behind to catch up.

Human Capital Theory  Education is an investment l Students acquire skill & knowledge l Earn more money by getting better job  Poor are poor because they never developed the capital l Poor do not have access to quality education

DEFICIENCY ORIENTATION “The deficiency orientation focuses on what we believe members of another group lack, usually based on a comparison to the abilities and cultural resources we have and with which we are familiar.”

DEFICIENCY ORIENTATION Lack of proper educational exposure Language not “advanced” enough to allow learning to take place Lack of moral stability and integrity

DIFFERENCE ORIENTATION “Rather than focusing on deficiencies that need to be remediated, advocates of the difference orientation focus on strengths to build on so as to help children assimilate into the American mainstream.”

DIFFERENCE ORIENTATION Differences between cultural groups can cause problems between home and school Schools need to provide cultural continuity for students Learning styles need to be considered Use of L1 to assist in early stages Gender differences come into play

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION: Learning Styles  Information Processing  Multiple Intelligences  Learning Styles

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION: Background Knowledge and Experiences  Culture  Family Structure  Personal and Group History  Individual Identity

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION: Skill Level  Classroom, school, state literacy standards  Classroom, school, state academic content standards

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION: LANGUAGE Issues:  Bilingualism  Use of nonstandard dialects  Code switching

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION: Cultural (Human) Capital “Some types of knowledge bring a greater return in our society than do other types of knowledge.” P. 16

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION: Motivation  Positive Reinforcement  Understanding the Task  Expectation of Success  Achievement of Success

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION: Home and Community  Parents’ goals for their children’s education  School/home communications  Assistance to parents

SUPPORT SERVICES  Special Education  Transitional Bilingual Education  English as a Second Language  Other remedial programs

This information from: Grant and Sleeter. Turning on Learning. Second Edition. Merrill. Grant and Sleeter. Making Choices for Multicultural Education. Third Edition. Merrill.