RACE, CLASS, GENDER & DISABILITY IN THE CLASSROOM By Angela Bosch & Jill Soldatke

Immigration Immigration growth is continuing just as it has all along in our history. Immigrants are going to school but the their test scores are lower than others. Some factors include the bad economy they endure

Women and disabled people Women and minorities are holding more professional jobs but it is not accurate in terms of our population People with disabilities are not getting equal educational opportunities

Scholarships and testing Ethnicity scholarships are being granted but they are often mandated by the schools Are there being enough teacher preparation for these kinds of programs? Certain testing is also holding people back

What should the focus of schooling be? Should we be focusing our schooling on preparation or citizenship? Preservice teachers? PTs love kids; they loved their high school experience & want to duplicate it. Or, they hated their h.s. experience & want to correct it. Or, education is a default major for a career goal that didn’t work out. “I get summers off.”

Why should we care? These issues inform us who we are As professional educators we must be aware of all dynamics of teaching and of people Different approaches to our teaching styles

Multicultural education & Social Reconstructivism Multicultural education is designed to result in educational equity for all learners Social reconstructivism is a more critical instructional approach which confronts society’s structural inequalities.

What Can We Do? Modify Grouping Practices Try not to group by ability for this may discourage the children’s desire to learn and achieve.

Cont… Be Aware of Your Own Perspectives If you’re not you could offend someone.

Cont… Avoid Favoritism In The Classroom When you begin teaching, you will have better relationships with some than you will with others. Students feel they need to be treated equally. Therefore when students misbehave, no matter who the student, they all must be treated the same.

Commit To The Idea That All Can Learn If we assume that all kids can learn, no matter their ethnic and culture group, it is likely then that their learning performance will increase. ENCOURAGE ALL STUDENTS!!!