Source: Snowman, Jack, Rick McCown, and Robert Biehler. Psychology Applied to Teaching. 12th. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2009.
Chapter 5: Addressing Cultural and Socioeconomic Diversity The Rise of Multiculturalism -Cultural pluralism assumes that: a society should strive to maintain the different cultures residing within it, each culture within a society should be respected by others, and individuals within a society have the right to participate in all aspects of that society without having to give up their cultural identity. -The U.S. is becoming more culturally diverse due to changes in immigration and in birth rate. Ethnicity and Social Class -Ethnic group members differ in verbal and nonverbal communication patterns. -Ethnic group members may hold different values. -Ethnic group members may favor different learning arrangements and processes. -Poverty rates are higher for ethnic families of color than for Whites. -Minority children often score lower on tests and drop out of school sooner than White children. -The achievement gap between low-SES minority students and White students are due to living conditions, family environment, characteristics of the student, and classroom environment. -Low-SES children are more likely to live in stressful environments that interfere with studying. -Classroom atmosphere and teachers' approaches are connected with achievement levels of low-SES students. -Teacher expectancy has a limited effect on IQ scores, but it has a strong effect on achievement and on participation. -Teacher expectancies are influenced by social class, ethnic background, achievement, attractiveness, and gender. Multicultural Education Programs -Multicultural education can be approached in different ways. -Multicultural programs aim to promote respect for diversity, reduction of ethnocentrism and stereotypes, and improved learning. -Peer tutoring improves achievement. -Cooperative learning fosters a better understanding among ethnically diverse students. Bilingual Education -Transition programs focus on a rapid shift to English proficiency. -Maintenance programs focus on maintaining a student's native-language competence. -Bilingual education programs produce moderate learning gains.
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