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Chapter 3: Who Are Todays Students in a Diverse Society?

STUDY GUIDECHAPTER 3: WHO ARE TODAYS STUDENTS IN A

DIVERSE SOCIETY?
Completing this study guide will help you prepare for the major topic areas on an exam; however, it
does not cover every piece of information found in the chapter or the test questions.
1.

List at least four different categories of student diversity in the classroom.

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

Self-actualization

Esteem

Belonging

Safety

Physiological

(Satisfying student before they are able to learn (bottom up))

Racial, ethnic, and cultural background

Language

Academic abilities, achievements, and learning styles

Diverse needs

Gender

Sexual orientation

Socioeconomic background

2.

Define cultural pluralism.

Cultural pluralism:

Each subculture maintains its own individuality

Seeks healthy interaction among diverse groups

Assimilation:

3.

Members of subcultures expected to learn American customs

According to Glassers choice theory, what are an individuals basic needs?

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Chapter 3: Who Are Todays Students in a Diverse Society?

4.

What are the eight areas in Gardners multiple intelligences?

Verbal/Linguistic

Spatial

Musical

Intrapersonal

Tentative identification of a ninth intelligence (existential that Gardener is currently trying to

validate )

Logical-mathematical

Bodily-kinesthetic

Interpersonal

Naturalist

5.

List and give a one-sentence description of each of the four basic learning styles.

Visual-seeing

Auditory-hearing

Kinesthetic-moving

Tactile-touching

6.

Describe PL94-142 and IDEA, and their major provisions.

Six Principles of Special Education:

Free appropriate public education

Appropriate evaluation

Individualized Education Program (IEP)

Least restrictive environment

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Chapter 3: Who Are Todays Students in a Diverse Society?

Parent and student participation in decision making

Procedural safeguards

7.

34

Distinguish between the practices of inclusion and mainstreaming.

Inclusion:

Students in regular school and classroom as much as possible

Brings services to the child in the classroom

Mainstreaming:

Students with disabilities in general education classrooms for at least part of the day

Additional classes services as needed

8.

Why is adjusting instruction for culturally and economically diverse students a special challenge
for most teachers?
Adjusting instruction for culturally and economically diverse students in a special challenge for
most teachers because you have to accommodate for not only one particular student but
multiple.

9.

List some considerations related to gender that classroom teachers should be aware of. What
classroom interventions might be useful to eliminate some of the ongoing examples of gender bias
in classrooms?

Have high expectations for all students, boys and girls

Organize classroom, technology schedules so students dont segregate or monopolize by sex

Avoid biased instructional materials

Examine and address, if needed , the frequency with which students are called on and the kind
of responses teacher provide

Eliminate sex-stereotyped assignments & tasks

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Chapter 3: Who Are Todays Students in a Diverse Society?

Structure learning to give girls equal opportunity to participate

Model sex-equitable behaviors

10. What are some things that teachers can do to make the classroom safer for all students, especially
gay and lesbian students?

Establish classroom guidelines against name-calling

Respect different points of view

Make no assumptions about students families or their sexual orientation

Be a role model treat all students with respect and dignity

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Chapter 3: Who Are Todays Students in a Diverse Society?

36

Reflective Papers
Choose one of the following topics to write a reflective paper (25 pages). The purpose of the paper is
to help you assimilate new knowledge by blending it with your previous knowledge and experiences.
1.

After completing a learning style inventory, how do you feel about the results? How accurate do
you feel the inventory was in describing you? Did you learn anything about yourself that rang
true, although you may not have realized it before? Based on your learning style, which methods
of learning are most comfortable for you? Do teachers take that into account?

2.

Consider your position on full inclusion of special needs students in the classroom. How would
you feel about it as a regular classroom teacher? What particular challenges do you imagine that
managing such an environment would present to you?

3.

Write a gender autobiography of education. Indicate whether you are male or female and then
write your recollections of growing up (especially education experiences) related to gender. For
example, were you ever told you could not play a certain instrument in band? Were there
differences in your physical education or athletic experience depending on whether you were male
or female? How did guidance counselors help you decide what career you were suited for? Reflect
on this autobiography in terms of what it says about differences in education for males and
females. What changes would have improved education for your sex/gender?

Journal Reflections
Suggestions for journal topics for students selection:
1.

As a student, have your peers/classmates had any disabilities. How did you and the teacher relate
to students with these disabilities?

2.

Which type of disability would you find most challenging to adapt to (as a teacher)? What can you
do to prepare for this?

3.

Which area of Howard Gardners multiple intelligences do you feel is your area of strength?
Explain why, and give an example.

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Chapter 3: Who Are Todays Students in a Diverse Society?

Swassing-Barbe Checklist Of Observable Modality Strength Characteristics

AreaObserved Visual

Auditory

Kinesthetic

Learning Style

Learns by seeing; watching

demonstrations
Likes description; sometimes
stops reading to stare into space
and imagine scene; intense
concentration
Recognizes words by sight;
relies on configuration of words

Learns through verbal instructions

from others or self
Enjoys dialogue, plays; avoids
lengthy description, unaware of
illustrations; moves lips or
subvocalizes
Uses a phonics approach; has
auditory word attack skills

Tends to be good, particularly

when young; spacing and size
are good; appearance is
important
Remembers faces, forgets
names; writes things down,
takes notes
Vivid imagination; thinks in
pictures, visualizes in detail

Has more difficulty learning in

initial stages; tends to write
lightly; says strokes when writing

Generally unaware of sounds;

distracted by visual disorder or
movement
Deliberate; plans in advance;
organizes thoughts by writing
them; lists problems

Easily distracted by sounds

Response to Periods
of Inactivity
Response to New
Situations
Emotionality

Stares; doodles; finds something

to watch
Looks around; examines
structure
Somewhat repressed; stares
when angry; cries easily, beams
when happy; facial expression is
a good index of emotion

Hums; talks to self or to others

Communication

Quiet; does not talk at length;

becomes impatient when
extensive listening is required;
may use words clumsily;
describes without
embellishment; uses words such
as see, look, etc.
Neat, meticulous, likes order;
may choose not to vary
appearance
Not particularly responsive to
music; prefers the visual arts;
tends not to voice appreciation
of art of any kind, but can be
deeply affected by visual
displays; focuses on details and
components rather than the
work as a whole

Enjoys listening but cannot wait to

talk; descriptions are long but
repetitive; likes hearing self and
others talk; uses words such as
listen, hear, etc.

Learns by doing; direct

involvement
Prefers stories where action
occurs early; fidgets when
reading, handles books; not an
avid reader
Often a poor speller; writes
words to determine if they
feel right
Good initially, deteriorates
when space becomes smaller;
pushes harder on writing
instrument
Remembers best what was
done, not what was seen or
talked about
Imagery not important;
images that do occur are
accompanied by movement
Not attentive to visual,
auditory presentation so
seems distractible
Attacks problems physically;
impulsive; often selects
solution involving greatest
activity
Fidgets; finds reasons to
move; holds up hand
Tries things out; touches,
feels; manipulates
Jumps for joy; hugs, tugs, and
pulls when happy; stamps,
jumps, and pounds when
angry, stomps off; general
body tone is a good index of
emotion
Gestures when speaking; does
not listen well; stands close
when speaking or listening;
quickly loses interest in
detailed verbal discourse; uses
words such as get, take, etc.

Reading

Spelling
Handwriting

Memory
Imagery
Distractibility
Problem Solving

General
Appearance
Response to the
Arts

Remembers names, forgets faces;

remembers by auditory repetition
Subvocalizes, thinks in sounds;
details less important

Talks problems out, tries solutions

verbally, subvocally; talks self
through problem

Talks about situation, pros and

cons, what to do
Shouts with joy or anger; blows up
verbally but soon calms down;
expresses emotion verbally and
through changes in tone, volume,
pitch of voice

Matching clothes not so important,

can explain choices of clothes

Neat but soon becomes

wrinkled through activity

Favors music; finds less appeal in

visual art, but is readily able to
discuss it; misses significant detail,
but appreciates the work as a
whole; is able to develop verbal
association for all art forms;
spends more time talking about
pieces than looking at them

Responds to music by
physical movement; prefers
sculpture; touches statues and
paintings; at exhibits stops
only at those in which he or
she can become physically
involved; comments very little
on any art form

From Teaching Through Modality Strengths: Concepts and Practices by Walter B. Barbe, Ph.D. and
Raymond H. Swassing, Ed.D., with Michael N. Milone, Jr., Ph.D. Used with permission of ZanerBloser, Inc.

Copyright Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.