Chapter 4 Learning Log

What?
The chapter discusses group differences in regards to cultural and ethnic groups, gender differences, socioeconomic groups, and students at risk. Each of these groups has different characteristics which need to be addressed in order to help students in each succeed. It is important for educators to become familiar with the cultural and ethnic groups differences and keep these differences in perspective. In class, we did an exercise where we looked at pictures of students and made a judgment on what our expectations for each student were. It was interesting in that I looked at facial expressions and body posture to decide if they might be shy, outgoing, or serious; while some others in the class took into account ethnicity. I had not considered the ethnic background in my analysis. As a teacher, I should keep in mind the ethnic background of my students so that in general I might have a better understanding. The final analysis turned out to be that we do have a cultural lens through which we view the world. It was determined that while we need to be aware of group differences and what on average may be a characteristic of a group, we need to treat each student as an individual.

As we also discussed, there are gender differences to take into consideration as well. Although there is very little difference in academics, there remain stereotypical ideas that boys are better in math and science, while girls are better in language arts. The real differences appear in academic motivation, sense of self, relationships, and classroom behaviors. These differences can be accounted for in heredity as well as environment. Dr Cox mentioned that it would be worth our while to video ourselves teaching and see if we treat boys and girls equally. Finally, there is a correlation between socioeconomic status and school performance with students from lower socioeconomic situations performing lower academically. Several risk factors come into play including poor nutrition, inadequate housing, unhealthy social environment, and emotional stress.

So What?
As a future educator, it is important for me to understand there are many group differences. As we live in a culturally diverse world, I need to have an understanding of each of the cultural and ethnic groups that exist in the school community. With a general understanding of these groups, I can begin to better understand my students as individuals. From reading the chapter, I have found that there are many things that I see from my cultural perspective and would not have realized there was a different cultural perspective. An example from the text explained that in some cultures for a child to look an adult in the eye would be showing disrespect. From my perspective, I may have interpreted a child’s unwillingness to look me in the eye as a sight of deception. My lack of cultural understanding would have been a disservice to the child.

Being aware of the gender differences will help me as an educator to provide adequate opportunities for both boys and girls to excel in their education. As mentioned in the text, I must make a concerted effort as I select teaching material to represent both genders in a positive light. Finally, I have the ability to foster resiliency in my students especially those coming from challenging situations. Most importantly, I can provide constancy and strength to my students. I can encourage my students and support them in their endeavors. In addition, I can help identify missing resources through the community to help meet the basic needs of the families in need.

Now What?
I look forward to learning more about cultural differences so that I can better understand and then meet the needs of the students I will one day teach. I realize that I with a greater understanding into other cultures, I will be able to better understand the behaviors my student exhibit. As a future educator, I want to promote a classroom community that welcomes and understands differences. In addition, I hope to be fair in meeting the needs of both the boys and girls I will one day teach. I will make a conscious effort to learn about each child in my classroom and meet their needs so that they will have a positive educational experience in my classroom.