Disproportionality Main Page

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Models and Classroom Instruction
   --EBASS
   --PAM
   --SPARK
   --TAT

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Models

The following programs represent some of the most recent information available for dealing with disproportionality. Although some are research-based and others are promising practices, we are not suggesting that these programs will work for every situation. Nor do we claim that this is an exhaustive list of effective models or instructional practices. We do suggest, however, that careful consideration be given to the factors involved in individual situations and offer these models and promising practices as possible solutions.

Ecobehavioral Assessment Systems Software (EBASS)

Prereferral Assessment Model (PAM)

Skills Promoted through Arts, Reading, and Knowledge (SPARK)

Teacher Assistance Teams (TAT)

Classroom Instruction

Culturally appropriate pedagogy is a theoretical education framework that attempts to integrate the culture of different racial and ethnic groups into the overall academic program. The model is based on the theory that cultural context has a significant impact on learning. The major tenets of culturally appropriate pedagogy can also be found in the literature under other names, such as culturally responsible pedagogy, culturally relevant pedagogy, and culturally responsive pedagogy. Each of these theories is born from the idea that a child can have a richer educational experience if the curriculum includes multiple cultures and represents multiple perspectives.

Several researchers have advanced theories regarding culturally appropriate pedagogy. Huber and Parscal (1990) posited that in a truly culturally responsive model, the curriculum, instructional methodology, and pedagogy arise from teachers' working knowledge in the following areas: identifying cultures, understanding how culture and context affect learning, and being cognizant of the presence and power of individual and home cultures. Hollins (1990) identified a culturally sensitive model that incorporates prior knowledge as a characteristic of successful urban school programs. This model uses culturally and socially acquired prior knowledge as an intermediary for integrating new information more efficiently. Closely related to these ideas are the fundamentals of multicultural education. Ideally, multicultural education reflects the social realities of both macro and micro cultures. It incorporates concepts such as cultural diversity, human and civil rights, racial and gender equity, and alternative life choices (Banks, 1986; Colnick & Chinn, 1986). Further, a culturally appropriate pedagogy presumes a constructivist philosophy of education. This theory purports that a learner constructs knowledge on the basis of an active interaction between new information and the learner's prior knowledge and experience. Teaching in a culturally appropriate manner employs the student's experience as a conduit for knowledge. This approach also presumes that these experiences facilitate learning and are integral components of the learning process.

Culturally Responsive Curriculum
http://ericcass.uncg.edu/virtuallib/diversity/1042.html

Examples of culturally appropriate pedagogy:
A Culturally Relevant Lesson for African-American Students
http://www.newhorizons.org/mult_hanley2.html

Multicultural Science Education: Myths, Legends, and Moon Phases
http://www.newhorizons.org/mult_freed.html

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