Student Diversity: Development, Ability, and Exceptionalities EDUC 1010- Chapter 5

Ability Differences

Intelligence Capacity to: 1) acquire and use knowledge, 2) solve problems, 3) reason in the abstract Influenced by both heredity & environment Once considered a singular trait; now thought of as multi-dimensional

Multiple Intelligences Gardner’s theory: Suggests that intelligence is not unitary but multidimensional Suggests that classrooms should attempt to develop different kinds of intelligence While accepted by teachers, is controversial because of a lack of a firm research base

Gardner’s Dimensions of Intelligence Linguistic intelligence: a sensitivity to the meaning and order of words. Logical-mathematical intelligence: ability in mathematics and other complex logical systems. Musical intelligence: the ability to understand and create music. Musicians, composers and dancers show a heightened musical intelligence. Spatial intelligence: the ability to "think in pictures," to perceive the visual world accurately, and recreate (or alter) it in the mind or on paper. Spatial intelligence is highly developed in artists, architects, designers and sculptors.

Gardner’s Dimensions of Intelligence Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence: the ability to use one's body in a skilled way, for self-expression or toward a goal. Mimes, dancers, basketball players, and actors are among those who display bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Interpersonal intelligence: an ability to perceive and understand other individuals -- their moods, desires, and motivations. Political and religious leaders, skilled parents and teachers, and therapists use this intelligence. Intrapersonal intelligence: an understanding of one's own emotions. Some novelists and or counselors use their own experience to guide others. Naturalist intelligence: an ability to recognize similarities and differences in the natural world

Responses to Differences in Ability Ability Grouping Places students of similar aptitude and achievement together for instruction Between-class ability grouping divides students for all subjects. Within-class ability grouping divides students only in certain subjects, such as math and reading. Tracking At the secondary level, divides students across the curriculum.

Learning Styles Describes students’ personal approaches to learning Popular with educators, viewed skeptically by researchers, and difficult to implement Suggests we should develop metacognition — students’ awareness of how they learn most effectively What is your dominant learning style?

Students with Exceptionalities Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Passed in 1975 Guarantees a free, appropriate, public education (FAPE) for all students with exceptionalities Mainstreaming: moves students from segregated settings into the regular classroom

Students with Exceptionalities (continued) Inclusion: more recent and more comprehensive approach, advocates a total, systematic, and coordinated school-wide system of services Least restrictive environment (LRE): places students in as normal an education setting as possible Individualized Education Program (IEP): individually prescribed instructional plan created and implemented by multiple stakeholders

Categories of Disabilities under IDEA Specific learning disability Communication disorder Intellectual disability Emotional (behavioral) disturbance Other health impaired Autism Multiple disabilities Hearing impairment Orthopedic impairment Developmental delay Visual impairment Traumatic brain injury Deaf-blindness

Sample Individualized Education Program

Students who are Gifted and Talented Students who are at the upper end of the ability continuum who need special services to reach their full potential. Controversy about Gifted and Talented programs in the era of NCLB

Exceptionalities: Implications for Teachers Collaboration: working with other educational professionals to create an optimal learning environment for students with exceptionalities Your role: Aid in identification process Collaborate on IEPs Adapt instruction Maintain communication

Piaget’s Stages of Moral Development External Morality Rules are fixed, permanent and enforced by authority figure. Lasts until about age 10 Can be reinforced by authoritarian parenting Autonomous Morality Rational idea of fairness and justice, viewed as a reciprocal process of treating others, similar to the Golden Rule Internal control of morality Developed through modeling, freedom, and responsibility

Categories of Disabilities under IDEA Specific learning disability Communication disorder Intellectual disability Emotional (behavioral) disturbance Other health impaired Autism Multiple disabilities Hearing impairment Orthopedic impairment Developmental delay Visual impairment Traumatic brain injury Deaf-blindness

Cheating Between 75 and 90% of high school students admitted to cheating. Influenced by moral development as well as situational factors Often connected to technology use

Diversity in Utah Schools