Social Learning Theory
- Essence of Social Learning Theory
- Most behavior is learned!
- Most behavior can be unlearned!
- We learn best from those we love, respect, and admire!
Ethnic Awareness Stages
- Ethnic awareness stage begins around the ages of 3 to 4, when the child’s family members serve as the significant ethnic group model.
- Positive or neutral attitudes towards one’s own ethnic origin are formed depending on the amount of ethnic exposure conveyed by the caretakers.
Causal Stage
Deficit Model vs. Strength Based
- Cultural deficit perspectives focus educational discourse on the problems of school failure, the achievement gap & drop out rates.
- Students coming from poverty are often viewed based on their deficits – rather than the gifts they brought to learning.
- Social scientists and educators tended to look at cultural deficits and depravation.
- Researchers attempted to look for genetic inferiority, & state education agencies highlighted the failure of urban schools and urban educators.
- Low expectations led to inferior curriculum and assessment programs in many schools.
- Educators must look for the gifts each student brings to the classroom! (Bonnie Bernard 1996-97)
Culture and Poverty
- We need to look at culture first and then the circumstances of children living in poverty.
- If we want to raise learning levels, we must first know the culture from which the students come.
- We must know how that culture learns, the values it places on education & and how within the culture motivation is triggered.
Culture of Learning
- Students who are members of sub-groups present at school with different experiences in: culture, values, priorities, and socioeconomic conditions.
- Successful engagement will necessitate this understanding.
- This fact will have an impact on the instructional model of: context, content & product, and process.
Case Study – Little Mike
Mike is a 3rd grade African American. Mike has been struggling with math, he just doesn’t interested in learning and consequently he has fallen behind the rest of his classmates. You also notice that Mike is often defensive about his lack of math knowledge, he appears to be angry most of the school day – in fact he has disrupted the learning environment to the point he was sent to the principals office for discipline. As his teacher you are concerned about Mike’s lack of progress in math, as well as his behavior problems – you speak with Mike about these issues and he discloses that math is not important and that both his parents are alcoholics. What do you do?
Identify Mike’s strengths!
- Praise him publicly when appropriate!
- Investigate his background – if possible!
- Determine what family and social supports he has – if any!
- Most importantly try to develop a relationship with Mike!!!!!