In a course, Strategies to Close the Achievement Gap, that my colleague, Elli Stern, and I teach, we ask participants
(teachers, counselors, administrators, tutors, nurses, etc.) to get into
a group and "become the expert" on an article that we have assigned for
homework. To this end, we then ask the group to construct a graphic
organizer, mnemonic, or other visual aid to help "teach" the other
groups about the article.
Delpit asks if we are viewing students through a deficit model. Schools are moving towards the idea that one of the major roles of education is to teach problem solving. However, we discount the real life everyday problem solving that many urban school children engage in on a daily basis such as caring for a younger sibling or starting dinner before mom gets home from work.
Lucy Delpit’s book, Multiplication is for
White People: Raising Expectations for Other People’s Children, asserts that “African American children are
gifted and brilliant.” They come from communities rich in tradition and
experiences. Yet when they arrive at school, too often, we view their ability
through the lens of our own cultural experience and they come up lacking. Delpit asks if we are viewing students through a deficit model. Schools are moving towards the idea that one of the major roles of education is to teach problem solving. However, we discount the real life everyday problem solving that many urban school children engage in on a daily basis such as caring for a younger sibling or starting dinner before mom gets home from work.
