Culture in School Learning Revealing the Deep Meaning
Second Edition


Foreword xi
Herbert Kohl
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xix
1 The Centrality of Culture and Social Ideology in School Learning 1
Focus Questions 1
Introduction 1
Social Ideology and Diversity 2
Learning to Teach, Teaching, and Contemporary Social Ideology 5
Teachers’ Perspectives on Culture, Learning, and Ideology 7
Chapter Summary 14
Suggested Learning Experiences 15
Critical Reading 15
2 The Deep Meaning of Culture 17
Focus Questions 17
Introduction 17
Defining Culture 18
Culture in the United States 19
School Practices Reflect Cultural Norms 33
Other Ways of Revealing the Deep Meaning of Culture 34
Chapter Summary 35
Suggested Learning Experiences 36
Critical Reading 36
vii
3 Personalizing Cultural Diversity 37
Focus Questions 37
Introduction 37
The Importance of Personal Awareness 38
Classifying and Labeling People 39
Euro-American Racial Identity 40
Depolarizing Racial Identity 42
E Pluribus Unum (One Out of Many) 49
Chapter Summary 57
Suggested Learning Experiences 58
Critical Reading 58
4 Learning About Diverse Populations of Students 59
Focus Questions 59
Introduction 59
The Ethics of Data Collection 61
Organizing for Data Collection 62
Strategies for Data Collection 63
Formulating Questions That Reveal the Big Picture 66
Collecting Data on Students 70
Data Analysis 81
Chapter Summary 83
Suggested Learning Experiences 83
Critical Reading 84
5 Reframing the Curriculum 85
Focus Questions 85
Introduction 85
The Existing School Curriculum 86
Curriculum for Culturally Diverse Populations 93
A Framework for Organizing Curriculum for Equitable Access to Learning 97
Curriculum Validation 105
Chapter Summary 106
Suggested Learning Experiences 107
Critical Reading 107
6 Redesigning Instruction 109
Focus Questions 109
Introduction 109
Explaining School Failure 110
Meaningful Learning in Elementary Schools 114
Meaningful Learning in Secondary Schools 119
Creating a Supportive Context for Learning 124
viii • Contents
Chapter Summary 131
Suggested Learning Experiences 132
Critical Reading 133
7 A Framework for Understanding Cultural Diversity in the
Classroom 135
Focus Questions 135
Introduction 135
The Culture of Practice in a Low-Performing School 136
Understanding Cultural Diversity in the Classroom 139
Culturally Mediated Cognition 140
Linking Culture and Information Processing 142
Linking Culture, Information Processing, and Instruction 147
Chapter Summary 159
Suggested Learning Experiences 159
Critical Reading 160
8 Transforming Professional Practice 161
Focus Questions 161
Introduction 161
Approaches to Transforming Professional Practice 162
Monitoring Personal Professional Growth 170
Chapter Summary 177
Suggested Learning Experiences 177
Critical Reading 178
References 179
Author Index 189
Subject Index 193