Barriers to Learning in the Educational System

This unit has focused on barriers to learning that arise within the educational system and tend to obstruct successful learning. Some examples include:

• Educational practices that fail to make accommodations for students with cognitive or physical disabilities
• Negative stereotypes toward students
• Curriculum expectations which do not provide the same opportunities for students of different socio-economic backgrounds

Barriers are often embedded within the policies of a school or within the long-held practices of the teacher’s methods.

In your reflection, think about your personal educational history. Did you experience any barriers to your education? If you did not personally experience a memorable encounter with any barriers, can you remember any classmates who did? What was the experience like?

In what way was your educational experience influenced by this barrier. Include details about whether or not accommodations were made or if there were efforts to redress the barrier. How might this experience better inform your empathy for different student experiences?

1. Steele, C. M. (1997, June). A threat in the air: How stereotypes shape intellectual identity and performance. Retrieved from

http://users.nber.org/~sewp/events/2005.01.14/Bios+Links/Krieger-rec5-Steele_Threat-in-the-Air.pdf

Claude Steele is a leading expert on the effects of stereotype threat. In this article, Steele explains the dangerous effects of stereotype threat and explores the ways in which these judgments perpetuate barriers that unfairly disadvantage women and African-Americans. Steel’s research examines the decline in academic performance among different classroom settings. The reading is approximately 17 pages.

2. Interventions Handout (n.d.). Empirically validated strategies to reduce stereotype threat. Retrieved from

https://ed.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/interventionshandout.pdf

Summarizing large bodies of research, this document provides quick teacher strategies that can help prevent stereotype threat in the classroom. Each strategy is supported by a peer-reviewed journal article. Approximately 1 page.

3. Light, D. (2012). Rebuilding for learning: Assessing barriers to learning and teaching, and re-engaging students. Retrieved from

https://www.isbe.net/Documents/rebuilding-case-study.pdf

This document is a case study that follows the challenges of a specific school district in Georgia, USA. The case study documents how one district coordinated efforts to address barriers to learning and teaching. The major factors addressed in the document include barriers such as dropout rates, disparities among different socio-economic backgrounds, racial and ethnic achievement gaps, and immigrant populations. Approximately 34 pages.

4. Kent Intermediate School District (n.d.). Classroom adaptations: Creating a climate of success. Retrieved from

https://www.trimesters.org/uploads/3/4/7/1/34719762/classroomadaptations.pdf

As teachers come to understand the various barriers to student learning, this document provides examples of adaptations for teachers and suggestions of modifications that can accommodate different student needs. The document also includes considerations for students with learning challenges. Approximately 28 pages.