ERIC ED446188: Dynamics of Deprivation and Educational Implications: Some Hypotheses and Impressions. An Interdisciplinary Sensorium Report. Revised.

68 Pages·1999·0.98 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 446 188
UD 033 817
AUTHOR
Singh, S. P.
TITLE
Dynamics of Deprivation and Educational Implications: Some
Hypotheses and Impressions. An Interdisciplinary Sensorium
Report. Revised.
SPONS AGENCY
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Washington,
DC
PUB DATE
1999-00-00
NOTE
67p.; For the original report, see ED 117 255.
CONTRACT
OEG-0-70-1816 (7251)
PUB TYPE
Collected Works
Proceedings (021)
Reports - Descriptive
(141)
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
Child Development; Conference Proceedings; *Disadvantaged
Youth; Elementary Secondary Education; Grouping
(Instructional Purposes); Labeling (of Persons); *Learning;
Linguistics; *School Role
ABSTRACT
This document is a revised report on a "sensorium" organized
in 1974 to encourage participants to sense and feel the effects of
deprivation on disadvantaged people, with a focus on students in elementary
and secondary schools and on educators involved in educational reform
efforts. The interdisciplinary gathering gave professionals a chance to
sense, as well as discuss, issues of deprivation among students. Conference
participants representing various disciplines explored how they defined and
assessed problems of deprivation and disadvantage. It was hypothesized that
the syndrome of deprivation and disadvantage is universal, with stylistic
features that deprived people display universally. Among the topics discussed
in the wide ranging sessions were questions of creativity, culture,
communication, what it means to be disadvantaged, theories of learning, and
issues related to educational equity. (Contains 54 references.)
(SLD)
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
Dynamics of DePrivation and Educational Implications
Some HypotheseS and Impressions
Sensorium Report
An Interdisciplinary
COntract No OEG 0-70-1816 (7251)
S.'P.Singh, Ed.D., FPPR
with BEPD, Office
conducted pursuant to a training contract
The Study reported herein was
undertaking
Health, Education and Welfare. Contractors
of Education; .U.S.' Department of
their
.sponsorship are encouraged,to expreis freely
such prOjects under the ,Government
Stated,dO not,
the project. Point of view or opinions
professional judgments in the conduct of
Office of Education position or policy
therefore, necessarily represent official
College of Education
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Florida
University of South
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
This document has been reproduced as
',Tampa,
received from the person or organization
originating it.
Minor changes have been made to
ReViSd
improve reproduction quality.
Points of view or opinions stated in this
document do not necessarily represent
1999
official OERI position or policy.
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Multidimensional,
An Interdisciplinary Multiphasic,
Multidirectional Sensorium
Dynamics of Deprivation and Disadvantagment
2
Content
Page
5
1. The Preface and Introductory Remarks
10
Contributors
2.
12
Issues Discussed
3.
13
4. General Format
14
General Recommendations
5.
16
Some Unanswered Questions
6.
17
Hypotheses
7.
18
General Procedures
8.
19
Operational Definitions
9.
20
10. Sensorium Day One
25
11. Sensorium Day Two
25
Morning Session # 1
27
Morning Session # 2
28
Morning Session # 3
29
Afternoon Session # 1
31
Afternoon Session # 2
33
Afternoon Session # 3
34
Afternoon Session # 4
35
Evening Session
12. Sensorium Day Three Concluding Impressions
37
Dr. Harry Passow
40
Mr. Erskin Caldwell
42
Dr. Herbert Aurback
45
Dr. Charles Keith
47
Dr. Raymond Patouillet
49
Dr. Fred Gearing
53
Dr. Edward Fagan
Page
56
Selected Points of Views
13.
56
Child in the School
56
Classroom Behavioral Expectations
56
Creativity
56
Culture
57
Community Control
57
Communication
57
Disadvataged
59
Acceptance
59
Equality and Opportunity
59
Grading
59
Environment and Learning
59
Guidance
.60
Learning
60
Linguistics
61
Parent Teacher Relationships
61
Power
61
School as a Community Agency
61
Teacher Self-Training
Relationship of Teacher, Child, and
62
Social Groups are Interdependent
62
Teaching Styles
62
GRE
Refrences
14.
4
The Preface and Introductory Remarks
The study of deprivation has been limited to laboratories or
famine stricken areas.
specialized context such as the orphanages, drought or
fields of inquiries, and
The study of deprivation to study our own self, our own
of our lives was the
the institutional deprivation permeating in all spheres
multidimensional, multidirectional sensorium. A
purpose of the mutiphasic,
condition
change of venue was proposed from the study of a group or a
deprivation as a condition
occurring in a specialized context to study the
knowledge, a person has. The
affecting everyone no matter what status, wealth,
itself. A disease of a worse
deprivation is a condition permeating the humanity
its existence. Therefore,
kind with effect to diminish the humanity or even engulf
feel and interact to understand the nature
a sensorium was organized to sense,
of deprivation manifest in
and the depth of deprivation and its effect. The effects
ethnocentricity,
various forms including symptoms and behaviors such as
fulfillment for each
egocentricity, controlling, subjugating behaviors, to lack of
earth. Deprivation is not a
and every member of the human race on the planet
manifested with its
problem of a few it is a problem of all. A condition that has
around us. Some
devastating effects and continues to manifest its affects all
deprivation with jewels
effected by deprivation live in denial and compensate the
and solace, some build
and power, some create institutions to find the meaning
philosophers and
institutions to control and in it try to find solace, some become
and construct cognitive
dig deep, some become philosophers and built theories,
devastation of deprivation with no help
maps of living maze, some just suffer the
reality a byproduct of
in sight. The sensorium was to feel and study our own
of freedom from
deprivation, evolve the beginning of the concentric circle
The goals of
deprivation from one to all and from all to each and every one.
taken over by the
sensorium were partially fulfilled. The participants were
affecting a group
immediacy of the problem and the devastation of deprivation
deal of time to seek solution
of children in schools. Participants devoted a great
relief. They were successful in
for some possible methods to provide immediate
the first phase of the
making recommendations and with recommendations
to an end. The
multiphasic, multidimensional, mutidirectional, sensorium came
taken over by their
participants went to their respective fields and perhaps were
and living as the second phase of the sensorium
every day demands of existence
has not yet been materialized.
revise and seek funding
The revision of the first phase was under taken to
The revision includes the
to convene the second phase of the sensorium.
major recommendations, and author's
summary of goals, participants'
the author another
impressionistic mumbled imprints. The revision gave
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with
that how easy it is to get side tracked
opportunity to experience the reality
need not
things which could wait from the things
the day to day demands of
devouring
become a reality and has life of its own so
wait. A condition that has
balance the
form of deprivation. A challenge to
and self consuming- a perennial
been
substantive purpose of living has never
demands of existence to the more
an easy one.
(1974)
the original sensorium report
As I began to revise and reflect on
time, I
sensorium that was undertaken at that
and the task of conducting a
task just as relevant, meaningful, and
found the original report and the
the time of their inception. The sensorium
challenging today as they were at
reform:
nation was in need of educational
task was carried out at a time when a
disabled. During
inequities for disadvantaged and
A reform to correct educational
by another educational reform movement.
the phase of revision I was taken over
the current reform movement
The purpose of this review was not to compare
60's and 70's. However, since both
with the reform movement of the
goals to
reform movements and set out with
movements called themselves as
kind or the other, I decided to
reform the educational establishment of one
The task at hand at the previous
insert few words of my own impressions.
of human feelings affected by the
reform was to reach out and touch the core
affective approach. The task of the current
inequities and the deprivation- an
constructivist and deconstructivist
reform movement seems to be more cognitive
around for the power and control in the name
in nature. The leaders are joking
Of course, reform movements are always
of ideals what ever they may be.
economic realities and leaders though
affected by their respective political and
during
the prevailing reality. The challenge
good intentioned get caught up with
to
conceived by the author of this report, was
the previous reform movement, as
behaviorism and the use of cognitive
make attempts to transcend the
rationalizations. Both the behaviorism and
constructivist justifications and
perceived to ease the suffering at best
cognitive constructivists approaches were
psychological and social constrain
and at worse such treatments can cause
for survival to emerge at a later time
leading to conditions such as repression
In other words the treatments in
with severe and debilitating affects.
in inflicting deprivation. Therefore,
themselves might be a cause if not the cause
self inflicted
organized to sense and feel the possible
a sensorium was
and to reflect on what the role of
deprivation acts of humanity on itself,
alleviating the deprivation. A daunting yet
education has been in creating, and in
of sensing the deprivation phenomenon was
challenging non quantifiable task
undertaken.
deprivation, as stated above, in a
The task was not to study the
such as in orphanage. The task to
laboratory or in some specialized context
and
laboratory or in orphanage is important
study the effects of deprivation in a
need to
such research efforts to establish the
I had cited in previous report
to
format for the sensorium was proposed
study deprivation. However, the
understand the
mainstream context as we attempt to
sense, feel, and be in a
deprivation
undertaken was to sense, to feel the
effects of deprivation. The task
reform to
taking the role of the education
phenomena as it affects professionals
disabling effects of deprivation.
alleviate the debilitating and
of deprivation:
A bird's eye view of the nature
educational deprivation, created by
The psychosocial, economical, and
its living.
and compromise
humanity, negatively affects its existence
the
foregoing statement. I have simply taken
There is no profoundness in the
individually
in simple terms. Human beings,
liberty to state and reaffirm a truism
centuries
and suffered deprivation, and for
and collectively, have encountered
either
deprivation on each other. In so doing,
have caused and inflicted/enacted
individual led to believe or had believed
they were as a group or as an
deprivation on others they were doing
otherwise, that is in their acts of causing
nationalism,
ideals as patriotism, religion,
the "right thing" in the name of such
and recent fervor of meritocracy,
ethnic superiority, technocracy, aristocracy,
of
taken over by the so called Mayas'
just to name a few. It is easy to be
science
of philosophies of the art and the
enticing Ideals". There are numbers
"ideals" to inflict and justify the acts
created under the glory of "goodness" and
provide testimonial evidence that social,
of deprivation. Many historical events
deprivations have indeed been
economical, educational, and psychological
and disabled were first to go.
intentionally inflicted on humanity and the weak
fittest
be so professed the survival of the
Of course, that was O.K., and meant to
citations as they are numerous and
doctrine. Such historical events (need no
memories) have, unfortunately,
well recorded in history and in many human
provide bases for a perpetual cycle
provided the bases, and worse continue, to
inflicted
deprivation. Thus, making humanity's self
of deprivation and counter
phenomenon.
deprivation a pervasive and perpetual
a
unitary phenomenon
The dynamic of deprivation causes a
Sometimes deprivation is caused by
phenomenon of loss, bad object, and pain.
deprive others to satisfy
control of power to subjugate and
a group or groups in
of
(pathological) needs. The groups in control
various sociopolitical economic
by inflicting
"non-deprived", benefit over the deprived
power, the so called
The irony is that those who
deprivation by subjugation and ceasing power.
the
deprive themselves of human empathy-
subjugate and deprive others,
and crude and some come disguised
humanity. Some acts of deprivation are raw
"good intention",
the concepts of so-called 'love",
by positive verbiage including
not
love, good intentions, ethical, morals are
"ethics", and "morality". Human
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claimants of good intention,
immune to the act of causing deprivation. Many
deprivation with similar effects
love, ethical, and moral proponents have caused
declare the motives of good
of loss in the same manner as those who do not
deprivation. The condition
intention, love, ethical, and moral "dictum" and inflict
Deprivation is
of deprivation has become the truism of our existence.
has existed on
experienced and inflicted upon everyone who exists or who
planet earth.
psychosocial and
The term deprivation encompasses a complex
for answers to
biological evolutionary history characterized by our search
during a life's journey? What
questions about who we are. What becomes of us
controlled, or deprived by
is the extent to which the human journey is facilitated,
and understandings of who
design? The answer depends on our presumptions,
those
We are, and what defines life. Of most importance, of course, are
life is without deprivation.
presumptions and understandings of what
through
What we know about ourselves is learned to a great extent
schooling, and science. We, human beings,
our civilization, culture, education,
"goodness" and "ideals"
have created institutions committed to acculturate in the
know far less
of civilizations, cultures, education, schooling, and science. We
schooling,
about how deprivation is caused by civilization, culture, education,
in the so called
and science. In comparison to the commitment for acculturation
of commitment
"the goodness" and "the ideals", there is a disproportionate lack
deprivations of human
to study, how societal impingements, rejections, and
justified, by
needs have been constructed, reconstructed, rationalized, and
affecting human
civilization, culture, education, schooling, and scientific milieu
ceremonial acts to
behaviors. A form of denial phenomenon augmented by
self
camouflage the disproportionate lack of commitment to study its own
However, any Society with
inflicted deprivation and pain. Understandable so:
itself of its bad object
its sanctimonious ceremonies can not absolve
characteristics causing and perpetuating deprivation.
in human
One effect of deprivation involves underdeveloped potential
experiences to be
growth and development. Deprivation retards and steals the
insecurity,
experienced. A cycle of deprivation takes its root by breeding
and adversely
immaturity, psychological, social, and economical compromises
becomes incomplete
affecting cognitive and affective living. The state of being
Deprivation undermines and
and potential for being and doing are compromised.
effect, deprivation creates
diminishes the time available for personal growth. In
negative impact on feeling,
the unhealthy being. Deprivation has a
impoverished feeling,
thinking, knowing and relating that results in
leaving a person
thinking, knowing, and relating-creating disconnect,
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psychologically incomplete and unfulfilled. In this manner,
deprivation implies a break in life's continuity.
knowledge, the knower,
A sensorium was organized to explore the
makes us less than what we are
and the known; to sense things around which
being. In all of this, what is
and less than what we could be and far less than a
the role of education.
theory building, or to
The primary goal of sensorium was not the
epistemological dialogue, or to make efforts to
engage in formal ontological,
axiological parameters to perceive the
develop positive logistics, or theoretical
phase, was organized to sense
affects of deprivation. The sensorium, at its first
The following pages reflect
the dynamics of deprivation and disadvantagment.
dedicated group of professionals
the concerned sense and recommendations of a
the history of the United States.
at a troubling and critical cross road in
how
The sensoruium provided the high privileged milieu to sense
define, describe and
professionals representing various disciplines interact,
and disadvantagment. The interaction among
assess the problem of deprivation
presented were logical as
participants was active and engaging, the descriptions
recommendations of the
well as impressionistic, and their assessment and the
thoughtful and
problem facing the nation were insightful. Participants were
highly differentiated to
troubled by human plight. Their thoughts ranged from
drawn that the
amorphous and fluid. In retrospect, a conclusion can be
professionals to sense but also
sesorium not only provided the opportunity for
in ontological and
provided information for future theory building and engaging
Participants
epistemological dialogue among the concerned professionals.
experience), reflections of
thoughts, feelings, self representation (subjective
sensorium are presented in
their dilemmas as observed and noted during the
this report.
Surendra P. Singh, Ed.D., FPPR
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