Class and Socioeconomic Status
Definitions:
Class- a system that differentially structures group access to economic, political, cultural and social resources.
Socioeconomic Status- the measure of the economic condition of a person or a group.
According to the American Psychological Association, class and socioeconomic status (SES) are often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation. Society benefits from an increased focus on the foundations of socioeconomic inequities and efforts to reduce the deep gaps in socioeconomic status in the United States and abroad. Since everyone's experiences are not the same, there is a growing inequity in these areas, especially in the field of education. In order to assure the success of each student, it is our responsibility to get involved in programs that support to eliminate socioeconomic disparities.
Class- a system that differentially structures group access to economic, political, cultural and social resources.
Socioeconomic Status- the measure of the economic condition of a person or a group.
According to the American Psychological Association, class and socioeconomic status (SES) are often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation. Society benefits from an increased focus on the foundations of socioeconomic inequities and efforts to reduce the deep gaps in socioeconomic status in the United States and abroad. Since everyone's experiences are not the same, there is a growing inequity in these areas, especially in the field of education. In order to assure the success of each student, it is our responsibility to get involved in programs that support to eliminate socioeconomic disparities.
Helpful Strategies
1. Get involved in the elimination of SES disparities.
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2. Know your students and their specific circumstances
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3. Provide extra learning materials to students who may not have them.
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4. Create a non-judgemental atmosphere for all students. (safe place)
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Class Activity: Role Play
I believe that the best way to help students understand differences in class and socioeconomic status' is to have the class immerse themselves into what it is like to "have" or "not have" class materials based on class and SES. (concrete thinking) Each student will be randomly assigned a class and socioeconomic status. Then each student will be given learning materials based upon which category they were assigned. Finally, the class will then be prompted to individually complete an academic task as a whole. Based upon what resources you have, the question will be relatively simple or rigorously tough. After each student experiences their respectful triumphs or struggles, I am going to ask them to write a reflection on how it felt to be in their assigned class and SES; as well as if they thought it was fair that some students had resources and others did not. Hopefully the student will come to a realization that inequity in resources makes it harder for other people to complete tasks that they may take for granted.
Reading Material
Local Resources
1. Department of Labor and Industry
45 North 4th St. Allentown, Pa 18102 610-821-6441 |
2. United Way of Allentown
1110 American Parkway Allentown, Pa 18109 610-758-8010 |
3. Child Care Information Services of Berks County
1111 Commons Blvd. Reading, Pa 19612 610-987-2247 |