Description
Kalyanpur (reading, special education, and technology, Towson U.) and Harry (teaching and learning, U. of Miami) address the issues of how the ideals of U.S. macroculture are represented in the field of special education and the resulting implications for cross-cultural communication. They argue that professional knowledge is largely acquired by an implicit process that needs to made explicit and conscious if school personnel are to become effective collaborators in a multi-cultural society. They put forth a "posture of cultural reciprocity" that they contend will facilitate processes of cultural understanding. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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With personal anecdotes, case examples, and detailed theoretical discussions, this research-based book brings to light the potential impact of imbedded and often unrecognized cultural assumptions that influence family-professional interactions in special education.Written by authors who grew up outside the United States of America, this text helps preservice and in-service professionals analyze the cultural assumptions that underlie special education policy and practice. Educators will come to understand the importance of developing education plans that will enhance children's learning and accommodate their cultural beliefs. This textbook also offers a framework - the posture of cultural reciprocity - for undergraduate and graduate students to identify the personal and professional values they bring to interactions with culturally diverse families of children with disabilities.
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