Elizabeth Moore - Chapter 2

The most interesting parts of this weeks reading for me were the sections on cultural reproduction theory and social mobility approaches. The idea of cultural capital is one I have never thought of before or considered in regards to how it may effect a classroom. I have considered how students from a higher SES would have more time and money to dedicate to education, however I have never thought about how their language or mannerisms may effect their relationship with peers and teachers (pg.35). I will keep this idea in mind as a progress through my career in order to avoid allowing inequality to persists in my classroom.
The section on social mobility approaches really brought to light another aspect of the effect of social class on education. The idea that children from working class families tend to have less ambition to achieve education goals (pg.41) was not surprising to me as their families tend to have more to worry about then education. When money is a constant concern, education becomes less important.What was surprising was that it is the background of a student that has the greatest effect on educational inequality, not their ambitions (pg.42).


Discussion question:
As a teacher, what are some methods you can use in order to encourage a student with a lower SES to set and achieve high academic goals?