UNIT IV: Diversity, Multiculturalism, Gender, and Exceptionality in the Social Studies

Classroom

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the unit, the learners must have:

A. recognized the diverse character of the Philippine society;

B. described some issues to consider in planning lessons in Social Studies;
C. given examples of classroom activities that can help sensitize learners to diversity,
multiculturalism, gender issues, and exceptionality inside the classroom.

Activity

1. Social Studies is one of the most challenging subject. What do you think is the most
challenging part for the students in studying the subject?

2. As a future educator, what do you think are the factors that you need to consider in planning
lessons in Social Studies?

Analysis

1. Is there any advantage/s in planning your lessons in Social Studies? Explain briefly.

Abstraction

Lesson 1 Multicultural Dimensions

1. Minorities and Schooling: Historical Perspective

Educational inequality is the unequal distribution of academic resources, including

but not limited to; school funding, qualified and experienced teachers, books, and technologies
to socially excluded communities. These communities tend to be historically disadvantaged and
oppressed. More times than not, individuals belonging to these marginalized groups are also
denied access to the schools with abundant resources. Inequality leads to major differences in
the educational success or efficiency of these individuals and ultimately
suppresses social and economic mobility.
Measuring educational efficacy varies by country and even provinces/states within the
country. Generally, grades, GPA scores, test scores, dropout rates, college entrance statistics,
and college completion rates are used to measure educational success. These are measures of

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an individual's academic performance ability. When determining what should be measured in
terms of the educational success of an individual, many scholars and academics suggest
that GPA, test scores and other measures of performance ability are not the only useful tools in
determining efficacy. In addition to academic performance, attainment of learning objectives,
acquisition of desired skills and competencies, satisfaction, persistence, and post-college
performance should all be measured and accounted for when determining the educational
success of individuals. Scholars argue that academic achievement is only the direct result of
attaining learning objectives and acquiring desired skills and competencies. To accurately
measure educational efficacy, it is imperative to separate academic achievement because it
captures only a student's performance ability and not necessarily their learning or ability to
effectively use what they have learned.
Much of educational inequality is attributed to economic disparities that often falls
along racial lines and much modern conversation about educational equity conflates the two,
showing how they are inseparable from residential location and, more recently,
language. Educational inequality between white students and minority students continues to
perpetuate social and economic inequality.
Throughout the world, there have been continuous attempts to reform education at all
levels. With different causes that are deeply rooted in history, society, and culture, this
inequality is difficult to eradicate. Although difficult, education is vital to society's movement
forward. It promotes "citizenship, identity, equality of opportunity and social inclusion, social
cohesion as well as economic growth and employment" and for these reasons, equality is widely
promoted. The recognition of global educational inequality has led to the adoption of the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 which promotes inclusive and equitable quality
education for all.
Unequal educational outcomes are attributed to several variables, including family of
origin, gender, and social class. Achievement, earnings, health status, and political participation
also contribute to educational inequality within the United States and other countries.

2. Classroom Approaches for Multicultural Issues

Multicultural education is an emerging world model amid the thickening of multicultural

networks of educational exchange, interaction, learning and instruction. In the Philippines, no
studies analyzed the status of multicultural education, both at the micro- and macro-levels of an
institution. This dearth may impede one’s understanding of the status of multiculturalism, which
may result in poor implementation of policies toward reconfiguration of higher education
institutions. Using sequential mixed-mode methods, this study analyzed the English teachers’
micro-level and a local university’s macro-level practices of multicultural education. Using Banks
and Banks’ (Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 1993)
dimensions of multiculturalism, an intact group of 49 second and third year foreign students
answered a questionnaire, and joined in a focus group discussion to share their experiences

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related to content integration, knowledge construction, prejudice reduction, equity
pedagogy and strengthening school culture. Results show that the practices of multiculturalism
are excellent, except for knowledge construction and strengthening school culture. Moreover,
micro- and macro-level dimensions are statistically different, resulting in the tension between
the two levels if we use an excellent rating as a yardstick of fully multiculturalism. That is,
English professors may have attained excellent multicultural practices, but their classroom
practices may not have been fully complemented and supplemented with a much more
strengthened wider school culture. Although conducted at the parochial level of one university,
implications for policy-making, instructional preparation, academic reforms, faculty loading,
inter-university partnership, and local and international benchmarking are seen to be national
and universal.

Classrooms are becoming increasingly multicultural, and this leads to new challenges for
teachers. Traditionally, students coming into the multicultural classroom are at a deficit because
they must learn how to navigate unfamiliar people, their cultures, and language. Thus, teachers
have the added responsibility of leading students through this unfamiliar territory towards
achievement. This requires specialized learning techniques, practice, and education in order to
effectively accomplish. Teachers who unite classrooms with activities both inside and outside of
the classroom stand a better chance at boosting student achievement and ameliorating the
negative effects that have been observed in multicultural classrooms in the past.

There is an important relationship between culture and education since the culture of
teachers and students affect education processes in the classroom. Thus, culture includes
everything that makes one group or community within a society distinctive from another:
language, values, literature, worldview, food, religion, clothing, holidays, beliefs, and behavior
that construct a specific group’s lifestyle (Perso, 2012). Multicultural education encompasses
practices and theories that support equitable opportunities and academic achievement for all
students (Barndt, 2007). Therefore, I agree with some studies that report some issues of
teaching and learning in the multicultural classroom because there are several cultures in this
classroom. Culture, schooling, and education are in democratic multiculturalism approaches of
teaching, learning, and education programs. For example, the population of the United States is
composed of people of many cultural backgrounds with a diversity of traditions, values, and
beliefs. Thus, there is the relationship between multiculturalism and education processes
through teaching and learning methods and approaches (Witsel, 2003). This paper will focus on
the scholarly literature to show what multiculturalism should become, i.e. a basic approach to
any teaching and learning. Therefore, my goal for this paper is to explore some issues in the
multicultural classroom that teachers and student may face; most specifically: low academic
achievement, adjustment to a new cultural environment, and trust problems with self as well as
the new culture. Figure 1 presents a visual overview of basic points of this study.

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 There are several studies that explain the issues in the multicultural classroom. First of
all, Low Academic Achievements are an obvious issue. Witsel (2003) noted that teaching and
learning are not easy work, even if students and teachers are of the same societal, economic,
and cultural background. Therefore, they may face some difficulties in the classroom when they
deal with students and teachers who are from a different cultural background. This negatively
affects the academic levels of students. Thus, teachers should be provided with professional
development opportunities that assist them in learning how to assess, train, teach, and be
motivated to use multicultural teaching. This study also suggests that teachers should be
trained to use several approaches in the multicultural classroom before they start teaching
(Witsel, 2003). Some studies reported that because the education system of students' cultures
are different from the culture of their new classroom, the academic achievement of students
may be low or bad. This study also gives an example of some cultures that use and prefer
indirect relations over directness, open expression, or r frankness. For instance, a Chinese
student, who was in multicultural classroom in a Western educational system, asked the teacher
if he/she could please not ask him any questions in class. He was afraid of criticism and giving
wrong answers in class because the direct questioning approach in education was unfamiliar in
his culture. The teacher faced difficulties to teach and deal with this Chinese student since he
did not have an effective and positive role model in his the education and learning process of
his home culture and classroom. As a result, we can anticipate that the student will have low
results in his academic achievement (Thomas, 1995). There are significant variations between
cultures in communication or interpersonal contacts of students in the multicultural classroom
because they have a different style of nonverbal communication. These differences negatively
influence international students’ academic achievement. If teachers and students in the
multicultural classroom have different nonverbal styles of nonverbal communication, then they
can not understand and express themselves directly and clearly to each other since they do not
have the same; thus, the result is that students have low academic accomplishment (Bohm,
Davis, Meares & Pearce, 2002). Another study indicated that because students in the
multicultural classroom are often learning content in a second language, and this will badly

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affect the students' achievement if they do not have language proficiency (Cooper, Helmes &
Ho, 2004). Adjustment to A New Cultural Environment Some studies indicate that the new
cultural character of the classroom is one of the issues for international student in western
education. This research reported that East Asian students are reluctant to participate in
activities or speaking in the multicultural classroom because they are learning in a new
environment that is unfamiliar to them. As a result, teachers and students may have problems
in communication, teaching, and learning because students do not adapt to the classroom’s
environment (Cooper, Helmes & Ho, 2004). This same study shown that some activities in the
multicultural classroom, such as group study, lectures, individual learning, or cooperative
learning, which require interaction and communication, may not be familiar to all international
students. Thus, a new, unfamiliar environment is an issue for some students that badly affects
the students' achievement because this educational environment differs culturally (Cooper,
Helmes & Ho, 2004). Problems with Self as Well as the New Culture Trust problems with self as
well as the new culture are issues in the intercultural classroom. Another study found that an
emotional relationship, especially confidence between teachers and their students in the
intercultural classroom, is important in establishing trust between students and the teacher.
This study also suggested that the teaching material and approaches of teachers should be
modified to recognize the students' cultures and to gain students' trust. Therefore, students will
feel respected and safe with their teachers and classmates (Multicultural education &
curriculum, 2012).

There is a relationship between education and culture. Because culture is an important

part of the education system, the education should reflect it, and it has to be an appropriate for
students and their cultures. For example, when a teacher’s directions in the classroom are in
harmony with students’ cultures, these instructions may enhance the students’ achievement
and confidence of students due to increased comfort. In addition, methods of teaching and
personality of teachers should play an obvious and important role in development in supporting
the confidence and achievement in the multicultural classroom. Teachers in this type of
classroom should make or create activities inside and outside classroom, such as group study
and field trips. These types of activities require students to interact with people from different
cultures and can thus raise direct cultural awareness between pupils. Moreover, education in
the multicultural classroom should focus on the value of multiculturalism and skills that
contribute and encourage students to have trust amongst one another and their teachers.
Education must quickly adapt to a new cultural and educational environment, and teachers
should develop their academic skills. The students should understand the importance of
multiculturalism so they are able to make smart decisions and practice in the future. Acclimation
and awareness of multiculturalism in the environment are important because this practice and
awareness introduces new thoughts and ideas to students. When the curricula, approaches,
activities, and policies are concordant between the teachers and students of several cultures,
students will be comfortable and aware of the importance of the multicultural education in their
lives because they practice them directly. In addition, since the teacher is a strong factor in the
educational process, he/she should be an ideal character for his/her students. For example,

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sometime, the teachers teach a kind of culture in the multicultural classroom and encourage
their students to respect, apply, or practice a part of their classmates’ cultures. However, when
these teachers do not follow it themselves, their students will not bother practicing the other
students’ cultures. Thus, the teachers should lead by example. For example, when a child
practices any parts of his/her culture, like trueness or collaborating as a good value, the
teachers should reward him/her to drive to continue practicing virtues. Over all, if teachers
focus on multicultural teaching and learning, they will be more effective, and they will gain the
trust of their students in the multicultural classroom, and will gain trust of students through
encouraging intercultural integration within the classroom which helps bridge cultural
differences among all students. 5. Conclusion In conclusion, teachers who learn more about
their students’ backgrounds, cultures, and experiences will feel more capable and efficient in
their work as teachers. Teachers should work continuously to improve the lives of their students
(Landsman & Lewis, 2011). Also, teachers can reduce issues in the multicultural classroom
through improving their teaching approaches and learning. Flexibility is more important than
knowledge in dealing with multicultural issues. Therefore, teachers should explore the issues in
the multicultural classroom as they arise and deal with these problems. Also, teachers should
try to find, create, or design manners to raise and improve the academic achievement of
students, and to build an effective or strong relationship with students.

It is clearly evident in many classrooms today the rich and colorful diversity of todays
society in most parts of the world. Mere educating of the children is no longer enough
nowadays as such the educational setting is even more revolutionized. The schools and learning
environments must work for all the aspects and must consider the diverse cultures of the
communities they serve.

As such the students of this generation are exemplified with different learning styles,
habits, cultural orientation and socio-economic background, there must be high observance on
the implementation of multicultural education in every classroom of the world.

Eventhough there is a limited budget for the education sector, the Philippines have
multicultural education in both schools and non-school activities to conform to the changing
needs of the students of the modern generation. The Office of the Deputy Minister for Higher
Education (now Department of Education) is the responsible to ensure that multicultural
education is properly observed inside the classrooms of the country. In the Philippines
educational system, the issue of the multicultural education which is considered as a problem
that has plagued many other countries in the world is properly addressed. For instance, there
are different ethnic groups that can be found inside the classrooms of the country. These
include the Catholics, Muslims, Buddhists, Protestants, Animists, Chinese, Mestizos, and native
Filipinos. Albeit their different cultural, social and religious orientation, these students are
receiving equal and fair treatment from their teachers in terms of the subject content, class
discussion, cultural and religious exploration and the like.

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 Moreover, in the Philippine school setting, there is no racial discrimination among
gender, social classes, economic status and religious affiliations. Boys and girls are given fair
treatment inside the four walls of the classroom. The teachers are not speaking about the color,
religion, economic stability and gender of the students. These things are not big deal inside the
school in terms of their treatment to the students. Though the country is not financially stable
with regards to the program, efforts are still being made to solve the issue on multicultural
education within the context of the countrys educational system.

This type of educational scenario was developed due to the pressing needs of the
stakeholders of education to understand and acknowledge the differences of the students in
many ways so that the plurality in education will be highly observed. The teachers and other
stakeholders of the country realized that there should be a need for the adaptation of the
multicultural education in order to suffice the needs of the diverse students.

And to conform to the revolution of todays education, the country, particularly its
schools, genuinely adhere to the principles of multicultural approach. Though this requires
ample time, money and effort, the observance of multicultural education in the classroom is
indeed a great choice for every educational institutions as such it will bring high degree of
success in all the aspects of education.

One of the advantages of observing multicultural education in the classroom is the

elimination of racism and sexism among the students. Through teaching the culturally different
approach, there will be an attempt to raise the academic achievement of the students of color
through culturally relevant instruction (Sleeter, p. 30). It should be noted always that
eventhough students have differences, there should be equal opportunities inside the classroom
as such education is a right of everyone. The aim of the schools should be to encourage the full
development of the students regardless of the diverse racial, ethnic and gender groups of the
students (Banks, p3. ). Educators, hence, must eliminate all structures of education that impede
learning of the ethnic minorities and women. There should be equal opportunities between the
man and woman or between the rich and poor so that there would be a sense of multiculturally
responsive classroom approach in the schools. This is thus the reason why in the countrys
educational set-up, equal opportunities are given to the students regardless of gender. For
instance, the students whether boys or girls are given the opportunity to participate in all the
activities of the classroom such as recitation, discussion, project making and the like.

This type of educational scenario was developed due to the pressing needs of the
stakeholders of education to understand and acknowledge the differences of the students in
many ways so that the plurality in education will be highly observed. The teachers and other
stakeholders of the country realized that there should be a need for the adaptation of the
multicultural education in order to suffice the needs of the diverse students.

And to conform to the revolution of todays education, the country, particularly its
schools, genuinely adhere to the principles of multicultural approach. Though this requires
ample time, money and effort, the observance of multicultural education in the classroom is

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indeed a great choice for every educational institutions as such it will bring high degree of
success in all the aspects of education.

One of the advantages of observing multicultural education in the classroom is the

elimination of racism and sexism among the students. Through teaching the culturally different
approach, there will be an attempt to raise the academic achievement of the students of color
through culturally relevant instruction It should be noted always that eventhough students have
differences, there should be equal opportunities inside the classroom as such education is a
right of everyone. The aim of the schools should be to encourage the full development of the
students regardless of the diverse racial, ethnic and gender groups of the students. Educators,
hence, must eliminate all structures of education that impede learning of the ethnic minorities
and women. There should be equal opportunities between the man and woman or between the
rich and poor so that there would be a sense of multiculturally responsive classroom approach
in the schools. This is thus the reason why in the countrys educational set-up, equal
opportunities are given to the students regardless of gender. For instance, the students
whether boys or girls are given the opportunity to participate in all the activities of the
classroom such as recitation, discussion, project making and the like.

Multicultural education approach, moreover, promotes the idea of democracy in a

pluralistic society. It is through this approach of education, students learn to value cultural
knowledge and differences. This is a good value that the students might learn with the
multicultural approach. As they understand the diversity of the educational setting, they are
implicitly learning also the sense of democracy and fairness within themselves which will be
very helpful to the students when they are ready to face the realities of the society.

Nevertheless, the practice of multicultural education is not that easy because there are a
lot of considerations which need to be taken. In the multicultural classroom, there must be a
culturally responsive curriculum to suffice the needs of the different students. The teacher
should prepare a lesson which will consider the subject matter as well as the diverse culture of
the students. For instance, in this set up, the teacher may present a view of mathematical
thinking that incorporates the ways in which culture and mathematics are related and
intertwined. In sciences, the study of environments can be done from the perspectives of the
diversity of cultural understanding. Eventhough this would mean additional and laborious tasks
on the part of the teachers, it is better as compared to monocultural as such there will be a
high manifestation of learning not only in the subject matter but also in the culture of their
respective orientations. While the students are learning the subject matter that they need to
accomplish, they are likewise acquiring a sense of the understanding the different cultures that
the different students posses in their classroom.

In the teaching and learning process of the multicultural approach, likewise, there is a
need for various teaching strategies to cater the various learning needs of the different learners
inside the classroom. In this case, the teachers must consider that students are confined with
the multiple intelligences and each type needs different teaching maxims. When teaching a

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particular subject, the teacher must not only use devices which are intended for the visual
learners but also to the other types of learners such as auditory, tactile, and the like. For
instance, the teacher may provide visual aid for the visual learners, recordings and sounds for
the auditory and practical application for the tactile type of learners. Through this, there would
be less discrimination in the different types of learners. The students find no discrimination as
such all of them are being addressed with their different learning needs.

Along with the diversity of the curriculum and the teaching strategies to suffice the
needs of the diverse culturally responsive learners are the diverse culturally oriented
stakeholders of the education. The change in the school setting from monocultural to
multicultural approach should be a hand in hand effort of all the stakeholders of the education
which include, aside from the students, teachers, administrators, parents, community leaders
and government. On the case of the Philippine educational system, the teachers are the ones
who observe multicultural approach of education inside the school through observance of the
anti-discrimination acts not only in the school but as well as in the whole community. The
teacher, furthermore, cannot alone do all the tasks to maintain fairness and justice inside the
school. The other stakeholders of education also take their parts in maintaining an education
with an environment free from prejudice, racism and discrimination. Education of todays
generation should incorporate multitude of voices in multicultural society so that there would be
effective observance of multiculturalism (Banks, p. 3). This means that education should be
treated as a thing tantamount to equality and fairness. And the country successfully achieved
this goal through the collaborative efforts of the teachers, administrators and the other
stakeholders of education in the community.

Though it requires too much persistence and hard work not only on the part of the
teachers but as well as on the part of the students, administrators, community leaders and
government, multicultural education is a great revolution in the country as such it will not only
develop and enhance the educational setting itself but also the perception of the world to
justice, fairness and equality.

Lesson 2 Gender Issues

1. Seeking Gender Equality in the Classroom

As a future elementary school teacher, you may think your students are too young for
discussions about gender. But did you know that children as young as four years old already
express discriminatory beliefs based on gender? The earlier we can empower children with the
belief that all gender identities (including their own) deserve respect, the better prepared all
students will be for success.

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What Are Gender Equality and Equity?

First, let’s explain what we mean by gender. Gender is here defined as a student’s social
identity as male, female, or non-binary—the last of which refers to students who identify as a
gender other than “male” or “female.” Gender definitions also include transgender students,
who identify as a gender that is different from their biological sex.

Gender equality involves empowering all students and providing them with the same
human rights. It also includes correcting biases students hold about themselves or gender
identities other than their own. As a teacher, you’ll work with many students, some of whom
might have trouble understanding their own or other students’ gender. That’s why it’s so
important to be aware of and find ways to affirm your students’ identities. You can positively
change the way your students see both themselves and others.

And how is gender equality different from gender equity? It can be helpful to look at
gender equality as the end goal and gender equity as the means to get there. Gender equity
refers to promoting fairness in education, as well as confronting stereotypes and biases that
have historically limited a student’s potential. When we achieve gender equality, all students will
be free to pursue their education without fear of discrimination or harassment because of their
gender.

The Importance of Gender Equity and Equality in the Classroom

Why confront gender bias in the classroom as early as possible? A survey involving over
2,000 children ages 4 to 16 found that from an early age, children make assumptions that
confirm gender stereotypes. Children learn how to think about themselves and others from the
messages they hear in society. And often, these messages include stereotypes about gender
that stick with them for the rest of their lives.

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 In the classroom, students often encounter implicit or explicit assumptions about
gender. For example, girls interested in STEM subjects may be discouraged if others say such
topics aren’t very “feminine” pursuits. And the prevalence of this stereotype may be linked to
the fact that more than 50% of all women in STEM ultimately leave their field due to hostile
work environments. Also, 75% of all transgender students report feeling unsafe at school,
which affects their academic achievement in very serious and harmful ways.

You can make a difference for younger students by teaching them to find strength in
their gender identity and to treat kindly those with different identities than their own. According
to Today’s Parent writer Gordon Nore, children are often already thinking about their gender
and how it relates to the world around them. As a teacher, you can help facilitate their thoughts
and discussions in healthy ways. You can also promote better understanding among your
students for those who are different from themselves.

Four Ways to Promote Gender Equity and Equality in Education

Looking for ways to discuss gender equality issues in your classroom and move towards
gender equity? We’ve put together four examples of how you can promote gender equality for
all of your students.

Be a Role Model for Your Students

Students, especially younger children, often learn by imitation. As a teacher, be aware of

your own assumptions about gender and try to correct your biases as you notice them.

In relevant situations, empower your students to believe in their potential to achieve

their dreams regardless of their gender identity—and that their gender is a strength, never a
weakness. Also, use language in class that is inclusive of transgender and non-binary students,

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such as using the name and pronouns that a student goes by, even if it is different from their
school records.

Don’t Connect Gender to an Ability or Personality Trait

Sometimes our language can reinforce assumptions about gender. Be aware of the
language you use in class, and avoid making assumptions about anyone’s ability, profession, or
personality based on their gender.

For example, include a female construction worker or male nurse in a class assignment
(such as a story problem) to challenge your students’ assumptions and promote gender equity.
It can also be helpful to avoid making wide generalizations about gender in class, such as the
assumption that boys are louder and girls are quieter, or assuming that all of your students
identify as their birth sex.

Include Gender Equality in Your Curriculum

Many textbooks are problematic when it comes to gender. Often they don’t include
many notable female figures, tokenize the experiences of women, and stereotype gender roles
in harmful ways. If you’re able to pick the textbook you use, try to find one that is known for its
equitable treatment of gender.

If not, try to supplement your curriculum by teaching your students about both men
and women who challenged their society’s ideas about gender and changed their communities
in meaningful ways. It can also be helpful to include gender non-conforming and transgender
people in your curriculum to help students with these identities feel represented and accepted.

Teach Students to Be Aware of Personal Biases

One of the best ways to confront gender discrimination in the classroom is by simply
making your students aware of it. Teach students about implicit bias, or beliefs we might hold
about ourselves or others because of sexist messages we have heard.

Tell your students that many people hold these biases, and it doesn’t mean they are bad
people. The important thing is for students to acknowledge their own assumptions. Once they
do, they can challenge them to actively change those assumptions—to recognize that a person’s
abilities are not linked to their gender.

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2. Changing Perceptions of Roles in Females

Traditionally, women were considered to be full-time homemakers. Their responsibilities

were to take care of their children and family. They didn’t have any role in the household
earning. Over the years, the roles of women have changed.

Child-bearing role
Women now bear less number of children than they used to before. Most families now
have one or two children. They even give birth to a child at a more matured age. Women now
have children even without marriage.

Education
More women are now getting literate and they are also pursuing higher education. This
is creating an opportunity for them to work. They are also playing role in family decision
making.

Outside activities
Women are no longer staying home full-time. They are going to the market for doing
grocery shopping, paying bills and doing all the works that only men used to do before. They
are getting more involved in the outside works.

Workplace
Women have entered the workplace. They also earn for their family just like men.
However, the percentage of women in the workplace is still less than that of men as women
have to take the major household responsibilities. The percentage of the part-time job is more
in case of women. Women are still often seen in the caring or teaching sector. But now more
women are entering the male-dominated sectors like politics, the legal system, etc. as well.
More women are occupying senior management positions.

Fighting for rights

Women now have a voice, unlike before. Families are no more male-dominated. Like
men, women also make major life decisions. Women have stood against dowry and domestic
violence. Even in the workplace, they fight against sexual abuse and equality. Child marriage is
being stopped in many communities.

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 Men now play a role in child raising and household activities just like women. Both men
and women now share their responsibilities both home and outside. Women now stand against
any discrimination and torture. There have been lots of gender-issue related movements and
many social organizations now fight for women’s rights. Women are now getting power even in
rural areas. In many countries now women are the head of the state. Education has made
women independent and they are no longer dependent on men to lead their lives.
Business laws have changed to allow more women in the workplace and giving them a
comfortable environment to work in. Women can now stand tall like men and get equal
opportunities in everything.

Lesson 3 Exceptionality

1. Learners with Disabilities

7 Learning Disabilities

1. Dyslexia

Underneath the learning disability umbrella, many disabilities are categorized as one of
three types: dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. Dyslexia is a language processing
disorder that impacts reading, writing, and comprehension. Dyslexics may exhibit
difficulty decoding words or with phonemic awareness, identifying individual sounds
within words. Dyslexia often goes diagnosed for many years and often results in trouble
with reading, grammar, reading comprehension, and other language skills.

2. Dysgraphia

Those with dysgraphia have trouble converting their thoughts into writing or drawing.
Poor handwriting is a hallmark of dysgraphia but is far from the only symptom. Sufferers
struggle to translate their thoughts into writing, whether in spelling, grammar,
vocabulary, critical thinking, or memory. Individuals with dysgraphia may exhibit difficulty
with letter spacing, poor motor planning and spatial awareness, and trouble thinking and
writing simultaneously.

3. Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia encompasses learning disabilities related to mathematical calculations.

Individuals with dyscalculia struggle with math concepts, numbers, and
reasoning. Sometimes referred to as having “math dyslexia,” individuals might have
difficulty reading clocks to tell time, counting money, identifying patterns, remembering
math facts, and solving mental math.

4. Auditory processing disorder

In auditory processing disorder (APD), patients have difficulty processing sounds.

Individuals with APD may confuse the order of sounds or be unable to filter different
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 sounds, like a teacher’s voice versus background noise. In APD, the brain misinterprets
the information received and processed from the ear.

5. Language processing disorder

A subset of auditory processing disorder, language processing disorder arises when an

individual has specific challenges in processing spoken language, impacting both
receptive and expressive language. According to the Learning Disabilities Association of
America, in language processing disorder, “there is difficulty attaching meaning to sound
groups that form words, sentences, and stories.”

6. Nonverbal learning disabilities

While it may sound like nonverbal learning disabilities (NVLD) relate to an individual’s
inability to speak, it actually refers to difficulties in decoding nonverbal behaviors or social
cues. NVLD sufferers struggle with understanding body language, facial expressions and
tone of voice, or the nonverbal aspects of communication.

7. Visual perceptual/visual motor deficit

Individuals with visual perceptual/visual motor deficit exhibit poor hand-eye

coordination, often lose their places when reading, and have difficulty with pencils,
crayons, glue, scissors, and other fine motor activities. They may also confuse similar
looking letters, have trouble navigating their surroundings, or demonstrate unusual eye
activity when reading or completing assignments.

The Learning Disabilities Association of America and many other mental health
practitioners regard the seven aforementioned disorders as specific learning disabilities. They
recognize autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
as related disorders that impact learning, though not specific learning disorders.3
Understanding learning disabilities is critical to all with careers in psychology. Coexisting
conditions, including learning disabilities, are extremely common for individuals with ASD and
ADHD. When psychology professionals understand the neurodiversity and learning differences
of their patients, they become more inclusive, empathetic, and effective contributors to the
populations they serve.

2. The Legal Bases for Serving Learners with Disabilities

RA 7277 – An Act Providing For The Rehabilitation, Self-Development And Self-

Reliance Of Disabled Person And Their Integration Into The Mainstream Of Society
And For Other Purposes

Republic of the Philippines

CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES
Metro Manila
Fifth Regular Session

Page 15
BEGUN AND HELD IN METRO MANILA, ON MONDAY, THE TWENTY SECOND DAY OF JULY,
NINETEEN HUNDRED AND NINETY-ONE.
Republic Act No. 7277
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE REHABILITATION, SELF-DEVELOPMENT AND SELF-RELIANCE OF
DISABLED PERSON AND THEIR INTEGRATION
INTO THE MAINSTREAM OF SOCIETY AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

TITLE ONE GENERAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER I Basic Principle

SECTION 1. Title This Act shall be known and cited as the Magna Carta for Disabled
Persons’•

SECTION 2. Declaration of Polity The grant of the rights and privileges for disabled
persons shall be guided by the following principles:
(a). Disabled persons are part of the Philippine society, thus the Senate shall give full support to
the improvement of the total well-being of disabled persons and their integration into the
mainstream of society.
Toward this end, the State shall adopt policies ensuring the rehabilitation, self-development and
self-reliance of disabled persons.
It shall develop their skills and potentials to enable them to compete favorably for available
opportunities.
(b). Disabled persons have the same rights as other people to take their proper place in society.
They should be able to live freely and as independently as possible. This must be the concern of
everyone the family, community and all government and non-government organizations.
Disabled person’s rights must never be perceived as welfare services by the Government.
(c). The rehabilitation of the disabled persons shall be the concern of the Government in order
to foster their capability to attain a more meaningful, productive and satisfying life. To reach
out to a greater number of disabled persons, the rehabilitation services and benefits
shall be expanded beyond the traditional urban-based centers to community based programs,
that will ensure full participation of different sectors as supported by national and local
government agencies.
(d). The State also recognizes the role of the private sector in promoting the welfare of disabled
persons and shall encourage partnership in programs that address their needs and concerns.
(e). To facilitate integration of disabled persons into the mainstream of society, the State shall
advocate for and encourage respect for disabled persons. The State shall exert all efforts to
remove all social, cultural, economic, environmental and attitudinal barriers that
are prejudicial to disabled persons.

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SECTION 3. Coverage This Act shall covers all disabled persons and, to the extend herein
provided, departments, offices and agencies of the National Government or non-government
organization involved in the attainment of the objectives of this Act.

SECTION 4. Definition of Terms For purposes of this Act, these terms are defined as
follows:
(a). Disabled Persons are those suffering from restriction of different abilities, as a result of a
mental, physical or sensory impairment, to perform an activity in the manner or within the
range considered normal for a human being;
(b). Impairment is any loss, diminution or aberration of psychological, physiological, or
anatomical structure of function;
(c). Disability shall mean (1) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or
more psychological, physiological or anatomical function of an individual or activities of such
individual; (2) a record of such an impairment; or (3) being regarded as having such an
impairment;
(d). Handicap refers to a disadvantage for a given individual resulting from an impairment
or a disability, that limits or prevents the functions or activity, that is considered normal given
the age and sex of the individual;
(e). Rehabilitation is an integrated approach to physical, social, cultural, spiritual,
educational and vocational measures that create conditions for the individual to attain the
highest possible level of functional ability;
(f). Social Barriers refer to the characteristics of institutions, whether legal, economic,
cultural, recreational or other, any human group, community, or society which limit the fullest
possible participation of disabled persons in the life of the group. Social barriers include
negative attitudes which tends to single out and exclude disabled persons and which distort
roles and interpersonal relationship;
(g). Auxiliary Aids and Services include:
1) qualified interpreters or other effective methods of delivering materials to individuals with
hearing impairments;
2) qualified readers, taped tests, or other effective methods of delivering materials to
individuals with visual impairments;
3) acquisition or modification of equipment or devices; and
4) other similar services and actions or all types of aids and services that facilitate the learning
process of people with mental disability;
(h). Reasonable Accommodation include (1) improvement of existing facilities used by
employees in order to render these readily accessible to and usable by disabled persons; and
(2) modification of work schedules, reassignment to a vacant position, acquisition or
modification of equipment or devices, appropriate adjustments or modifications of
examinations, training materials or company policies, rules and regulations, the provisions of
auxiliary aids and services, and other similar accommodations for disabled persons;

Page 17
(i). Sheltered Employment refers to the provision of productive work for disabled persons
through workshop providing special facilities, income producing projects or homework schemes
with a view to given them the opportunity to earn a living thus enabling them to acquire a
working capacity required in open industry.
(j). Auxiliary Social Services are the supportive activities in the delivery of social services to the
marginalized sectors of society;
(k). Marginalized Disabled Persons refer to disabled persons who lack access to rehabilitative
services and opportunities to be able to participate fully in socioeconomic activities and who
have no means of livelihood or whose incomes fall below poverty threshold;
(l). Qualified Individual with a Disability shall mean an individual with a disability who, with or
without reasonable accommodations, can perform the essential functions of the employment
position that such individual holds or desires. However, consideration shall be given to the
employer’s judgement as to what functions of a job are essential, and if an employer has
prepared a written description before advertising or interviewing applicants for the job, this
description shall be considered evidence of the essential functions of the job;
(m). Readily Achievable means a goal can be easily attained and carried out without much
difficulty or expense. In determining whether an action is readily achievable, factors to be
considered include
1) the nature and cost of the action;
2) the overall financial resources of the facility or facilities involved in the action; the number of
persons employed at such facility; the effect on expenses and
resources, or the impact otherwise of such action upon the operation of the facility;
3) the overall financial resources of the covered entity with respect to the number of its
employees; the number, type and location of its facilities; and
4) the type of operation or operations of the covered entity, including the composition,
structure and functions of the work force of such entity; the geographic
separateness, administrative or fiscal relationship of the facilities in question to the covered
entity;
(n). Public Transportation means transportation by air, land and sea that provides the public
with general or special service on a regular and continuing basis;
(o). Covered entity means employer, employment agency, labor organization or joint labor-
management committee; and
(p). Commerce shall be taken to mean a s travel, trade, traffic, commerce, transportation, or
communication among the provinces or between any foreign country or any territory or
possession and any province.

TITLE TWO RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF DISABLED PERSONS

CHAPTER I – Employment

SECTION 5. Equal Opportunity for Employment No disabled

Page 18
persons shall be denied access to opportunities for suitable employment. A qualified disabled
employee shall be subject to the same terms and conditions of employment and the same
compensation, privileges, benefits, fringe benefits, incentives or allowances as a qualified able-
bodied person. Five percent (5%) of all casual, emergency and contractual positions in the
Department of Social Welfare and Development; Health; Education, Culture and Sports; and
other government agencies, offices or corporations engaged in social development shall be
reserved for disabled persons.

SECTION 6. Sheltered Employment If suitable employment for disabled persons cannot be

found through open employment as provided in the immediately preceding Section, the State
shall endeavor to provide it by means of sheltered employment. In the placement of disabled
persons in sheltered employment, it shall accord due regard to the individual qualities,
vocational goals and inclinations to ensure a good working atmosphere and efficient production.

SECTION 7. Apprenticeship Subject to the provision of the Labor Code as amended,

disabled persons shall be eligible as apprentices or learners; Provided, That their handicap is
not much as to effectively impede the performance of job operations in the particular
occupation for which they are hired; Provided, further, That after the lapse of the period of
apprenticeship if found satisfactory in the job performance, they shall be eligible for
employment.

SECTION 8. Incentives for Employer (a) To encourage the active participation of the
private sector in promoting the welfare of disabled persons and to ensure gainful employment
for qualified disabled persons, adequate incentives shall be provided to private entities which
employ disabled persons.
(b). Private entities that employ disabled persons who meet the required skills or qualifications,
either as regular employee, apprentice or learner, shall be entitled to an additional deduction,
from their gross income, equivalent to twenty-five percent (25%) of the total amount paid as
salaries and wages to disabled persons: Provided, however, That such entities present proof as
certified by the Department of Labor and Employment that disabled person are under their
employ. Provided, further, That the disabled employee is accredited with the Department of
Labor and Employment and the Department of Health as to his disability, skills and
qualifications.
(c). Private entities that improved or modify their physical facilities in order to provide
reasonable accommodation for disabled persons shall also be entitled to an additional deduction
from their net taxable income, equivalent to fifty percent (50%) of the direct costs of the
improvements or modifications. This section, however, does not apply to improvements or
modifications of facilities required under Batas Pambansa Bilang 344.

SECTION 9. Vocational Rehabilitation Consistent with the principle of equal opportunity for
disabled workers and workers in general, the State shall take appropriate vocational

Page 19
rehabilitation measures that shall serve to develop the skills and potential of disabled persons
and enable them to compete favorably for available productive and remunerative employment
opportunities in the labor market. The State shall also take measures to ensure the provisions
of vocational rehabilitation and livelihood services for disabled persons in the rural areas. In
addition, it shall promote cooperation and coordination between the government and non-
government organization and other private entities engaged in vocational rehabilitation
activities.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development shall design and implement training
programs that will provide disabled persons with vocational skills to enable them to engage in
livelihood activities or obtain gainful employment. The Department of Labor and Employment
shall likewise design and conduct training programs geared towards providing disabled persons
with skills for livelihood.

SECTION 10. Vocational Guidance and Counselling The Department of Social Welfare and
Development shall implement measures providing and evaluating vocational guidance and
counselling to enable disabled persons to secure, retain and advance in employment. It shall
ensure the availability and training counsellors and other suitability qualified staff responsible
for the vocational guidance and counselling of disabled persons.

SECTION 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations The Department of Labor and
Employment shall in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD) and National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP), shall promulgate
the rules and regulations necessary to implement the provision under this Chapter.

CHAPTER 2 – Education

SECTION 12. Access to Quality Education The State shall ensure that disabled persons are
provided with adequate access to quality education and ample opportunities to develop their
skills. It shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all disabled persons.
It shall be unlawful for any learning institutions to deny a disabled person admission to any
course it offers by reason of handicap or disability. The State shall take into consideration the
special requirements of disabled persons in the formulation of education policies and program.
It shall encourage learning institutions to take into account the special needs of disabled
persons with respect to the use of school facilities, class schedules, physical education
requirements and other pertinent consideration. The State shall also promote the provision by
learning institutions, of auxiliary services that will facilitate the learning process for disabled
persons.

SECTION 13. Assistance to Disabled Students The State shall provide financial assistance
to economically marginalized but deserving disabled students pursuing post secondary or

Page 20
tertiary education. Such assistance may be in the form of scholarship grants, student loan
programs, subsidies, and other incentives to qualified disabled students in both public and
private schools. At least five percent (5%) of the allocation for the Private Education Student
Financial Assistance Program created by virtue of R.A. 6728 shall be set aside for disabled
students pursuing vocational or technical and degree courses.

SECTION 14. Special Education The State shall establish, maintain and support a
complete, adequate and integrated system of special education for the visually impaired,
hearing impaired, mentally retarded persons and other type of exceptional children in all
regions of the country. Towards this end, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports shall
establish special education classes in public schools in cities, or municipalities. It shall also
establish, where viable, Braille and Record Libraries in provinces, cities or municipalities. The
National Government shall allocate funds necessary for the effective implementation of the
special education program nationwide. Local government units may likewise appropriate
counterpart funds to supplement national funds.

SECTION 15. Vocational or Technical and Other Training Programs The State provide
disabled persons with training in civics, vocational efficiency,
sports and physical fitness, and other skills. The Department of Education, Culture and Sports
shall establish in at least one government-owned vocational
and technical school in every province a special vocational and technical training program for
disabled persons. It shall develop and implement sports and
physical fitness program specifically designed for disabled persons taking into consideration the
nature of their handicap.
SECTION 16. Non-Formal Education The State shall develop nonformal education
programs intended for the total human development of disabled persons. It shall provide
adequate resources for non-formal education programs and projects that cater to the special
needs of disabled persons.

SECTION 17. State Universities and Colleges If viable and needed, the State Universities
or State Colleges in each region or province shall be responsible for (a) the development of
material appliances and technical aids for disabled persons; (b) the development of training
materials for vocational rehabilitation and special education instructions; and (c) the research
on special problems, particularly of the visually-impaired, hearing-impaired, and orthopedically-
impaired students, mentally retarded, and multi-handicapped and other, and the elimination of
social barriers and discrimination against disabled persons; and (d) inclusion of the Special
Education for Disabled (SPED) course in the curriculum. The National Government shall provide
these state universities and colleges with the necessary special facilities for visually-impaired,
hearingimpaired, speech impaired, and orthopedically-impaired students. It shall likewise
allocate the necessary funds in support of the above.

Page 21
CHAPTER 3 – Health

SECTION 18. National Health Program The Department of Health, in coordination with
National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons, shall institute a national health program
which shall aim to attain the following:
(a). prevention of disability, whether occurring prenatally or post-natally;
(b). recognition and early diagnosis of disability; and
(c). early rehabilitation of the disabled.

SECTION 19. Rehabilitation Centers The Department of Health shall establish medical
rehabilitation centers in government provincial hospitals, and shall include it annual
appropriation the necessary funds for the operation of such centers. The Department of Health
shall formulate and implement a program to enable marginalized disabled persons to avail of
free rehabilitation services in government hospitals.

SECTION 20. Health Services The State shall protect and promote the right to health of
disabled persons and shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to their health
development which shall make essential health services available to them at affordable cost.
The National Government shall provide an integrated health service for disabled persons which
shall include, but not limited to, the following:
(a). prevention of disability through immunization, nutrition, environmental protection and
preservation, and genetic counselling; and early detection of disability and timely intervention to
arrest disabling condition; and
(b). medical treatment and rehabilitation.
The Department of Health shall field medical personnel specializing in the treatment and
rehabilitation of disabled persons to provincial hospitals and, when
viable, to municipal health centers. It shall also train its field health personnel in the provision of
medical attention to disabled persons. It shall further ensure that its field health units have the
necessary capabilities to fit prosthetic and orthotic appliances on disabled persons.

CHAPTER 4 Auxiliary Social Services

SECTION 21. Auxiliary Social Services The State shall ensure that marginalized persons
are provided with the necessary auxiliary services that will restore their social functioning and
participation in community affairs. Toward this end, the Department of Social Welfare and
Development shall develop and implement programs on auxiliary social services that respond to
the needs of marginalized disabled persons. The components of such a program shall be as
follows:
(a). assistance in the acquisition of prosthetic devices and medical intervention of specialty
services;

Page 22
(b). provision of specialized training activities designed to improved functional limitations of
disabled persons related to communications skills;
(c). development among disabled persons of a positive self-image through the provision of
counselling, orientation and mobility and strengthening daily living capability;
(d). provision of family care services geared towards developing the capability of families to
respond to the needs of the disabled members of the family;
(e). provision of substitute family care services and the facilities therefore for abandoned,
neglected, abused and unattached disabled persons who need custodial care;
(f). provision of after care and follow-up services for the continued rehabilitation in a
community-based setting of disabled persons who were released from the residential care or
rehabilitation center; and
(g). provision of day care services for disabled children of pre-school age.

CHAPTER 5 – Telecommunications

SECTION 22. Broadcast Media Television stations shall be encouraged to provide a sign
language inset or subtitles in at least one (1) newscast program a day and special program
covering events of national significance.

SECTION 23. Telephone Services All telephone companies shall be encouraged to install
special telephone devices or units for the hearing-impaired and ensure that they are
commercially available to enable them to communicate through the telephone system.

SECTION 24. Free Postal Charges for the Disabled Postal charges shall be free on the
following:
(a). article and literature like books and periodicals, orthopedic and other devices, and teaching
aids for the use of the disabled sent by mail within the Philippines and abroad; and
(b). aids and orthopedic devices for the disabled sent abroad by mail for repair; Provided, That
the aforesaid items are for personal purposes only: Provided further, That the disabled person
is a marginalized disabled as certified
by the Social Welfare and Development Office of the local government unit concerned or the
Department of Social Welfare and Development.

CHAPTER 6 – Accessibility

SECTION 25. Barrier-Free Environment The State shall ensure the attainment of a barrier-
free environment that will enable disabled persons to have access in public and private
buildings and establishments and such other places mentioned in Batas Pambansa Bilang 344,
otherwise known as the Accessibility Law’•. The national and local government shall
allocate funds for the provision of architectural or structural features for disabled persons in
government buildings and facilities.

Page 23
SECTION 26. Mobility The State promote the mobility of disabled persons. Disabled
persons shall be allowed to drive motor vehicles, subject to the rules and regulations issued by
the Land Transportation Office pertinent to the nature of their disability and the appropriate
adaptations or modifications made on such vehicles.

SECTION 27. Access to Public Transport Facilities The Department of Social Welfare and
Development shall develop a program to assist marginalized disabled persons gain access in the
use of public transport facilities. Such assistance may be in the form of subsidized
transportation fare. The said department shall also allocate such funds as may be necessary for
the effective implementation of the public transport program for the disabled persons.
The Accessibility Law,’• as amended, shall be made supplementary to this Act.

SECTION 28. Implementing Rules and Regulations The Department of Transportation and
Communications shall formulate the rules and regulations necessary to implement the provision
of this Chapter.

CHAPTER 7 Political and Civil Rights

SECTION 29. System of Voting Disabled persons shall be allowed to be assisted by a

person of his choice in voting in the national or local elections. The person thus chosen shall
prepare ballot for the disabled voter inside the voting booth. The person assisting shall bind
himself in a formal document under oath to fill out the ballot strictly in accordance with the
instructions of the voter and not to reveal the contents of the ballot prepared by him. Violation
of this provision shall constitute an election offense. Polling places should be made accessible to
disabled persons during the national or local elections.

SECTION 30. Right to Assemble Consistent with the provisions of the Constitution, the
State shall recognize the right of disabled persons to participate in processions, rallies, parades,
demonstrations, public meetings, and assemblages or other forms of mass or concerted action
held in public.

SECTION 31. Right to Organize The State recognize the rights of disabled persons to form
organizations or associations that promote their welfare and advance or safeguard their
interests. The National Government, through its agencies, instrumentalities and subdivisions,
shall assist disabled persons in establishing self-help organizations by providing them with
necessary technical and financial assistance. Concerned government agencies and offices shall
establish close linkages with organizations of disabled persons in order to respond expeditiously
to the needs of disabled persons. National line agencies and local government units shall assist
disabled persons in setting up specific projects that will be managed like business propositions.
To ensure the active participation of disabled persons in the social economic development of

Page 24
the country, their organizations shall be encouraged to participate in the planning, organization
and management of government programs and projects for disabled persons. Organizations of
disabled persons shall participate in the identification and preparation of programs that shall
serve to develop employment opportunities for the disabled persons.

TITLE THREE PROHIBITION ON DISCRIMINATION AGAINST DISABLED PERSONS

CHAPTER 1 Discrimination on Employment

SECTION 32. Discrimination on Employment No entity, whether public or private, shall

discriminate against a qualified disabled person by reason of disability in regard to job
application procedures, the hiring, promotion, or discharge of employees, employee
compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. The
following constitute acts of discrimination:
(a). Limiting, segregating or classifying a disabled job applicant in such a manner that adversely
affects his work opportunities;
(b). Using qualification standards, employment tests or other selection criteria that screen out
or tend to screen out a disabled person unless such standards, tests or other selection criteria
are shown to be jobrelated for the position on question and are consistent with business
necessity;
(c). Utilizing standards, criteria, or methods of administration that:
1). have the effect of discrimination on the basis of disability; or
2). perpetuate the discrimination of others who are subject to common administrative control;
(d). Providing less compensation, such as salary, wage or other forms of remuneration and
fringe benefits, to a qualified disabled employee, by reason of his disability, than the amount to
which a non-disabled person performing the same work is entitled;
(e). Favoring a non-disabled employee over a qualified disabled employee with respect to
promotion, training opportunities, study and scholarship grants, solely on account of the latter’s
disability;
(f). Re-assigning or transferring a disabled employee to a job or position he cannot perform by
reason of his disability;
(g). Dismissing or terminating the services of a disabled employee by reason of his disability
unless the employer can prove that he impairs the satisfactory performance of the work involve
to the prejudice of the business entities; Provided, however, That the employer first sought
provide reasonable accommodations for disabled persons;
(h). Failing to select or administer in the effective manner employment tests which accurately
reflect the skills, aptitude or other factor of the disabled applicant or employee that such test
purports to measure, rather than the impaired sensory, manual or speaking skills of such
applicant or employee, if any; and
(i). Excluding disabled persons from membership in labor unions or similar organization.

Page 25
SECTION 33. Employment Entrance Examination Upon an offer of employment, a disabled
applicant may be subjected to medical examination, on the following occasions:
(a). all entering employees are subjected to such an examination regardless of disability;
(b). information obtained during the medical condition or history of the applicant is collected
and maintained on separate forms and in separate medical files and is treated as a confidential
medical record, Provided, however, That:
1). supervisors and managers may be informed regarding necessary restrictions on the work or
duties of the employees and necessary accommodations;
2). first aid and safety personnel my be informed, when appropriate, if the disability might
require emergency treatment;
3). government officials investigating compliance with this Act shall be provided relevant
information on request; and
4). the results of such examination are used only accordance with this Act.

CHPTER 2 Discrimination on Transportation

SECTION 34. Public Transportation It shall be considered discrimination for the franchises
or operators and personnel of sea, land, and air transportation facilities to charge higher fare or
to refuse to convey a passenger, his orthopedic devices, personal effects, and merchandise by
reason of his disability.

CHAPTER 3 Discrimination on the Use of Public

Accommodations and Services
SECTION 35. Public Accommodations and Services For purposes of this Chapter, public
accommodations and services shall include the following:
(a). an inn, hotel, motel, or other place of lodging, except for an establishment located within a
building that contains not more than five (5) rooms for rent or hire and that is actually occupied
by the proprietor of such establishment as the residence of such proprietor;
(b). a restaurant, bar or other establishment serving food or drink;
(c). a motion picture, theater, concert hall, stadium, or other place of exhibition or
entertainment;
(d). an auditorium, convention center, lecture hall, or other place of public gathering;
(e). a bakery, grocery store, hardware store, shopping center, or other sales or rental
establishment;
(f). a bank, barber-shop, beauty-shop, travel service, funeral parlor, gas station, office of a
lawyer, pharmacy, insurance office, professional office of a health care provider, hospital or
other service establishment;
(g). a terminal, depot, or other station used for specified public transportation;
(h). a museum, gallery, library or other place of public display or collection;
(i). a park, zoo, amusement park, or other place of recreation;

Page 26
(j). a nursery, elementary, secondary, undergraduate, or post-graduate private school, or other
place of education;
(k). a gymnasium, health spa, bowling alley, golf course; or
(l). other place of exercise or recreation.

SECTION 36. Discrimination on the Use of Public Accommodations

(a) No disabled persons shall be discriminated on the basis of disability in the full and equal
enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages
or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any person who owns, leases, or
operates a place of public accommodation. The following constitute acts of discrimination:
1). denying a disabled person, directly through contractual, licensing, or other arrangement, the
opportunity to participate in or benefit from the goods, services, facilities, privileges,
advantages, or accommodations of an entity by reason of his disability;
2). affording a disabled person, on the basis of his disability, directly or through contractual,
licensing, or other arrangement, with the opportunity to participate in or benefit from a good,
service, facility, privilege, advantage, or accommodation that is not equal to that afforded to
other able-bodied persons; and
3). providing disability, directly or through contractual, licensing, or other arrangement, with a
good, service, facility, advantages, privilege, or accommodation that is different or separate
from that provided to other able-bodied persons unless such action is necessary to provide the
disabled person with a good, service, facility, advantage, privilege or accommodation, or other
opportunity that is as effective as that provided to others;
For purpose of this section, the term individuals or class individuals’• refers to the clients or
customers of the covered public accommodation that enters into the contractual, licensing or
other arrangement.
(b). Integrated Settings Goods, services, facilities, advantages, and accommodations shall
be afforded to an individual with a disability in the most integrated setting appropriate to the
needs of the individual.
(c). Opportunity to Participate Not withstanding the existence of separate or different
programs or activities provided in accordance with this section, an individual with a disability
shall not be denied the opportunity to participate in such programs or activities that are not
separate or different.
(d). Association It shall be discriminatory to exclude or otherwise deny equal goods,
services, facilities, advantages, privileges, accommodations or other opportunities to an
individual or entity because of the known disability of an individual with whom the individual or
entity is known to have a relationship or association.
(e). Prohibitions For purposes of this Section, the following shall be considered as
discriminatory.
1). the imposition or application of eligibility criteria that screen out or tend to screen out an
individual with a disability or any class or individuals with disabilities from fully and equally
enjoying and goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, accommodations, unless such

Page 27
criteria can be shown to be necessary for the provision of the goods, services, facilities,
privileges, or accommodations being offered;
2). a failure to make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures, when such
modification are necessary to afford such goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages or
accommodations to individuals with disabilities, unless the entity can demonstrate that making
such modification would fundamentally alter the nature of the goods, facilities, services,
privileges, advantages, or accommodations;
3). Failure to take steps as may be necessary to ensure that no individual with disability is
excluded, denied services, segregated or otherwise treated differently than other individuals
because of the absence of auxiliary aids and services, unless the entity can demonstrate that
taking such steps would fundamentally alter the nature of the good, service, facility, privilege or
would result in undue burden;
4). a failure to remove architectural barriers, and communication barriers that are structural in
nature, in existing facilities, where such removal is readily achievable; and
5). where an entity can demonstrate that the removal of a barrier under clause (4) is not readily
achievable, a failure to make such goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or
accommodations available through alternative methods if such methods are readily achievable.

SECTION 37. Use of Government Recreational or Sports Centers Free of Charge Recreational
or sports centers owned or operated by the Government shall be used, free of charge, by
marginalized disabled persons during their social, sports or recreation activities.
SECTION 38. Implementing Rules and Regulations The Department of Public Works and
Highway shall formulate the rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this
Chapter.

TITLE FOUR FINAL PROVISIONS

SECTION 39. Housing Program The National Government shall take into consideration in
its national shelter programs the special housing requirement of disabled persons.

SECTION 40. Role of National Agencies and Local Government Units Local government
units shall promote the establishment of organizations of disabled persons in their respective
territorial jurisdictions. National agencies and local government units may enter into joint
ventures with organizations or associations of disabled persons to explore livelihood
opportunities and other undertaking that shall enhance the health, physical fitness and the
economic and social well-being of disabled persons.

SECTION 41. Support From Non-government Organizations Nongovernment organizations

or private volunteer organizations dedicated to the purpose of promoting and enhancing the
welfare of disabled persons shall, as they, are hereby encouraged, become partners of the
Government in the implementation of vocational rehabilitation measures and other related
programs and projects. Accordingly, their participation in the implementation of said measures,

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program and projects is to be extended all possible support by the Government. The
Government shall sponsor a volunteer service program which shall harness the involvement of
private individual in the provision of assistance to disabled persons.

SECTION 42. Tax Incentives (a) Any donation, bequest, subsidy or financial aid which
may be made to government agencies engaged in the rehabilitation of disabled persons and
organizations of disabled persons shall be exempt form the donor’s tax subject to the provisions
of Section 94 of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC), as amended and shall be allowed
as deduction from the donor’s gross income for purposes of computing the taxable income
subject to the provisions of Section 29 (h) of the Code.
(b). Donations from foreign countries shall be exempt from taxes and duties on importation
subject to the provisions of Section 105 of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines, as
amended, Section 103 of the NIRC, as amended and other relevant laws and international
agreements.
(c). Local manufacturing of technical aids and appliances used by disabled persons shall be
considered as a preferred area of investment subject to the provisions of Executive Order No.
226 otherwise known as the Omnibus Investments Code of 1987’• and, as such, shall
enjoy the rights, privileges and incentives as provided in said Code such as, but not limited, to
the following:
1). repatriation of investments;
2). remittance of earnings;
3). remittance of payments on foreign contracts;
4). freedom from expropriations;
5). freedom from requisition of investment;
6). income tax holiday;
7). additional deduction for labor expense;
8). tax and duty exemption on imported capital equipment;
9). tax credit on domestic capital equipment;
10). exemption from contractor’s tax;
11). simplification of customs procedures;
12). unrestricted use of consigned equipment;
13). employment of foreign nationals;
14). tax credits for taxes and duties on raw materials;
15). access to bonded manufacturing/trading warehouse system;
16). exemption from taxes and duties on imported spare parts; and
17). Exemption from wharfage dues and any export tax, duty, impostand free.

SECTION 43. Continuity Clause Should any department or agency tasked with the
enforcement or formulation of rules and regulations and guidelines for implementation of any
provisions of this Act is abolished, merge with another department or agency or modified, such

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shall not affect the enforcement or formulation of rules, regulations and guidelines for
implementation of this Act to the effect that
(a). In case of abolition, the department or agency established to replace the abolished
department or agency shall take-over the functions under this Act of the abolished department
or agency.
(b). In case of the department or agency tasked with the enforcement of formulation of rules,
regulations and guidelines for implementation of this Act is merged with another department or
agency, the former shall continue the functions under this Act of the merged department or
agency.
(c). In case of modification, the department or agency modified shall continue the functions
under this Act of the department or agency that has undergone modification.

SECTION 44. Enforcement by the Secretary of Justice

(a). Denial of Right
1). Duty to Investigate the Secretary of Justice shall investigate alleged violations of this
Act, and shall undertake periodic reviews of compliance of covered entities under this Act.
(b). Potential Violations If the Secretary of Justice has reasonable cause to believe that
1). any person or group of persons is engaged in a pattern of practice of discrimination under
this Act; or
2). any person or group of persons has been discriminated against under this Act and such
discrimination raises and issue of general public importance, the Secretary of Justice may
commence a legal action in any appropriate court.
SECTION 45. Authority of Court The court may grant any equitable relief that such court
considers to be appropriate, including, to the extent required
by this Act:
(a). granting temporary, preliminary or permanent relief;
(b). providing an auxiliary aid or service, modification of policy, practice or procedure, or
alternative method; and
(c). making facilities readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

SECTION 46. Penal Clause (a) Any person who violates any provision of this Act shall
suffer the following penalties:
1). for the first violation, a fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos (P 50,000.00) but not
exceeding One hundred thousand pesos(P 100,000.00) or imprisonment of not less than six (6)
months but not more than two (2) years, or both at the discretion of the court; and
2). for any subsequent violation, a fine of not less than One hundred thousand pesos (P
100,000.00) but not exceeding Two hundred thousand pesos (P 200,000.00) or imprisonment
for less than two (2) years but not more than six (6) years, or both at the discretion of the
court.

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(b). Any person who abuses the privileges granted herein shall be punished with imprisonment
of not less than six (6) months or a fine of not less than Five thousand pesos (P 5,000.00) but
not more than Fifty thousand pesos (P 50,000.00), or both, at the discretion of the court.
(c). If the violator is a corporation, organization or any similar entity, the officials thereof
directly involved shall be liable therefor.
(d). If the violator is an alien or a foreigner, he shall be deported immediately after service of
sentence without further deportation proceedings.

SECTION 47. Appropriations The amount necessary to carry out the provision of this Act
shall be included in the General Appropriation Act of the year following its enactment into law
and thereafter.

SECTION 48. Separability Clause Should any provision of this Act be found
unconstitutional by a court of law, such provisions shall be severed from the remainder of the
Act, and such action shall not affect the enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Act.

SECTION 49. Repealing Clause All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders and rules
and regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly.

SECTION 50. Effectivity This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in any
two (2) newspaper of general circulation.

Approved:
Signed)
RAMON V. MITRA
Speaker of the House
(Signed)
NEPTALI A. GONZALES
President of the Senate
This bill which is consolidation of Senate Bill No, 1286 and House Bill 35091, was finally passed
by the Senate and the House of Representatives on January 22, 1992 and January 16, 1992,
respectively.
(Signed)
CAMILO L. SABIO
House of Representatives
(Signed)
ANACLETO D. BADOY, JR.
Secretary of the Senate
Approved: March 24, 1992
(Signed)

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CORAZON C. AQUINO
President of the Philippines

3. Working with Learners with Different Kinds of Disabilities

Students with Learning Disabilities

Learning disabled students are those who demonstrate a significant discrepancy, which is not
the result of some other handicap, between academic achievement and intellectual abilities in
one or more of the areas of oral expression, listening comprehension, written expression, basic
reading skills, reading comprehension, mathematical calculation, mathematics reasoning, or
spelling.

Following is a list of some of the common indicators of learning disabled students. These traits
are usually not isolated ones; rather, they appear in varying degrees and amounts in most
learning disabled students. A learning disabled student …

 Has a high level of curiosity.

 Has a well-developed imagination.

 Often gives uncommon responses to common queries.

 Can remember and retain a great deal of information.

 Can not only pose original solutions to common problems but can also pose original
problems, too.

 Has the ability to concentrate on a problem or issue for extended periods of time.

 Is capable of comprehending complex concepts.

 Is well organized.

 Is excited about learning new facts and concepts.

 Is often an independent learner.

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Supporting Your Students in the Classroom

Lean on others.

“I find it can be very helpful for educators to collaborate with the entire team, including teachers, case
managers, therapists, the student, and their parents,” says Rocheleau. “This is especially important in
online schools where teachers and students don’t have the added benefit of daily contact while
passing in the halls.”

Stay organized.

Creating an organized classroom with minimal distractions can help students feel focused without
adding unnecessary structure. Teachers can create systems for helping students organize their
notebooks while also making space for them to take a body break if they feel overwhelmed.

Don’t reinvent the wheel.

“Read through the IEP or any accommodations/modifications ahead of time,” suggests Rocheleau.
“The IEP is designed to give a template of how to help the student, so there should be clear goals or
classroom accommodations already written for teachers to follow.”

Know that each student is unique.

“Remember that each student learns differently,” encourages Rocheleau. “Some need visuals, while
others need to get in there and kinesthetically feel through learning – allow your student lots of
opportunities to explore the subject in different ways.”

Keep instructions simple.

If students struggle to stay focused or take in lots of information at once, try to break things down
into smaller tasks that feel more manageable and allow them to feel like they are accomplishing
things throughout the day.

Embrace advocacy.

“Advocate for yourself and your students,” reminds Rocheleau. “Reasonable classrooms sizes and
time for preparation and documentation is essential when you have students with special needs in
your classroom.”

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 Create opportunities for success.

Students with special needs can often feel like they struggle to succeed, so create opportunities for
them to recognize and celebrate their accomplishments. Creating lessons that lead to positive results
and introducing rewards can help them stay motivated.

Don’t feel pressure to be perfect.

“Be patient with yourself and the student,” encourages Rocheleau. “You will both make mistakes and
learn from them along the way.”

Teaching Tips and Strategies

 Set the tone from day one. When students first walk into your class for day one of the new term,
let each of them know that all students are welcome and valued and that the class will work as a
team to lift one another up. Include this concept in any class materials and review it regularly.

 Support your students in their learning. “By using strategies of scaffolding, appropriate
prompting, and materials suited to your student’s level of achievement, you can ensure that they will
both learn and succeed,” says Rocheleau.

 Structure lesson plans to support inclusivity. Rather than creating separate activities or learning
plans for students with disabilities, consider how you can include disability services in the general plan
and where you might be able to educate all learners about disabilities through the voices of those who
experience them.

 Assume your student can do something until proven wrong. “Many times students with
disabilities are not given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their abilities,” notes Rocheleau.
“Let all your students have a chance to shine, support them when they do not succeed, and never
assume a student cannot do something without seeing for yourself.”

 Communicate clearly with students and parents. At the start of term (and at the start of each
week, if necessary), clearly let your students know what your expectations are in terms of
assignments and deadlines. Share this information with parents so they can support their children in
being successful.

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 Partner students with disabilities with students who do not have disabilities. “Peer
mentoring is a wonderful resource for teaching social skills, problem solving, and independence,”
encourages Rocheleau. “It allows both students with disabilities and those without to appreciate each
other for their strengths and to learn from each others’ experiences.”

 Make yourself available. Though a student might not want to speak up in a room full of their peers
if they feel themselves falling behind or not understanding material, they might speak to you one-to-
one about the issue. Make sure your students know when and where they can find you to discuss any
problems arising.

 Model the behaviors you want to see in your students. “If we want our students to act a
certain way, one of the easiest ways is to show them that behavior in ourselves,” says Rocheleau.
“This goes for reading a book, interacting socially, or simply treating others with respect.”

 Allow all students to work on the same assignments. Students who feel they are receiving
assignments different from those their peers receive assume that teachers do not think they are
capable of succeeding. Rather than setting different projects, assign the same ones but allow the
students with disabilities to work towards the goals in different ways. Use accommodations to help
them feel like they are part of the class, rather than separate.

 Create resources for all students, not just those with disabilities. “By making things like a
self-selected quiet corner, stress balls, or large print books available to all students, the differences
suddenly become less noticeable,” explains Rocheleau. “In fact, many general education students
enjoy having the extra supports and perform better when given a little extra choice or sensory input in
their days.”

4. Gifted and Talented Learners

Teaching Gifted Students

If there's one constant about gifted students it's the fact that they're full of questions (and full
of answers). They're also imbued with a sense of inquisitiveness. Providing for their
instructional needs is not an easy task and will certainly extend you to the full limits of your
own creativity and inventiveness. Keep some of these instructional strategies in mind:

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  Allow gifted students to design and follow through on self-initiated projects. Have them
pursue questions of their own choosing.

 Provide gifted students with lots of open-ended activities—activities for which there are
no right or wrong answers or any preconceived notions.

 Keep the emphasis on divergent thinking—helping gifted students focus on many

possibilities rather than any set of predetermined answers.

 Provide opportunities for gifted youngsters to engage in active problem-solving. Be sure

the problems assigned are not those for which you have already established appropriate
answers but rather those that will allow gifted students to arrive at their own
conclusions.

 Encourage gifted students to take on leadership roles that enhance portions of the
classroom program (Note: gifted students are often socially immature.)

 Provide numerous opportunities for gifted students to read extensively about subjects
that interest them. Work closely with the school librarian and public librarian to select
and provide trade books in keeping with students' interests.

 Provide numerous long-term and ex-tended activities that allow gifted students the
opportunity to engage in a learning project over an extended period of time

5. Working with Gifted and Talented Learners in the Classroom

Six Strategies for Challenging Gifted Learners

Gifted students—you may or may not spot them in your classroom. They may be highly
visible, like the high achievers or straight-A students. But they may also be among those
students who don't finish their work (it's never perfect enough), who zone out or act out in
class (they're bored), or who test poorly because they overthink things ("Hmmm, this answer
might be true in this case, but it might not be true in that case").
Some schools and districts have substantial resources to identify and support giftedness,
wherever it shows up. Some offer pull-out programs. Others offer cluster grouping, in which
gifted students are grouped in specific classes at each grade level.
Dina Brulles, director of gifted education in the Paradise Valley Unified School District in
Phoenix, Ariz., believes gifted students need less grade-level work, faster-paced lessons, deeper
and more advanced content, and opportunities to work with other gifted students. They also

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require a different kind of interaction with the teacher, who must be less of a "sage on the
stage" and more of a "guide on the side."

But First, the Big Picture

M. René Islas, executive director of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC),
notes one persistent challenge to gifted education—a lack of uniformity in programming. A
recent NAGC study found that 19 states don't monitor gifted programs at the local level, only
seven require their districts to report on gifted student achievement, and fewer than half report
on the race and ethnicity of their gifted students (minorities are significantly underrepresented
in gifted programs, according to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights).
But there are promising signals as well, explains Islas. The Every Student Succeeds Act requires
states and districts to track the progress of their highest-achieving students and allows schools
to use Title I funds to identify and support gifted students. Plus, the law opens up the
possibility for schools to use computer-adaptive assessments to recognize student mastery of
content above grade level.
Then there are the challenges and opportunities at the school level. With the following
strategies, teachers can tend to the complex needs of their high-ability students in the
heterogeneous classroom.

1. Offer the Most Difficult First

"Gifted students don't need to do 25 problems in math when they can do the five most
difficult first to demonstrate mastery," says Brulles. She offers this opportunity to all students,
not just those identified as gifted. Students who successfully complete the five problems are
excused from that night's homework. If classwork is involved, the teacher simply needs to have
a few extension activities on hand—tasks that carry the concept to the next level—for students
to work on quietly while others complete the regular assignment.
"Most Difficult First" is one manageable way for teachers to compact the curriculum for their
high-ability students. With compacting, students get to "throw away" the part of the curriculum
that they already know, while receiving full credit for those competencies. This frees up
students to work on more challenging content.

2. Pre-Test for Volunteers

Let's say a teacher is teaching two-digit multiplication. He might do some direct
instruction for 10 minutes, then offer students the end-of-chapter test, saying, "If you get 90
percent or higher, you won't have to do the homework or practice work. You'll have different
work to do." According to Brulles, some gifted students will take this option, whereas others

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may decide, "I don't know this; I need the practice work." Again, as in Most Difficult First, this
strategy requires having extension work for students who test out of the material.

3. Prepare to Take It Up
Susan Flores, a 2nd grade teacher in Paradise Valley, meets a range of student abilities
by using the standard as her baseline. "My desk serves as a staging area. I have several piles of
activities there that take a concept up or down."
For example, when the class is working on the distributive property in math, those "piles" might
include differentiated worksheets, word problems, and task cards. Depending on how students
grasp the concept, Flores can either reteach, offer practice, or enrich.
Flores also uses "choice boards." In math, she might offer nine ways that students can
demonstrate learning of multiplication. "Students can [use] one of their iPad apps or create a
game. They jump in where they want to jump in," she notes.
All students in Flores's class can choose whether they want to take their learning to the next
level. "I don't say, 'Because you're gifted, you get choice, and because you're not gifted, you
don't.'" Optional challenge work is available to anyone who wants to try it.

4. Speak to Student Interests

Janice Mak, a gifted cluster teacher and 7th and 8th grade STEM teacher in Paradise
Valley, gives students a menu of options in her computer science class. After stu-dents learn
the basics of programming—perhaps through an online course from Stanford University or work
with Google CS First clubs—they work in teams to create a robot. Students choose the level of
complexity, from designing dogs that bark to building miniature disco rooms in which a record
plays and lights flash.
Students can also tailor a project to their interests. In a module on architecture, some students
designed a playground for Egyptian students using Legos, Build with Chrome, or Minecraft. One
student opted instead to recreate the White House using Minecraft.
The Ignite presentation format offers another way for Mak to differentiate work on the basis of
student interest. The presenter has exactly 5 minutes and 20 slides, which auto-advance every
15 seconds, to discuss a topic of interest (aligned to the unit). This activity allows students to
share their passion with their peers, be it nanotechnology and its role in medicine, the physics
of roller coasters, or the latest advances in virtual reality.
According to education expert Jenny Grant Rankin, knowing a student's emotional intensities—
what Polish psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski called "overexcitabilities"—is also key to teaching
gifted students. Dabrowski identified five areas of sensitivity that are strongly related to
giftedness: psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational, and emotional.

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Overexcitabilities will often appear as quirks, such as compulsive talking or organizing,
heightened sensitivity to smells or tastes, insatiable curiosity, or daydreaming. Knowing a
student's overexcitabilities can help teachers shape engaging—and personalized—learning
experiences. An imaginational student will benefit from an assignment that he's free to
complete in a unique way. An intellectual student will prefer to investigate why certain areas of
the world struggle with starvation rather than simply listing those areas. Although we tend to
see overexcitabilities negatively, they are often accompanied by great creativity, imagination,
and drive.

5. Enable Gifted Students to Work Together

According to NAGC, research shows that enabling gifted students to work together in
groups boosts their academic achievement and benefits other students in the classroom, as
well. When gifted students work together, they challenge themselves in unexpected ways. They
bounce ideas off one another and take a peer's idea to a new place. They also learn that as
smart as they are, they, too, must exert effort with challenging content—and that they'll
sometimes fail along the way.
That said, gifted kids need to work both in and out of their group. "As adults, we have to be
able to work with everyone," explains Flores, "and gifted students might not learn this if they're
always separated out." Teachers can provide multiple opportunities for heterogeneous
groupings through Think-Pair-Shares, Clock Buddies, and Season Teams.

6. Plan for Tiered Learning

This approach relies on planning lessons or units at different tiers of difficulty. But does
this require teachers to add to their already full plates?
"I don't see it as doing one more thing; I see it as being more strategic," explains Mak.
Teachers have to plan for their lessons, so why not develop deep and complex activities for
high-ability students at the same time? This one way of planning—providing work at the entry,
advanced, and extension levels or at varying Depth of Knowledge Levels—offers a multiplicity of
ways to learn. It may take more time in the planning stage, but it is ultimately more efficient
because bored students aren't acting out or zoning out in class—they've got challenging work to
do—and struggling students are getting support. Once teachers create these tiered resources,
they can use them again and again.
Author Carol Ann Tomlinson advocates teaching up—"a practice of first planning a lesson that's
challenging for high-end learners and then differentiating for other learners by providing
supports that enable them to access that more sophisticated learning opportunity." It replaces
"the more common practice of planning for mid-range performers, then extending that lesson

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for advanced students and watering it down for others." This approach, Tomlinson says,
challenges advanced learners more than trying to pump up a "middling" idea—and serves other
students better as well.

"It's Just Good Teaching"

All students have the right to learn something new every day, whether they are in
regular classrooms or in special education, language acquisition, or gifted programs. And every
student will benefit from being pulled up to go beyond the curriculum at times.
But as Tomlinson points out, "Learning should be joyful or at least satisfying, rather than just
hard."

Is this challenging for educators? Sure. But according to Flores, "Any good teacher can do these
things well. It's just good teaching."

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 Dos & Don'ts of Teaching Gifted Students

Do …
 Understand that gifted students, just like all students, come to school to learn and be
challenged.
 Pre-assess your students. Find out their areas of strength as well as those areas you may need
to address before students move on.
 Consider grouping gifted students together for at least part of the school day.
 Plan for differentiation. Consider pre-assessments, extension activities, and compacting the
curriculum.
 Use phrases like "You've shown you don't need more practice" or "You need more practice"
instead of words like "qualify" or "eligible" when referring to extension work.
 Encourage high-ability students to take on challenges. Because they're often used to getting
good grades, gifted students may be risk averse.
 Offer training in gifted education to all your teachers.
Don't …
 Confuse high achievers with high-ability students. High achievers put in the time and effort to
succeed in school. This may not be the case with high-ability students. Their gifts may not
translate into academic achievement and their behavior can at times appear noncompliant.
 Assume that all gifted students are the same and that one strategy works for all.
 Assume that by making gifted students tutors, you're providing a learning extension.
 Confuse extension activities with additional work. Gifted students need deeper and more
complex assignments.
 Refer to alternate work for gifted students as "free time." Call it "choice time" or "unfinished
work time," so students understand that they are required to tackle a task during this time
period.
 Give too many directions to students about how they should complete a task. Say, "Here's the
end result I'm grading. How you get there is your choice."
 Assume that gifted students are growing academically. Rely on formative and summative
assessments.

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How Much Have I Learned

Create a classroom activity that can help sensitize learners to diversity, multiculturalism,
gender issues, and exceptionality in the classroom. Present your plan and your materials to be
used.

References

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40299-019-00497-7

Böhm, Davis, Meares& Pearce. (2002). Global Student Mobility. Global Demand for International
Higher Education.IDP Education Australia. Brandt, J. (2007).Understanding and dismantling
racism: The twenty-first century challenge to white America. Fortress Press. Health of children.
(2012). Multicultural education& curriculum. (2012).Retrieved from
http://www.healthofchildren.com/M/Multicultural-Education-Curriculum.html Landsman, J. &
Lewis, C. (2011).White teachers/diverse classroom. Stylus Publishing, LLC. Second Edition.
Perso, T.F. (2012) Cultural Responsiveness and School Education: With particular focus on
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(1995). Meaningin interaction: An introduction to pragmatics. London and New York. Longman.
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https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1081654.pdf

https://best-sociology-articles.blogspot.com/2016/04/multicultural-approach-in-
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https://www.waterford.org/education/gender-equality-in-the-classroom/

1. TeachThought Staff. 6 Ways You Can Promote Gender Equality In Your Classroom. Retrieved
from teachthought.com: teachthought.com/education/6-ways-can-promote-gender-equality-
classroom/.
2. Elesapiens Staff. Strategies to promote gender equality in the classroom. Retrieved from
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the-classroom/

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3. Briggs, S. How to Teach Students About Gender Equality. Retrieved from opencolleges.edu:
https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/gender-equality/.
4. United Nations Development Programme. Almost 90% of Men/Women Globally Are Biased
Against Women. Retrieved from undp.org: https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/news-
centre/news/2020/Gender_Social_Norms_Index_2020.html.
5. Klein, S. Handbook for Achieving Sex Equity Through Education. Retrieved from eric.ed.gov:
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED290810.pdf.
6. Bailey, S.M. Shortchanging Girls and Boys. Educational Leadership, May 1996, 53(8), pp. 75-
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7. United Nations Staff. Gender Equality: Why it Matters. Retrieved from un.org:
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Goal-5.pdf.
8. ForbesWomen Staff. Why We Need Gender Equity Now. Retrieved from forbes.com:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2017/09/14/why-we-need-gender-equity-now/.
9. ACT for Youth Center of Excellence. Understanding Gender and GenderResearch, Facts, and
Findings. Retrieved from actforyouth.net:
www.actforyouth.net/resources/rf/rf_gender1_1213.pdf.
10. National Center for Transgender Equality. Youth & Students. Retrieved from
transequality.org: https://transequality.org/issues/youth-students
11. Welcoming Schools Staff. Affirming Gender in Elementary School: Social
Transitioning. Retrieved from welcomingschools.org:
https://www.welcomingschools.org/pages/affirming-gender-in-elementary-school-social-
transitioning/
12. Smith, M. J., & Payne, E. Binaries and biology: Conversations with elementary education
professionals after professional development on supporting transgender students. The
Educational Forum, 2016, 80(1), pp. 34-47.

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needs#:~:text=Learning%20disabled%20students%20are%20those,basic%20reading%20skills
%2C%20reading%20comprehension

https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/education-teaching-degree/teaching-students-with-
disabilities/

http://bamboccioni-alla-riscossa.org/5-ways-womens-roles-have-changed-in-the-society/

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