"Deficit thinking" refers to a negative mindset that focuses on a person's or a group's shortcomings or weaknesses rather than their strengths or potential. It is the tendency to see and emphasize what someone lacks or cannot do instead of recognizing their abilities and possibilities.
Full definition
This means
challenging deficit thinking and low expectations within classrooms and schools that prevent all students from realizing their full potential.
Her study examines principals in diversifying suburban schools as well as their transformative leadership practices used to advocate the elimination
of deficit thinking through the promotion of cultural competence and social justice so that all students have equitable educational opportunities in classrooms and on standardized assessments.
Fostering a mentality and approach to the community that affirms, recognizes social context, and
rejects deficit thinking and stereotyping.
An abridged version of many of the ideas in the 2010 edition of Valencia's book Dismantling
contemporary deficit thinking: Educational thought and practice.
Zimmer said he found materials and websites that «
perpetuate deficit thinking» about traditional schools and «present a negative picture of the schools they want to collaborate with.»
By using the approach we use as Teacher Scholars, I knew I'd be guided away
from deficit thinking, and would use an asset - based approach.
Social skills training is typically therapist - led instruction to children about appropriate social behavior, and is intended to more directly target the
behavior deficits thought to be maintaining the peer problems of children with ADHD [66, 67].
Effectively debunks many of the bases
of deficit thinking, including neohereditarianism, blame the victims, and inadequate parenting.
Politicians will be incapable of thinking strategically — so the civil service will have to make up the deficit
Higher expectations can check
the deficit thinking that festers in segregated schooling environments.
Mr. Toscano explains how the school has worked hard to change
the deficit thinking that is often attached to terms such as «academic rigor» and «high expectations.»
But during my Teacher Scholars inquiry sessions, I realized I was falling into
that deficit thinking that I was trying to rebel against.
More often than not, in education in general, the definitions have been exclusionary, punishing,
deficit thinking.