JoinEditorial: Deficit Thinking
We always have a choice when we consider another person. We can see their strengths, or we can focus on their deficits. What we choose to view in our assessment—and assessments are inevitable—will color how we perceive that person for the rest of our relationship. We are choosing to view one another—present and future—by a distinct deficit model. Do we wish to be known to one another as the “professor who just can’t (fill in the blank) very well”? Is this in the best interests of our schools and our students? The answers to these questions are addressed in this month’s column.