The lowest common denominator in your classroom is not the ‘norm’. It’s the students themselves. They are all individuals who bring a load of experience, knowledge and value. In a lesson, they belong to only one group: the class.

Deficit thinking, however, means looking at a class in terms of who fits into what mainstream or minority group. Different groups mean different abilities. And that leads to discrimination in teaching.

In this post, you’ll learn what deficit thinking is, the problems associated with it and how it can cause harm to students. I’ll also take you through some ideas on how to begin to change the mindset of deficit thinking and begin to combat it in your classroom.

Table of Contents

Understanding deficit thinking

Deficit thinking is the assumption that marginalized populations are different from the established ‘norm’. As such, they have an inherent weakness, which makes them struggle in academic exercises.

It is about looking at a particular context and judging people according to a perceived weakness. One of the manifestations is the idea that students with disabilities possess problems they should remedy.

The problems with deficit thinking

One of the problems with deficit thinking is that there is a gap in public education systems between privileged white students and those (predominantly ) students who come from less privileged backgrounds (Garcia, 2003).

Teachers see racially diverse students from lower-income backgrounds underachieving academically. They tend to ascribe it to their contexts, including families and communities. This view of students and their families is an indication of an ingrained deficit thinking in teachers’ mindsets. This can particularly indicate negatively prejudiced attitudes towards their abilities.

A further problem with deficit thinking is that it leads to placing responsibility on the less privileged students. If they work to overcome their perceived disadvantages, they will achieve better. However, “building resilience to structural inequality should never be a requirement for children to access learning.” Class 13: Deficit thinking

The effect of deficit thinking on cultural perceptions

I am sure that you are like most people who go into teaching: the wellbeing and achievement of the students is paramount. Teachers genuinely want their students to learn. However, underlying all education is the cultural construct that influences us unawares. Society tends to see the ‘other’ as inferior, which leads to an ingrained form of deficit thinking.

When students are treated as though they are inferior and less capable simply because of where they come from, they can begin to develop a negative impression of themselves. Eventually, they will buy into that image and not bother even trying. This seems to prove that they, as representative of a certain minority, are in fact less capable than the ‘norm’. By extension, the whole community or racial group is thus incapable of high achievement. This legitimizes deficit thinking.

The harm deficit thinking holds for students

Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds develop negative ideas of their competencies. Unknowingly, they buy into the deficit thinking, because of the way they perceive the expectations of their inherent under-achievement.

The students may very well have bad living conditions, or they can’t afford the necessary equipment. Deficit thinking takes that as an indication that the students’ homes or communities don’t give them what they need. They obviously cannot develop a good attitude towards education or towards responsibility.

In education, it’s important to find the correct level of challenge for students. Deficit thinking doesn’t allow a teacher to set that level, because of the ingrained perceptions of abilities based on context. The same thing applies when designing assessments and the criteria for achievement.

These processes can actually result in learning being held back, rather than allowing them to move ahead with their learning. Effectively, deficit thinking becomes a barrier to learning.

Correcting the deficit in critical thinking

Teacher-training is beginning to focus more on addressing the ideas that lead to deficit thinking (and ways to redress the balance).

The opposite of deficit thinking is the ability to work on the student’s strengths and work with those to help them improve in their studies. We need to stop seeing what is missing but look at what students do have.

We need to develop different ways of looking at minority groups and dismantling the idea of the ‘other’.  It is a problem in the education system. However, at least individual schools can begin to find ways to address this.

Examples of deficit thinking

Deficit thinking lays the blame for not doing what must be done to make a change in the individuals. For example, women are taught self-defence to save themselves from assault, which doesn’t address the outside problems causing the possible threat.

Schools often offer programs giving students ways to build confidence. Why must it come from them, though? Why not look at the dominant system?

It is often ‘understood’ that males are inherently better at math. This is erroneous, as gender bears no direct relationship to the logic and approaches suited to understanding the principles of mathematics. However, because of this way of thinking, girls are forced to work harder to match up with to male peers.

Deficit thinking is clear in the attitude that teachers may have towards an individual pupil who is an underachiever. The perception maybe something like: He can’t do this subject very well because he doesn’t have the background. There is no guarantee that a more privileged student has the relevant background.

Ideas to combat deficit thinking

As teachers, we should challenge our own ways of behaviour that may be informed, even subconsciously, by deficit thinking.

It’s easy to say, ‘You need to see all students as equally capable.’ It’s not always easy to do this, though. Sometimes, you need to make a shift in your mindset.

Use questions to ascertain students’ prior knowledge.

Let’s say, for example, that you are teaching poetry, specifically Blake’s The Tyger.  As a teacher, you need to come to this with an open mind.

Think about it: Teaching a poem written in 1794 to students in 2022 seems to pose an immense challenge. I mean, what teenager knows anything about the 18th century, William Blake or even the Industrial Revolution?

Teenagers today are immersed in technology, which is the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Some of them may have studied the First Industrial Revolution or read about it. Some students may never have seen even a picture of a tiger, while others may have seen a tiger at the zoo. Others may have seen or read The Jungle Book and see the tiger as the ‘bad guy.’

This knowledge can help the students unpack the poem in class by acknowledging that every learner brings some existing knowledge to class.

Then, of course, there is the whole idea of poetry. I would doubt that teenagers in 2022 will have been exposed to any of Blake’s poetry. They are exposed to modern poetry, even if only in the form of the lyrics of songs.

You can begin with this understanding of rhythm, rhyme and meaning. After all, the principles of poetry haven’t really changed since Blake’s time.

By doing all of this, you can begin to combat deficit thinking in your classroom.

Deficit Thinking FAQs

Can you explain deficit thinking?

Basically, people from certain groups are seen as having weaknesses inherent to their context means they can’t learn as well as those from the majority. There is the assumption that children from ‘other’ groups can’t cope so well academically because of something in their circumstances or context.

Can deficit thinking affect a student’s performance?

The effects of deficit thinking become harmful for students from ‘bad’ backgrounds. They expect teachers will assume they will do badly, just because of their context or identity. They no longer see a reason to try and end up doing badly in school.

What is the core problem with deficit thinking in schools?

Deficit thinking tends to place the responsibility for academic achievement on the students, not the system. This avoids addressing the core problem with discrimination in the education system itself.

Moving beyond deficit thinking

Deficit thinking manifests in many different aspects of society, even education. It’s not something you need to take into the classroom, though. By understanding what deficit thinking is and how it can harm your students, you can begin to combat it.

Make the effort to decenter your classroom

The role of the teacher means we are ultimately responsible for the focus and outcomes of a lesson. It doesn’t mean, though, that we have the only voice and the learners have nothing to give. A good teacher will learn as much as their students do.

The idea of decentering your classroom is not about giving up control. A teacher must always keep the role of leader and guide. Decentering isn’t putting the class into your students’ hands. It’s about approaching a learning situation from the position of seeing yourself as a facilitator. Your role is to guide all your learners to acquire knowledge and apply it to tasks.