In the fields of Critical Education Theory and Critical Pedagogy, deficit thinking refers to the low expectations that teachers often have of poor, miinority and indigenous students. These low expectations establish patterns of student failure, as teachers set low goals for the students and are generally unresponsive to their actual educational needs - often teaching them by rote rather than dialogue. The students in turn "turn off" from their education and "fail" whereupon the teachers promote yet more education to correct the studentsʻ apparent deficits. See the works of Jim Cummins , the link to Te Kotahitanga and the downloadable PDF High School Confidential .