RE: Sleeter and Grant ch. 4
Before I dive into chapter 4, I'd like to note that I did blog on the Human Relations approach, but apparently it did not post properly.

I think the human relations approach would be very valuable in an elementary school classroom. I like the way it encourages the incorporation of culture (beyond just food, holiday celebrations, and cliche custums) in all areas of the classroom. I think this approach could be highly beneficial for students because it would make exposure to different cultures something very natural, instead of a special treat. I was always interested in other cultures, but it took me reading this chapter to realize that the reason I get so excited everytime I'm exposed to a new culture is because it's so unfamiliar and special because I wasn't really exposed to it as a child. I like the idea of mixing children up by race and gender in the classroom and encouraging them to work with a variety of different students so that they are better able to work with people and respect their differences.


Single group studies are a little trickier to work into an elementary school curriculum, but not impossible. I think the most important thing for an elementary teacher to remember when instituting this approach is to include all the groups that are represented in the classroom, and beyond. It is crucial to take into account gender, ethnicity, even religion when educating students about diversity and all subjects in general if this approach is to work.

I noticed a lot of similarities in chapter four to Dewey. For instance, Sleeter and Grant make many references to the idea that it is really important for the teacher to have a knowledge of her students outside of the classroom environment. In order to best serve the needs of students, educators need to do research about the child's life at home, their family, and their cultural makeup. Teachers need to come into the classroom with some basic knowledge of the ethnicity of the community from which students are drawn. With this they can incorporate more effectively aspects of that community that are pertinent to their students lives. That way students get more out of their learning experience because they can relate to the material.

Something interesting that I also noted was Sleeter and Grants reference to critical pedagogy and children as vehicles of social change. One of the things I really like about the single-group studies is that it encourages children to understand that they are not lesser people because they are different. It seems to encourage empowerment of students of diverse backgrounds to learn about, understand, and share their cultural uniqueness with their peers, and later with society at large.