Human Diversity in Education: An Integrative Approach

by Philip L. Safford, Kenneth H. Cushner, Averil McClelland

Book Overview

Human Diversity in Education: An Integrative Approach is a research-based, comprehensive text designed to provide an introduction to multicultural education and diversity in society. The text prepares... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0073525979
• ISBN13: 9780073525976
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Langua
• Length: 471 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.9" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

Thought-provoking textbook on the issues of diversity and multiculturalism

I am not really a fan of textbooks, and many that I have been prescribed to read have been rather dry in content and delivery. This is not the case with "Human Diversity in Education" which was a recommended text in my grad class. The writing style is not at all dry, in fact, it makes for engaging and informative reading, and I breezed through it quite quickly. The text is organized quite effectively, covering a multitude of issues to do with diversity and multiculturalism: Chapter 1 deals with education in a changing society, providing ideological perspectives on multicultural education. Chapter 2 covers the historical and theoretical perspectives to do with multicultural education. Chapter 3 explores culture and the culture-learning process, with various definitions of culture, socializing agents, etc. Chapter 4 covers classrooms and schools as cultural crossroads Chapter 5 focuses on intercultural development. Chapter 6 is on creating classrooms that address race and ethnicity. Chapter 7 deals with the classroom as a global community, covering curriculum transformation ,among others. Chapter 8 is on developing learning communities, learning and learning style. Chapter 9 explores religious pluralism in secular classrooms. Chapter 10 discusses collaborative classrooms, and also gender and sexual orientation. Chapter 11 explores the importance of age and developmental status in creating developmentally appropriate classrooms. Chapter 12 discusses the inclusive classroom. Chapter 13 looks at the role of social class and social status in teaching and learning. At the end of each chapter, there is a summary, a chapter review, key terms,active exercise, reflective questions, endnotes, and references. The book also has a glossary, name index, and subject index. All in all, this is a great resource and go-to text for pre-service teachers, educators, and anyone who has an interest in the issue of diversity as it applies to the field of education and more. Insightful, informative, and interesting!

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A great overview of Diversity in the classroom

This is a great overview of the issues related to diversity and cross-cultural competence in education. This book is geared toward teachers but is also useful for school psychologists and other educational professionals. I was impressed to see that the book references The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman's important work about issues related to globalization. The chapters about the changing demographics of the US and the important implications of our newly globalized economy were innovative and helpful. The case studies were also a useful tool in the book. This text was used for a graduate level course in diversity I recently finished. It was not quite advanced enough for the rigour of the course. The book worked well when supplimented by more in-depth articles from original authors in the field. Despite the slightly overly general nature of the text, it was well written and effective overall.

Great discussions on diversity!!

Human Diversity in Education is a great supplemental or support text for a diversity course in education or for any teacher or student who wants to know more about the historical and social perspectives of student diversity in American schools. The importance of language use and learning styles is emphasized and research is presented (although the text does not present an in-depth discussion of current research or applications). The only negative is the lack of coverage on individual diversity, although the absence of text book opinions and presentation can spark great discussions in class!! Overall, an extremely well organized and easy to read text!!

An excellent resourse for educators!

One thing is certain - no matter how much US Americans may wax poetically about the good old days when things, including public education, were much more simple, those days are not going to return. As recent census data has indicated, the demographics of the US are continuing to change and the nation is getting more and more diverse. Within the next forty years, those of us living may witness a changing of the majority guard from White to Biracial and Hispanic/Chicano Americans. That being the case, pre-service teachers and those considering a career in education need to be able to work with those most unlike them. They will need to examine the barriers they have build in their own mind, and create new categories for dealing with difference. The text points out that most pre-service teachers want to work in communities similar from whence they came. With the present teaching force being made up of an 88% White-Middle-Class and 66% female, well, that may not be a reality for those pre-service teachers once they become certified. Human diversity in education: an integrative approach addresses many of the issues that pre-service teachers and others who wish to (or actually do) work in education must understand.This text is excellent for illuminating diversity and multiculturalism. It is rich in information and resources and information. It will be a most welcome addition to the shelf of any educator or student serious about diversity and multicultural education.