Reflective Practice and Anthropology in Culturally Diverse Classrooms

Abstract

In this article I argue that reflective practice informed by anthropological perspectives offers a strategy that can help educators address their practice-based "puzzlements" and improve educational practice in culturally diverse classrooms. I present anthropological success stories to show (1) that anthropological concepts such as culture, context, social structure, and power provide productive ways of understanding culturally diverse classrooms; (2) that anthropological methods such as observation, open-ended interviews, and artifact analysis can contribute useful information; and (3) that by drawing on anthropological concepts and information educators can develop useful interventions to improve educational practice.