Journal of Curriculum Studies Research
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145 research outputs found
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The Unethical Practice of Omitting Language in State Science Standards: Denying Students True Democratic Freedom
Full text linkClimate change due to global warming is impacting the natural environment and humanity. Yet, legislators in states whose economies are in oil production, a major contributor of carbon dioxide emissions through the combustion of fossil fuels, continue to reject the evidence. Legislators go as far to say these findings are “hyperbole” and teaching such ideas would influence young students to a one sided argument. Legislators, through bills and resolutions rejecting such language in state science academic standards, deny students access to equitable science education opportunities. I submit this denial is unethical. It denies students opportunities to analyze and develop solutions to a problem that jeopardizes their future and generations to come. I use the frameworks of Karl Marx and Antonio Gramsci to identify the underlying causes of this problem. Understanding the underlying causes of the problem provides educators with a clearer vision of our responsibilities to act in providing equitable science education for our students.
 
Fighting the plague: “Difficult” knowledge as sirens’ song in teacher education
Full text linkOf the many plagues that affect communities today, a particularly insidious one is indifference and depersonalization. This plague has been articulated by Albert Camus and then taken up in an educational context by Maxine Greene. In this article we, the authors, respond to Greene’s call to co-compose curricula with our students to fight this plague. Recognizing the role of difficult knowledge as well as conscious and unconscious defenses, we develop an approach to “diversity” harmonious with radical love during these troubled times of conflict and increased visibility of hatred. Through a weaving of our experiential, embodied knowledge with theory, we consider how we might invite students to consider contemporary, historical, and ongoing inequity and structural violence. Like Sirens luring sailors to precarious shores, we seek to entice teachers and students to the difficult knowledge they might otherwise avoid as all of us together consider our ethical responsibilities to each other
Care, Control, and Color: A Conversation About Disparities in School Disciplinary Practices
Full text linkDisciplinary practices teachers use in their classrooms frequently result in life-altering consequences for students who are historically marginalized and struggling to meet normalized standards of academic success. Research suggests teachers often lack the skill needed to connect with students, manage their classrooms, and administer corrective action that is equitable, reasonable, and effective without being excessive and detrimental to the student’s future. This disconnection and lack of judgment is frequently attributed to 1) the cultural mismatch that exists between the majority U.S. teacher who is a young, White female, and the growing diverse population of students; 2) teachers’ deficit view of students of color, their families and communities; and 3) deficient pre-service teacher training that does not equip future teachers with the culturally relevant pedagogical skills needed to meet the needs of today’s students. Employing the qualitative research methods of interactive interviewing and parallel stories, an African American, veteran teacher and a young, White pre-service teacher explore the topic of disciplinary practices at the intersection of race, ethnicity, and a classroom culture of care in the k-12 U.S. classroom
Pathways to Becoming a Culturally Responsive Teacher: Narrative Inquiries into a Translanguaging Read Aloud
Full text linkThe increasing mismatch between the cultural backgrounds of teachers and students has caused teacher education programs (TEPs) to scramble to identify effective pedagogy that will prepare preservice teachers (PSTs) to work with diverse populations. One unexamined technique is the use of translanguaging books, which intertwine two languages for a myriad of social, emotional, and cognitive benefits. The present narrative inquiry follows two PSTs, Kathleen and Laura, who engaged in shared readings of translanguaging books within an after-school literacy program for struggling second grade English language learners (ELLs). Data include journal reflections and individual interviews. Results show that the translanguaging books shattered their perceptions of the linguistic boundaries between English and Spanish, and illustrated how language can be used to alienate students. However, Kathleen and Laura had contrasting views about the purpose of the translanguaging read alouds which illustrate implications for TEPs: a) authentic experience is essential to enable PSTs to challenge current monolingual ideologies; b) PSTs must be given the opportunity to engage in tasks that challenge their underlying assumptions; and c) TEPs should focus on the importance of cultural responsiveness, so that PSTs develop a prominent belief system that can be quickly recalled and enacted in the classroom
Building Bridges Instead of Walls: Engaging Young Children in Critical Literacy Read Alouds
Full text linkSituated in the months after the 2016 United States presidential election, this qualitative case study illuminates third-grade children’s sense-making about the GOP Administration’s proposed border wall with Mexico. In light of these present-day politics, close analysis of how young children discuss social issues remains critical, particularly for social studies educators. Looking across fifteen book discussions, we zero in on three whole-class conversations about (im)migration beginning with initial read alouds through the final debrief wherein children conversed with a local university anthropologist about the clandestine migration of individuals across the U.S.’s southern border. During initial discussions, children in the Midwestern school demonstrated their frustration towards racist laws of the mid-1900s. Others responded with empathy or made personal connections to their own family heritage. In the findings, we note a clear progression in how children understood (im)migration issues as evidenced by how their questions and curiosities shifted in later lessons. We highlight how, when children are encouraged to engage with social topics, they can act as critical consumers and position themselves as politically active and engaged citizens
"He's on fire for justice!": Using critical conversations to explore sociopolitical topics in elementary classrooms
Full text linkDespite the dominant discourse that childhood is a time of innocence, elementary students (kindergarten through fifth grade) notice the world around them, witness and experience injustice and deserve to explore “controversial issues” in their classrooms. This article introduces readers to Olivia and her second grade students. Olivia wanted to create what she called a “social justice classroom” and made intentional curricular moves in order to bring this vision to life. Primarily, she implemented “social justice read aloud time” and read and discussed thoughtfully chosen trade books on “controversial issues” every Friday afternoon. Students were highly engaged in these read alouds and developed understandings and insights well beyond academic content standards. Olivia’s approach to teaching aligned with critical literacy, a pedagogical framework that values multiple perspectives, brings sociopolitical topics into the classroom, disrupts the status quo, and moves toward social action and the Inquiry Design Model of social studies education. Using this interdisciplinary lens, empirical examples of the purposeful exploration of “controversial issues” in a second grade classroom are discussed. Through Olivia’s voice, along with the voices of her students, description of the learning that happened in this social justice classroom is offered as evidence that teaching controversial issues in elementary classrooms has repercussions far beyond school walls. Implications for both practicing teachers and teacher educators are discussed
How Preservice Content Teacher Background Qualities Influence Their Attitude and Commitment to Supporting Multilingual Learners
Full text linkWith the growing number of multilingual learners (MLs) in U.S. schools, research relating to effective teacher training methods has gathered increased interest; however, research on how teachers’ background qualities (BQs) influence teaching practices for MLs is lacking. In the field of multilingual education, scholars have suggested that certain qualities, particularly cultural and linguistic backgrounds, contribute to effectively accounting for MLs in the content classroom and embracing the role of language teacher. In this study we draw upon in-class comments, classroom interactions, targeted interviews, and assignments from teachers-in-training (N=12) throughout one semester in a history teaching methods course to address the following research question: How do prospective teachers’ language-related BQs (i.e. ML-related education, cultural experiences, language learning experience, and teaching experience) shape how they approach ML-related activities and assignments in a content methods teacher education course? The data indicate that preservice teachers with these BQs were better prepared to embrace their roles as language teachers and tailor lessons for MLs than their peers without such BQs
Contextualizing "Practice": Helping Pre-Service Teachers Unpack the Ideological and Sociopolitical Dimensions of Required Practices for Licensure
Full text linkThe turn toward “practice” in teacher education, while controversial, has become a reality for many programs that prepare pre-service teachers for state licensure. This conceptual paper argues that while many people link teacher quality to educational equity, a focus on discrete teaching practices alone is insufficient to address inequitable outcomes in schooling. In addition to developing pre-service teachers to be critically conscious of the contexts in which their work is embedded, I contend that pre-service teachers may also benefit from contextualizing prescribed teaching practices themselves. Using examples from essential “elements” for teaching in the state of Massachusetts, I demonstrate two ways that required practices are themselves ideological and sociopolitical manifestations. By highlighting the ideological and sociopolitical discourse embedded within elements of effective teaching practice, teacher educators have the potential to prepare pre-service teachers to become critical consumers of practice. 
Examining Patterns within Challenged or Banned Primary Elementary Books
Full text linkPublic schools and public libraries often receive challenges—suppression or removal requests—to particular books, which can lead the book being banned. Research has examined challenges to books with multicultural themes and individuals, noted that authors of color are disproportionally targeted, and recognized the remarkable number of challenges to books deemed to be classic. This qualitative content analysis research utilized both with inductive and deductive elements—open coding and axial coding—to examine challenged books intended for primary elementary students. The theoretical framework blended critical multiculturalism, gay and lesbian identity, and radical politics in children’s literature. Findings included patterns based on era, frequency and location of challenge, demography of challenger, and oft-challenged themes, specifically sexuality (sexual reproduction and diverse sexualities), inappropriate humor, danger, death, racial and religious diversity, mysticism and wizardry, racially or culturally insensitive elements, concerning interpersonal dynamics, and evolution. Meaning is extracted for teachers, librarians, administrators, and researchers