- Jacobs (2010) states “To move our school structures into more open, fluid, and correspondingly inventive forms, we need new forms, not reform”. Based on her work and your own perspectives, what do you believe this means for classrooms of the future?
- Rubic:
- Understanding of the
topic under discussion-Posts show:
– comprehension of
significant ideas related to
topic(s) under discussion
– reflection on readings
and efforts to consider
applications, distinctions,
comparisons,
counterexamples, etc.
– use of correct
examples/qu - Contributions to
extending the
knowledge of the groupotes to make
points & to elaborate on
themes, issues,
distinctions, etc-Posts show:
– evidence of
research/readings beyond
the base text(s)
– student’s original
thoughts on the topic
– connections were made
based on multiple sources
Reading Assignment
1. Jacobs, H.H. (2010). New school versions: reinventing and reuniting school program structures. In Curriculum 21: essential education for a changing world. ASCD. Download PDF version.
- Jacobs presents readers with possible reasons for curriculum change and how to best engage a curriculum for the 21st century learner.
2. McIntosh, P. (1989). White privilege: unpacking the invisible knapsack. National SEED Project on Inclusive Curriculum, pp.1-7. https://nationalseedproject.org/images/documents/Knapsack_plus_Notes-Peggy_McIntosh.pdf
- In this early piece, Mcintosh discusses the issues of white privilege and how it may find its way into a curriculum. Power and privilege permeate many curricular programs and Mcintosh was one of the first researchers to write about these realities.
3. Noddings, N. (2007). Curriculum for the 21st Century. Educational Studies in Japan: International Yearbook No.2, pp.75-81. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ842882.pdf
- This short piece by Nel Noddings explores whether the current curriculum is continuously organized around traditional disciplines or has drastically changed over the last hundred years.
4. Van der Valk, A. (2014). Peggy McIntosh: Beyond the knapsack. Teaching Tolerance, 46. https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/spring-2014/peggy-mcintosh-beyond-the-knapsack
- The author here revisits Peggy Mcintosh’s piece from 1989 in light of her own experiences and perspectives.
Optioinal Videos
1. Axisaudio. (2014, March 27). Neoliberalism, youth and social justice [Video]. YouTube. (10:03)
- Henry Giroux, an educative critical theorist discusses Neoliberalism as a socio-cultural concept as well as its effect on education. Neoliberalism is the rise of the business-like approach in foundations including education where students become clients or consumers rather than learners. Giroux also calls it the “corporatization of schools”.
- In this video, Mcintosh discusses the idea of privilege and its effect on society. You will be reading a very well-known piece by her that explores privilege and its effect on education.
Optional Readings
The following readings are optional, but they explore specific social issues relative to curriculum reform.
1. Chan, E. (2006). Teacher experiences of culture in the curriculum. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 38(2), pp 161–176. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228342367_Teacher_experience_of_culture_in_the_curriculum
- Chan’s work is set in the Canadian context in terms of cultural diversity and curriculum reform. This is a narrative inquiry study looking at the role of teachers in terms of addressing diversity for a particular school event – the field trip.
2. Moroye, C.M. (2009). Complementary curriculum: the work of ecologically minded teachers. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 41 (6), pp.789–811. https://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/~sallen/hamish/Moroye%20(2009).%20Complementary%20curriculum%20-%20the%20work%20of%20ecologically%20minded%20teachers.pdf
- Moroye focuses on the teacher’s role in terms of students’ awareness of environmental issues. Moroye’s piece cleverly embeds interview excerpts to help build her arguments and so, this is a prime example of curriculum reform relative to a specific field of study. The research examines how ecologically-minded teachers who do not necessarily teach environmental topics negotiate their personal beliefs within their practice.
3. Sumara, D., & Davis, B. (2003). Interrupting heteronormativity: toward a queer curriculum. EBSCO Publishing. https://complicatingqueertheory.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/interrupting-heteronormativity.pdf (Also available in JSTOR)
- Sumara and Davis explore curriculum reform in terms of the marginalization of a certain group based on cultural markers outside of visible minority status. Sumara and Davis focus on the hidden curriculum in terms of heteronormativity and the deeper chasms of homophobia and heterosexism.