Curriculum as Cultural and Social Practice
Weekly Blog Posts:
January 6/7, 2020
How does Kumashiro define ‘common sense’?
Kumashiro does not provide an exact definition of common sense but my take away is that common sense represents everyone’s day to day norms and realities. There is an abundance of different norms that everyone grows up with, making all people, societies, and cultures unique in regards to their common sense. When Kumashiro went to teach in a school in Nepal, the students and staff did not recognize his teaching methods, “It seemed that students and faculty already had clear ideas about what it meant to teach and learn, and my attempts to teach differently did not make sense” (XXXI). Common sense is used within the education system and it is very different for schools around the world and it used in accordance with the curriculum, i.e. it is common sense to be teaching and learning these subjects. Common sense in schools does not suggest what the schools could be doing, but rather suggest what the schools should be doing. Kumashiro also mentions that common sense can be very oppressive, “Common sense makes it easy to continue teaching and learning in ways that allow the oppressions already in play to continue to play out unchallenged in our schools and societies” (XXXVI). Since we are very familiar with our norms and common sense, we oftentimes fail to recognize that many actions can harm others. It is very important to recognize parts of our ‘common sense’ that may appear to be oppressive and challenge them to create a better place for all.
Why is it so important to pay attention to the ‘common sense’?
I think that it is important to pay attention to common sense because sometimes what you do or say could be oppressive to someone else. There are many different versions of what common sense means varying between different cultures and societies. I believe that there is no ‘right’ way to common sense or norms as everyone grows up and learns differently. I think that rather than trying to change culture’s common sense, one should take the time to simply recognize and learn from others on how they view their version of common sense and norms.
January 13/14, 2020
Ways of approaching curriculum and practice:
- Curriculum as a body of knowledge to be transmitted.
- Curriculum as an attempt to achieve certain ends in students – product.
- Curriculum as a process.
- Curriculum as praxis.
Curriculum development from a traditionalist perspective is widely used across schools in Canada and other countries. Think about:
The ways in which you may have experienced the Tyler rationale in your own schooling.
The Tyler rationale has been used in many schools, in my own previous education, I believe that I have experienced the Tyler rationale in elementary and high school. The math classes that I took growing up followed Tyler’s rationale closely as the teacher taught what was in the curriculum, we practiced the content repetitively and then we were evaluated on our knowledge of the content.
What are the major limitations of the Tyler rationale/ what does it make impossible?
The article lists a number of issues that relate to the Tyler rationale. The first is “A program of activities (by teachers) designed so that students will attain so far as possible certain educational and other schooling ends or objectives” (Smith, 2000, pg. 4). The issue with this is that the students are directed to learn what is given to them. I remember in my ECS 100 placement, the teacher gave the students an option as to what they wanted to learn. I thought this allowed for the students to have a say in what their education is going to look like. I don’t think that the students should completely choose what they’re going to learn but I think giving them the opportunity to have a voice will help them in their later life. The second issue is that there are questions regarding the objectives of the curriculum. The third issue suggests that “There is a real problem when we come to examine what educators actually do in the classroom” (Smith, 2000, pg.4). The Final issue suggests that “There is the problem of unanticipated results) (Smith, 2000, pg. 4).
The Tyler rationale suggests that there is one way for the teacher to teach what is in the curriculum and that there is one way for the student to learn what the teacher is teaching. I believe that this is a limitation as every student has their own methods of leaning. Students also learn at many different rates, some will pick up on the content immediately and others may need to go over the content a few times. For me personally, I find that I understand the content better if I go over it multiple times. Teachers also have their own method of teaching what is in the curriculum. If the students are understanding what the teacher is teaching then I personally do not see an issue with teachers being creative with how they teach the content within the curriculum.
What are some potential benefits/ what is made possible?
Some benefits with the Tyler rationale are that it is very straightforward, a curriculum is given and provides what needs to be taught and ways to teach it. The Tyler rationale is teacher-orientated, which means that the teacher is closely involved with the content being taught.
January 20/21, 2020
For assignment one, I chose Place-Based education as my critical summary topic. I have found an article called Place-Based Education: Improving Learning While Connecting Students to Community and Environment wrote by Corissa Pasiechnyk. This article has provided me with lots of information on what Place-Based education is, along with the benefits and challenges of this educational approach. This article also provides its readers with different opinions from many great scholars, including, Dewey, Grunewald, and Sobel.
According to the article “Place-Based education has the capacity to improve student learning and engagement while simultaneously linking students to their communities and natural environments” (Pasiechnyk, pg. 1, 2018). Place-Based education, “Is emerging as a progressive response to the standardized, decontextualized curricula that have historically and contemporarily characterized our education system (pg. i). The author suggests that there is a need for change within the decontextualized curriculum and place-based education may be what is needed for students to become more engaged and intrigued by the content in the curriculum. The purpose of Place-Based education is to allow the students to be more interactive while engaging with the course content and the history of their surrounding community, “It boosts student achievement and improves environmental, social, and economic vitality” (Pasiechnyk, pg. 10, 2018).
For the next steps in my critical summary, I want to find two more scholarly articles that agree and disagree with my main article. I plan to mention in my critical summary all the beliefs on Place-Based education from multiple scholars if they agree or disagree with the approach. I also want to find out how Place-Based education is implemented in schools that are in rural communities and those that are in more urban settings.
January 27/28, 2020
What does it mean to be a “good” student according to the commonsense?
A good student is those who are engaged with the class material, quiet and paying attention during class discussions. A good student is also one that won’t talk out of turn, gets all their work done, follows directions. According to commonsense, being a good student means shaping yourself to fit into the expectations that have been created by the school and society.
Which students are privileged by this definition of the good student?
The students that are the most privileged are the ones who can sit in class and pay attention and not be a distraction to those around them. They also take advantage of the learning opportunities, by asking questions, staying on task and completing their work on time. I also think that the students who are privileged are the ones that are blessed with good memories and that are maybe even well-rested. The students who are not as privileged would be the ones who have trouble paying attention in class and are the ones who talk to their peers during class time.
What is made impossible to see/understand/believe because of these commonsense ideas?
I personally believe that what is made impossible to see from the ideas of being a ‘good student’ is that it is taking the true potential away from the student. With students having the idea of what a good student looks like, they might feel that they can’t express who they truly are because they might not meet the standard ‘good student’ ideas. The definition of a ‘good student’ is different for everyone and it can be very subjective. What a good might look like to me, might look something different to someone else.
February 3/4, 2020
List some of the ways that you see reinhabitation and decolonization happening throughout the narrative.
Reinhabitation refers to identifying, recovering and creating materialistic spaces and places that teach people how to live in our total environments. A way that reinhabitation was used in the article was on the river trip with the youth, adults, and elders. This trip allowed for all generations to share their experiences and learning about the relationships between the people and the land. Having a strong connection with the land and the people is a very important aspect of the culture and it allows for the children to further develop their intellectual, spiritual, social, physical and emotional aspects (Restoule 70). As the people traveled together on this river trip, they all shared their knowledge on the land. Another way that I saw reinhabitation in the narrative was when the local youth created their audio documentaries from interviews with elders, “the audio media and ‘zines’ were chosen as a way to communicate the messages to the wider community about the experiences and perspectives of youth, adults and elders, about the river… the point of the interviews was to encourage intergenerational relationships and catalyze knowledge transfer from elder generations to youth” (Restoule 74). Decolonization refers to identifying and changing ways of thinking that injure and exploit other people and places. It is important when the elders share their knowledge, experiences, and stories with the youth as this is a way for the youth to better appreciate their connection with the land and people.
How might you adapt these ideas towards considering a place in your own subject areas and teaching?
As a future educator, I believe that it is important to incorporate reinhabitation and decolonization into the classroom. As a future educator, I believe that it is important to incorporate reinhabitation and decolonization into the classroom. It’s important to have these ideas in the classroom as it is a way to reflect on past experiences and the history of our land. We live on treaty four land, hence we are all treaty people which means we must integrate decolonization into our learning. A way to incorporate reinhabitation and decolonization into learning is through the use of place-based education. Place-based education is a way to get students outside of the classroom and to appreciate the land that surrounds them on a day to day basis.
February 10/11, 2020
According to the Levin article, how are school curricula developed and implemented? What is new information/perspectives does this reading provide about the development and implementation of the school curriculum? Is there anything that surprises you or maybe that concerns you?
After reading Ben Levin’s article on “Curriculum Policy and the Politics of what should be learned in schools”, the article has taught me more about how the education systems curriculum has been implemented. Levin begins his article by stating, “curriculum is defined as an official statement of what students are expected to know and be able to do” (Levin, 8). But who creates the curriculum in order for everyone to follow? Teachers have a key role in how the development of the curriculum will look like, as they make up the majority during the process. However, they are not the only ones who make up the curriculum, in fact, policies play a huge role within the development of the curriculum, “curriculum development process depends on governance systems” (Levin, 17). In the article it also mentioned that a lot of times the “experts” become the dominant factors in the curriculum development process, “the product will be something that can be used effectively only by people with high levels of expertise” (Levin, 17). I do believe that this can become a problem as many teachers are only “experts” in one subject area, so it is important to recognize the gap between the teachers and the “experts” when creating the curriculum. By recognizing the gap between the two, it will allow for a curriculum to be created that will fully benefit the students. One major thing that I think is missing from this article is that it lacks the voices and opinions of the people outside of the government and teachers. The students and their families are one’s who are being affected by the outcome of the curriculum development and they ultimately have no voice in what happens. I think that there should be a bigger attempt at including the students and their families into the decisions that have an impact on them.
After reading pages 1-4 of the treaty education document, what connections can you make between the article and the implementation of treaty education in Saskatchewan? What tension might you imagine we’re part of the development of the treaty education curriculum?
After reading the treaty education document, I noticed that the “ministry of education respects the federal government’s legal, constitutional, and fiscal obligations to First Nations peoples and its primary responsibility for Metis people” (Treaty Education, 3). The ministry of education also wants to provide support and programs that keeping the important title of First Nations and Metis people intact (Treaty Education, 3). I have found that the treaty education article has focused more on the goals and outcomes of what each student should know by the time they are in grade 12. Whereas the Levin article focuses more on the government and the public policies while creating the curriculum. I believe that treaty education should be implemented more within the education curriculum as First Nations history is such an important factor in the Canadian history. Growing up, in a French immersion elementary and high school I don’t really remember ever learning about treaty education. The bare minimum was taught but I cannot recall a time where I learned about First Nations culture and history until my first Indigenous 100 studies in University. The high school that I attended now has a class that is strictly on treaty education and I wish that this would have been made more available to me when I was in high school. I believe that it is important that we have the opportunity to focus on the four goals of treaty education, which include:
- Treaty relationships
- Spirit and intent of treaties
- The historical context of treaties
- Treaty promises and provisions
One important thing to remember is that we are all treaty people.
February 24/25, 2020
What is the purpose of teaching Treaty Ed (specifically) or First Nations, Metis, and Inuit (FNMI) content and perspectives (generally) where there are few or no First Nations, Metis, Inuit peoples?
Throughout my education, elementary to high school, treaty education was a subject that I was never familiar with as it was barely taught. I remember briefly talking on the subject throughout my education, however, the subject was never made mandatory so my teachers rarely brought it up. In school, I always remember there being reminders about wearing a pink shirt for “anti-bullying” day but I never remember seeing or hearing about orange shirt day. During my first year at the University of Regina, I had taken an Indigenous 100 Studies and that course most definitely opened up my eyes and broadened my understanding of treaty education. I truly believe that it is sad that I was rarely taught the importance of treaty education throughout my education. This subject area is such a large component of Canadian history and for some reason, some people do not find treaty education to be an important subject within the curriculum. I strongly believe that this subject area should be taught all throughout a child’s education. Regardless if there are few to no First Nations, Metis, Inuit peoples within the school, it is important that everyone learns the history and different perspectives from treaty education. However, I believe that before treaty education is being taught in schools, teachers need to be educated on the subject beforehand to become completely knowledgeable and comfortable within the subject area. During my ECS 100 field placement, I had the opportunity to teach the class on truth and reconciliation and one of the comments that were brought up was orange shirt day and why that day is so important. I believe that all students should know and understand how we all got here as a country and that teaching treaty education is an important subject area that needs to be brought forward, especially those of our future generation.
What does it mean for your understanding of the curriculum that “We are all treaty people”?
From my understanding, the statement “we are all treaty people” means that we all share this land, no matter who you are or how you got here, we all belong here and we all live on treaty land. In Cynthia Chamber’s article called We Are All Treaty People, Cambers states a very important message, “the treaties are a story to share… it is our story: the one about the commons, what was shared and what was lost… Old-timers and newcomers alike, we are all treaty people… The treaties are for you, too” (Chambers, pg.29). believe that is very important that we acknowledge as future educators to our students that we are all treaty people.
March 2/3, 2020
I went to a French Immersion K-8 Catholic school and 9-12 Catholic high school in Moose Jaw. Citizen education was very apparent in both my schools. My citizen education was mostly focused on the responsible citizen, “acts responsible in his/her community, by, for example, picking up litter, giving blood, recycling, obeying laws, etc… The responsible citizen hopes to build character and personal responsibility by emphasizing honesty, integrity, self-discipline, and hard work.” (Westheimer, pg. 3). I always remember going around the community and picking up litter. I remember having competitions with some of the other grades to see who could collect the most garbage. In high school, we also had to do a certain amount of volunteer hours every year so that allowed me to get out in the community and help wherever was needed. I used to do the ‘Operation Christmas Child’ shoeboxes with my classmates throughout my schooling, that was always something very neat and special to participate in. There were also many food drives that my class and I participated in. my examples of being a responsible citizen meet the expectations of Westheimer’s version of a responsible citizen, “contributes to food or clothing drives when asked and volunteers to help those less fortunate whether in a soup kitchen or a senior center” (Westheimer, pg. 3). The citizen education that I received most definitely helped shape the person that I am today. However, I believe that all three components for being a good citizen are very important, The responsible Citizen, The Participatory Citizen, and lastly, The Justice Oriented Citizen. Each one of these components all has the key factors that make them unique and beneficial. I believe that in order to be a fully good citizen, you need all three components.
March 9/10, 2020
How has your upbringing/ schooling shaped how you “read the world?”. What biases and lenses do you bring to the classroom? how might we unlearn/ work against these biases? Which single stories were present in your own schooling? Whose truth mattered?
I grew up in Moose Jaw and I went to a smaller K-8 French Immersion catholic school. Almost all of my classmates went to the same high school after finishing in grade 8, so I created a lot of close bonds with my classmates since we were almost always together. I also believe that I created strong bonds between lots of the teachers that I had growing up. Often times I will run into an old teacher and we will stop and have a conversation. Since the elementary school that I went to was catholic based, I didn’t get to learn a lot about things from another perspective, everything was heavily focused on the white catholic perspective. Once in high school, each year we had to focus deeply on Shakespeare. These literature texts showed no signs of diversity, other than “white” dominated. Both of these examples had developed some biases. However, now that I am no longer in those situations, I feel as though my biases towards other people have gone away as I have become more educated. Chimamanda Adichie’s Ted Talk really opened my eyes to the fact that there are many biases in society. I have watched this Ted Talk in many of my university classes as it provides a vivid explanation of how a single story can truly hurt someone. In the video, Adichie mentions that often times people will only believe the first thing they see or hear about a person and only base their opinion of those facts without truly getting to know the person, this creates a lot of biases towards that person. Adichie mentioned that “the consequences of the single-story are that it robs people of their dignity, makes it difficult to recognize equality between all humans, focuses on the differences and not the similarities” (Adichie, 14:00). Since my school was a catholic white-dominated elementary school, there wasn’t much focus on other cultures or perspectives. I was never taught about the dangers of a single story growing up and that I am becoming more and more aware of how they can negatively affect a person, I wish that my education growing up could have more diverse focus rather than just a white perspective. I truly believe that it is important that everyone is valued and represented positively and equally as no person should ever have to feel left out or misrepresented from a single story.