23Sep 2019 by Kathryn 1 Comment
Dis/Abled Narratives in The Classroom

Dis/Abled Narratives in The Classroom

ECS 210, Uncategorized
For Assignment One, I chose to explore the concept of Dis/Ability and its relation to curriculum. I found it difficult to find articles from the sources/journals listed that focused on Inclusive Education, however I was able to find an article by Mark Helmsing (“Disability Plots: Curriculum, Allegory, & History”)about “the intersection of curriculum studies(what knowledge is of most worth?) and disability studies(how is our knowledge shaped by normality, impairment, and dis/able-embodiment?)” (Helmsing, 110). Ifound that we often exclude the narratives of people with dis/abilities from our history courses and content, and when we do cover them, it is minutely. When we fail to touch upon these historical narratives and perspectives, it becomes part of the Null Curriculum and we are (maybe inadvertently) teaching students that dis/abilities are a taboo subject.…
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16Sep 2019 by Kathryn 1 Comment

Curriculum Theory and Practice

ECS 210, Uncategorized
The four models of curriculum as described in Smith’s article, ‘”Curriculum Theory and Practice”, are as follows: curriculum as a body of knowledge to be transmitted; curriculum as an attempt to achieve certain ends in students (a product); curriculum as a process; and curriculum as praxis.  The first model, which sees curriculum as something to be transmitted (a syllabus) sets out the areas that may be examined in a course. Its main (only) focus is content and it relies quite a bit on the setting of behavioral objectives. A syllabus, however, can be quite general and often does not elaborate on what areas of study will be most important or the order they will be studied in. As well, as the article mentions, those who follow this model often use…
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12Sep 2019 by Kathryn No Comments

The Problem With Common Sense

ECS 210, Uncategorized
How does Kumashiro define 'commonsense?' Why is it so important to pay attention to the 'commonsense’? Kumashiro defines ‘commonsense’ as something that we assume everyone should know, or a facet of life that we take for granted as being a given/the status quo. According to Kumashiro, it can offer a sense of content and ease as we find comfort in familiarity and repetition. However, it can also allow for us (directly or indirectly) to either engage in oppressive behavior or to passively allow this type of behavior to continue. It can be hard to break habits, as we are leaving that sense of comfort when doing so, but it is important to be self-aware and to recognize these types of behavior.  Common sense makes it super easy to just continue…
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