Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons^™

Incorporating Sustainability Into Utah High School's Textiles And Apparel Curriculum, Michelle Clouse

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The purpose of this study was to propose sustainability-based curriculum changes to Utah's textiles and apparel (TA) curriculum. This study's specific curriculum change proposals are limited to Sewing Construction and Textiles (SCT) 1 and Sports and Outdoor Design (SOD) 1 courses. The proposed changes were made with the input of 24 Utah FCS TA educators via a research-developed survey on Qualtrics. FCS TA educators were asked to give their input on sustainability topics already taught in their classroom, teaching methods of sustainable topics, potential barriers to incorporating sustainability into the curriculum, and their receptiveness to curriculum change.

The Teacher Attitudes …

Writing Philosophical Autoethnography: A Review, Niroj Dahal

The Qualitative Report

As a book reviewer, I am penning down my thoughts restlessly on the book, Writing Philosophical Autoethnography, with a diverse audience in mind, encompassing readers, writers, and researchers of all levels from various disciplines in the social sciences and education. This groundbreaking work, edited by Alec Grant and published by Routledge, masterfully blends philosophy and autoethnography (Grant, 2023). The book distinguishes itself through its philosophical depth, with each chapter demonstrating a profound engagement with philosophical debates and theories rooted in Western philosophical traditions. This approach sets it apart from other autoethnographic works where philosophical concepts often appear to be …

The Urgent Need For Preparing Anti-Oppressive Citizens In Elementary Social Studies: A Conceptual And Pragmatic Framework For Educators, Erin Piedmont

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

No abstract provided.

Navigating The Indeterminate Relationship Between Politics And Pedagogy. A Response To "Education As Commons, Children As Commoners: The Case Study Of The Little Tree Community”, Derek R. Ford

Democracy and Education

In their article, Pechtelidis and Kioupkiolis added a case study to research at the intersection of politics, pedagogy, and the commons. Examining the Little Tree Community to deepen our understanding of how education can operate as a common practice, they raised key questions about the political possibility of subjectification in an education in the commons, leaving the question of politics and pedagogy open. Case studies in general, especially in the article format, require a delicate balance of theoretical exposition, contextual explication, data presentation, and analysis. In this response, I propose one way we might refine the politics assumed in the …

Land Education And Young People Working Toward Salamander: Collective Well-Being In Response To Bioindicators Of Socioenvironmental Justice, Rachael Arens, Ricardo Martinez

Democracy and Education

Our planet is facing many environmental challenges, including climate change, loss of biodiversity and habitat, and pollution, while many of our populations are also experiencing marginalization due to poverty, race, gender, language, ability, and environmental injustices. Environmental hazards and policies often impact those in society who are most at-risk, creating a need for an environmental education (EE) movement that encourages students to challenge and regain control of a system that impacts them. Teachers can implement a reflection tool known as the SALAMANDER Collective Well-Being in Response to Bioindicators of Socioenvironmental Justice Framework to prompt students and other educators to place …

Application Of A Model Of Family-Centered Harm Reduction In Community-Based Programming, Johnna Belkiewitz, Victoria G. Wilburn, Sydney Larson, Kate Schrader

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Coupling high substance use disorder rates with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, our nation faces a growing mental health crisis and a shortage of adequately trained mental and behavioral health providers. As occupational therapists work toward recognition as qualified providers in this practice area, we must ensure that future therapists can meet client needs. Traditional mental and behavioral health educational practices in occupational therapy use a model of harm reduction that minimizes negative outcomes for a select subset of the population engaging in specific “high-risk” behaviors, such as individuals engaging in substance use and sexual activity. Expanding our understanding …

Aporias, Transcendence And A Curriculum Of Hospitality, Wanying Wang, Daniel Ness

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Engaging in dynamic encounters with the other and otherness in education—an issue of creating an aperture that welcomes “a newcomer” either as a new idea or new practice—is important for the field of curriculum studies. Complicating aporias as “various forms of other and otherness,” this paper focuses on the encounters with other and otherness (as our understanding of transcendence or border crossing), in which transcendence (border crossing) becomes possible when a curriculum of hospitality is enacted. While culturally and historically informed, the curriculum of hospitality stresses the simultaneity of (1) ethical attentiveness to the encounters with other and otherness, (2) …

Facing Gender Absence: Questioning The International Relations Curriculum From A Peripheral Feminist Perspective And Practice, Alessandra Jungs De Almeida, Jocieli Decol

Feminist Pedagogy

The International Relations field is historically tied to masculine, European, and white hegemonic ideologies. As a result, gender and feminist debates rarely appear on the construction of the International Relations university curriculum and its teaching practices. Considering this scenario, the main goal of this critical commentary is to present ways to face gender and feminist absence in the International Relations classroom. We demonstrate how inside-outside classroom interaction and debates can be a powerful tool to transform International Relations teaching and curriculum, opening space to feminist pedagogical perspectives and practices.

Silence As An Educational Tool To Deconstruct Normative Societal Structures And Create Epistemic Trust, Milad Mohebali, Elmira Jangjou

Feminist Pedagogy

This article advances a teaching strategy to help students reflect on how they engage in class discussion by considering silence and silencing of voices in classroom discussions among peers as epistemic violence where a student’s capacity as a knower is questioned. We provide examples of silence(ing) we experienced as graduate international students from the Global South studying educational policy and leadership studies in the United States, to then share how we have used silence as a pedagogical tool to deconstruct the assumptions of the field and the society that keeps the silence as normative. We introduce third thinging as a …

Understanding How To Diversify The Cybersecurity Workforce: A Qualitative Analysis, Maria Chaparro Osman Dr., Maureen Namukasa, Cherrise Ficke, Isabella Piasecki, Tj Oconnor Dr., Meredith Carroll Dr.

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

A robust cybersecurity workforce is critical for protection against a range of malicious attacks. However, it has been noted that there are many vacancies and a shortage of individuals entering the cybersecurity workforce. This workforce shortage has partly been attributed to the lack of diversity in the cybersecurity field, with women, African Americans, and Hispanics remaining underrepresented in educational and professional settings. Using a qualitative approach, this work sought to investigate what led underrepresented minorities currently involved in cybersecurity to the industry, with the goal of determining methods to attract and diversify the workforce. A thematic analysis was conducted using …

Like Treating The Symptom Rather Than The Cause - The Omission Of Courses Over Terrorism In Nsa Designated Institutions, Ida L. Oesteraas

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The National Security Agency (NSA) awards Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) designations to institutions that commit to producing cybersecurity professionals who will work in careers that reduce vulnerabilities in our national infrastructure. A review of the curricula in the 327 institutions and their degree programs reveal that only two programs offer a required course about terrorism. Given the fluid nature of terrorism and its threat to national infrastructure, the omission is concerning. It is recommended that NSA-certified cybersecurity programs begin implementing educational content that aim to teach about this emerging crime and justice issue. One suggestion is to embrace the …

Textbook Tasks For Social Change: Instantiation Of Development Debates And Interposition Of Pedagogical Interventions In Media Literacy Education, John N. Ponsaran

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

As materialization of their discursive stance as instructional communicators and media producers, textbook authors instantiate various development debates as well as interpose a wide range of pedagogical interventions for critical reflection and adoption by learners. This qualitative study sought to situate these development debates and the counterpart pedagogical interventions within the context of textbook task design as an application and embodiment of social justice communication. The development debates serve as the proposed contexts for media text analyses, reflective exercises, case studies, and media production, among others. Correspondingly, the interposition of interventions allows students to make sense of and act upon …

Teachers’ Work: Communicating On Difficult Knowledge In Ontario Schools, Zsofia Agoston Villalba

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis examines how K-12 teachers in Ontario navigate the complexities of teaching "difficult knowledge"—topics such as racial and ethnic injustices, Indigenous perspectives, immigration experiences, and gender issues—within the parameters of the school and the curriculum. Utilizing an institutional ethnography approach, the study examines the curriculum as an institutional text that coordinates and shapes teachers’ practices. Working with and against the curriculum, teachers find innovative ways to engage their students on difficult knowledge topics. Based on interviews with 12 K-12 teachers, this research explores teachers’ work and pedagogical approaches. They employ diverse teaching methods like storytelling, open dialogues, and collaborative …

Students’ Perceptions Of Threats To Their World' Future: An Introduction To Iccs And Global Lesson Plan, James A. Duplass, Reinis Alksnis, Ireta Čekse,

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This article explains the scope and value of the only international assessment (IEA The International Civic and Citizen Education Study, IEA ICCS) of “Civic Understanding” and a uses data from the international comparative study to create a global education lesson plan for U.S. social studies teachers to have their students consider their perceptions of threats to their world as compared to students in other countries. The lesson would most likely be used with middle and high school students.

Questimonial: Lolita, Diane Skorina

Questimonials

Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov, has been this author's favorite book for the past twenty-five years. This Questimonial explores the Ursinus Quest core questions of “What should matter to me?” and “How should we live together?” through her experiences with this most misunderstood of novels.

Civilian Oversight Of Police Through The Lens Of Polarities Of Democracy, Joseph A. Mcmillan, Jacqueline D. Smith, William J. Benet

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

Following the murder of George Floyd, the U.S. Congress called upon the National Organization for Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) to play a role in the reimagining of policing in America, including a transformation of policing from a warrior to a guardian mentality. In turn, NOBLE partnered with the Institute for Polarities of Democracy (the Institute) to conduct an analysis of the 21st Century Policing Report (the Report), which focused on addressing a myriad of issues that challenged the relationship between the police and communities. The Report determined there were six “pillars” necessary for effective policing in America, including (1) …

Trauma-Informed Gatherings: What Does It Mean And What Does It Take?, Chelsea Williams, Jamie Bain

The Journal of Extension

As community members continue to experience racial trauma at both individual and community levels, our Extension team responded by adapting an anti-racism leadership training program to be more trauma-informed. Our team designed a tool using Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s trauma-informed principles to support public health practitioners to facilitate trauma-informed meetings. This tool can be a starting point for Extension professionals to create more trauma-informed gathering spaces in all areas of their work.

Soft Skills Don’T Have To Be Hard: Embedding Soft Skills Instruction In Moroccan Secondary Schools, Dc Lambert

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

In an increasingly diverse and interconnected world, the need for the development and mastery of soft skills has perhaps never been greater. Schools can play a key role in soft skills education, but implementation in the classroom has faced a range of challenges that have impeded instruction. One solution is embedding soft skills within an extant academic curriculum, with the advantages that the academic infrastructure is already in place, and few additional materials or time are needed. This field study found that embedding soft skills had excellent outcomes, even with limited resources, materials, and training, a notable first step in …

Restructuring A Developmental Esl Course At An Urban Community College: Asking The Right Questions, Deniz Gokcora, Raymond Oenbring

Michigan Reading Journal

This article provides an example of the integration of topics of race and racial awareness and anti-racist pedagogy into an ESL developmental writing course in a community college setting. The study describes how the lead author has redesigned an ESL developmental writing course at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) to include an explicit focus on critical racial pedagogy and social justice topics to foster students’ critical thinking and encourage students to be socially responsible individuals in a challenging global world. The manuscript offers insights into how an advanced ESL remedial writing course can be a suitable setting to …

Toward A Theory Of An Integrated Theoretical Approach Of Literacy For Black Boys, Aaron M. Johnson

Michigan Reading Journal

In the education landscape the literacy of Black boys is viewed from deficit framing. Often, educators, politicians, and laypeople point to scores on standardized assessments such as the MSTEP, NAEP, ACT, SAT, and NWEA, these tests only tell a part of the story. The part of the story that those assessments do tell is the abject failure of schools’ ability to engage Black boys in school-based literacy and catapult them into proficient and advanced proficient reading levels. The part of the story that those assessments do not tell is the literate lives that Black boys lead. Furthermore, schools do a …