Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons^™

Drawing On The Past To Open Up Possible Futures. A Response To "The Cultural Contours Of Democracy: Indigenous Epistemologies Informing South African Citizenship", John Ambrosio

Democracy & Education

This article is a response to a qualitative study that examined how the indigenous African notion of ubuntu informs how some school teachers in a Black township in South Africa conceptualize Western-oriented narratives of democracy. While the study acknowledges important differences in how ubuntu is understood and defined, the author argues that it nonetheless tends to overlook them in order to harness ubuntu as a force for positive social change and national development. The author argues that ubuntu could potentially serve as a powerful cultural force for change, but this requires a context in which some of the moral qualities …

Contention And Conversation In The K–12 Classroom. A Review Essay Of Teaching Controversial Issues And The Case For Contention, Robert Kunzman

Democracy & Education

This review essay explores the complexities and challenges involved in addressing controversial issues in the K–12 public school classroom, drawing from two recent books: Noddings and Brooks’s Teaching Controversial Issues: The Case for Critical Thinking and Moral Commitment in the Classroom and Zimmerman and Robertson’s The Case for Contention: Teaching Controversial Issues in American Schools. This educational work requires thoughtful preparation by teachers, support from administrators and communities, and careful discernment about whether issues require pedagogical neutrality or directive instruction. Teaching young people how to understand unfamiliar perspectives and engage respectfully across ethical disagreement should be a fundamental priority for …

Getting An Education In Cuba, Sarah Asp Olson

Frontiers

Ruth Dawley-Carr takes lessons learned from multiple trips to Cuba and applies them in her Minnesota State Mankato classroom.

Mental Health & The Modern Educator, Samantha Nousak

Honors Projects

Mental health issues are far more prevalent than most are aware; according to the National Institute of Mental Health (2017), 49.5% of 13 to 18-year-olds will qualify for any mental illness. Mental health concerns will impact students in every single classroom, yet curriculum for Education majors does not include more than rudimentary information on this topic. This presentation aims to provide basic facts pertaining to mental health (including incidence rates, educators' responsibilities, and the impact mental health issues can have on students), discuss broad strategies to employ with students with mental health concerns (basic do's and do not's), and provide …

The Effects Of Social-Connectedness And Self-Esteem On The Resiliency Of Homeschool Students, Nicole Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this bivariate regression study was to determine if social-connectedness and self-esteem are good predictors of resiliency in homeschool students. Within the study, two research questions were asked: (1) How accurately can resiliency, as measured by the Child and Youth Resilience Measure, be predicted by social-connectedness, as measured by Lee and Robbins Social Connectedness Scale, in homeschooled students? (2) How accurately can resiliency, as measured by the Child and Youth Resilience Measure, be predicted by self-esteem, as measured by Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, in homeschooled students? To best address these questions, a quantitative approach was used to determine if …

Changing The Music: Understanding Educational Obstacles For Youth In Foster Care, Amie J. Stearns, Iyc

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Due to increased tendency of children in foster care placements to perform poorly in school and to become involved with the juvenile justice system, there is a dire need for school districts to improve support systems for this vulnerable student group. This presentation may be of most interest to conference attendees as it explores the specific barriers which may hinder educational success for youth in foster care.

An Exploration Of The Factors That Motivate Gifted And Talented Rural Students To Engage In Stem, Issabella Baldwin Zurek '18, Takudzwa George '18, Clinton Oshipitan '18, Robert Luo '18, Amy Wang '18

Student Publications & Research

Research Questions:

• What motivates rural students to pursue STEM?
• How can we use these factors to engage more rural students in STEM?

Empathy Institutionalized: Sociocultural Dialogue As A Strategic Peacebuilding Initiative, Emily Owens

Bridge/Work

A common adage used in psychological exploration tells us that “If you want to know the end, look at the beginning.” While typically employed to emphasize the importance of upbringing and environment on personal outcomes, this phrase can be equally applicable in examining the ways in which society has developed over time to produce our polarized sociopolitical culture of today. This work explores from an integrative psychosocial perspective the potential that exists in working to define a new “end” by shaping a new “beginning,” through going directly to the institutions that comprise our own beginnings— schools. Through a combined research …

The Curriculum Of Cultural Reconciliation At West Virginia State University And The General Education Curriculum, Michael Carpenter Harris Ii

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This qualitative study examined the perceptions and experiences of the faculty and students involved in the creation and administration of the General Education program at WVSU. This study focused on the themes of the creation of the original General Education curriculum that included the Origins and Race, Gender, and Human Identity classes, the redesign of the curriculum due to the state mandate, and how the new version of the General Education curriculum compares to the original. The findings provide insight into strengths and weaknesses of the program, faculty and student perceptions, government policy affecting education, and possible pathways forward to …

(Re)Learning To Question: Curriculum Studies And (Re)Thinking Science For The 21st Century, Anthony Jerome Stawiery

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation proposes a science literacy which revisits the nature of science and how it has fallen away from its inquiry-based roots and has become a tool for oppression and exclusion. The epistemological roots of science begin with curiosity and questioning. Asking questions is also foundational to democratic society. A critical science literacy emphasizes the need to question and to remain curious. Such skills can be incorporated across multiple disciplines. Therefore, this dissertation proposes science literacy not as a literacy in the life or physical sciences, but as a methodology of inquiry, a skillset that nurtures curiosity and strengthens critique. …

Place Based Science & Climate Change Lessons For Middle And High Schoolers, Maizie Smith

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

These lessons were created for middle and high school aged students living in western Montana. They combine scientific inquiry and place based knowledge to teach climate change concepts.

Walking The Tightrope Of Visibility, Leigh Patel

Occasional Paper Series

This essay cautions projects of visibility that are twinned with intersectional analyses. Arguing for a deliberate rupture in schooling’s categorical logics and a historical analysis of the cultural force of individual identity, I caution that the individual identity tendencies of modernity hold some risks for the substantial and long-standing imperatives of intersectional analysis. I ground this argument in Audre Lorde’s work and how it is often sampled insufficiently.

Introduction: Reading And Writing The T/Terror Narratives Of Black And Brown Girls And Women: Storying Lived Experiences To Inform And Advance Early Childhood Through Higher Education, Jeannine Staples, Uma M. Jayakumar

Occasional Paper Series

Staples and Jayakumar introduce this issue of the Occasional Paper Series that speaks to the #SayHerName social justice initiative. The movement aims to expose the experiences of Black and Brown girls and women who are subject to police violence in society and various violences in schools. In response to this movement, this issue includes stories of Black and Brown women from early childhood education through higher education.

An Alumnus Learns And Serves: Vincentian Mission In Education, Brian Crimmins

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

My Dad would talk about the mission of St. John’s University—and how going to St. John’s was about more than just getting an education. It was also about a commitment to service. Funny thing was—at first, like many of my peers, I looked at St. John’s and saw an opportunity to celebrate the great tradition of college basketball while also getting an education. I didn’t realize at first that what my parents were saying and doing as I grew up—namely the importance of the Vincentian mission—would ring true in my life in such a profound and lasting manner, day in …

Charism That Lives: Translating The Message Of St. Vincent De Paul For Today’S Teacher Education, Donald Mcclure, Judith F. Mangione

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

One way that St. Vincent’s mission of compassion has expanded in modern times is through the work of Catholic Vincentian universities such as St. John’s University in Queens, New York. Consistent with Vincentian charism, the university’s mission statement proclaims, “Wherever possible, we devote our intellectual and physical resources to search out the causes of poverty and social injustice and to encourage solutions that are adaptable, effective, and concrete.” By working with and supporting preservice teachers, we can meet St. Vincent’s call to serve those in need. First, we provide a short biography of St. Vincent de Paul’s life, selecting parts …

Kids Make Sense... And They Vote: The Importance Of Child Study In Learning To Teach Responsively, Frederick Erickson

Occasional Paper Series

A lecture that discusses the "developmental-interaction" perspective and practice that has become the hallmark of Bank Street. Erickson builds upon the relations of mutual influence among students, teachers, and learning environments, and taking account of the relations between local practice within the small-scale "here and now" interactional ecosystems of immediate learning environments and the workings of culture, language, and society across more distal connections in social space and time.

Reverse Migration: Documenting How The Educational Experiences Of Transnational Youth In Mexican Schools Are Shaped By Parental Deportation, Sandra Lourdes Candel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research Problem

Over 500,000 U.S.-born children are living in Mexico –some due to parental deportation– experiencing a decrease in their quality of life, the stress of an unfamiliar language and culture, and difficulty accessing education. In order to support them in their transition to Mexico, and to reincorporate them into U.S. society as adults, their struggles and educational trajectories should be of great concern to the Mexican and U.S. governments, as well as higher education institutions.

Purpose

The purpose of this qualitative study was to document the educational experiences of transnational students attending schools in a border city in northern …

Intention, Questions, And Creative Expression: An Antidiscriminatory Diversity Statement, Hannah S. Bright

Scholarship and Engagement in Education

Supporting education that reflects diversity involves maintaining awareness of one’s personal positionality, creating safe and inclusive learning communities, and using creativity and choice to empower and honor student voice and individual development. When working in educational settings, teachers may involve students in selecting relevant materials, and follow their lead in creating critical dialogue about salient factors of identity.

"Noise Level Zero" And Other Tales From The Bronx, John Wolfe

Occasional Paper Series

Wolfe reflects on his journey of teaching in various settings, teaching him what public education should and should not be. He compares his experiences at two public schools in the Bronx with very different approaches to public education.

Steady Work, Tom Roderick

Occasional Paper Series

Roderick's remarks made on the occasion of receiving an honorary doctorate from Bank Street College of Education in 1999. He speaks about his steady work in conflict resolution programs, because there is always a need for conflict resolution in a world where conflict is natural but violence is taught.

Introduction: It Should Not Be Left To Chance, Jonathan G. Silin

Occasional Paper Series

Silin introduces an essay from the annual Barbara Biber lecture, speaking to the importance of progressive education, and the flaws regarding the standardization of learning.

Introduction: Letters From Abroad, Linda Levine

Occasional Paper Series

An introduction to a series of essays by educators who reflect on their choices to live and work in other parts of the world. They offer a provocative range of personal and professional explanations for seeking out the strange and unknown.

Living In Question, Cynthia Rothschild

Occasional Paper Series

September 11 and the following months found Rothschild's students asking: "Why is there suffering?" "What has real value for me and for my society?" and, most resoundingly, "Is there a God?" She had few answers. The value that came to the forefront in her post-September 11 teaching was the value of living in question.

Starting Over Again: Comparing The First And Second Years Of Teaching, Scott Moran

Occasional Paper Series

Moran compares his experience during his first year of teaching with his second. After receiving his M.S.Ed. and completing a very successful first year of teaching, he thought that he had reached an important milestone. However, his confidence was shaken when he began his second year, realizing that the students as individuals and within the group dynamic can vary greatly from class to class. Each group offers new challenges and thus new learning experiences for teachers.

Introduction: The First Years Out, Judith Leipzig

Occasional Paper Series

An introduction to a series of essays from former Bank Street advisees that reflect on their first-year teaching experiences. The essays reflect the voices of those in the midst of becoming the teachers they hope to be. They touch on important aspects of teaching such as being present, bringing one's whole self, recognizing the interdependence between students and teachers, and generosity.

Education: Ancient And Modern, Kyle Edward Eidson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

John Dewey’s progressive education differed from the classical model. The entrenchment of Dewey’s progressive education at all levels of education has led to a decline in academic performance. The modern ideas of American education hardly resemble the ones it was founded on. This paper looks at a model of classical education adopted by the American founders—as well as classical education itself—and to Dewey, the preeminent scholar and philosopher of American, progressive education, whose aim was to develop an egalitarian society trained in non-traditional academics. The paper also looks at Dewey’s child-centered model that contributes to sinking academic performance, and to …

Dignidad, Poder, Resistencia // Dignity, Power, Resistance, Michael Munoz, Alanis Gonzalez, Tallie Spencer, Isabelle Marin, Lesly Juarez, Christopher Reynoso, Antonia Garcia, Abigail Goad, Athena Martinez, Ruth Gomez, Angel Vazquez, Jazmin Quezada, Jasmine Segovia, Jordyn Wedell, Yulisa Gonzalez, Laura Mena Hernandez, Keiri Fernandez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

First To Go Abroad" is a partnership between the Loyola Marymount University First To Go Program, LMU Study Abroad, and the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), which seeks to increase study abroad opportunities for first-generation college students. In May 2017, fifteen first-gen students and two first-gen faculty mentors traveled together to Santiago, Dominican Republic, where they spent ten days exploring the country and learning about the local cultures, customs, and histories of the people who call the DR home.

Travel is a privilege not all students have the same access to; for some students, this trip was the first …

Time Travel, Labour History, And The Null Curriculum: New Design Knowledge For Mobile Augmented Reality History Games, Owen Gottlieb

Articles

This paper presents a case study drawn from design-based research (DBR) on a mobile, place-based augmented reality history game. Using DBR methods, the game was developed by the author as a history learning intervention for fifth to seventh graders. The game is built upon historical narratives of disenfranchised populations that are seldom taught, those typically relegated to the 'null curriculum'. These narratives include the stories of women immigrant labour leaders in the early twentieth century, more than a decade before suffrage. The project understands the purpose of history education as the preparation of informed citizens. In paying particular attention to …

An Analysis Of Ohio School Districts, Ernest M. Oleksy

The Downtown Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal Written and Peer-Reviewed by Mandel Honors College Students at Cleveland State University

Money has recently been posited to be a panacea for education: the more a district spends on its students, the better their results will be. However, actuarial analysis of school districts shows that this ideology is muddled in inconsistency. To determine the effect of money on education, the Ohio Report Cards of four school districts were observed. Upon inspection, explanations for the evident correlations are made to discover that money does not have an additive effect on academic success.

In Defense Of Ambiguity In Education. A Book Review Of Rethinking Sexism, Gender, And Sexuality, Caitlin Howlett

Democracy & Education

This article offers a positive review of Rethinking Sexism, Gender, and Sexuality, a readable and refreshing account of the ambiguities and possibilities relating to gender and sexuality in education today. The review argues that, with a focus on public school experiences, this collection of vignettes, lessons, and critical essays, amounts to a resource that is of great value to teachers, preservice teachers, teacher educators, and citizens as they navigate the ever-changing winds of gender and sexuality, particularly as they diverge and multiply along categories of race, religion, ethnicity, and class. This book offers hope and excitement for those of us …