Cultures Of Curriculum

This txtbk presents the concept of curriculum as culture-a system of implicit & explicit beliefs, values, behaviors, & customs in classrooms & schools. Goal is to foster awareness, examination, & deliberation about the curricula planned for & carried out

This text aims to deepen awareness of dilemmas of practice in curriculum work. It is a suitable resource for students in curriculum theory and curriculum studies, and should also enter the public discourse as readers bring its ideas and issues into their schools and communities.

Discover why and how schools must become places where thinkingis valued, visible, and actively promoted As educators, parents, and citizens, we must settle for nothingless than environments that bring out the best in people, takelearning to the next level, allow for great discoveries, and propelboth the individual and the group forward into a lifetime oflearning. This is something all teachers want and all studentsdeserve. In Creating Cultures of Thinking: The 8 Forces We MustMaster to Truly Transform Our Schools, Ron Ritchhart, author ofMaking Thinking Visible, explains how creating a culture ofthinking is more important to learning than any particularcurriculum and he outlines how any school or teacher can accomplishthis by leveraging 8 cultural forces: expectations, language, time,modeling, opportunities, routines, interactions, andenvironment. With the techniques and rich classroom vignettes throughout thisbook, Ritchhart shows that creating a culture of thinking is notabout just adhering to a particular set of practices or a generalexpectation that people should be involved in thinking. A cultureof thinking produces the feelings, energy, and even joy that canpropel learning forward and motivate us to do what at times can behard and challenging mental work.

It is often argued that education is concerned with the transmission of middle-class values and that this explains the relative educational failure of the working class. Consequently, distinctive culture needs a different kind of education. This volume examines this claim and the wider question of culture in British society. It analyses cultural differences from a social historical viewpoint and considers the views of those applying the sociology of knowledge to educational problems. The author recognizes the pervasive sub-cultural differences in British society but maintains that education should ideally transmit knowledge which is relatively class-free. Curriculum is defined as a selection from the culture of a society and this selection should be appropriate for all children. The proposed solution is a common culture curriculum and the author discusses three schools which are attempting to put the theory of such curriculum into practice. This study is an incisive analysis of the relationships between class, education and culture and also a clear exposition of the issues and pressures in developing a common culture curriculum.

This little book is confined to very simple “reading lessons upon the Form and Motions of the Earth, the Points of the Compass, the Meaning of a Map: Definitions.” The shape and motions of the earth are fundamental ideas—however difficult to grasp. Geography should be learned chiefly from maps, and the child should begin the study by learning “the meaning of map,” and how to use it. These subjects are well fitted to form an attractive introduction to the study of Geography: some of them should awaken the delightful interest which attaches in a child’s mind to that which is wonderful—incomprehensible. The Map lessons should lead to mechanical efforts, equally delightful. It is only when presented to the child for the first time in the form of stale knowledge and foregone conclusions that the facts taught in these lessons appear dry and repulsive to him. An effort is made in the following pages to treat the subject with the sort of sympathetic interest and freshness which attracts children to a new study. A short summary of the chief points in each reading lesson is given in the form of questions and answers. Easy verses, illustrative of the various subjects, are introduced, in order that the children may connect pleasant poetic fancies with the phenomena upon which “Geography” so much depends. It is hoped that these reading lessons may afford intelligent teaching, even in the hands of a young teacher. The first ideas of Geography—the lessons on “Place”—which should make the child observant of local geography, of the features of his own neighbourhood, its heights and hollows and level lands, its streams and ponds—should be conveyed viva voce. At this stage, a class-book cannot take the place of an intelligent teacher. Children should go through the book twice, and should, after the second reading, be able to answer any of the questions from memory. Charlotte M. Mason

EXPLORE THE CULTURES OF THE WORLD! Meet buddies from different parts of our planet and go on adventures near and far with 30 stories bursting with intrigue, curiosity and wonder! Travel from Japan to Peru and South Africa to Denmark, and learn about diverse cultures, customs, traditions and more in one handy, charmingly illustrated volume. - A magical, educational experience for young readers to discover the differences that make our planet so special, but also to uncover the similarities we often overlook - Fictional plots of kids from different countries capture the imagination of little readers and allow them to experience the world beyond themselves, developing compassion and empathy - Every story is accompanied by a 2-page snapshot of that country's culture, filled with fun facts and engaging activities, such as puzzles, songs and recipes

In this text Etta Hollins presents a powerful process for developing a teaching perspective that embraces the centrality of culture in school learning. The six-part process covers objectifying culture, personalizing culture, inquiring about students' cultures and communities, applying knowledge about culture to teaching, formulating theory or a conceptual framework linking culture and school learning, and transforming professional practice to better meet the needs of students from different cultural and experiential backgrounds. All aspects of the process are interrelated and interdependent. Two basic procedures are employed in this process: constructing an operational definition of culture that reveals its deep meaning in cognition and learning, and applying the reflective-interpretive-inquiry (RIQ) approach to making linkages between students' cultural and experiential backgrounds and classroom instruction. Discussion within chapters is not intended to provide complete and final answers to the questions posed, but rather to generate discussion, critical thinking, and further investigation. Pedagogical Features Focus Questions at the beginning of each chapter assist the reader in identifying complex issues to be examined. Chapter Summaries provide a quick review of the main topics presented. Suggested Learning Experiences have been selected for their value in expanding preservice teachers' understanding of specific questions and issues raised in the chapter. Critical Readings lists extend the text to treat important issues in greater depth. New in the Second Edition New emphasis is placed on the power of social ideology in framing teachers’ thinking and school practices. The relationship of core values and other important social values common in the United States to school practices is explicitly discussed. Discussion of racism includes an explanation of the relationship between institutionalized racism and personal beliefs and actions. Approaches to understanding and evaluating curriculum have been expanded to include different genres and dimensions of multicultural education. A framework for understanding cultural diversity in the classroom is presented. New emphasis is placed on participating in a community of practice. This book is primarily designed for preservice teachers in courses on multicultural education, social foundations of education, principles of education, and introduction to teaching. Inservice teachers and graduate students will find it equally useful.

This comprehensive textbook prepares early childhood educators to effectively work with and support young children (ages 0-8) with diverse languages, cultures, and learning needs. With a multipurpose, multilevel format, this dynamic resource focuses on the central role of language development and culture in all aspects of learning. Adaptable chapters cover curriculum, family involvement, co-teaching, classroom environment and more, and feature both brief and deeper study versions of the material, alongside a wealth of case examples and implementation strategies. Accompanied by an online instructor’s manual, this ground-breaking text is an ideal resource for students and educators in early childhood and second language education, and all fields that work with young children, and all fields that work with young children.