Scholar+or+issue+paper


 * Curriculum scholar paper OR Current issue in curriculum paper **
 * DUE: 6/9 **

· How does this scholar define the purpose of schooling? · How does this scholar envision curriculum? · What roles do students and teachers play in this scholar’s vision of schooling? · From what theoretical perspective do you believe this scholar is coming? · On what points do you agree/disagree with this scholar? Describe this agreement and/or disagreement. · What changes in our current system of education would need to occur in order for this scholar’s ideas to become fully implemented? Another way to examine this question may be: how practical do you believe this vision of curriculum is in today’s educational climate?
 * // Option A: //** Our primary course text, //The Curriculum Studies Reader//, contains writings by educational scholars who have made important contributions to curriculum thought over the past 100 years. For this assignment, you will choose one scholar whose work we have read in this class, or who you have an interest in from reading their work elsewhere (please clear this with me before you write your paper), and write a 5-6 page paper that addresses as many of the following questions as possible:

You will obviously need to do additional reading/research in order to write this paper -- you will not be able to address these questions fully if your only source of information is the chapter from //CSR//. Please cite all sources used, whether print or online, in a works cited page. You may find some articles by or about your scholar online, but you also may need to dig through some online journals via the Milner site, or visit Milner to check out some books.

You may choose from the following scholars/theorists. Most are represented in our text, but I’ve tossed in some additional names as well. Some of them have written primarily about curriculum issues; others have written about education more broadly but have published about curricular matters as well. Please let me know by May 31 which scholar you have chosen.

Maria Montessori John Dewey George Counts Ralph Tyler Carter G. Woodson Diane Ravitch Angela Valenzuela Maxine Greene James Banks Elliot Eisner Joseph Schwab Michael Apple Gloria Ladson-Billings Paulo Freire Nel Noddings Christine Sleeter Mortimer J. Adler

// **Option B:** // Choose a current issue in K-12 curriculum and write a 5-6 page paper in which you investigate the issue, explore the various “sides” of the issue, and argue your position based on research/reading you have done. In doing so, you should make connections to readings we have done in class and ideas you have encountered as part of this course.

Possible issues include (but are not limited to): · The recent controversy over the Texas Board of Education’s revisions to the state’s social studies curriculum. · Arizona’s recently signed law that will ban Ethnic Studies classes (such as Latino Studies or African American Studies) in public schools. · The narrowing of the curriculum that many believe has been brought about by No Child Left Behind’s focus on reading and math test scores. · Proposals to create a “national curriculum” for schools across the country that would, according to E.D. Hirsch, “assure the cumulative organization of knowledge by all students.” · How large of a role (if any) the arts should play in the “core” curriculum of K-12 schools.

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