Homework answers / question archive / Learning Guide Unit 5 Overview Unit 5: Curriculum and Cultural Diversity   Topics:   Curriculum and classrooms of diversity Socio-cultural influences Curriculum Development and implementation Learning Objectives: By the end of this Unit, you will be able to: Analyze Bruner's  theory of education and their relevance to today's educational practice   Explore social issues that contribute to curriculum theory and development   Evaluate and assess the role of power relations and their influence on teaching and learning within the milieu Tasks: Peer assess Unit 4 Written Assignment Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting to the Discussion Forum Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum Complete and submit the Written Assignment  Continue working on the Group Activity Introduction Unit 5 discusses the magnitude of the classroom as social space and the negotiation of culture, diversity, and identity as integral to the learning process

Learning Guide Unit 5 Overview Unit 5: Curriculum and Cultural Diversity   Topics:   Curriculum and classrooms of diversity Socio-cultural influences Curriculum Development and implementation Learning Objectives: By the end of this Unit, you will be able to: Analyze Bruner's  theory of education and their relevance to today's educational practice   Explore social issues that contribute to curriculum theory and development   Evaluate and assess the role of power relations and their influence on teaching and learning within the milieu Tasks: Peer assess Unit 4 Written Assignment Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting to the Discussion Forum Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum Complete and submit the Written Assignment  Continue working on the Group Activity Introduction Unit 5 discusses the magnitude of the classroom as social space and the negotiation of culture, diversity, and identity as integral to the learning process

Writing

Share With

---

Learning Guide Unit 5

Overview

Unit 5: Curriculum and Cultural Diversity
 

Topics:
 

• Curriculum and classrooms of diversity
• Socio-cultural influences
• Curriculum Development and implementation

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this Unit, you will be able to:

1. Analyze Bruner's  theory of education and their relevance to today's educational practice  
2. Explore social issues that contribute to curriculum theory and development  
3. Evaluate and assess the role of power relations and their influence on teaching and learning within the milieu

Tasks:

• Peer assess Unit 4 Written Assignment
• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting to the Discussion Forum
• Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
• Complete and submit the Written Assignment 
• Continue working on the Group Activity
• Introduction

• ---

• Unit 5 discusses the magnitude of the classroom as social space and the negotiation of culture, diversity, and identity as integral to the learning process.   
• No matter where we are in the world, social issues prevail like politics, war, power, racism, classicism, and so on and depending on the milieu, teachers may or may not go into detail regarding the impact of the social issue relative to the individual student’s life.
• Culture, too, permeates our classroom walls.  It is a quality of life that shapes and guides a large part of how people think and interact with their environment.  A homogeneous community, where culture is somewhat uniform, provides a place of shared lived experiences.  In a multicultural setting, however, misunderstanding the culture of others could be seen as the root of ignorance and prejudice.  Cultural identity crisis occurs when we instill codes of assimilation and acculturation.  Diversity then is the recognition that we are all culturally different and connected; we must be mindful of the differences in cultural understandings.  

Reading Assignment

1. Au, W. (2012). What Curriculum Could Be: Utopian Dreams amidst a Dystopian Reality. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 48:2, pp.55-58. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254316073_What_Curriculum_Could_Be_Utopian_Dreams_amidst_a_Dystopian_Reality

• Professor Au explores educative theories and their influences on his understanding of curriculum and possibilities within curriculum theory and development.

2. Bruner, J. (1965). Man a Course of Study. Man: A Course of Study. Occasional Paper No. 3. Retrieved from 
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED178390.pdf

3. Clark, S. (2010). Jerome Bruner: Teacher, Learning and the Spiral Curriculum. Community and Thought in Education.  Retrieved from https://sheldonclark.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/jerome-bruner-teaching-learning-and-the-spiral-curriculum2.pdf

4. Doll Jr., W.E. (1993). The Four R’s – An Alternative to the Tyler Rationale. In Flinders, D. J., & Thornton, S. J. (Eds.). (2013). The Curriculum Studies Reader (2nd ed.).  New  York: Routledge. Retrieved from https://chrisdavidcampbell.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/doll-1993.pdf

• In William E. Doll Jr.’s (1993) piece entitled The Four R’s – An Alternative to the Tyler Rationale, we are being asked to rework certain Tylerian thoughts in order to make them relevant for current curriculum programs.  Doll Jr. suggests a break from tradition; to change in order to meet the changing needs of our diverse classrooms.

5. Freire, P. (1970, 1993). Chapter 3 In Pedagogy of the Oppressed. London: The Continuum International Publishing Group. Retrieved from http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon2/pedagogy/pedagogychapter3.html

 

• Paulo Freire’s Chapter 3 takes us on a bit of journey when it comes to curriculum reform because we are exposed to his very unique style of research writing.  Freire was never shy of expressing his thoughts poetically and though thought-provoking and profound, it may take a reading or two just to get used to his style.  Having said this though, we are now clearly entering a very distinct politicized zone of student concern.  We are moving away from talking about students as simply  “receivers” or “vessels” lacking/gaining knowledge.  We are starting to explicitly discuss the welfare, the background and the cultures of our students.  Also, we are looking at the ideas of power and privilege and how the two influence curriculum development.

6. Sparapani, E. F., & Callejo Perez, D. M. (2015). A Perspective on the Standardized Curriculum and Its Effect on Teaching and Learning. Journal of Education & Social Policy. 2(5). Retrieved from http://jespnet.com/journals/Vol_2_No_5_December_2015/11.pdf

• This article discusses the standardizing of the curriculum in conjunction with some of the issues faced by teachers.

7. Takaya, K. (2008). Jerome Bruner's Theory of Education: From Early Bruner to Later Bruner. Interchange: A Quarterly Review of Education, 39(1), pp. 1-19. Download the pdf.

• Professor Takaya explores the evolution of Bruner’s thoughts on culture relative to curriculum theory and design.

Optional Videos

1. Caucus of Working Educators. (2015, October 10). Wayne Au on High Stakes Testing 10/24/15 [Video File]. Retrieved from  (31:42)

• The first video features Professor Wayne Au and how he theorizes the connection between standardized testing and racist practices in American schools, past and present. You will be reading one of his articles in this unit.

2. FriereProject. (2008, June 25). Paulo Freire and Critical Pedagogy [Video File]. Retrieved from  (2:18)

3. LiteracyDotOrg. (2009, December 30). Paulo Freire – An Incredible Conversation [Video File]. Retrieved from   (8:14)

• Paulo Freire, a renowned educator, is quite profound.  In one video, you hear Freire share his viewpoints and in the second video, some critical researchers share their thoughts connected to Freire's influence on critical pedagogy.

Discussion Assignment

In the discussion forum, you are expected to participate often and engage in deep levels of discourse.  Please post your initial response as early in the unit as possible and continue to participate throughout the unit. You are required to post an initial response to the question/issue presented in the Forum and then respond to at least 3 of your classmates’ initial posts.  You should also respond to anyone who has responded to you. 

On page 23 of Bruner's piece in the section marked The Form of the Course, he discusses the ideas of units of study including sections, topics, devices and activities, materials, filmed student observations and supplementary materials. I would like you to answer these questions relative to Bruner's piece. 

• What is your opinion of Bruner's breakdown of unit construction?  Are there parts still prevalent in and/or relevant to a typical classroom?  Are there elements that seem outdated?  Give details.
• Aside from obvious changes as in using film loops when teaching, what other areas of unit constituency in today's approaches to curriculum differ from Bruner's six (6) elements?  Choose one or two differences that come to mind.  If that seems a bit overwhelming, then what has been your experience with unit work be it structural or unit construction/deconstruction?  Share your experiences.

Discussion Forums will be assessed using this rubric.

 

Written Assignment

Look over Freire's, (1970,1993) Pedagogy of the Oppressed Chapter 3, as he explores the realities of politics, power, and oppression when it comes to those able to access education.  We also encounter certain Freirean convictions including the purpose of education as freedom.  

In this chapter, Freire explores many significant key terms and at times, they are laden with much complexity and may require a bit more discussion in order to fathom their exact meanings.  

• Expand upon one (1) term and address the following
• Analyze what Freire means to say when he uses this term. What support does he offer to explain the term?
• Evaluate the term's connection to the idea of curriculum reform. 
• Assess the strength and validity of this term relative to what Freire is trying to convey in this chapter. Explain whether or not you do agree with this choice of term. Why or why not

Submit a paper which is 2-3 pages in length, exclusive of the title and reference page. The paper should be double-spaced.  Cite at least 1 additional source in APA format.  The paper should be well-written using Times New Roman, 12-point font. Check all content for grammar, spelling and to be sure that you have properly cited all resources (in APA format) used.

 Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) is a free website that provides excellent information and resources for understanding and using the APA format and style. The OWL website can be accessed here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

 Proofread your work to make sure your responses are clear and coherent. Please be mindful of the quality of work you compose and turn in at the graduate level. Contact your instructor if you have any questions or concerns.  

The paper will be peer-assessed using this rubric.

Group Activity

During this Unit, you will continue collaborating on the group project.  

Please refer to the Group Project Assignment document to be sure you and your group are on track.  

• Group Project Assignment

Group Project Rubric