Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id e9522x915050; Wed, 4 Oct 2000 22:02:59 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 4 Oct 2000 22:02:59 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <001901c02e6f$e9e943c0$d249b23f@hppav> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Mary Ann Corley" <macorley1@earthlink.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:137] Moving on to Curriculum Design X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4133.2400 Status: O Content-Length: 4235 Lines: 84 This discussion related to the roots of racism, white privilege, and internalized oppression has been interesting, and I believe that such a discussion must occur before we can begin to make changes in our delivery of program services. We have to look inward before we can know what to target for the change process. I'm not suggesting that we abandon this discussion because it is central to our next steps. Undoubtedly, we will continue to discuss our own attitudes, beliefs, prejudices, and even anger about racial relations because it is healthy for us to do so. But, because we care deeply about our adult learners/clients, we need also to consider one of the fundamental purposes of this listserv: to improve services to adult learners. So, I will attempt to move this discussion to a new consideration: curriculum design. A great deal of work has been done in the area of multicultural education, albeit most of it relates to K-12 instruction. Some of it, however, is extremely applicable to adult literacy. James Banks (1993) has a chapter entitled Integrating the Curriculum with Ethnic Content: Approaches and Guidelines. It appears in J.A. Banks & C.A.M. Banks (Eds.), Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives (pp. 3-28), Boston: Allyn & Bacon. In his chapter, Banks discusses four levels of integration of ethnic content into the course curriculum. The first level is The Contributions Approach, in which instruction focuses on heroes, holidays, and discrete cultural elements. In this approach, we simply discuss the contributions of a target group to our multicultural society. We may tell success stories of heroes such as Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, etc. This approach may provide learners with a "memorable one-time experience with an ethnic hero," but it may fail to "help them understand the role and influence of the hero in the total context of U.S. history and society." The second level is The Additive Approach, in which themes and perspectives are added to the course curriculum, for example, we might add specific readings, or a specific unit, to the curriculum during Black History month. This approach, according to Banks, allows the teacher to put ethnic content into the curriculum without tackling the more difficult task of restructuring the curriculum. But this approach also can be the "first phase in a more radical curriculum reform effort." The criticism of both Level 1 and Level 2 approaches are that they typically result in the viewing of ethnic content from the perspectives of the mainstream culture. The third level is The Transformation Approach, in which the goals, structure, and perspectives of the curriculum are all changed. This approach infuses various frames of reference into the content to be learner, thereby allowing learners to view concepts, issues, and problems from multiple ethnic perspectives. The fourth level is The Social Action Approach, which is based on The Transformation Approach, but which requires learners to make decisions or take actions related to the concept, issue, or problem. A major objective of this approach is to educate learners for social change and to encourage the development of decision-making skills. This approach is diametrically opposed to traditional schooling in which learners are socialized to "accept unquestioningly the existing ideologies, institutions, and practices within society." O.K. Given the above, if you accept the construct of the four levels, tell us how you have or how you might teach a concept or skill to an adult literacy learner using one of the above approaches. If we can get some creative ideas flowing here, we can begin the process of reconstructing curriculum. Do we need to do this? Take a look at the most common adult literacy texts and see what you think (keeping in mind that we often allow the textbooks we use to guide instruction). Please share your thoughts. The National Center for Literacy and Social Justice will compile the best ideas into a handy Ideas Packet and disseminate it. Thank you. ********************************* Mary Ann Corley Director, National Center for Literacy and Social Justice macorley1@earthlink.net
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