Matters of Representation: Space, Place, and Context in STEM Curriculum
Abstract
Systematic racism exists and has persisted throughout US history. Todays’ world is opening their eyes to even more to systemic racism and oppression in all arenas of the world, and education is no exception. In fact, “today most black children attend public schools that are both racially isolated and inferior” (Crenshaw et al., 1995, p. 20). Implementation of a radical curriculum in Middle Schools today would help in dismantling continued systemic racism by developing a more conscious youth, in order to not repeat history. The radical curriculum sees the teacher as the driving force of curriculum and a “change agent” that is responsible for creating social reform and bringing awareness to social justice issues. Therefore, if the teacher is the driving force, and historically and now teachers have mostly been white female individuals, then more diversity in the teaching field is needed to fairly put the teacher in the position of power to impact today’s society. Students in the minority groups need to see more teachers like themselves, and those students in the majority need to know that positions of power within their space can be occupied by minorities. For the teaching force to then essentially be desegregated, hiring practices of teachers throughout the states need to radically change, especially in Math and Science. Once teachers of a more diverse population are in place then the implementation of the radical curriculum in Middle School would occur through the use of five pillars. The five pillars are
1. Comprehensive Curriculum
2. Critical Thinking
3. Community
4. Creativity
5. Cultural Sensitivity
Implementation of these five pillars serve as the bases for the implementation of a radical curriculum across subjects, including Science and Math.
Presentation Description
Unavailable
Location
Stream B
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Hickson, Jamilah, "Matters of Representation: Space, Place, and Context in STEM Curriculum" (2021). Curriculum Studies Summer Collaborative. 59.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cssc/2021/2021/59
Matters of Representation: Space, Place, and Context in STEM Curriculum
Stream B
Systematic racism exists and has persisted throughout US history. Todays’ world is opening their eyes to even more to systemic racism and oppression in all arenas of the world, and education is no exception. In fact, “today most black children attend public schools that are both racially isolated and inferior” (Crenshaw et al., 1995, p. 20). Implementation of a radical curriculum in Middle Schools today would help in dismantling continued systemic racism by developing a more conscious youth, in order to not repeat history. The radical curriculum sees the teacher as the driving force of curriculum and a “change agent” that is responsible for creating social reform and bringing awareness to social justice issues. Therefore, if the teacher is the driving force, and historically and now teachers have mostly been white female individuals, then more diversity in the teaching field is needed to fairly put the teacher in the position of power to impact today’s society. Students in the minority groups need to see more teachers like themselves, and those students in the majority need to know that positions of power within their space can be occupied by minorities. For the teaching force to then essentially be desegregated, hiring practices of teachers throughout the states need to radically change, especially in Math and Science. Once teachers of a more diverse population are in place then the implementation of the radical curriculum in Middle School would occur through the use of five pillars. The five pillars are
1. Comprehensive Curriculum
2. Critical Thinking
3. Community
4. Creativity
5. Cultural Sensitivity
Implementation of these five pillars serve as the bases for the implementation of a radical curriculum across subjects, including Science and Math.
