Are Our Students Culturally Literate?

Cultural Literacy.

Is there a specific body of knowledge that every American needs to know? Who should decide what we need to know and how do we determine what is to be included in that body of knowledge?

Dr. E. D. Hirsch, Jr., former professor  of Humanities and English at the University of Virginia decided to address that issue.  His book, Cultural Literacy – What Every American Needs to Know, when published in 1987 became at once both a best seller and a controversial flashpoint. Hirsch maintained that “to be culturally literate is to possess the basic information needed to thrive in the modern world.” (Hirsch, p.xiii). His thesis, while well meaning, angered multiple groups of educators. There were those who challenged Hirsch with righteous indignation. Who is Hirsch to decide what Americans should know? His book provided a “list” of about 5000 items including historic events, names of famous scholars and politicians, opera and music, religion, and so on. So the argument went on as to what should be included on this list. A subsequent publication of Hirsch’s Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, gave brief descriptions and illustrations of the items he included on his now famous list.

The other group of offended scholars and intellectuals included those who saw this as exposing class differences in American education. Minority and disadvantaged students were not exposed to the same experiences as their middle and upper middle class counterparts. They had not been to museums, concerts or the opera. They had not read the same books (like Shakespeare’s plays), magazines or even vacationed in the same places.

Those familiar with public education in the United States know that with the exception of the Advanced Placement program in high schools, there is no standardized national curriculum. What this means in a mobile society is that students who move from one state to another may either be ahead or  behind their peers, depending in what state they end up in. Thus if Hirsh’s theory would be adopted there would be a common universal fund of knowledge that all American students would know.

It should be pointed out that there is a movement under consideration that would standardize knowledge in specific subject areas (like math).

In 1986 Hirsch established the Core Knowledge Foundation ( www.coreknowledge.org)  in an effort to develop a uniform curriculum for elementary school students. The foundation subsequently published a series of books  about what each grade level student should know.

Where do you stand on this issue? Should there be a uniform national curriculum? What should its contents be? Who should devise it? We want to hear from you.



Content vs. Pedagogy

Content vs. Pedagogy

One the question that  is perennially discussed in college of education classrooms and well as government agencies is which is more  important- knowing WHAT to teaching or knowing HOW to Teach.  According to government officials, the content area knowledge is of prime importance and that virtually “anyone” can learn how to teach.  One of the backbones of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the notion that every classroom teacher must be designated as “highly qualified” in the subject that they teach.  Many will also point to the success of programs like Teach for America, where college graduates with degrees in a myriad of subject areas but no teacher training have become successful teachers.  Additionally this notion is further reinforced in state licensure exam requirements. In many states, teacher candidates are required to pass the Praxis II exam (see ETS) in their subject area(s) or in elementary education in order to obtain state certification. There are no questions about pedagogy (how to teach) in any of these Praxis II exams.

When we speak to high school students and ask them about their best teachers, they reiterate that the HOW made a great deal of difference in identifying their most outstanding teachers.  College students in teacher preparation institutions generally agree that knowing how to present lessons, approach students with varying reading levels and background knowledge are critical tools in becoming effective classroom teachers. As expected, professors in colleges of education have stated that knowing how to be an effective classroom teacher is every bit as important as knowing the content material.

Where do you fit in? We invite you to join the discussion.

“In a completely rational society the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something else.”

Lee Iacocca. (n.d.). Great-Quotes.com. Retrieved December 14, 2010, from Great-Quotes.com Web site:
http://www.great-quotes.com/quote/887036

The December Dilemma

Dealing with What to Teach during the Holiday Season

The month of December can be a wonderful time for teachers. It provides them the opportunity to celebrate the cultural diversity of America and introduce students the joys of Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan and Kwanza. It can also be a constitutional minefield sucking unwary teachers (especially first year teachers) into confrontations with parents, school official and religious leaders about what should be taught or expressed in the classroom. Is a Christmas tree a religious object? What about a Menorah? Can we sing Christmas carols and if so which ones are not too religious?

In most school districts such policies are dictated by the local school boards. There should be some rule of thumb for a prudent classroom teacher to use so as not to violate any student’s First Amendment Rights while still retaining the joy and educational values of the holiday season.

The state of California has come up with a litmus test of sorts that you may want to keep as a reference guide.

1)      Is the planned activity or event consistent with the educational mission of the school?

2)      Will the activity or event make students your students feel uncomfortable?

3)      Can a lesson be prepared that teaches about the meaning of a holiday without proselytizing for a specific religion?

The issue of appropriate music is also the subject for discussion at this time of year. The history of all music has its beginnings in liturgical and religious music, so leaving religious music out on purely religious grounds seems a bit extreme. Again, these are issues that should be discussed with school administrators prior to planning any holiday musical productions.

We would also like to recommend a book, especially appropriate for elementary and middle school grades. The Christmas Menorahs by Janice Cohn with illustrations by Bill Farnsworth (1995) is based on a true story set in Billings, Montana. Its message, so appropriate at this time of year, is that we should all stand up for intolerance and celebrate the similarities of diverse religious beliefs. We are all Americans and live in a country where religious freedom is a paramount right.

Please do not hesitate to recommend other books or submit lesson plans appropriate for this time of year.