Overview:
In Clinton Smith’s book “How the Word is Passed”, various perspectives are offered on the transmission of historical narratives and the interpretations they inspire. Teacher candidates, regardless of their certification area, have a duty to engage in conversations about how standards and curricula are designed, and how they can be inclusive to all student populations. This paper requires you to reflect upon your teaching philosophy and critically analyze the evolving educational environment in relation to the book’s themes.
Objective:
Understand the core themes of “How the Word is Passed” and relate its content to the current educational landscape and your teaching philosophy.
Reflect upon the ethics and responsibilities of a teacher when faced with potentially conflicting external directives.
Analyze current standards in your certification area for inclusivity and potential modifications.
Instructions
Reading and Reflection: Begin with a thorough reading of “How the Word is Passed”. Highlight key sections that resonate with your views or challenge them.
Contextualization: Without choosing a political side, describe the recent legislation enacted by state governments across the United States to amend K-12 curricula that might impact specific demographics in the United States. What are the stated objectives of such legislation? What are the intended objectives of such legislation? How might the amendments in legislation be viewed in both a positive and critical light?
Teacher Standards and Moral Obligations: Considering both the book’s content and your own understanding of teaching, ponder the following: Do teachers have a moral obligation to address topics that might be controversial, or should they strictly follow the prescribed standards, even if they might exclude certain narratives and experiences of specific communities in the United States? In your reflection and analysis, consider various perspectives to ensure a balanced viewpoint.
Analysis of Certification Standards: Retrieve the standards specific to your certification area. Analyze them with a lens of inclusivity and asset-based teaching. Which populations might be unintentionally, or intentionally, excluded or underrepresented? Conversely, which populations might be unintentionally, or intentionally, overrepresented? Evaluate and justify whether your certification standards offer balance in teaching the 21st-century learner. If your analysis determines that there is an imbalance in your certification standards for the 21st-century learner, propose amended standards that better cater to diverse student populations.
Personal Teaching Philosophy: Relate your findings and reflections to your personal teaching philosophy. How does your philosophy address the potential tension between presenting comprehensive historical narratives and adhering to prescribed standards? How would you approach these challenges in the classroom?
Presentation: Your paper should be a minimum of five pages in length (but the paper can longer), Times New Roman, 12-point font, and adhere to APA 7th edition standards.
Note: While the topic is potentially sensitive, the aim here is not to be controversial but to engage in a thoughtful, balanced reflection that will enrich your teaching perspective and understanding of professional standards. Emphasize critical analysis and personal reflection rather than advocacy.
Assignment Guidelines
Criteria for Evaluation:
Depth of engagement with “How the Word is Passed”.
A balanced presentation of recent legislative changes without overtly taking sides.
Insightful analysis of certification standards with a focus on differentiating instruction.
Clear relation of findings and reflections to personal teaching philosophy.
Adherence to APA 7th edition guidelines.
Cover Page
A cover page is required for this assignment. In-text citations are also required as they allow students to practice the proper use of referencing primary and secondary sources. For further details about properly using in-text parenthetical citations, refer to the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition available online through Purdue Owl. The link for the APA is under the Assignment Guidelines section.
References & Plagiarism
A reference page is required for this assignment, but the words used for the reference should not be considered as part of a student’s minimum or maximum word count as required by this assignment’s guidelines. Reference to all the aforementioned documents and links pertaining to this assignment’s guidelines are available below these instructions for students’ convenience. Failure to adhere to the assignment guidelines will result in a zero.
Direct quotations are not permissible for any writing assignment in this course. Students should reference the sources, but not include any direct text in their original essay. Students are being evaluated for their critical analysis of the text, not their ability to reference the text.
How the Word is Passed
https://books.apple.com/us/book/how-the-word-is-passed/id1534530664
