“TEACHER” AS A COMMONPLACE, I

 

Moving on from the “student,” this blog will now begin its review of the “teacher” as the next commonplace of curriculum development.[1]  That is, this blog will address the factors concerning teachers as they relate to the proposed curricular change for implementing a liberated federalism construct.  That construct is proposed to guide the teaching of American government and civics at the secondary level. 

Specifically, subsequent postings will answer the following questions:

 

·       What general conditions or characteristics typify the teacher corps in relation to accepting changes that would result in instruction of high-level thinking activities?

·       And what factors regarding the teacher corps would be helpful in implementing the liberated federalism approach?

 

Teachers play a very important role in social studies classrooms.  Back in 1991, Stephen Thornton describes this role as one of gatekeeper:  “As gatekeepers, teachers make the day-to-day decisions concerning both the subject matter and the experiences.”[2]  Before and since that claim, the literature is full of citations regarding the importance of teachers in the education of young people.[3]  Commentary on the teacher’s role in terms of the ultimate experience students will have with all the subjects they take at school and that includes social studies.

With these introductory remarks, the next posting will more specifically address teacher receptiveness.  With this context, it would be crucial for the implementation of any curricular change to have a willing teacher corps to carry out the prescribed elements of that change.  In terms of instituting liberated federalism as the guiding view, teachers would embark on what promises to be a transformative change from content guided by what is prevalent, a natural rights view – a highly individualistic approach – to a more communal view.

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[1] William H. Schubert, Curriculum:  Perspective, Paradigm, and Possibility (New York, NY:  MacMillan Publishing Company, 1986).  The commonplaces can be defined as follows:

·       The subject matter refers to the academic content presented in the curriculum. 

·       Learners (students) are defined as those individuals attending school for the purpose of acquiring the education entailed in a particular curriculum.

·       The teacher is the professional instructor authorized to present and supervise curricular activities within the classroom setting.

·       Milieu refers to the general cultural setting and ambiance within the varied social settings found at the school site.

For readers who wish to read previous postings that review the commonplaces, subject matter and learners (students), they can begin that series of postings with the posting entitled “From Natural Rights to Liberated Federalism” (June 2, 2023), at the URL, https://gravitascivics.blogspot.com/2023_05_28_archive.html.

[2] Stephen J. Thornton, “Teacher As Curricular-Instructional Gatekeeper in Social Studies,” in Handbook of Research on Social Studies Teaching and Learning, edited by James P. Shaver (New York, NY:  Harcourt, Brace, and World, Inc., 1991), 237-248, 237.

[3] For example, “The Role of Teachers in Society,” Allison Academy (2023), accessed October 7, 2023, URL:  https://www.allisonacademy.com/parents/parenting/the-role-of-teachers-in-society/https://www.allisonacademy.com/parents/parenting/the-role-of-teachers-in-society/.