Journal of Curriculum Theorizing

Expected Publication Date: Spring 2011

Curriculum innovations occur within specific contexts and reflect the values associated with those contexts. Their impact and efficacy can only be assessed within the particular social, cultural, and political environments in which they occur. Educators around the world, especially those in countries experiencing large-scale, systemic political change, often look to the U.S. and other Western countries for new approaches to curriculum and instruction practices that reflect more open, democratic, and participatory educational systems. As a result, educators are often asked to work with their colleagues in ‘emerging democracies’ to help in developing new approaches to teaching and learning and to find ways of adapting practices to the conditions and circumstances in other countries. But what are the challenges of adapting educational practices across national and cultural borders? What assumptions do educators in other countries make about the nature of teaching and learning? In what ways does culture matter when applying curriculum theories and practices in diverse settings? And, how does the educational policy context influence the success of curriculum innovations? Answers to these questions vary according to the particular setting, the content and subject matter, and the policy and institutional contexts in which curriculum innovations are implemented. These questions also raise ethical dilemmas for curriculum workers when their efforts, whether intended or not, may be perceived as forms of ‘cultural imperialism’ as they advocate certain educational practices, theories, or philosophical stances. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Conference Attendees,

The Bergamo Conference Committee would like to thank you for attending the 2009 conference. The conference committee has made every attempt to put together a meaningful and exciting conference experience. We sought to maintain aspects of the conference that have been key to its success over the years while at the same time adding new dimensions that build on the intellectual vibrancy, social networking, and relaxing atmosphere for which Bergamo is known. As we begin our thinking and preparing for the next conference, we would appreciate feedback that might help us continue to organize a meaningful and exciting conference experience.

Read the rest of this entry »

Visit our Picasa Photo Album with over 300 pictures from the 30th Annual Conference on Curriculum Theory and Classroom Practice at the Bergamo Center in Dayton, Ohio.

Feel free to add comments and help us name the folks in the photos and/or the sessions that are represented.

Thanks for coming!

See you next year!

Position:
Teachers College, Columbia University, invites applications for a tenure-track
position in Curriculum at the rank of Assistant Professor. This is an
exciting opportunity to contribute to the Teachers College program in
curriculum, the oldest in the nation.

Read the rest of this entry »

Below you will find the call or papers for the 2010 AAACS Conference. We hope you will do your part to spread the word and make this years Annual Meeting a Success.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE
ADVANCEMENT OF CURRICULUM STUDIES

Ninth Annual Meeting
Tuesday, April 27- Friday, April 30, 2010
Doubletree Hotel, Denver, Colorado

Curriculum and the Cultural and Environmental Commons:
Local to Global//Global to Local

Our 2009 conference theme carries us into 2010, but with a new subtitle. Last year’s theme bore the subtitle “Towards Reclaiming, Restoring, and Reinventing.” Though we hardly exhausted the possibilities to which that subtitle points, our hope for the Denver conference is that we reconsider, but with a greater focus on the international scene.

Again, we might understand the commons, in general, as those material and cultural spaces that belong to everyone, upon which our survival depends, and which are not, or should not be, abandoned to the logics of private interests. For example, more tangible assets of the commons include vast resources such as oil, water, minerals, timber, that are on publicly owned lands, as well as broadcast airwaves, parks, and civic institutions. Less tangible commons include public education, nonprofit institutions, creative works and public knowledge that are paid for by public funds. All are essential to human survival or quality of life. Yet, these public resources are under persistent threat of enclosure as private interests steadily convert them into market resources.

The encroachment of private interests on a global scale into environmental commons such as water, energy, and agriculture, and into cultural knowledge and information commons threatens to overwhelm efforts toward global sustainability, equity, and peace. At a time when numerous expert analysts are predicting disastrous events from climate change in which millions will be displaced, the “end of oil,” massive water shortages, and more, international educational efforts toward sustainable futures could not be more pressing.

What sorts of curriculum work are needed to assist us in becoming the people we need to be in order to meet these challenges? How will we, as curriculum theorists, articulate and pedagogically address the challenges before us in their myriad local and global manifestations? How can we support each other in the work of conceptualizing the interpersonal, political, and spiritual dimensions of a sustainable future, one that expands the possibilities of peace and freedom for an ever greater number and fosters an ever broader and more sensitive attention to the resources and rhythms of our planet?

While presentations, performances, or installations that speak directly and clearly to this theme are desirable, we also recognize that the spirit of the theme points toward a broadly conceived and complicated conversation, not fettered by any assumptions—conscious or unconscious—embedded in the foregoing words. Any proposed contribution to the complicated conversation that creates meaningful curriculum study is welcomed and encouraged.

Conferences Committee,
Louise Allen, Chair
Peter Appelbaum, Program Chair
aaacs@arcadia.edu

Conference Site Co-Chairs:
Bruce Uhrmacher bruce.uhrmacher@du.edu & Bradley Conrad bconrad2@du.edu
University of Denver