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Hundreds of Colorado students protest history curriculum[W:234]

Re: Hundreds of Colorado students protest history curriculum

Karl said:
Where's the report on the liberal "censoring, massaging, and manipulating" of the current curriculum? (there's 647 posts in this thread, if you're going to task others with formulating your argument for you then you need to at least point them to the material).
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There is none. Even the school board members have admitted they're not familiar with what is actually being taught in the HS classrooms in that district
 
Re: Hundreds of Colorado students protest history curriculum

sangha said:
There is none. Even the school board members have admitted they're not familiar with what is actually being taught in the HS classrooms in that district
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I am amazed that you can't take 13 seconds (that's how long it took me) to find the information.

Here's what's behind the JeffCo history curriculum protests | CPR

QUIZ: A peek at the new history coursework that sparked JeffCo proposal | CPR

Both articles contain references to be reviewed. In addition, there is a report to the school board (I reviewed it in hard print at the briefing) you can research.

A 45 second review of the facts will convince you that the history curriculum kerfuffle is a strawman, intended to bring public pressure on the school board in order to weaken their position in the ongoing labor discussions with the teachers' union. The kids are being used ...

I'm amazed that I had to spend 13 seconds of my life because you were too lazy, or intellectually dishonest, to do a google search.

A simple thank you will do.
 
Re: Hundreds of Colorado students protest history curriculum

GBFAN said:
I am amazed that you can't take 13 seconds (that's how long it took me) to find the information.

Here's what's behind the JeffCo history curriculum protests | CPR

QUIZ: A peek at the new history coursework that sparked JeffCo proposal | CPR

Both articles contain references to be reviewed. In addition, there is a report to the school board (I reviewed it in hard print at the briefing) you can research.

A 45 second review of the facts will convince you that the history curriculum kerfuffle is a strawman, intended to bring public pressure on the school board in order to weaken their position in the ongoing labor discussions with the teachers' union. The kids are being used ...

I'm amazed that I had to spend 13 seconds of my life because you were too lazy, or intellectually dishonest, to do a google search.

A simple thank you will do.
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Neither of those two articles has any evidence that the history classes have a liberal bias.

GBFAN said:
Once again, you prove no knowledge is a dangerous thing or any censoring, massaging, and manipulating of the curriculm.

Had you bothered to actually read the report, you would see that the school board is attempting to remove the results of censoring, massaging, and manipulating the curriculm.

Look it up.
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SheWolf said:
I favor teaching the constitution and the philosophical concept of individual freedom and liberty. I disfavor teaching children to blindly obey authoritative structures.

Not only did Rosa Parks protest, the Boston Tea Party was a protest. The American Revolution was blatant disregard for British authority.

Not all laws, governments, and forms of authority should be obeyed and trusted. If you study history it becomes obvious.
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you say you want to teach the constitution, now explain to me what is being taught..... to blindly do.

Rosa parks protested authority she did not turn to violate action, the Boston tea party was not a protest, because it involved the destruction of property, nothing can be a protest if it violates property, because protesting is a right, nothing can be a right which involves the destruction, stealing, cheating of property.

please state for me, laws, governments, authority which you should not obey.
 
sangha said:
I don't care about college professors.

The only thing that counts is the bias in *this* school's curriculum and this school board has presented absolutely no evidence that this school's curriculum is biased. If they are changing *this* school's curriculum because of what some other college is doing then they are being irresponsible.
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OF COURSE they were being irresponsible and biased curriculum should be identified and rejected. No one is denying that. ALL educator bias is irresponsible.
 
Re: Hundreds of Colorado students protest history curriculum

sangha said:
Then quote from the articles where it says the curriculum is liberally biased or has been censored, massaged, and manipulated
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Did you take the quiz?
 
VanceMack said:
OF COURSE they were being irresponsible and biased curriculum should be identified and rejected. No one is denying that. ALL educator bias is irresponsible.
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I disagree. Like Fiddytree, I think some bias is unavoidable. However, I think the curriculum should be designed to be as free from bias as possible, and should not be designed to be biased which is what this school board wants. IMO, the best way to deal with inevitable bias is to foster independent thinking which, ironically, the new curriculum this school board opposes is designed to encourage.

http://www.cpr.org/news/story/heres-whats-behind-jeffco-history-curriculum-protests
The controversy stems from the recent overhaul of the AP test. Students who take AP classes can earn college credit. The exam is administered by the New Jersey-based College Board. For years, the College Board has been working to de-emphasize rote memorization of facts in AP history, and instead develop historical thinking and critical analysis skills. One historian calls it “teaching historical thinking instead of historical trivia.” The idea is to teach students how to read sources, how to use the skills of a historian, and how to create their own historical arguments. - See more at: http://www.cpr.org/news/story/heres...tory-curriculum-protests#sthash.RUNGkdlk.dpuf
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Re: Hundreds of Colorado students protest history curriculum

GBFAN said:
I am amazed that you can't take 13 seconds (that's how long it took me) to find the information. [...]
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You're saying that you kept admonishing sangha to read a report that doesn't exist or had yet to be posted? Really? :doh
 
Re: Hundreds of Colorado students protest history curriculum

Karl said:
You're saying that you kept admonishing sangha to read a report that doesn't exist or had yet to be posted? Really? :doh
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That's right

There is no report concerning what is being taught at the school. One school board member has admitted she doesn't even know what's being taught

Jeffco parents fear censorship as board considers new curriculum panel, AP history | Chalkbeat

Wheat Ridge High School history teacher Stephanie Rossi said that despite the revised curriculum guide, her classes’ content remains the same.

“It’s America’s story,” she said. “But the new approach engages students in a more thoughtful way that does not make the test the only focus of the curriculum.”

Rossi would not directly comment on the proposed committee, but she did say she was disappointed by the approach.

“I’m saddened to think that anyone doesn’t believe Jeffco U.S. history teachers aren’t already engaging students in healthy discussions,” she said. “Do they not think we’re not talking about patriotism? They don’t even know us. They don’t know what we’re doing.”

Williams admitted she doesn’t know. And that’s the point of the committee.

“All I can say is that this has been brought to me by so many of my stakeholders,” she said. “There are certainly enough questions about this. All I’m asking is for a committee to review it. What does it hurt to look at it?”
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So while GBFAN is passing off the lie that this HS's curriculum has been censored and manipulated to have a liberal bias, the school board member is claiming that she doesn't know and the committee is meant to merely investigate what is being taught which is just as much a lie as GBFAN's non-existent report. The committee has been given the power to censor the curriculum
 
Karl said:
True to form, the Cons embrace all minorities :lamo
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What's rather fascinating is the claim about native Americans having too much representation, when few students at any level of education (K-12, college, undergraduate, or graduate) have much exposure at all to their political histories, let alone economic or social histories.

Native American history in the classroom exists for the sole purpose of displaying interactions and conflicts with European and white Americans.
 
Re: Hundreds of Colorado students protest history curriculum

Karl said:
True to form, the Cons embrace all minorities :lamo
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Since those three groups comprise the majority of americans, they are also rejecting the majority of history
 
Re: Hundreds of Colorado students protest history curriculum

Karl said:
You're saying that you kept admonishing sangha to read a report that doesn't exist or had yet to be posted? Really? :doh
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Nope -- didn't say that at all ... the report was referenced in previous posts, but apparently, he was too lazy to read it at the time. I can think of no reason that I should go to extraordinary effort due to his lack of diligence.

I merely offered him another example (that he could have gotten in 13 seconds) that further details the issue.
 
Fiddytree said:
What's rather fascinating is the claim about native Americans having too much representation, when few students at any level of education (K-12, college, undergraduate, or graduate) have much exposure at all to their political histories, let alone economic or social histories.

Native American history in the classroom exists for the sole purpose of displaying interactions and conflicts with European and white Americans.
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Equally fascinating is the right wing insistence that EVERY SINGLE HISTORY class include Washington, Jefferson, and Madison. How many times does a student need to be taught the same exact thing, over and over? Shouldn't a student taking college level history classes already know that by now?
 
sangha said:
Equally fascinating is the right wing insistence that EVERY SINGLE HISTORY class include Washington, Jefferson, and Madison. How many times does a student need to be taught the same exact thing, over and over? Shouldn't a student taking college level history classes already know that by now?
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I subscribe to the belief that you have to go over it again, but in greater detail and complexity with each phase in a student's education. You could chop it up into sections, as most schools do, but revisits are necessary.

History isn't like mathematics.
 
Fiddytree said:
I subscribe to the belief that you have to go over it again, but in greater detail and complexity with each phase in a student's education. You could chop it up into sections, as most schools do, but revisits are necessary.

History isn't like mathematics.
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I don't see how going over Washington's career would aid in teaching the history of our involvement in WWII.

Sure, there are times when going over some aspect of those three's career would be helpful in discussing some other part of our history, say slavery. However, that's not the right wings complaint.
 
Fiddytree said:
What's rather fascinating is the claim about native Americans having too much representation, when few students at any level of education (K-12, college, undergraduate, or graduate) have much exposure at all to their political histories, let alone economic or social histories.

Native American history in the classroom exists for the sole purpose of displaying interactions and conflicts with European and white Americans.
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You're exactly correct ---- the current curriculum only uses Native American history as a foil to prove the follies of capitalism, free market economics, and the latent aggressiveness of European Americans.

I can remember a time when we actually studied Native American history ... I can still draw the map of the Indian tribes in the Midwest. I'm guessing that's not so true of today's student. It was a high school history class that got me hooked on studying the Anasazi tribe and its disappearance in 1320 (which was, and still is, a very gripping mystery). I'm guessing today's student has never even heard of the Anasazi tribe. We had to study the Iroquois Confederacy, and its impact on the US Constitution. Again, I'm pretty much convinced you can't find a student today that's aware of it. (By the way, it's an interesting side note that the Iroquois Confederacy was developed by a woman).

THAT is the difference in teaching history ... and using history as a political indoctrination tool.
 
GBFAN said:
You're exactly correct ---- the current curriculum only uses Native American history as a foil to prove the follies of capitalism, free market economics, and the latent aggressiveness of European Americans.
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You are lying. The link that you posted shows that they ask questions about non-native american history.

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=ODA3NzAzMR3S&id=807452&ew=630

Sample old question: The Northwest Ordinances did which of the following?
A.

Provided for the annexation of the Oregon Territory
B.

Established reservations for Native Americans
C.

Granted settlers a free homestead of 160 acres
D.

Established the terms for settlement and admission of the new states
E.
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sangha said:
I don't see how going over Washington's career would aid in teaching the history of our involvement in WWII.

Sure, there are times when going over some aspect of those three's career would be helpful in discussing some other part of our history, say slavery. However, that's not the right wings complaint.
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Surely you could. Washington's shadow persisted throughout America's decision, just as John Quincy Adams did.

We agree that the outrage is overblown, but I can assure you that increased and more demanding exposure is a valued component to teaching history.
 
sangha said:
I don't see how going over Washington's career would aid in teaching the history of our involvement in WWII.

Sure, there are times when going over some aspect of those three's career would be helpful in discussing some other part of our history, say slavery. However, that's not the right wings complaint.
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... and this is EXACTLY why we must teach history in its totality .... the failure to understand the underpinnings of the issues that resulted in key decisions is worse than being completely ignorant. At least in ignorance, there is bliss ... and inaction. The failure to understand only creates chaos.
 
Fiddytree said:
Surely you could. Washington's shadow persisted throughout America's decision, just as John Quincy Adams did.

We agree that the outrage is overblown, but I can assure you that increased and more demanding exposure is a valued component to teaching history.
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Agreed, but the right wing is not asking for increased and more demanding exposure. They're asking for less.
 
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