Abstract: Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students experience hostility and danger within our educational system. The heteronormative nature of the curriculum and homophobic silence are challenged nation-wide as "safe-havens" are established offering positive role-models, an inclusive curriculum, and civil liberty. The culture and curriculum of Walt Whitman High School in Dallas, Texas will be explored through a postmodern lens and the personal narratives of students, parents, faculty and community members.

Longhorn – Joe Kretovics, Western Michigan University, and Jeanne Brady, St. Joseph’s University

Mockingbird A & B – From Heroines to Heretics: Examining Images of "Teacher" from students, teachers, children’s literature and film, Leeann Moore & Sarah Sandefer, Texas A & M - Commerce

Abstract: Students in teacher education programs come to us with previously constructed images of the profession. Those images are fromed from early interactions with children’s literature and popular film.

Abstract: This research focuses on the relationship between values and curriculum by examining five theorists (Rawls, Rokeach, Kohlberg, Wildavsky, and Burbules). An analysis of the values and methodologies of the theorists leads to four approaches to finding values: developmental, empirical, intuition based, and cultural.

Live Oak – Reggio-Inspired Teacher Research: Negotiated Learning and Social- Contextual Design, Martha M. Foote, Texas A & M University-Commerce; Kandice Ramos, McKinney ISD; Sheri Vasinda, Texas A & M University-Commerce; Cynthia Slater, Dallas ISD; Jan Cowman, Grand Prairie ISD; Susan Germann, McKinndy ISD; Discussant: Carole Walker, Texas A & M University-Commerce

Abstract: Pedagogical documentation of action research projects make visible the learning processes of students as well as the teachers’ own professional reflections, dilemmas, and changes in pedagogical practices. Conclusions focus on the co-construction of knowledge, fostering a disposition of inquiry, and the critical role of relationship in an educational experience.

Longhorn – Curriculum Wisdom and the Quality of Democratic Life, Kathleen Kesson, Goddard College and the University of Vermont; Jim Henderson, Kent State University

Abstract: We propose an organizing framework for the study of curriculum that calls upon a sophisticated practical wisdom informed by a well developed inquiry eclecticism. Modes of inquiry proposed call upon ancient categories (theoria, techne, phronesis, praxis, poesis, polis, and dialogos), juxtaposing ideas of unity, aesthetic satisfaction, and wholeness of experience (Dewey, Art as Experience) against a poststructuralist spirit of inquiry.

Mockingbird A – Critical Pedagogy, Cultural Studies, and Vaclav Havel’s Discourse of Political Hope and Possibility: Toward a Pedagogy of Social Engagement, Eric J. Weiner, Penn State University

Abstract: Vaclav Havel provides an important theoretical service to the debates around cultural politics, critical pedagogy, and radical democratic thought. His dialectical version of existential or "non-political politics," as well as his thoughts on the role of politics and social citizenship, the relationship between the intellectual and the politician, the political power of culture, and the importance of establishing a politics of everyday life, adds to the political viability of critical pedagogy, cultural politics and cultural studies.

Mockingbird B– Roy Graham on 2001 proposal in Victoria, British Columbia

Abstract: Two professors who teach a pre-service field-based teacher education course will present their strategy for promoting public moral curriculum leadership. We will describe our field-based activities which are designed to address social, economic, and political dimensions of schools and classrooms, and we will present student comments from the course web board. Finally, we will engage the audience in a critical analysis of the program.

Deconstructing the Accelerated Reader Program, Robin Groce, Texas A&M University

Abstract: This presentation includes specific elements regarding the pedagogical benefits and limitations of classroom implementation and district adoption of the Accelerated Reader Program. This study uses research conducted with elementary classroom teachers to deconstruct various aspects of the reading program.

Democracy and the Online Classroom, Shannon Fite, Sue Mahoney, Mary Lu Epps, Jana Willis Texas A & M University

Abstract: The online classroom as an educational environment appears to be an ideal place to foster and support the inclusion of multiple perspectives where participants are equal. The virtual classroom offers participants the possibility of cyberspace where interaction can occur in a safe environment if the relevant approaches are nurtured .

Characteristics Identified by Principals That Promote Foundational Literacy and Successful Intervention with Economically Disadvantaged, Special Education Students, Victoria Pursch and Antoinette Riester, Texas A & M University

Abstract: This roundtable discussion will focus on preliminary findings from two qualitative, companion dissertations. One study explores foundational literacy with economically disadvantaged students; the other explores success with economically disadvantaged, special education students. Our position is that foundational literacy and success with special education, economically disadvantaged students are inextricably linked.
 
 

Abstract: This performance piece is the culmination of a contextualized curriculum inquiry. We will present the "lived experiences" (van Manen, 1988) of ourselves and our "fellow travelers" as we journey along a mutual path of discovery.

The journey of bildungsroman; a story of awakening, provides the narrative framework for exploring the experiences of curricular participants. We postulate a postmodern version of bildung - a hermeneutic model that respects the "lived experience" of the inquirer, yet challenges learners through contextualized curriculum.

Live Oak – Democratic Teacher Evaluation?: Perils and Possibilities of Action Research, Brent Hocking, University of British Columbia

Abstract: What are the implications of recasting teacher evaluation as something objective and impersonal to a form of inquiry based on mutual problem-solving, collaboration, and risk-taking? In this presentation I recount my experiences as an elementary teacher who was evaluated using an action research framework. I explore the paradoxes, possibilities, and tensions of my roles as research "subject" and "co-researcher" to ask challenging questions about complicity, interrelationship, and the amorphous boundaries of democratic participation in public schools.

Deconstructing the Collaborative Model in Postmodern, Democratic Schools, Nancy Langerock, Texas A & M University

Abstract: Collaborative models, such as site management and team-teaching are the most pervasive forms of restructuring occurring in schools today. Author identifies the need to deconstruct collaborative processes and the power structures inherent to them. Paper proposes a movement towards a "bottom up" democratic school model in which empowered students may begin to gain control of their own learning experiences through collaborative realizations.

Longhorn – Reclaiming an Education Partner: A Critique of Dewey’s Definition of Religion, Rick Breault, University of Indianapolis

Abstract: This paper proposes that Dewey presented a narrow and inadequate definition of religion, thereby, limiting discourse. By re-examining ideas in A Common Faith according to modern theology, that discourse can be re-opened and religion viewed as a partner in schooling, especially of disadvantaged populations and in relation to critical theory.

Democracy, Community, and Faith: A Three-Legged Stool, Jared Stallones, Grace Covenant Christian School

Abstract: Paper presentation investigates interaction of community, democratic values, religious belief belief in democratic education. Focuses on questions of knowledge and belief, nature of community, social criticism, and role of religion in schools. Author presents elementary school model blending community service, current pedagogy, and religious thought to develop democratic habits and attitudes.

Mockingbird A – Teachers’ and Parents’ Beliefs About Inclusion in Turkey, Zeynep Alat, Indiana University

The purpose of this study was to explore beliefs of parents and teachers of young children about inclusion in Turkey. Researchers also examined whether there were relationships between these beliefs and parents and teachers education level, numbers of children parents have, and years of experience of teachers. Furthermore, what parents and teachers think about the barriers to inclusion was investigated. A total of 160 preschool and primary school teachers, 40 special education teachers, and 40 parents from 8 different cities were administered My Thinking About Inclusion (MTAI) Scale and demographic questionnaire.

Mockingbird B– Aligning Principles and Practice: Students and Faculty Engaging Democratic Principles In an Educational Leadership Program, Janelle Gohn, Thomas S. Poetter, Kamara Secou, Miami University

Abstract: For over a decade, the faculty in the Department of Educational Leadership and its students have been transforming their degree programs, hoping to create programs for educational leaders who would question the status quo and rely on democratic principles. When students identified the inconsistencies between principles and practices in their own experiences of coursework and department culture, the faculty and students addressed the gaps proactively and took a new step toward transformational change.

Abstract: This presentation addresses how progressive primary teachers respond to the demands of centralized curriculum policy. Using longitudinal research data collected since 1979 at one primary school in England, the presentation examines teachers’ curricular responses to the National Curriculum’s specific content requirements, its assessment procedures, and its wide-ranging suggestions for pedagogy.

Live Oak – Opening the prison door: Liberating curriculum in an undemocratic space, Beverly Moore, Sharon K. McDonough, Auburn University; Patricia A.Whang, California State University Monterey Bay

Abstract: Journey with us into the locked, guarded, and monitored confines of a youth correctional facility. We will bypass regimented classrooms that further imprison with a curriculum driven by dittos. Our destination is a space where adjudicated youth are invited to write their lives, fears, and passions under the auspices of an anti-violence creative writing program. Such a curriculum can liberate us all.

Longhorn – Graduate Student and New Faculty Seminar

Mockingbird A & B – One Size Does Not Fit All: The Perils of High Stakes Testing, Sandra Foster, Arizona State University

Abstract: As the political bandwagon continues to travel down the path of educational reform, researchers continue to critically examine the perils of high stakes testing. In this paper, I examine research regarding high stakes testing. I discuss curriculum adjustment or the narrowing of curriculum, sorting and selecting, public scrutiny, adverse effects on learning and instruction, eugenics, race, ethnicity, social class, the case in Texas, "legal cheating", students with disabilities, and teacher concerns.

Ohio’s System of High-Stakes Testing: A Story of Corporate Profit and Professional Submission, Dana Rapp, Ashland University

Abstract: Few studies have exposed the professional secrets, lies, and horrors that high-stakes testing has ushered in. Throughout this session I will interweave students’, parents’, and teachers’ stories, research on high-stakes testing, and a critical historical perspective of the social/economic/professional forces that drive high-stakes testing in Ohio to explain how extensive an extensive code of civic and professional silence exists among most teachers, administrators, professors, and professional associations.

The Story of David, JK Reynolds, Texas Tech University

Abstract: David, a grade 6 student living in Vancouver, talks about his views regarding classroom assessment practices in terms of tests, grades, report cards, and portfolio conferences. He recommends how these practices might become more accountable in terms of fairness and respect in relation to children.

Abstract: The lack of opportunities for new teachers to interact with colleagues discourages the chances for genuine dialogue which, in turn, limits them gaining a more sympathetic and complex understanding of children. In the paper I discuss how new teachers’ discourse within a discussion group can impact their conceptions of children.

Live Oak – Relief from Millennial Anxiety --Secular Saints and Commodity Fetishes -- After the end: A Multimedia presentation in an experimental format, Karen Anijar, Arizona State University, & Peter Appelbaum, William Patterson University

Abstract: Several research studies suggest that over 70 percent of students think the world will end in their lifetimes. What is not stated however is that the end in a post-apocalyptic world is never really the end. This multimedia presentation interrogates popular apocalyptic artifacts (movies, television shows music) through the narratives of students, and teachers tracing the emergence of a new cultural formation that of a cataclysmic consciousness. This consciousness forged by living on the edge between the modern and the postFordist (after-the-end) presents an extraordinary moment for revolutionary transformation and praxis.

Longhorn – (En)gendering a Hybrid Consciousness: Postcolonial, Feminist Perspectives in Education, Nina Asher, Louisiana State University

Abstract: Paper draws on postcolonial and feminist perspectives to articulate implications for (en)gendering pedagogical approaches which engage difference(s) in self, other, as well as educational and social contexts.

Playing with Postcolonial Theories: Neo-Nomadism and Ideological Aggressivity, Lisa Cary & Kagendo Mutua, Oklahoma State University

Abstract: Using the lens of postcolonial theories to frame our discussions, we will explore the im/possible spaces that our deterritorialized consciousness' inhabit and roam. Further, we will explore how our intellectual neo-nomadism of being allows us to be simultaneously aware of, yet free from boundaries, whilst remaining conscious of the "ideological aggressivity" (MacCannell, 1992) of knowledge production for the U.S. academy.

Mockingbird A – A Cartography, Pamela K. Autrey & Brian Casemore, Louisiana State University

Abstract: Two erstwhile doctoral students in curriculum theory find themselves in the same courses outside of their department for two years and finally ask the question, "Why do we keep meeting like this?" What do Deleuze &Guattari, the Literature of Memory, Queer Theory, and Performative Writing have in common? Though these may seem to be strange bed partners for these two students, in the spirit of critical analysis and postmodernism, these two students attempt to perform a map of the meaning of this mystery.

Mockingbird B– Live Oak – Addressing Sexual Identity Issues in the Classroom: A Phenomenological Inquiry into [Hetero/Homo]Sexualities and Agency, Kris Sloan & Jim Sears

Abstract: The purpose of this presentation is to shed a clearer light upon how issues related to sexual identity and sexual orientation can be addressed by classroom teachers. Through the weaving of multiple stories, the authors situate issues concerning sexual identity and sexual orientation in the context of the daily work of teachers.

Abstract: The Ulster Project Curriculum was a response to the Project’s desire to enhance its efforts at setting a foundation for peace in Northern Ireland. The curriculum inherently recognizes the necessity of democratically increasing the capacity for comprehension of recurring social issues. The roundtable dialogue will focus on the pedagogical integration of these democratic principles.

Story as Pedagogical Contemplation for Practice within Advanced Language Arts Curriculum Courses, Sharon Keller, Bowling Green State University

Abstract: This paper presentation shares questions of texts, artifacts, and contexts that surrounded the use of story as pedagogical contemplation on language arts practice within a graduate curriculum course. The challenge to interrupt established assumptions and processes served as a means to deepen critical insights on curriculum choices and our obligations in constructing our educative practices. Audience participation and open discussion following the presentation is invited.

The Role of the Cooperating Teacher as a Teacher Educator, Valerie G. Park and Rebecca A. Kercher, Penn State University

Abstract: A review of current literature regarding the cooperating teachers’ perceptions of how, if at all, they see themselves as teacher educators will be examined. A proposed framework for further study will be presented. Discussion may include questions developed through this review of research.

Mobile Power Structures and Resistance In-transit: Power and Position on the School Bus, Laura Jewett, Louisiana State University

Abstract: Focusing on themes generated from a year-long ethnographic study of school bus culture, this discussion ventures off-road from standard curricular configurations to travel risky liminal routes where private and public geographies—mediated by salient landscapes of power¾ intersect and sometimes crash.

Live Oak – Democratic Curriculum and Pedagogy through Song: Moving Head, Heart, and Hands for Social Justice, James A. Gregson, Oklahoma State University; James H. Adams, Mississippi State University; Laura Jewitt, Louisiana State University; Steve Clark

Abstract: We found Lomax's (1967) notion of "hard hitting songs for hard-hit people" to be as salient for much of today's global context as it was over six decades ago when many songs of work and protest emerged in the United States. The goal of this presentation is to explore the use of folk music as a form of critical pedagogy. Because the four members of our group are diverse in terms of educational background, work experience, and musical expertise, we approached folk music through multiple understandings. Nevertheless, we uniformly believe that education should contribute to democratic social change. Also we currently reside in Oklahoma.Consequently, we are influenced by the critical dimensions of Woody Guthrie's folk music and plan to explore the use of a "red dirt" pedagogy as a curricular and pedagogical tool.

Longhorn – Dewey or Marx: Two Roads for Leftists Educators Lost in the Ideological Woods of the 21^st Century, Jesse Goodman & Linda Holloway, Indiana University

Abstract: In this session, we will re-visit an old, but extremely useful debate that took place in the early part of the 20^th century in the United States between Dewey’s pragmatism and Marx’s socialism. This journey into the ideological past, we argue, provides educational scholars who are interested in issues of social justice, democracy, and equity a useful context to re-awaken the leftist educational project in the United States. It is time to move beyond Marxism and develop a non-utopian vision of the "good society" and the role that educational scholarship can play in moving us in this direction.

Mockingbird A – The Border Tongue: Like a double edged sword it cuts both ways, Sandra Franco, Arizona State University

Abstract: "Border Spanish" a hybrid of English and Spanish created out of necessity and used as an identity. It can be both empowering and disempowering all in one, depending on who defines the argument. Leaving Chicanos who do not speak any Spanish may find themselves in no mans land.

A Critical Analysis of the Education of Puerto Ricans in the Metropolis: Does There Exist an Education of Possibility?, Rene Antrop-Gonzalez, Penn State University

Abstract: The presenter will provide an historical summary regarding the research concerning the education of Puerto Ricans as a colonized group on the Island and within the United States. The application of researcher-imposed theoretical frameworks in an attempt to offer a language and education of possibility will be discussed.

Mockingbird B– If I Can Be: The Experience of a Gay Student and Educator, Christian A. Bracho, University of Rochester

Abstract: This paper offers the narrative of my life as a gay student and how that experience has informed my work as a student teacher. It offers my knowledge of what it is live inside America’s classrooms where homophobia is tacitly accepted, and my experience conquering that injustice.

Queering the Teacher, Pamela K. Autry, Louisiana State University

Abstract: As Deborah Britzman has said, "It is not only that anyone can be called queer. It is that something queer can happen to anyone." In considering the position of the teacher between and among, approaching and leaving her/his students, can an intentional designation as queer work to make strange this positioning? Can this help to pluck the teacher out of the catacombs of school classrooms and into the limelight of critical analysis? Bu using performed images of schoolteachers, images engineered by Hollywood, we are able to examine the taken-for-granted world of the teacher and perhaps discover that the truth is always stranger than fiction.

Abstract: From the Aztec Calmecac to institutions of higher learning the Mexican educational system has shaped the identity of the Mexican mind, ready to fight abuses like the Chiapas Tzotzil uprising yet romantically soft to sense the beauty of its cosmic surroundings. The closer it breathes its aboriginal roots, the more identified it becomes. This paper explores the influence of Mexican art on Mexican education on the cutting edge.
 
 

Does the Intersection of Race, Gender and Class Have a Precedence of Order?, Tonya Huber, Witchita State University; Douglas F. Warring, University of St. Thomas

Abstract: This paper-based roundtable examines the intersection of race, class, and gender as these variables impact individuals and society. A model of influence and resistance is discussed in relation to history, power, and perceptions at the societal, group and individual levels as a foundation for dealing with these variables.

Repositioning failure in qualitative research, Lisa Goldstein, University of Texas at Austin

Abstract: After sharing stories from recent qualitative studies in which I was surprised by my own selective blindness and hidden assumptions, I intend to work in conversation with session participants and re-imagine the nature of this type of "failure" in qualitative research.

Krishnamurti on Education, Jane Piirto, Ashland University

Abstract: In the Summer 2000 issue of the Journal of Curriculum Theorizing (JCT), I described my encounter with the educational works of Krishnamurti in a creative nonfiction article called "Krishnamurti and Me: Meditations on his Philosophy of Education and on India." This roundtable discussion will consider the thirteen sentences I extrapolated in my exegesis

Carpe per diem (Seize the check!): A review of literature problematizing the corporatization of the university and preliminary analyses of the impact on the field of teacher education, Jim Ansaldo, Indiana University

Abstract: Much scholarly attention has been paid to the increasing demands of business on American primary and secondary education. Market driven public school reform has its critics as well as its supporters. Within the past decade, a small but growing number of scholars also have begun to voice concerns regarding market driven practices in higher education. Although concern has been voiced regarding the corporatization of the university, as of yet little attention has been paid to the impact of this phenomenon upon schools of education in general and the field of teacher education in particular. It may be that teacher educators will find themselves in something of a double bind, as they are caught between market driven reform of the public schools and market driven change within the university. This paper presents a review of recent literature that problematizes university corporatization. Preliminary analyses of the implications for teacher education and suggestions for further research will be interwoven throughout the literature review.

Response to Theobald–Curricular Development, Curricular Design, and Community Resources: A Discussion of Curricular Development, Curricular Design, and Community Resources, Rachel Juarez, Texas Tech University

Abstract: This is a response to Paul Theobald’s Teaching the commons. Relationships between curricular development, curricular design and the resources available within the community are explored. Reflections of education as an organism in the rural communities and a call for a change in worldview re

Live Oak – Curriculum Reform in a Native American Setting: Possibilities and Problems for Democracy and Self-Determination, Donald Bumenfeld-Jones, Arizona State University

Abstract: Utilizing Bourdieu’s field notion I will explore a curriculum reform effort at a BIA school. I will focus upon how the attempt to design an anti-colonialist curriculum was compromised by unconscious colonialist practice and how attempts at democratic practice mixed uneasily with a subordinated people’s cultural identity and self-determination.

Women Teachers, Difference, and School Reform, Janet Miller, Columbia Teachers’ College

Abstract: Drawing from ten years of qualitative research data, I will focus on women teachers’ accounts of their difficulties with unitary and mass-produced versions of school reform. Drawing from postmodern feminist theories, I will discuss how normative constructions of the ‘good school reform teacher’ position these women teachers as ‘other.’

Longhorn –5:00 to 7:00 P.M. Music Informance as Embodied Field Work, Mary Ann Doyle, Gwen Hotchkiss, Marie Noel, Ann Huss, Rebecca Holmes, Fred Johnson, Robyn Moline, Rebecca Gregorio, Erin Geyer, Marisa Hodgett, Sarah Ruddy, Kristin Tubre, Aaron Netzhammer, Loyola University – New Orleans

Abstract: Drawing upon the work of William Ayers, Robert Coles, and John Dewey the panel embodied the call to service through music arts in an impoverished urban setting. The program brought together university faculty and students across colleges, public school administrators, university and elementary school students, parents, and community members. A cohort of music ed students collaborated with 60 pre-K - 8^th grade students over five weeks. Panelists will discuss their experiences from many perspectives,

Mockingbird A – Snapshots: Black and Queer (readers' theater), Sherrie Reynolds & Cornell  Thomas, Texas Christian University

Abstract: Snapshots along the path of growing in self-understanding for queer and black persons. Interviews with queer and black persons will be presented as a reader's theater performance of descriptions moving through points in time. Selections from the interviews will show the parallel themes in the experiences.

Mockingbird B– From Hand-raising to Homecoming: A roundtable discussion about the place of ritual in democratic pedagogy, Megan S. Jessiman, Teachers College, Columbia

Abstract: The word "ritual" can scare us. Many ritualized practices in schools have hindered learning, perpetuated inequalities and silenced voices. And yet we should not overlook the extensive and often positive ways in which classrooms and schools are highly-ritualized public spaces. Encouraging participants to distinguish alienating rituals from those which can unite us in our diversity, this roundtable will examine the question of ritual’s role in public education’s future as a vital, shared space in our democracy.

Abstract: As educators working within the postmodern philosophy as it moves through Pinar to Slattery and Henderson, it is important to be conscious the images that carry the movement. One of those images is the orphan. The orphan is interpreted as the one left out, not good enough to keep, homeless, mute, and wandering the edges. It's as if an orphan energy sustains those who seek to be prophetic or revolutionary in the educational system. It gives one the strength to carry on in the face of opposition, however if one becomes too enamored or possessed by the image, s/he can become literally jobless because a different image brings us from the edge to center. This presentation/performance leads the orphan through images of alchemy, the savior, the betrayer, the trickster, and the chosen one. In the end, the orphan is brought home where it belongs, nowhere.

Live Oak – Writing Across Curriculum Research Working with Counterpoints, Musings, and Transmutations, Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto, Penn State University; Lynn Hall, State University of New York - Potsdam; Barb Tarockoff, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Rick Voithofer, Ohio State University

Abstract: As researchers we discuss the ways in which we use various forms of writing as meaning-making tools both for ourselves and for our research participants. Drawing from Geography, Literary Theory, Sociology, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, and Eastern Philosophy and situated within varied educational contexts, texts produced in our research constitute new dimensions of thought to rupture the static boundaries of research in our midst. Within these interpretive breaks we consider the ethics, responsibilities, and qualities of our research methodologies in response to our research participants’ and readers’ contexts and subjectivities.

Longhorn – Arts Based Instruction: Using the Arts as a Learning Medium inTeacher Education, Susan Finley, Michigan State University; Joe Norris, University of Alberta; Cap Peck, Washington State University

Abstract: In this session three teacher educators explore arts-based pedagogy and its implications for teacher education. We are particularly interested in exploring how arts-based instruction fits with constructivist and emancipatory pedagogy by encouraging students to become producer /researchers of knowledge, rather than mere consumers.

Mockingbird A – WomenVoicing Democracy Through Education, Donna M. Porche-Frilot, Deborah J. Davis-Pierce, Soledad Smith, Louisiana State University

Abstract: Women have made vast and profound philosophical contributions to the relationship between democracy and education which have been either ignored or subordinated. We present the work of three nineteenth century women: Henriette Delille, Lavinia Dock, and Ella Flagg Young, who reconceptualized education through democracy to address injustices and reshape society.

Mockingbird B– Mainstreaming and marginalization: Two national strategies in the circumscription of difference, Sandra R. Schecter & Carl James, York University

Abstract: This presentation explores both comparatively and critically the social and historical contexts of recent curricular initiatives in multicultural education in the U.S. and Canada. We give special attention to the formative narratives that propelled multicultural education to the center of debates on the idealized role of public schooling.

Live Oak – Developing a Morally Sensitive Language for Teaching: A Dialogue Session, Alan Tom, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Abstract: How we talk about teaching deeply influences not only how teachers think about their work but also the kind of the expectations the public holds for teachers and the nature of public policy thought appropriate for the teaching profession. During the latter part of the 20th century, much of the language widely associated with teaching in the U.S. -- e.g., teaching strategies, best practice, rigor, assessment, pacing, learning environments, diagnosis, excellence -- is language which has assumed a largely instrumental meaning. This language focuses on how best to achievement a particular state of affairs, not on the wisdom of that state of affairs. The instrumental bent of commonly used educational language inclines our thinking about teaching toward questions about how to achieve particular ends, not about the value or importance of these ends.

Longhorn –The Teacher-Scholar and the Role of Curriculum Studies and the Social Foundations: Recreating Teacher Education, Landon Beyer, Indiana University

Abstract: The current direction in teacher education-- the embrace of standards for both teachers and those who are involved in teacher education, the politicized and increasingly bureaucratized orientation to the education of teachers, the lack of historical and philosophical perspectives with which the field might be invigorated, and so on-- is founded on perspectives that are often anti-intellectual, aggressively conservative, and underwritten by accreditation agencies, professional societies that lack substance, and political initiatives that undermine the value of ideas, theoretical perspectives and possibilities, and alternative traditions. The current state of teacher education, in short, mirrors some of its own history at the same time that it undermines the value of educational activities and studies. As an alternative to the current direction in which teacher education is ensconced, this presentation will provide a conceptual overview of what teacher education might become.

Mockingbird A – Democratic education in Grades 3 - 5: A Study of Three School Sites, Sandra C. Lowry, University of Delaware

Abstract: The writings of Dewey and others suggest that democratic education is a form of moral behavior. Its salient points are choice and voice, dialogue, problem solving, and the development of a supportive community. I discuss these elements and the forms and interpretations they are given at three democratic school sites.

Mockingbird B–The Freedom to Teach and Learn: Moving Toward an Emancipatory Teacher Preparation Program, Robert Lockhart, Morehead State University
Abstract: Educational reform dominates academia and politics. A central component of any reform effort is the preparation of future teachers. This paper will point out the problems associated with teacher preparation as it is currently practiced, define a more effective program, and provide a framework for putting such a program into practice.

Socrates Never Took Attendance: The Functioning of Hidden Curricula In a Teacher Preparation Program, Marina Gair, Arizona State University

Abstract: This study investigates the functioning of hidden curricula during the professional socialization of preservice teachers in a research one institution teacher preparation program. In juxtaposing the perspectives of students, faculty, and administrators, this work makes visible the interaction of three, often contradictory socialization forces at play in teacher training practice.

Abstract: If education is to be called democratic, it is essential, in our view, that these criteria are being met: a diversity in the student population, active participation of students in the school, a curriculum that is both in its content and in its methodology context-based in social reality, and an educational view of teachers in which they combine equality and difference. Democratic education ought to help develop a critical citizenship, a citizenship in which youngsters combine critical reflection, care and justice.

Live Oak – The Hero’s Journey: Democratic Leadership in Public Schools, Rebecca McElfresh, Carol Chiorian, Patricia Picard, Sarah Koebley, Hudson City Schools and Kent State University

Abstract: The metaphor of the hero’s journey will inform this panel discussion of the struggle for democratic leadership in one public school district. Educators who have roles in administration and teacher leadership will explore the concept of democratic curriculum leadership at the community, district, and building levels. Included will be a discussion of the nationally publicized controversy between the district and the religious right concerning social studies textbook selection.

Longhorn – Spirit/spirituality in the curriculum: A panel discussion, Douglas McKnight, Missouri Western State College; Ronald Lee Zigler, Penn State Abington; Gary Calore, Penn State University Abington; Molly Quinn, Adephi University; Steve Triche, Nicholls State University

Abstract: The notions of spirit and spirituality in education and curriculum have received a growing amount of interest in the last decade. Due to the ambiguity of such notions, spirit and spirituality should be addressed, sifted through, clarified and understood within the context of what kind of effects they produce in a democratically constructed society. This panel presentation will use John Dewey’s "A Common Faith" as a point of departure by which to address the possibilities and effects of understanding democratic education and curriculum as having a spiritual component.

Mockingbird A – Critical Democratic Classrooms: From the University to the Field, Thomas E. Kelly & Mark Storz, John Carroll University

Abstract: This session will examine the results of a year long project exploring the relationship between university exposure to theories and practices of critical democratic pedagogy (CDP) and the implementation of those practices and principles in the secondary classroom. Multiple data will illuminate the major themes, dilemmas and problems associated with CDP.

Mockingbird B– No More Teacher’s Masterpieces: The Roles of Discourse, Locus and Voice In Literacy Building, John Lavin, St. Joseph’s University

Abstract: By examining how students and teachers translate themselves in the classroom, we are sharing a series of reflections on crises both in language and pedagogy. Our opening has been critically to assess the many social, economic, historical, cultural and ethical contexts that assemble themselves around the text and read it into being. Our conclusions, if radically diverging, ultimately bring to the point of no return the languages from which our Western Heritage was once said to have sprung. No matter how different, our hope is for feminists, humanists, utilitarians, multi-culturalists and others to converse in our present historical moment. Our challenge is to demand an integrating of cultural and gender differences as well as a sharing of political images and individual imaginations.

Abstract: The lifework of Paul Klohr, who helped inspire the reconceptualization of curriculum studies, is suggested as an inspiration for a "second wave," which would effect change in schools. This presentation seeks conversation on current efforts and future possibilities for approaches that do not violate the principles of the "first wave."

I Didn't Know What to Expect, But I Didn’t Get What I Expected, Sharon Solloway, Bloomsburg University

Abstract: Combining art and story university undergraduates explore their childhood stories in three-dimensional group artworks. The students were drawn to each other’s stories, which was not unexpected.. What was surprising was the way those with very real, abusive (physically, emotionally and/or economically) childhoods experienced an epiphanyùreleasing themselves from perceived deficient positions to equal status with their peers.

Turn the Wheel: Enlightened School Counseling for Adolescent Males, David Forbes, Brooklyn College/CUNY

Abstract: This paper formulates an overarching, inclusive model of counseling that enables school counselors to help adolescent males challenge the norm of hegemonic masculinity. It draws from three areas, transpersonal psychology, holistic education, and mindful social action. The aim is to move the students’ level of self-development and identity toward higher and more integrative realms.

Rap Music: Moral Panic or Civic Virtue?, Priya Parmer, Penn State University

Abstract: The need for critical media literacy helps students gain the knowledge and power to raise questions and make informative decisions about the society in which they live. The presentation will focus on how the media portrays rap music and how this negative portrayal reinforces stereotypes which ultimately associates rap and black youth with violence and crime.

Non-Redeemable: Female Juvenile Offenders Interrupt Public Education Project, Lisa Cary, Oklahoma State University

Abstract: In order to make sense of the public life in social institutions of schools and juvenile detention centers I draw from a theoretical framework that operates at the conjunction of feminism, poststructuralism and critical theory. Such perspectives keep me focused on the everyday experiences of the girls as I study the contradictory spaces and interruptions/disruptions of the redemptive project of the educational and social sciences.

Abstract: The paper presents a theoretical framework for probing into the curricular dimensions essential to students' democratic thinking. Curriculum is perceived not as a wish list of subjects but a tool incorporating the essential dynamics of student learning. Classroom is the community of practice. Elements of the learning community are discussed.

Democratic Discourse: Critical and Generous Thinking, Lynn Brice, Western Michigan University

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine the epistemological and theoretical frameworks of democratic thinking we use to engage students in developing the skills and dispositions that promote democratic living. I offer an outline of a participatory approach to democratic interaction through critical and generous thinking, drawing on Elbow’s metaphors of "doubting" and "believing," and Burbules’ four genres of dialogue.

Live Oak – Re-embodying democratic spaces in education: an enactive view of pedagogy, Warren Linds, Brent Hocking, Johnna Haskell, University of British Columbia

Abstract: Traditional forms of education have privileged head learning. What happens when we begin thinking about knowing, learning and living in relation to our whole body and environment? This panel will use narrative and dialogue to explore the values, beliefs, and assumptions that enable, exclude, and disrupt embodied learning in contexts that allow us to think of democratic education as a space of possibility.

Longhorn –This American Life: Life History Lessons: Performance, John Sutterby, Lisa Pallmeyerk, Lissa Pierce, Heather Boyer, Katie Steedly, Tatiana Gabrielson, Barbara Riojas, Irma Bakenhus, Vivian Geneser, Temi Rose, University of Texas at Austin

Abstract: As a group we have individually and collectively dialogued with individuals following the methodology of Life History research. For the performance we will weave together art, multimedia, music, and the spoken word to form a collective story. As part of the performance we will explore our positions as researchers, the meaning of research and most importantly our relationships with our participants.

Mockingbird A – Looking for Latinos in US History TEKS, Julio Noboa, University of Texas at Austin

Abstract: The investigation reported in this paper focused on the quantity and quality of Latino representation in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills guidelines for the statewide two-year US History course. This representation was also contrasted and compared to that of African Americans and American Indians in the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, a state curriculum).

Mockingbird B– Sandbox sabotage and the politics of playdo: a deconstructive discourse in early childhood education, Carolyn Gillman, UNC-Chapel Hill

Abstract: This paper will publicly deconstruct three foundational elements of early childhood education. These elements include developmentally appropriate practices, child-centered education, and the importance of play in the lives of young children. This process will be facilitated by Gaile Sloan Cannella’s book, Deconstructing Early Childhood Education: Social Justice and Revolution.
 
 

Abstract: This round table presentation discusses our research about use of readers’ theater as a teaching approach in teacher education. We assert that the hermeneutic aspects of readers’ theater fuse boundaries between aestheticism, teaching methods, and a curriculum focused on awareness of the problems and possibilities that teachers face in their classrooms.

Accountability in Schools: What Would Dewey Say?, Robin Martin, Paths of Learning

Abstract: To make systemic changes within schools, we must address how to shift entrenched perceptions around accountability and standards. I would like to propose alternative ways of thinking about accountability based on core ideas from Democracy and Education, provide some examples, and then open the floor for discussion.

The war between the Men in Green and the Little Green Men: protecting the changing face of America: Immigration policies influence education and language, Sandra Franco, Arizona State University

Abstract: Daily we are bombard by the popular media of the "war on the border". "Come to Arizona, hunt your own illegal alien!" "$10,000 for the death of a Border Patrol Agent" Discussion of the use images and the influence on policies for immigration, trickling down to language and education policies

Exploring the Impact of Action Inquiry on Curriculum Reform: Local Settings Reveal Insights for Transforming Classrooms, Thomas S. Poetter, Bernard Badiali, Nancy Hoffman, Miami University; Jane Pressler, Barbara Schenck, Tricia Wilson, Christy Barton, DJ Hammond, Madeira City Schools, Cincinnati, Ohio

Abstract: Engaging teachers in notions of teacher as knowledge-maker, decision-maker, and collaborative leader in school reform serve to enable and empower citizens to practice and to advocate for practices that fill the public spaces of schools with intellectual activity, ideas, and learning. We intend to engage the audience for the presentation in descriptions of our action inquiry activities for pedagogical and curricular transformation and in discussions regarding impressions, insights, and concerns of our work for wider issues that have an impact on us all as teachers, learners, and citizens.

Promoting Curricular Diversity in an Elementary Classroom: Reality, Ambivalence and Decision, Abalo F. Adewui, Oklahoma State University

Abstract: The twentieth century has ben pervaded with rhetoric discourses such as diversity multiculturalism, multiple intelligence, collaborative classroom globalization and the empowerment of teachers and students in the classrooms. However the educational meanings of these discourses have rarely influenced the educational system and classroom practices in a way that is conducive to a wider view of curriculum that encompasses multiple forms of representation in the classroom.

Abstract: The Zone: a psychological state of mind experienced when learning and performing without pre-judgements. Learning to operate in the zone has the potentila to allow one to be more adept to perfrom at their maximum potential more regularly, in any context, perhaps beneficial to their educational and social development.

Live Oak – Promoting Curricular Diversity in an Elementary Classroom: Reality, Ambivalence and Decision, Abalo F. Adewui, Oklahoma State University

Abstract: The twentieth century has ben pervaded with rhetoric discourses such as diversity multiculturalism, multiple intelligence, collaborative classroom globalization and the empowerment of teachers and students in the classrooms. However the educational meanings of these discourses have rarely influenced the educational system and classroom practices in a way that is conducive to a wider view of curriculum that encompasses multiple forms of representation in the classroom.

Longhorn – ( Session runs from 5 to 7 p.m.) The Praxis of Inspiriting the Curriculum, Joe Norris, joe.norris@ualberta.ca, Kathy Antonen, kantonen@silver.sdsmt.edu, Bill Baker, zampara@gateway.net, Mary Ann Doyle, madoyle@nadal.loyno.edu, Laura McCammon, mccammon@u.arizona.edu, Maggie Neal, maggie_neal@yahoo.com, Audrone Skrupskelis, audreys@aiken.sc.edu Abstract: Building upon the work of Ted Aoki, James MacDonald, and John Dewey the panel have sought to teach and live in an embodied way (Soul, Mind and Body). They reflect on their practices describing how they teach/live, relating them to the theories of the humane curriculum theorists who call them to another way of being. They will blend in concrete examples with their theoretical underpinnings Norris (inspiriting session)

Mockingbird A – Appreciating a Broader Canvas: Teacher Understandings of Gay and Lesbian Content Integration in Elementary Social Studies, KevinP. Colleary, McGraw-Hill

Abstract: Results of research study with teachers about their understandings of the challenges and benefits of incorporating content about gays and lesbians within the grades K-6 social studies curriculum and the actualization of this goal through the creation of curriculum units for both primary and intermediate level students.

Mockingbird B– Homeless Youth Speak Out: Reimagining Public Spaces as Locations for Critical Democracy, Susan Finley, Michigan State University; Angela Calabrese Barton, University of Texas at Austin

Abstract: These two research projects about youth homelessness demonstrate the failures of society to create solid, supportive structures within which to guide and protect young people. Our purpose in this session is to scrutinize the experiences of homeless youth in America in the context of the themes of diversity and citizenship in democratic communities.

Abstract: This study reports the reflections of 60 untenured faculty from the US, Canada, and Australia who revealed salient aspects of their cultural adjustment. The assessment evaluated the needs of junior professors not being met by existing academic structures. Recommendations will be made for addressing democratic issues of transition and community.

Live Oak – (Two sessions in one) Interactive Art Gallery: Multimedia Interpretation (photographs, text, and music), Deborah Terry – English teacher at Walled Lake Central High School; Megan McCarthy – English teacher at Onekama Middle School; Shantel Niederstadt – 1^st grade teacher at Onekama Consolidated Schools

Abstract: Our interactive art gallery is a multimedia interpretation of Peter McLaren’s book, Che Guevara, Paulo Freire, and the Pedagogy of Revolution. We have portrayed some dominant themes in the book: freedom, revolution, hope, and love, by combining passages of text with photographs by Stan Grossfield and music by various artists

A Curriculum of Social Justice & Love: Readers Theater, Deborah Terry, English teacher at Walled Lake Central High School

Abstract: A book analysis of Peter McLaren’s, Che Guevara, Paulo Freire, and the Pedagogy of Revolution, in readers theater format. It is an example of radical pedagogy intended for teacher educators, which interprets McLaren’s call for a revolutionary pedagogy modeled after thoughts and actions of Che Guevara and Paulo Freire.

Longhorn – Academically Incorrect: A talk show about curriculum and rock & roll, Lisa Goldstein, University of Texas at Austin; Tim Birchard, Texas A&M University; Debra Freedman, Penn State University; Tim Kinard, University of Texas at Austin; Elijah Mirochnick, Lesley College

Abstract: Which musician is most deserving to the title "The John Dewey of Rock and Roll?" Who is the Elvis of education? Which rock star would you most like to have as a faculty member in your department? In this session, based on VH-1's hit series The List, participants will get a chance to consider these questions and more.

Mockingbird A – Gender: Curriculum Ghostwriter, Becky Stanford, & Louise Allen, Texas Tech University

Abstract: Curriculum writers are expected to produce frameworks of study which honor and accommodate the student diversity found in most classrooms. Ignoring the influence gender maintains in the process has the potential of excluding a larger group than does race, ability, or any number of other factors.

Mockingbird B– How to know when you’re in the know: Elementary preservice teachers’ images of science, Kathleen Nolan, University of Regina

Abstract: This presentation will discuss research that explores how the educational experiences of female preservice teachers have shaped their image(s) of science, especially with respect to their perceptions of what it means 'to know' (in) science. Presenting preservice teachers' insights into the various influences that have shaped their ideas and perceptions on the nature of science, this paper proposes the necessity for a critical conversation on the role of personal knowledge and different ways of knowing within science curriculum.
 
 

Live Oak – Norris & Linds (Workshops, 10:15 - 12:15)

The Curriculum of Conflict Resolution: Using Popular Theatre to Address the Uses, Abuses and Misuses of Power in Secondary Schools, Joe Norris, University of Alberta

Abstract: Popular theatre is a constructivist approach in addressing contemporary social issues. In it casts and audiences co-create new meaning using prepared vignettes as a starting point. This paper will discuss the process used and the audience reactions to a program designed by Mirror Theatre to foster safe and caring schools. A short workshop may follow.

Walking Together: Drama Pedagogy/Facilitation as Democratic Practice, Warren Linds, University of British Columbia

Abstract: We will be exploring, through feeling, thought and action, our embodied awareness of the practice of theatre in education facilitation skills which develop community and commitment amongst students and teachers. By participating in, and critiquing the use of, games and exercises, we will investigate the possibilities for the democratic learning and practice of facilitation and how these skills may be useful in creating other spaces of engagement in education.

Longhorn – Narratives as emancipatory practice: The reconceptualizing of a secondary education course, Jennifer L. Snow, Debra Freedman, Patricia Bullock, Penn State University; Encarna Rodriguez, St. Joseph’s University

Abstract: Four women share ghost stories, grounded in feminist theory, of their encounters with narrative in a secondary education course. Understanding narrative as an emancipatory practice, they believe using narratives in education courses creates new conversations among teachers and their students that take teaching from the individual to the social realm.

Mockingbird A – A curriculum for Ecology, based on William Pinar’s method of currere, Marilyn N. Doerr, Penn State University

Abstract: The design of this course is based on the assumption that Ecology is a science that has to be lived. An adaptation of currere and subsequent projects issuing from that work helped senior high school students make a connection with their lives and ecological principles, moving them from "I know" to "I care" to "I want to do something about this."

Dispersing the Subject: Roland Barthes and Autobiographical Research, Brain Casemore, Louisiana State University

Abstract: Roland Barthes’ Camera Lucida is a staging of the Imaginary, exploration of levels of utterance, scenes of self, and the uncertainty of subjectivity. His work prompts investigation of an ethics of autobiographical research that seeks to interrupt the demand to have "the other" fill the gaps in self-understanding.

  Mockingbird B– Transforming Cultural Identity: An Arts-Based Democratic Project in Teacher Development and Leadership, Carol A. Mullen, Auburn University; C.T. Patrick Diamond, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Abstract: Arts-based perspectives/activities promote a process-based concept of critical curriculum studies. The presenters explore a vision of curriculum studies as an intersecting edge of teacher development and cultural identity formation. Examples are used of transformative strategies that empower teahcers to build resiliency and democratic communities, countering pressures for conformity.