KNOW YOUR HISTORY: DEVELOPING A CULTURE-CENTERED HISTORY CURRICULUM Lisa Marie Daniels B.A., San Francisco State University, San Francisco, 2004 PROJECT Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in EDUCATION (Multicultural Education) at CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO FALL 2010 © 2010 Lisa Marie Daniels ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii KNOW YOUR HISTORY: DEVELOPING A CULTURE-CENTERED HISTORY CURRICULUM A Project By Lisa Marie Daniels Approved by: __________________________________________, Committee Chair Forrest Davis, Ph.D. ______________________________________ Date iii Student: Lisa Marie Daniels I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and that this project is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for the Project. _______________________________, Graduate Coordinator Date:_______________ Maria Mejorado, Ph.D. Department of Bilingual/Multicultural Education iv Abstract of KNOW YOUR HISTORY: DEVELOPING A CULTURE-CENTERED HISTORY CURRICULUM by Lisa Marie Daniels Statement of Problem - The absence of African-American history from the standard curriculum has created a disconnection with African-American’s identity, culture and heritage, and continues to be an important issue in education. The study of African American history indicates that the American ethnic populations were deliberately divided for exploitation and specifically for economic gain. Proponents of African American history believe it will promote cultural identity, develop self-esteem, and correct many of the myths supported by the Eurocentric curriculum. The teaching methodologies of African American history in secondary grades (7-12) are inequitable and need a different strategy to empower students. African American students feel alienated because their culture is underrepresented in school curriculum. A student learning about his or her culture not only improves individual self-esteem and provides a sense of identity, but raises their grades and increases interest in school. Objective - To identify content from African and African American Studies, which should be developed into a culture-centered history curriculum for grades 7-12; to acquire, adapt and/or develop materials appropriate for utilization in the implementation into the culture-centered history curriculum; to teach students about the African and African American experience and contributions from both a contemporary and historical perspective; and to promote both parent and community involvement in school. Conclusions Reached – The incorporation of multicultural lesson plans and implementing culturally responsive pedagogical educators in the classroom enhances the learning experience in the American classroom. ________________________________, Committee Chair Forrest Davis, Ph.D. __________________________ Date v DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this work to my great-grandparents, Juan Ramos Hernandez and Alice Prothroe Hernandez; my grandmother, Margarita Hernandez; my mother, Lorraine Laura Britton Daniels Jeffries; my brother, Lauren (Nick) Jeffries; my children, Logan Miles Murdock and Alexandra Elise Alcutt – who all taught me the importance of family, history, culture and identity, and education; and to my “forever love,” David Charles Marshall. Thank you for being my muse and inspiring me to always do great things. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge Dr. Forrest Davis, for all of his support and encouragement throughout the Project. His tireless commitment to the learning community speaks volumes; Max Hunter, M.Ed. (University of Washington, Harvard) for the support and scholarly conversations; Linda Garrett and Yolanda Garland Love for being my dry shoulders and my cheerleaders, and finally, to all of my friends – you know who you are. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Dedication……………………………………………………………………………...vi Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………vii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………….. ………..1 2. LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………………………... 15 3. METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………………..44 Appendix Sample Lesson Plans …………………………………………….................48 References……………………………………………………………………………...99 viii 1 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION “There is very little that is more important for any people to know than their history, culture, traditions and language; for without such knowledge, one remains naked and defenseless before the world.” – Marcus Tillus Cicero (106 B.C.E. – 43 B.C.E) The absence of African-American history from the traditional standard curriculum has created a disconnection with the African-American identity, culture and heritage; this continues to be an important issue in education. A minimal amount of scholarship involving African Americans students emphasizes their strengths, despite recommendations by professional literature to build on their strengths (Galassos & Akos, as cited in Day-Vines & Terriquez, 2008, p. 1). The study of African American history indicates that the American ethnic populations were deliberately divided for exploitation and specifically for economic gain. Des Dixon (1994, as cited in Henson) argues “today’s curriculum is largely Victorian, a late 19th-century expression of the industrial revolution as applied to the education industry” (Henson, 1995, p. 9). History is one of the first major disciplines in which African American scholars created autonomous intellectual traditions and institutions that existed side by side. Gordon (1985) has argued that “mainstream social science has inadequately and insufficiently addressed the life experiences of African Americans and other groups” (King, 2004, p. 268). In social studies, there is the traditional path, with history and the social sciences are taught from a textbook; the “structure of the disciplines” path, which 2 defines the investigated subject matter of the discipline and controls its inquiries (Schwab, as cited in Stone, 1973, p. 210); the progressive path, through which teachers and students create an interdisciplinary curriculum focused on issues and decision- making; and there is the critical path, in which students and teachers engage in a problem-posing dialogue aimed at raising questions of social transformation (Evans, 2008, p. 16). Schwab (1973) argues the structure of the disciplines approach “is necessary to teachers and educators and must be taken into account in planning and developments of teaching materials as well as the elements of what we teach in the classroom” (Schwab, as cited in Stone, 1973, p. 210). Proponents of African American history believe it will promote cultural identity, develop self-esteem, and correct some of the myths supported by the Eurocentric curriculum (Asante, 1991; Banks, 1993; King, 1992, Ladson-Billings 1999). Cherry McGee Banks and J.A. Banks (2008) have identified efforts scholarly work, considered “emancipatory education,” which counteracts hegemony by positioning all peoples within the human collective to more accurately represent diverse cultures and groups (Karenga, as cited in Swartz, pp. 1052-1053). Proponents assert that the “hegemonic forces that emanate from a European-centered or a Eurocentric paradigm are ill-equipped to understand the African American experience. They argue that Afrocentricity rejects a Eurocentric worldview and “adopts Africa as a takeoff point in any discussion of African civilization” (Oyebade, 1990, as cited in Ginwright, 2004, p. 17). They maintain a curriculum that includes people of African descent in a true light will serve the best interest of all Americans (Asante, 1991; Harris, 1983; Jeffries, 1991; and Nobles, 1990). 3 This African centered focus should not be based on the need to submerge or dent the validity or perspectives of others, just because they are not of African descent. Grant (2008) states “Afrocentric curriculum is written with the understanding that schools are society's agency of socialization and school curriculum serves not only to teach the principles of democracy but as a form of social control by influencing students' attitudes and modifying their behaviors. Afrocentric curriculum has its roots in educational and philosophical orientations that argue that education is not a neutral process but is used by government and other institutions for social and political purposes” (p. 892). Ashanti (2003) defines Afrocentricity as a “critical discourse that is being used to form a critical pedagogy known as African-centered education” (p. 1). Keto (1994) argues “the Africa centered perspective will also make a major contribution by advocating for tolerance and inclusion in a multicultural world. People from different regions of the world have a right to declare and to affirm their perspective in creating and developing independent intellectual perspectives from which a global, “pluriversal” and multicentered perspective will emerge and influence the human sciences of the next century (p. 65). Nobles (1990) argues that an Afrocentric curriculum should be a tool for affirming African and African American culture (Giddings, 2001, p. 466). Asante (1992) argues “through observations, inquiry, and discussion, I’ve found that children who are centered in their own cultural information are better students, more disciplined and have more motivation for school work” (pp. 29-30). However, none of the proponents of Afrocentric education has provided a complete K-12 curriculum that would replace existing Eurocentric curricula (Giddings, 2001, p. 468). The School