Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Lauren Collins
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Davidson Honors College
Abstract / Artist's Statement
It is not uncommon to hear stories about racism in the classroom: textbook companies get sued for biased narratives, teachers refer to slaves as indentured servants, and entire books detail the lack of inclusive education in social studies. I first discovered these incidents doing a research project about America's epidemic of unqualified history teachers for the Davidson Honors College and quickly decided to take action. Upon further research, I discovered that both Montana curriculum standards and Missoula County Public Schools do not require educators to mention minority history in any way. A student can spend four years at a high school and learn only about the U.S. in government, world history, or any other social studies course they take. Drawing from surveys sent out to Montana high schools, interviews with students and teachers, classroom observation, and help from the curriculum and instruction department, I embarked on a journey to develop a comprehensive Asian history curriculum that is accessible to both high school students and teachers. I evaluate status quo curriculum standards, the problems plaguing them, and suggest steps to fix those problems. If even one teacher finds a single lesson plan from this curriculum they like, it will be a step in the right direction to providing the inclusive history education that students deserve.
Category
Social Sciences
Away from Eurocentrism and Towards Inclusivity: An Asian History Curriculum for Secondary Education
It is not uncommon to hear stories about racism in the classroom: textbook companies get sued for biased narratives, teachers refer to slaves as indentured servants, and entire books detail the lack of inclusive education in social studies. I first discovered these incidents doing a research project about America's epidemic of unqualified history teachers for the Davidson Honors College and quickly decided to take action. Upon further research, I discovered that both Montana curriculum standards and Missoula County Public Schools do not require educators to mention minority history in any way. A student can spend four years at a high school and learn only about the U.S. in government, world history, or any other social studies course they take. Drawing from surveys sent out to Montana high schools, interviews with students and teachers, classroom observation, and help from the curriculum and instruction department, I embarked on a journey to develop a comprehensive Asian history curriculum that is accessible to both high school students and teachers. I evaluate status quo curriculum standards, the problems plaguing them, and suggest steps to fix those problems. If even one teacher finds a single lesson plan from this curriculum they like, it will be a step in the right direction to providing the inclusive history education that students deserve.