DEVELOPINGTEACHEREPISTEMOLOGICALSOPHISTICATION0

DevelopingTeacherEpistemologicalSophistication
AboutMulticulturalCurriculum:ACaseStudy
AshleyJones
KansasStateUniversity

AshleyJonesisa2ndgradeteacheratJackFrostElementary,GeorgetownIndependentSchool
District,JackFrostElementary.

CorrespondenceconcerningthisarticleshouldbeaddressedtoAshleyJones,2ndGradeTeacher,
JackFrostElementary,Georgetown,Tx78628..Contact:JonesAs@Georgetownisd.org

DEVELOPINGTEACHEREPISTEMOLOGICALSOPHISTICATION1

Sleeter,Christine(2009).DevelopingTeacherEpistemologicalSophisticationabout
MulticulturalCurriculum:ACaseStudy.
ActioninTeacherEducation,31:1,
313.
DOI:10.1080/01626620.2009.10463506

Theauthorofthisstudywantedtodetermineifdifferentwaysteachersplanandpresent
materialtotheirstudentshadanycorrelationtotheamountofexperiencethatteacherhadinthe
classroom.Shefoundthatnewandfreshcurriculumandinstructionmethodswerenotmade
prioritiesforincumbenteducatorswhilerookieteachertrainingsandmeetingscontinuedtofocus
onthedevelopmentandpresentationofcurriculuminstead.Developingcurriculumthatis
intellectuallyrichandrelevanttodiversestudents,incontextsalreadyfurnishedwithafairly
prescribedcurriculum,requiresteacherstojudgewhatismostworthteachingandlearningand
toidentifyspaceinwhichtheycaninvitestudentsknowledgeandinterests(Sleeter,2009).
Doestheabilityto
judgewhatismostworthteachingandlearning
comenaturallyorisittaught
throughouttheyears?Theoveralldesignofthecasestudywastoseeifthecoursewouldoverall
promptandpromotegrowthofonenoviceteacherthroughherunderstandingandplanningof
morecomplexmulticulturalcurriculum.
Theauthornarrowedherresearchtocasestudyawhite,fifthgrade,2ndyearteacher
educatorandgraduatelevelstudentwhohadjustmovedtoCalifornianamedAnn.Anntaughtat
alowsocioeconomicelementaryschoolandwasalsoenrolledasgraduatelevelstudentinthe
authorsMulticulturalCurriculumDesigncourse.Theauthorpurposefullychoseabeginning
levelteachernamedAnnbecausesheknewhersubjectwouldhaveveryfewpreconceived
notionsaboutteachingandwassomeonetheauthorknewwouldbeopentolearningnew

DEVELOPINGTEACHEREPISTEMOLOGICALSOPHISTICATION2

teachingmethods.Herresearchquestionseekedtofindthedifferencesbetweenexperiencedand
noviceteachereducatorsintherealmofcomplexmulticulturalcurriculumandwhataffected
teachersthinkingaboutcurriculumdevelopment.
Onthe1stdayofthecourse,theauthorhadallofherstudentswritedownwhatthey
thoughtthedefinitionof
curriculum
was.Annwrote,Curriculumiswhattheteacheris
requiredtoteachthestudents(Sleeter,2009).Thisresponseleadtheauthortobelievethat
becauseAnnwasinexperiencedinteaching,shewouldbeabletomoldandshapeherideasand
viewpointstobemoremulticulturalinthoughtanddesign.RatherthanjustshowAnnbest
practicemethodsbasedontheauthorsviewpoint,shetaughtherhowreflectonherbeliefsand
assumptionsofcurriculumdevelopmentandcomplexityatadeeperlevel.Inadditionto
analyzingcurriculumstandards,schoolreformproposalsandthetextbooksused,theauthor
taughtAnntoviewthedocumentsfromamoreanalyticalperspective.
Whoproducedthis
document?Howwasitintendedtobeused?Bywhom?Whatisitspurpose
(Sleeter,2009).
Theauthorgathereddataforhercasestudyfromavarietyofmethodsusing(1)several
papersthatAnncompletedduringthecourse,includingaunitthatshedesignedasacourse
requirement,(2)ajournalthatIkeptaftereachclasssession,(3)notesontwoobservationsof
Annteachingtheunitthatshedesignedafterthecoursehadended,and(4)a40minutetape
recordedinterviewwithAnnfollowingmyobservations(Sleeter,2009).Theauthoralso
developedarubrictoholisticallyrateAnnslevelsofcomplexitybasedonhowshewouldfair
versusexpertteacherswhotendedtoexhibitmoreelaboratedthinkingaboutthereasoning
behindtheirjudgmentsaswellasherownlessonplanningandmulticulturalteaching
experiences.

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Whattheauthorfoundwasthatasthecourseprogressed,Annwentfromasurfacelevel
teachertoonewhostartedthinkingabouteachpieceofcurriculumandwhatitspurposewas,
howwasittobeusedandwhathigherlevelthinkingcouldcomefromit.Herpreviousideasof
howcurriculumwastaughtwentfrombackandwhitetomulticoloredandexplodingwith
personalityandpurpose.ByOctober,Annbegantoquestionherearlierassumptionthata
teachersjobistoteachwhatthestatedemands(Sleeter,2009).Shetookalessonabout
indigenouspeopleandthecolonizationoftheUnitedStatesandstartedquestioningherstudents
aboutwhattheyalreadyknewandcipheredbetweenfactandfictionassumptions.Whatthis
activitydidforAnnwasthatithelpedherseethatjustteachingthecurriculumstraightfromthe
bookasthecurriculumsuggestedwasafarcryfromthedepthandcomplexitythatcouldbeborn
fromquestioningthestudentsaboutthesametopicsandhearingtheirperspectives.Thestudents
begantowonderandquestionwhattheyalreadyknew,andsodidAnn.
WhatAnnstartedtoseewasthatsimplyrelyingontheoneperspectiveinfluenceof
districtissuedtextbooks,powerpointsandworksheetswasanepicdisservicetothestudentsshe
served.Sherealizedthatusingeachstudentspersonalstoryandtheirmembershipina
socioculturalgroupstimulatedgroupthinkingandpromotedselfanalysis.Everythingshewas
evertaughtinschoolandallofthebackgroundknowledgeshehadfromherschoolingdayswas
debunked.Annbegantolinkinsightsfromreadingswithsomeofhercorebeliefsabout
schoolingthatconflictedwithwhatshewastoldtodo(Sleeter,2009).Coincidentally,shefound
thatherolder,moreexperiencedmentorteacherswerelessapttochangeandthinkingbeyond
thecurriculumissued.Oneofthementorteacherseventoldherthatchildrendidntneedto
thinkandthatseatworkandroutinewerethecoreoftheirbestpracticeteaching.

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Finally,theauthoridentifiedpreparationandcomplexplanningdifferencesbetweenthe
agesandexperienceofteachersintheclassroomandfoundthattheonlythingthattruly
impactedthewaylessonsweretaughtwasthecomplexityandoutoftheboxthinkingmeantto
provokethinkingandquestioningofthestudentspartakinginthatparticularlesson.
Bytheendofthestudy,Annquestionedthebasisonwhichexperiencedteachers
recommendedteachingpractices,seeinglimitationsinhercoworkersadviceandreclaimingher
beliefsaboutteachingandlearning(Sleeter,200).Shealsobegantounderstandtheamountof
outsideeffortandtimeandpreparationthatwentintocreatingstatestandardsinallthecontent
areaswasenoughtokeepherupallnight,everynight,withnosleepinbetween.Her
perspectiveofcurriculumandplanningshiftedfromjustteachingwhatwasrequiredbythestate
toengagingherstudentsthroughmultiplelevelsofengagementthatusedmorethanone
perspectivetopromoteconversation,thinkingandtoquestioneverything,eventheteacher.This
studyshowedhowitwaspossibleforanoviceteachertouseherownbackground,beliefsand
personalityineachlessontoprovideanadditionalvantagepointandtoquestionthewhyin
regardstothecontentschooldistrictsexpectteacherstodeliver.