Texas Lesson Plan Instructs Students to Design Flags for a ‘New Socialist Nation’ - Page 4

TXGringo · 02-06-2013, 17:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sigaba

Bluntly, I think you undermine your own position by making generalizations that are overly broad, then appearing to stick to your position, even though you're actually changing what you previously said. That is, you've gone from saying that a textbook has no intrinsic value of its own ("only as good as") to saying that a textbook's value is primarily determined by the educational context in which it is used.

I don't see my statements as conflicting.

A book, like any other tool, is worthless until it is picked up. From there, its value is determined by the quality of information it presents, the quantity of said information, how well said information is cited, the degree of availability (how many in print), and its educational context. I'm sure you could add some more qualifiers, those are just what comes to mind. IME, by far the most important qualifier is its educational context.

OldNCranky · 03-07-2013, 21:30

"In February, Texas announced that the state, along with the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum (TESCCC,) would enact major changes to the controversial curriculum management system dubbed CSCOPE. The system received a litany of complaints from faculty members and parents alike concerning its lack of transparency (parents were allegedly not permitted to review lesson-plans), lack of oversight from the State Board of Education, and for allegedly imposing oppressive working conditions for faculty members.

CSCOPE was created so that teachers could frame their year around teaching points required by the state. Lessons, which are written by CSCOPE staff and current and former teachers, can be updated and delivered online, making it more cost-effective than standard textbooks.

To note just how off-color some of the CSCOPE curriculum is, consider that the Texas CSCOPE Review, an independent watchdog group, uncovered an out-of-date, optional CSCOPE lesson-plan on terrorism — “World History Unit 12 Lesson 07″ — which allegedly likens the Boston Tea Party to “an act of terrorism.”

The system also recently asked students to design a flag for a new socialist nation.

To glean greater insight, Glenn Beck invited special guests David Barton and Pat Gray, along with teachers Mary Bowen, Stan Hartzler and Texas State Sen. Dan Patrick to discuss what is truly going on within their state’s education system."

"State Sen. Patrick, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, has led the CSCOPE hearings, bringing the controversial system to public light. He pushed CSCOPE to allow parents to view curriculum and to lift gag-orders on teachers."

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013...iculum-system/

Oh damn... must have been my tin foil hat... there was nothing to see here...

Richard · 03-08-2013, 08:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldNCranky

To note just how off-color some of the CSCOPE curriculum is, consider that the Texas CSCOPE Review, an independent watchdog group, uncovered an out-of-date, optional CSCOPE lesson-plan on terrorism — “World History Unit 12 Lesson 07″ — which allegedly likens the Boston Tea Party to “an act of terrorism.”

Here's what the lesson plan stated:

Quote:

A local militia, believed to be a terrorist organization, attacked the property of private citizens today at our nation’s busiest port,” wrote the teachers in charge of organizing the curriculum about the Boston Tea Party. “Although no one was injured in the attack, a large quantity of merchandise, considered to be valuable to its owners and loathsome to the perpetrators, was destroyed. The terrorists, dressed in disguise and apparently intoxicated, were able to escape into the night with the help of local citizens who harbor these fugitives and conceal their identities from the authorities.

It is believed that the terrorist attack was a response to the policies enacted by the occupying country’s government. Even stronger policies are anticipated by the local citizens.

http://educationviews.org/cscope-tex...-of-terrorism/

Personally, I don't see the issue if this is a high school level lesson plan which reads like a loyalist news sheet of the times and is used to frame a debate by begging the questions of students along the lines of:

Was the Boston Tea Party an act of terrorism or an act of civil disobedience?
Why would some consider it one and some the other?
What's the difference?
How have you been taught what it represents?
Why do you think it was taught that way?
Might it be taught some other way today? Why or why not? If so, how?
How might the headline of such an incident read in today's news?
What do you think?"

As far as teaching it goes, reports indicate it hasn't been used in nearly three years and was removed from the curriculum over a year ago.

Quote:

Advocates of CSCOPE say the lesson calling the Boston Tea Party an act of terrorism hadn’t been taught in Texas schools since the fall of 2010, according to CBS Houston. However, the lesson plan reportedly remained available for use on CSCOPE’s website as late as January 2012.

http://educationviews.org/cscope-tex...-of-terrorism/

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldNCranky

To glean greater insight, Glenn Beck invited special guests David Barton...

Glen Beck and his 'Beck University' crony, David Barton? IMO, if anyone's worried about what's being 'taught' and why, there's a pair whose 'teachings'

ought to be worried about.

David Barton's The Jefferson Lies Voted the Least Credible History Book in Print

http://hnn.us/articles/what-least-cr...ory-book-print

And so it goes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qam1fbQmA_s

Richard