Re-Membering History in Student and Teacher Learning: An Afrocentric Culturally Informed Praxis

What kind of social studies knowledge can stimulate a critical and ethical dialog with the past and present? "Re-Membering" History in Student and Teacher Learning answers this question by explaining and illustrating a process of historical recovery that merges Afrocentric theory and principles of culturally informed curricular practice to reconnect multiple knowledge bases and experiences. In the case studies presented, K-12 practitioners, teacher educators, preservice teachers, and parents use this praxis to produce and then study the use of democratized student texts; they step outside of reproducing standard school experiences to engage in conscious inquiry about their shared present as a continuance of a shared past. This volume exemplifies not only why instructional materials—including most so-called multicultural materials—obstruct democratized knowledge, but also takes the next step to construct and then study how "re-membered" student texts can be used. Case study findings reveal improved student outcomes, enhanced relationships between teachers and families and teachers and students, and a closer connection for children and adults to their heritage.

Table of Contents:
Contents Foreword - Molefi Kete Asante Preface Acknowledgments Section I: An Afrocentric Culturally Informed Praxis of Historical Recovery Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Silenced History Chapter 3: “Re-Membering” the Way to Content Chapter 4: Standards “Re-Membered” Section II: Studying the Use of “Re-Membered” Texts Chapter 5: Austin Steward: “Home-Style” Teaching, Planning, and Assessment - Linda Campbell Chapter 6: Using “Re-membered” Student Text as a Pedagogical Frame for Urban Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers - Shonda Lemons-Smith Chapter 7: Culturally Informed Lesson Planning - Ericka López Chapter 8: Recovering History and the “Parent Piece” for Cultural Well-Being and Belonging - Joyce E. King, Adrienne C. Goss, & Sherell A. McArthur Chapter 9: Coda: What “Re-membered” Texts “Re-member” Appendix A: Four Identity-Group Narratives Appendix B: Lesson Summaries: Themes, Concepts, and Principles Contributors

About the Author :
Joyce E. King holds the Benjamin E. Mays Endowed Chair for Urban Teaching, Learning and Leadership at Georgia State University, USA. Ellen E. Swartz is an Education Consultant in curriculum development and the construction of culturally informed instructional materials for K-12 teachers and students.

Review :
"There comes along from time to time a book that is meant to revolutionize the way we think about society and its institutions. The book, The Afrocentric Praxis of Teaching for Freedom: Connecting Culture to Learning, by two veteran educators Joyce E. King and Ellen E. Swartz, is just such a remarkable intervention in our thinking about teaching....Not only do I recommend this book for use by current teachers, but I also insist that it should be required reading and study in all schools of education across the nation. What an honor to have read this singularly important work and to be able to urge its adoption. - Molefi Kete Asante in Journal of Black Studies, January 2016 "The lead authors, King (urban teaching and educational policy, Georgia State Univ.) and Swartz (education consultant), present as strong a case as readers are likely to find for recapturing what has been all but lost through the entrenched maginalization of minorities in the K-12 curriculum, while illustrating the truth behind the adage that history is written by the victors. Best of all, however, is their incorporation of specific examples of how the curriculum can be modified—while still meeting those ubiquitous learning standards—not be proselytizing, but by promoting critical thinking among students and their teachers...Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections." - H. M. Miller, Mercy College, in CHOICE, January 2015 “…an important book with a range of implications and possibilities for public school practitioners and teacher educators, ‘Re-Membering’ History provides compelling examples of educators’ moving theory, ideas, and ideals into action. It showcases firsthand how teachers are able to utilize history to inform learning inside of classrooms. The practitioner examples demonstrate how teachers can be transformed and transformative in the fight to expose students to real history. The book not only ‘talks the talk,’ it shows practitioners how to walk the talk.” ―H. Richard Milner IV, Helen Faison Endowed Chair in Urban Education, University of Pittsburgh, USA “This book presents a bold invitation for rethinking the purpose and representation of the grand narrative in teaching the history of the United States in elementary schools. Serious scholars will find refreshing originality in the use of Afrocentric theory, principles of culturally informed curricular practice, and practitioner research to produce ‘democratized’ student texts.” ―Etta R. Hollins, Kauffman Endowed Chair for Urban Teacher Education, University of Missouri-Kansas City, USA "‘Re-Membering’ History in Student and Teacher Learning comes as a gift to all educators who believe that it is still possible to modify, even radically change, our attitudes about culture-based teaching." ―Molefi Kete Asante, Temple University, USA and Visiting Professor, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. From the Foreword