Anti-Authoritarian Curriculum Practice - by Daniel J Castner & Jennifer L Schneider & James G Henderson (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Drawing upon curriculum studies and utilizing curricular concepts, this book provides a framework for teachers interested in imagining, enacting, and reflecting upon their daily practices in ways that defy the standardization and bureaucratic management of curriculum and instruction, and responds to the needs and interests of their local contexts.
Although the specific experiences of teachers can vary significantly based on factors such as location, district policies, and community dynamics, the current socio-political landscape surrounding educational institutions from pre-K through higher education de-professionalizes educators. Instead of providing an ideological critique of this state of affairs, this book provides practitioners with a pragmatic framework that empowers them to critically and creatively engage curriculum in ways that are meaningful within their particular contexts.

Review Quotes

"Drawing broadly on historical and contemporary curriculum theory, the authors persuasively describe a framework of concepts and questions for teachers to do their own meaningful curriculum work toward the purpose of complex, eclectic, and authentic practices to counter authoritarianism and promote the common good." --Nancy File, professor emerita, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

"In this insightful and important book, Anti-Authoritarian Curriculum Practice: Powerful Theories for Teachers, Daniel J. Castner, Jennifer L. Schneider, and James G. Henderson provide an intergenerational analysis and reflection on curriculum studies, theory-grounded education, and democracy. Drawing on their analysis, the authors offer a three-part HI-STAR process that invites teachers to engage curriculum against authoritarianism and to foster the realization of a democratic ideal that uplifts, nurtures, and transforms in precarious times.
This book will appeal to curriculum leaders of all kinds." --Rose Ylimaki, professor and Del & Jewell Lewis Endowed Chair in Education and Leadership, Northern Arizona University

About the Author

Dr. Daniel Castner is an assistant professor of early childhood education and curriculum studies at Indiana University Bloomington. Prior to his transition to higher education, he was a public-school kindergarten teacher for 15 years in Northeast Ohio. His research describes how curriculum leadership operates in early childhood settings and examines how dedicated teachers with strong personal and professional commitments experience and negotiate the social, political, and cultural tensions within their institutions of practice.

Dr. Jennifer Schneider is an assistant professor of Curriculum Studies at Oklahoma State University (OSU) who is deeply influenced by a background studying and teaching in the arts and humanities. Her dissertation was awarded the American Association for Curriculum and Teaching's (AATC's) 2020 John Laska Dissertation Award. Challenging the longstanding dehumanizing heritage present in curriculum and teaching while working towards regenerative possibilities. Her scholarly and creativ