Curriculum Policy of Book Banning in Schools

Book Banning Policies and Their Adverse Effects on Gifted Students

Abstract

• Book banning policies may negatively impact gifted students, their programs, and all students.
• Decisions about books should align with program goals and tools, not arbitrary choices based on targeted authors or subjects.
• Advocates for free access to high-quality literature for gifted students at all stages, considering their advanced skills and interests.

Introduction

• Book banning is identified as a restrictive curriculum policy in public schools and has increased significantly in the last 3 years, aligning with political shifts.
• The rationale behind book banning has not been substantiated.

Arguments Against Book Banning

1. Alignment with Program Goals:

   • Book selection for gifted learners should be based on program goals and tools, not arbitrary decisions.

2. Development of Thinking Skills:

   • Thinking skills and habits of mind are crucial for higher-level learning, best fostered through high-quality literature.
   • Without such literature, thinking skills are diminished.

3. Engagement with Literature:

   • Literature offers a unique understanding of humanity, unlike skill-based programs focused solely on reading skills.
   • Gifted students are deprived of an enriched program due to limited access to quality literature.

Conclusion

• Book banning is an outdated attempt to control reading and thinking among gifted students.
• Advocates for free and open access to high-quality literature to support their advanced reading skills and thinking capacity.

Goals and Strategies of Gifted Education Programs

• Curriculum design for gifted students should analyze their needs and capacities at different developmental stages.
• Assessment tools are used to determine students' advanced levels in areas like math, reading, and scientific inquiry.
• Gifted learners typically demonstrate advancement of 2 or more years in specific learning areas, indicating readiness for advanced work.
• Development of higher-level thought and decision-making skills is essential for leadership roles.

Typical Goals of Gifted Programs:

• Develop critical thinking.
• Develop problem-solving skills.
• Promote agency for original thought and work.
• Develop collaboration and communication skills at advanced levels.
• Develop moral and ethical decision-making.
• Develop concerns for social justice.

These goals encompass both affective and cognitive development across grade levels (K-12).

Implementation Strategies

• Use core texts with supplementary materials for differentiation.
• Employ interdisciplinary and open-ended strategies.
• Use group-based activities.
• Link to real-world problem-solving through problem-based learning and competitions like History Day or Model U.N.

Common Techniques

• Discussion groups
• Question-asking
• Socratic seminars
• Inquiry-based tools
• Debate and argument

Development of Habits of Mind

• Objectivity
• Skepticism
• Curiosity
• Innovation

Sample Discussion/Activity Set

• Issue: Should we teach students to think about real-world problems?
• Concepts: Evidence, bias, argument, and perspective.
• Point of View: Consider stakeholders like students, parents, and their positions.
• Assumptions: Underlying beliefs of those who want students to learn basics vs. those who want them to think for themselves.
• Data/Evidence: Support for teaching thinking skills and its benefits.
• Inferences: How thinking should be taught based on data.
• Consequences and Implications: Positive and negative impacts of teaching thinking.

Substance of a Challenging Language Arts Program

• Focus on higher-level goals and measurable assessments through engaging activities.
• Use deliberate reasoning tools.
• Select reading materials that align with program goals.

Underlying Tissue and Tools for Such Advanced Learning

• Emphasis on reading Nobel Prize winners and National Book Award winners to engage with interesting characters and real-world issues.
• Immersion in the best works of the modern age.
• Complement with classical literature (Plato, Aristotle, Euripides, Virgil, Shakespeare) to appreciate the universality of human thought.
• Exposure to high-quality literature should be a life-long goal, pursued at one’s own pace.
• Importance of understanding what constitutes great literature and its universal themes.
• Thematic motifs from Shakespeare (alienation, oppression, family dynamics) resonate in contemporary authors like Toni Morrison, Alice Munro, and Joyce Carol Oates.
• Students need access to wisdom from diverse authors.
• Reading biographies of Nobel Prize winners (rather than celebrity memoirs) to understand adversity and talent development.
• Example: Reading about Marie Curie prompts reflection on life priorities.

Biographical Resources

• Ignotofsky, R. (2016). Women in science: 50 fearless pioneers who changed the world. Ten Speed Press.
• James, I. (2003). Remarkable mathematicians: From Euler to von Neumann. Cambridge University Press.
• McClure, J. (2000). Theoreticians & builders: Mathematicians, physical scientists, inventors (remarkable women). Raintree.

Concept Development Through Books

• Understanding a concept by considering its opposite.
• Studying injustice to understand justice; freedom to understand oppression.

Example: Maus II by Art Spiegelman

• A graphic novel about mice imprisoned and malnourished during the Holocaust.
• Uses animal characters to convey horrors without imposing direct trauma.
• Engenders empathy and promotes the need to fight oppression.
• Allows examination of cruelty and its generational effects.
• Used for over 20 years with gifted seventh graders alongside John Hersey’s Hiroshima.
• Discussions and projects promote critical and creative thinking.
• Elevates sensitivity to human frailty and moral considerations.
• Despite its value, Maus II has been removed from library shelves.

Reasons Cited for Banning

• Inappropriateness of Holocaust material for younger students.
• The material is not seen as important in some communities.
• Community members are taking over curriculum decisions without understanding specialized programs for gifted learners.
• Reading advanced material is central to gifted education.
• Advanced reading ability is a key characteristic of gifted students.
• Reading provides rich conceptual understanding.
• Great books provide a legacy for future learning.
• Banning is often a precursor to burning.
• Students must have access to Shakespeare, Maus II, and Toni Morrison when they are ready.
• These works provide markers for literary excellence and the human experience.
• Restricting access diminishes knowledge and insight.
• Substitution of texts affects the level of challenge.
• Choosing advanced texts requires specialized knowledge.

Use of Excerpts vs. Full Text

• Excerpts dilute language and ideas.
• Simplifies the complexity needed to grapple with real-world problems.
• Reduces reading to information gathering rather than gaining insight.
• Thwarts the potential of gifted education.
• Denigrates great literature by minimizing intellectual thought.

Unintended Consequences of Book Banning

• Limits the level and type of thinking.
• Obliterates great literature that could help students see universal themes.
• "Dumbs down" reading material.
• Limits access to the best texts and authors.
• Inhibits discourse on important themes and issues.
• Policies may have negative influences that were never intended.
• Groups seeking to ban books may not understand the importance of controversial literature.

Need for Data Collection

• What have been the impacts of book bans over the past 3-5 years?
• What are the short-term and long-term effects?
• What books have been eliminated from gifted programs?
• What replacements have been recommended?
• How much fiction has been replaced with nonfiction?
• What concepts are no longer being taught?

Conclusion

• The power of books should be an open channel to new dreams, thoughts, and intellectual exploration.
• Free and open inquiry is essential for real learning.
• That freedom to inquire begins with great books.