Conservatives have been doing everything in their power to undo the educational system in America. In Texas, they are turning libraries into detention centers. Books are being banned for (sometimes imagined) LGBTQ content. They won’t stop until all critical thinking has been erased from schools. Case and point, the state of Florida allowed PragerU’s right-wing propaganda to be taught to children.
For those unfamiliar with PragerU, it is a nonprofit that puts right-wing talking points into easily digestible videos. Climate change denial, bigotry, and conservative talking points are pushed as educational content. Now that the state of Florida has authorized the use of this politicized drivel in schools, PragerU’s lesson plans for elementary schools have come under scrutiny.
One teacher posted a video to YouTube after analyzing several lesson plans. Even when trying to ignore the right-wing skew of the materials, Zoe Bee found the curriculum to be abysmal.
Do these people know what a lesson plan is?
In that video, Zoe Bee starts by summarizing what certified teachers use to design a curriculum. Most lesson plans should include learning objectives (concrete skills), a lesson (how to reach objectives), and how the teachers can measure those objectives. Plus, these plans should be easy to understand for both teachers implementing the lesson and students learning it. PragerU wants their lessons to be “turn-key” making the last point very important. They frame their curriculum as something that is “fun and engaging,” “educationally sound,” and “easy to implement.” However, Bee found PragerU’s lessons didn’t meet their own standards.
Bee analyzed PragerU’s lesson for the Statue of Liberty, meant for kids aged K-2. The main point is to understand liberty in America. Their learning objectives are supposed to be measurable actions, yet things like “appreciate America’s history” cannot be measured. Most of the lesson centers on watching a video where cartoon characters visit the Statue of Liberty. Then teachers ask students what they would decorate the statue with. How are children supposed to understand the concept of liberty and its importance to America from this?
Bee points out that most of the lesson plans follow this format of children watching videos and then talking about something in the video. If you’ve ever been around kids aged 5 to 7, you know this is not something they will find engaging. Going over several lessons, Bee found the formatting to be inconsistent and confusing for instructors. Some included easily identifiable typos. One lesson about President John Adams states Adam’s son became the fourth President of the United States when he was actually the sixth.
The dumbening of our children
No, I’m not shocked that conservatives who eschew educational standards don’t know how to create coherent lesson plans. However, I am surprised at the level of disrespect PragerU has for teachers and students. They belittle the role of educator as that of a glorified babysitter. Teaching means so much more than playing some videos and handing out worksheets. People who teach help shape the minds of children and facilitate problem-solving. Children at school should be challenged and taught important lessons that will help them be free-thinking adults. Otherwise, what is the point of even sending them to school?
Maybe that is the end game for PragerU, to create a generation of mindless people who don’t question anything they are shown and believe that John Quincy Adams was the 4th President of the United States. What a glorious vision of the future.
(featured image: skynesher/Getty Images)
