The Missing Coil: A Spiral Curriculum of Antiracism

• In Event: Race, Racism, Overlooked

Abstract

The notion of racism as systemic is often absent in our work with young children and is instead typically viewed as something to save for ‘later on’ as children mature. With this approach, young children are taught to understand racism as interpersonal or historic, rather than systemic and contemporary. This dangerous framing requires un-learning as children age, and even more critically, it allows racist systems to reproduce and flourish across time and generations. Drawing upon Critical Race Theory and Jerome Bruner’s notion of a spiral curriculum, we propose a ‘spiral curriculum of antiracism’ to address and begin to dismantle the structural nature of racism with young children, their parents, caregivers, and teachers.

Authors

• Jen Bradley, Swarthmore College

• Luca Poxon, Swarthmore College