Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2019 - EDUC 820 G021

Current Issues in Curriculum and Pedagogy (5)

Class Number: 5980

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 6 – Aug 2, 2019: Tue, 9:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Focuses on educational issues, trends and practices which impact teaching and learning in schools and other educational settings.

COURSE DETAILS:

The Curricula of Cosmopolitans in the Anthropocene  

Curriculum development and pedagogical practices in education and various social service agencies and learning organizations are undergoing radical shifts as the result of confluence of local and global forces. Canadian scholarship in curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment is at the forefront of this revolution.  

A relevant, meaningful education today might (as ever) centre on a reflective curriculum of self, others, and the world. In a world now characterized as Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) (Lemoine, Hackeet, & Richardson, 2017), what kinds of curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment will best prepare students (and teachers) not only to survive but thrive? How shall we identify ourselves? Can we be cosmopolitans? Can we develop curricula, pedagogies, and assessments that nurture the whole self—body, mind, heart, and spirit (Miller, Nigh, Binder, Novak, & Crowell, 2018)—and holistically develop well-being among students and teachers? Can it be a curriculum of connectedness? As language educators, what language(s) can we use in these new curricula to describe our longings, our experiences, our learnings, our wisdom?  

One of the primary themes of the course is the concept of curriculum as a journey (Pinar, 1994).   In this course, we will cover both the foundations and fundamentals of curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment and also how these can be relevant to you as both educators and citizens living in a VUCA, Anthropocene world. Our collaborative inquiry in the course will center on four, overarching questions: What are the aims of education? What shall we thus teach? How shall we best teach? What are the moral and spiritual implications of our teaching that we need to address?  

Lemoine, P. A., Hackett, P. T., & Richardson, M. D. (2017). Global higher education and VUCA–Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity. In S. Mukerji, and P. Tripathi (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Administration, Policy, and Leadership in Higher Education (pp. 549-568). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.  

Miller, J. P., Nigh, K., Binder, M. J., Novak, B., & Crowell, S. (Eds.). (2018). International handbook of holistic education. New York: Routledge.  

Pinar, W. F. (1994). The method of “currere"(1975). Counterpoints, 2, 19-27.  

Grading

  • Digital weekly reflections on course content (blog, vlog, podcast) 30%
  • Best or worst educational experience, with reflections 20%
  • Group presentation on a course topic or issue 20%
  • Project: Developing a curriculum or educational program 30%

NOTES:

 We will engage in a few field trips. Possible locations and sites include the forested area surrounding the Burnaby campus or within a two-kilometer distance of the campus (e.g., Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area).  Another possible location is Lynn Canyon Park in North Vancouver. Witten details about these locations, including possible risks, will be provided to students before we embark on any field trips.

Required readings will not be available through the SFU Bookstore. 

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

de Saint-Exupéry, A. (1943). The little prince (R. Howard, Trans.). Orlando, FL: Harcourt.[if you read French, feel free to bring the original French version].
ISBN: 13: 978-0156012

Hasebe-Ludt, E., & Leggo, C. (Eds.). (2018). Canadian curriculum studies: A métissage of inspiration/imagination/interconnection. Toronto, Canada: Canadian Scholars Press.
ISBN: 13: 978-1773380

RECOMMENDED READING:

Flinders, D.J. & Thornton, S.J. (Eds.) (2017). The curriculum studies reader (5th Ed.). New York & London: Routledge.  ISBN-13: 978-1138121461

Hurren, W., & Hasebe-Ludt, E. (Eds.). (2013). Contemplating curriculum: Genealogies/times/places. New York, NY: Routledge.

Slattery, P. (2012). Curriculum development in the postmodern era: Teaching and learning in an age of accountability. New York, NY: Routledge.  ISBN-13: 9780415808569

Stanley, D. & Young. K (Eds.) (2011). Contemporary studies in Canadian curriculum: Principles, portraits & practices. Calgary: Brush Education. ISBN 13: 9781550593990

Graduate Studies Notes:

Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS