Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2025 - EDUC 820 G031

Current Issues in Curriculum and Pedagogy (5)

Class Number: 5613

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 5, 2025: Fri, 4:30–8:50 p.m.
    Surrey

    Sep 19, 2025: Fri, 4:30–8:50 p.m.
    Surrey

    Oct 3, 2025: Fri, 4:30–8:50 p.m.
    Surrey

    Oct 24, 2025: Fri, 4:30–8:50 p.m.
    Surrey

    Nov 14, 2025: Fri, 4:30–8:50 p.m.
    Surrey

    Nov 28, 2025: Fri, 4:30–8:50 p.m.
    Surrey

    Sep 6, 2025: Sat, 8:30 a.m.–4:20 p.m.
    Surrey

    Sep 20, 2025: Sat, 8:30 a.m.–4:20 p.m.
    Surrey

    Oct 4, 2025: Sat, 8:30 a.m.–4:20 p.m.
    Surrey

    Oct 25, 2025: Sat, 8:30 a.m.–4:20 p.m.
    Surrey

    Nov 15, 2025: Sat, 8:30 a.m.–4:20 p.m.
    Surrey

    Nov 29, 2025: Sat, 8:30 a.m.–4:20 p.m.
    Surrey

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

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

COURSE DETAILS:

Building on concepts and frameworks introduced in the first three courses of the program, this course and the following one (EDUC 904) are intended to engage participants in examining and expanding their understanding of teaching as a worldly, imaginative, relational activity. This exploration will take place both reflectively and dialogically with each other, and through each person undertaking a longitudinal inquiry into some aspect of their own practice. Throughout the course we will revisit readings and ideas from the earlier courses in the context of readings on, and practical explorations of, the hermeneutics of curriculum and teaching. In the midst of such educational challenges as decolonization and reconciliation, migration and diversity, the climate and biodiversity crises, and the impact of electronic media on youth culture and democratic debate, our goal is to deepen our individual and collective understandings into what it means to teach and learn with imagination, and to discover new sources of guidance and inspiration for such work.

Meeting Dates:
Sept. 5/6
Sept. 19/20
Oct. 3/4
Oct. 24/25
Nov. 14/15
Nov. 28/29

Meeting Times:
All classes held on Fridays, 4:30pm-8:30pm, and Saturdays, 9:00am-3:00pm.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Participants will:

  • Read and discuss a range of contemporary Canadian and other scholars inquiring into the conditions for imaginatively meaningful teaching, learning, and curriculum;
  • Identify and explore, orally and in writing, connections between these explorations and their own experiences and purposes as educators;
  • Use these insights to reassess, reframe and extend key concepts and frameworks from The Educated Mind and other writings on imaginative education;
  • Engage with the methods and scholarship of practitioner inquiry, in order to design and carry out a personal, imaginative self-study of some aspect of their professional practice and identity that they see as central to their further growth as imaginative educators.

Grading

  • Participate actively and creatively in class discussions and explorations of the readings and assignments (this will likely include ongoing discussion threads on Canvas) 30%
  • Design a self-study of a key aspect of your professional practice and identity, to be conducted over this and the following term (this will include a draft submitted for formative feedback) 30%
  • With 1-3 partners, conduct and write up an account of a hermeneutic exploration of an unfamiliar curriculum topic (this will include leading a related class activity) 40%

NOTES:

Expectations for the students:

  • regular attendance and active participation in the classes;
  • respectful and attentive interactions with others in the class;
  • active and thoughtful participation online;
  • keeping up with the readings;
  • investing time and effort in the assignments, and responding to feedback;
  • sharing and helping to address any concerns about course content, process, etc.

Expectations for the instructor:

  • facilitating the class in a respectful, inclusive and effective manner;
  • engaging knowledgeably and thoughtfully with the readings and with students’ contributions in person and online;
  • providing feedback when requested or expected, on writing, class contributions, etc;
  • responding to concerns about course context, process, etc.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Jardine, David (2012). Pedagogy left in peace : Cultivating free spaces in teaching and learning.
London ; New York, NY : Continuum. ISBN : 9781441163295 (paperback).

https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/pedagogy-left-in-peace-9781441123732/

Dana, N. F., Yendol-Hoppey, D., & Rutten, L. (2025). The Reflective Educator′ s Guide to Practitioner Inquiry, 5th ed. Corwin Press. ISBN 9781071966662

https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/the-reflective-educators-guide-to-practitioner-inquiry/book291937

Other readings will be provided during the course.


RECOMMENDED READING:

Egan, K. (1997). The educated mind: How cognitive tools shape our understanding. University of Chicago Press. 
Available online through SFU Library at
https://sfu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1u29dis/TN_cdi_proquest_ebookcentral_EBC408518

Jardine, David,. Friesen, Sharon and Clifford, Patricia (2006). Curriculum in Abundance. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Available online through SFU Library at
https://sfu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/15tu09f/01SFUL_ALMA51388362060003611

Lyle, E. ((Ed.) 2018). Fostering a relational pedagogy: Self-study as transformative praxis. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-38871-0 (paperback)

Available online through SFU Library at
https://sfu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/15tu09f/01SFUL_ALMA51293536630003611


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

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:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.