Building on the themes discussed in this unit, reflect on the following notion based on your own personal perspective. Draw on your own experience and knowledge to expand upon your thoughts.

Relative to your milieu, recall and identify at least one but no more than three curricular issues.  Describe the issue(s) and why it is (they are) of concern.  The term milieu comes from the work of Joseph Schwab (1983); the term refers to the social environment where education takes places.  Some scholars refer to this as the space and place of learning like the classroom or school itself. 

 Think about the following as you prepare your post:

• What is the specific curricular issue(s)?
• Who does it affect in your milieu?  If it affects more than one person or group, please be specific.
• Identify possible reasons for the issue(s).
• Upon reflection, recommend ways to solve this (these) issue(s). 
• Rubic:
•   Self-improvement –   

  Demonstrates clear
  understanding that
  self-reflection is a key
  component of
  improving both a)
  her/his own teaching
  practices and b) the
  growth, development
  and learning of one’s
  students. Clear,
  applicable details and
  examples are
  provided in the
  reflection.

•   Connection to
  outside
  experiences –   

  Engages in detailed
  analysis of aspects
  of her/his own
  experiences and
  those of others that
  centrally relate to
  the topic. Makes
  substantive
  connections
  between these
  experiences and 

  their application to
  teaching practice,
  and cites texts,
  scholarly journals,
  and other resources
  to articulate their
  meaning.
  Submission
  demonstrates
  understanding of
  the importance of
  reflection on
  experiences as a
  critical tool for selfimprovement and
  effectively employs
  it

•   Connection to
  course readings
  (videos,
  presentations, etc.)
  and discipline
  specific literature –   

  Synthesizes those
  aspects of the
  readings that relate
  to the topic. Makes
  substantive
  connections
  between what is
  learned from the
  readings and the
  topic. Includes
  references to other
  sources to
  demonstrate the
  ability to extend
  one’s own learning
  through
  independent
  discovery.

• Reading Assignment

  1.  Lalor, A. D. M. (2021). Making curriculum matter: How to build SEL, equity, and other priorities into daily instruction. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

  • An insightful reading on specific components to be considered while shaping a curriculum.
  • Chapter I pages 10 till pages 17.
  • Chapter 7 pages 129 till pages 132

  2. Eisner, E. (2001). What does it mean to say a school is doing well? In Flinders, D. J., &   Thornton, S. J. (Eds.), The Curriculum Studies Reader, Fourth Edition, pp.297-305. New York, NY: Routledge. 
  

  • Elliot W. Eisner is highly revered when it comes to discussions about curriculum reform and in this article, he talks about rationalization and its role in the American education system.  He further explores standardized testing and what he believes it reveals about students.  As you read, many of you may recognize narrative echoes of or resonances to your own educative situations especially in terms of “out-of-classroom” professional knowledge landscapes. Eisner is also an advocate for creativity in the classroom and arts education. 
    

  3. Kliebard, H. M. (1989). Problems of definition in curriculum. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision Fall 1989, 5(1), pp.1-5.  
  

  • Herbert Kliebard is a well-known curriculum theorist and historian looking at past educative reforms for some insight or guidance regarding present-day classroom situations. 
    

  4. Su, S-W. (2012). The various concepts of curriculum and the factors involved in curricula-making. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 3(1). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268348184_The_Various_Concepts_of_Curriculum_and_the_Factors_Involved_in_Curricula-making
  

  • Shao-Wen Su is a professor at the National Chin-Yi University of Technology (Taiwan).  Her work here explores definitions of curriculum and what aspects need to be considered when deriving one’s professional understanding of the term.
    

  5. Stabback, P. (2016). What makes a quality curriculum? UNESCO International Bureau of Education (UNESCO-IBE). http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002439/243975e.pdf

  
  

  • This resources are taken from UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and their collected international understandings of curriculum.
    

  6 . What is Curriculum? (n.d.). IGI Global Publisher of Timely Knowledge. https://web.archive.org/web/20220409063709/https:/www.igi-global.com/dictionary/curriculum/6468

  • IGI Global, an international academic publisher for research aimed at societal change, compiles a list here of curriculum definitions with links to additional resources. Please take a look at the list of 36 definitions on this web page.
    

  
  

  Optional Video

  1. Fell, R. (2014, April 10). What is curriculum [Video]. YouTube.  (2:06)

  • This is an introductory video created by pre-service teachers as they decipher the term curriculum and the layers of its definition.
    

  2. lwf. (2011, March 21). Sir Ken Robinson, creativity, learning & the curriculum [Video]. YouTube.  (29:26)

  • In this video, Sir Ken Robinson discusses the need for creativity when it comes to learning within the classroom.  Though curriculum is often seen as prescriptive, there are elements of it that are subjective because of its inherent connection to human growth and learning.