Running head: FINAL REFLECTION 1

Final Reflection

Hector Solis-Ortiz

Loyola University Chicago

April 28, 2015

FINAL REFLECTION 2

Philosophy of Curriculum Development

When I first entered this course I came in with a naïve notion that curriculum

development was all about just making a syllabus and putting on a class. I never

imagined just how much goes into curriculum development. It is not simply about

constructing a class from nothing, but it is about creating an experience for students to

thrive and also be able to apply concepts that they can take with them once the class is

over. I remember being an undergraduate student and being in classes where I felt as

though that I would sit in the classroom and was forced to regurgitate information that I

knew was not applicable to what I wanted to do in my other professional goals.

Fink (2003), notes that a large percentage of institutions use the lecture as a form

to teach and facilitate course work and this is not always the most effective way to teach

students. This is when I had a breakthrough in that there are ways in which educators can

take their own curriculum and curate it to make sense for their students and help them

learn the best way possible. In order to have a successful curriculum educators need to

find a way to incorporate different learning styles into the type of assignments that they

offer to students.

My real philosophy behind curriculum development is that as an educator one

should strive to create significant learning experiences. Nilson (2010) states, “people

learn better when the material evokes emotional and not just intellectual or physical

involvement...motivate people to want to learn it” (p. 4). This is what stuck with me

most in terms of what I want to strive for in developing a curriculum that is self-

sustaining and that can work effectively to foster these experiences for the students that I

serve. This is what my philosophy comprises of understanding that classes need to be

FINAL REFLECTION 3

catered for the way in which students learn and how educators can work together to find

out how to make learning significant and poignant. Knowing that this is my philosophy

when it comes to this subject I know that I have honed in on my strengths and have been

self-aware to understand that I have room to grow.

Personal Assessment

This semester I have struggled in being able to feel a sense of understanding of

what building a curriculum looks like. Anywhere from understanding the difference

between learning objective and learning outcomes to coming up with assignments that

would be applicable to all types of students. Knowing that I am self-aware of my own

understanding has helped me to ask for help when I needed it in order to move forward in

becoming a better educator.

I understood that education shouldn’t be a system where one overwhelms others

with pure information, but should be transformative. Bransford et.al., (1999) states,

“there are limits on the amount of information that people can hold in short term memory

is enhanced when people are able to chunk information into familiar patterns” (p. 33). I

think this has been my greatest strength in being able to slow down and realize that this

was in fact true and that I do well with understanding that learning happens when you are

able to digest material in a reasonable amount of time. I think this was very evident when

I went about in working on my own syllabus and being intentional of what I wanted to

accomplish within my 14 week period of class.

I chose activities that were reasonable for students to engage in but would allow

them to take the time to ask questions to peers and the instructor. I believe another

strength that I had was that I learned how to effectively think about how to make learning

FINAL REFLECTION 4

significant and transferrable no matter what the subject matter. For example, the class

that I developed for my syllabus was an improv class. I understood that not all students

who took the class would do this professionally as the class was intended to take care of a

general education requirement. So in the assignments they dealt with a lot of reflection

as to how they can take the skills that they learn in performance and apply it to their

future career goals. Fink (2013) states, “teachers whose only feedback and assessment

procedures are, for example, two midterms and a final exemplify the perspective of audit-

ive assessment...primary purpose of educative assessment is to help students learn” (p.

93).

I understood the point of classes is to educate, but one has to be realistic in

knowing that in order to find out whether or not students are learning they need to be

evaluated on their learning. I tried to find different ways in which students can be

assessed that would try and cater to all students learning styles. For example, I tried to

find assignments where students would be able to demonstrate their learning through

writing and other assignments would allow to evaluate pure performance skills.

In terms of growth there are many areas in which I could grow more in

curriculum development. The main area is that even though there is an understanding

that all people learn differently it’s still really difficult to try and cater to everyone’s

learning style. This was especially true when I dealt with a subject matter that is

primarily performance based and dealt with acting. I knew that student’s might be

introverted and might struggle with the performance piece of the class and that was a

shame because there really isn’t a way to get around that problem. Knowing that students

learn in different ways makes it difficult to truly develop a class in which everyone can

FINAL REFLECTION 5

learn at their optimal performance. I know that this is completely possible, but being in a

curriculum class for a semester is not enough time to fully learn how to do this

effectively. This is something that I feel I will need to continually develop by actually

implementing a curriculum development model. Knowing my strengths and areas of

growth has helped me make connections to understanding the course materials and it

showed up through the different assignments that I worked on throughout the semester.

Making Connections

Fink (2013) mentions that in order to have a successful course experience one has

to implement learning activities in which one gives information of the course while

providing experiences in which students connect the subject to their life and allow space

for reflection. I found this idea to be quite captivating and to help inform how to go

about in constructing a significant learning experience. This idea was especially

prevalent when working on the cultural competence modules for Marquette University.

It was helpful knowing that experiential courses are meant to provide a space for students

to work in a site to learn in partnership with others so that they can take those skills and

apply it to the future interactions with others.

My groups initial thought was to try and meet students where they are in meeting

their understanding on the subject and finding ways to try and make it applicable to

where they are developmentally. After knowing that we had to cater to a certain

demographic my group and I worked diligently to try and incorporate activities that

would engage students to reflect on their social identities and how they interact with

others. This is where it was important to understand that learning can happen in various

art forms and I learned that working with others made the experience that much more

FINAL REFLECTION 6

worthwhile for students. As a group we were able to incorporate theory into practice

from the readings and that was also true when it came to developing my own syllabus.

Final Themes

The biggest theme throughout this entire course was how to cater an experience

for students in which they can grow developmentally and actually develop skills in which

they can take out into the real world. Fink (2003) states “if we can find ways to identify

and create learning experiences that students and others can agree are truly significant,

we will have made important progress in our effort to improve quality of higher

education” (p. 7). What I’ve learned most is that things will not be effective if you do not

create a space or an experience for students to want to engage in material that might not

come naturally for some as it does for others. This whole course I believe created a

significant learning experience in that it forced me to reflect on my own way of learning

and adjust what I thought learning was to what it could be. Higher education is always

evolving, but as an educator you have to make sure to not get complacent and evolve and

continue to grow to be the best at your craft.

FINAL REFLECTION 7

References

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R.R. (Eds.) (1999). How People Learn:

Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, DC: National Academy

Press.

Fink, L.D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to

developing college courses. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Nilson, L. B. (2010). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college

instructors. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.