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Curriculum as counter narrative
The document outlines a workshop on developing a curriculum framework at a mid-sized, applied university in the UK. It discusses gathering input from students and faculty through various consultation methods. A thematic analysis of the input identified key themes around balancing content and learning, and dimensions of knowing, acting, and being. The workshop then explores various curriculum theories and maps them to how the university could structure its new framework around significant learning experiences, intellectual development, and personal knowing. Challenges of implementation are also discussed around balancing compliance and culture change.
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Curriculum as counter narrative
- 1. Curriculum as counter-narrative:co-constructing a framework for ‘personal knowing’ Tansy Jessop and Claire Saunders SEDA, Birmingham 16 October 2018 Who am I? How do I know this is true? What is truth? Any evidence to back it up? This is costing me a fortune – do I care about truth claims?
- 2. 2 • Our context:who we are • Your thoughts about curriculum (and a card game) • Developing our framework: the process (more cards!) • The theory behind the framework • Bringing about culture change • Tensions and how we might overcome them The workshop
- 3. Who we are •Mid-sized, applied, modern university • Maritime, Arts, Sports • Teaching-focused • 12,000 students • 70% first generation • Diverse, low income • Upward trajectory
- 4. 4 What are themain challenges of curriculum design in your setting? Go to www.menti.com and use the code 98 53 96 Thinking about your context, write down three words or phrases which sum up the curriculum design challenges for you.
- 5. We are travellingon a neo-liberal motorway… M1: Modules M2: Markets M3: Metrics M4: Mass higher education
- 6. • You have18 statements about curriculum • Agree 9 statements to create your diamond 9 • Place your favourites towards the top discard your six least favourite Curriculum: diamond 9
- 7. Curriculum (n) running,chariot, course
- 8. Balancing the WHAT,HOW and WHY PRODUCT: structuring and managing content (WHAT) PROCESS: the lived experience (HOW) PRAXIS: wider purpose of HE, social justice, equality (WHY)
- 9. Curriculum is… …complicated conversation …a verb ‘currere’ ratherthan a noun …an intellectual rather than an institutional or bureaucratic pursuitWilliam Pinar
- 10. So why acurriculum framework? • Make a difference to the student experience • …in a consistent and systematic way • …but not in a strait-jacket • Articulate shared educational purpose • Identify what makes us special and how we want to grow and develop • Develop a more thoughtful and theoretical approach to curriculum design
- 11. Bombs away! Top down,bottom up, student-centred This is an exciting creative change process with students at the centre PVC Osama Khan It must improve the student experience. I am backing you all the way! DVC Julie Hall New Curriculum framework
- 12. Stage 1: Generatingthe framework • Solent ‘distinctives’ • Aspirations • Lived experience • Other models
- 13. Where did webegin?
- 14. Consultation (not just anotherbrick in the wall) 900 comments Responses to 7 dimensions Mainly from students
- 15. Consultation: 9 xcurriculum cafes (n= 143/182 academic) • 62 Kiviat charts • 65 individual reflections • 373 coloured cards • 73 typed pages of ethnographic field- notes
- 16. 1 6 • Whatwould you want to see in a curriculum framework at your university? • Write down three crucial things: one per card • Thematically analyse responses Card activity
- 17. S L TC C 2 0 1 8 1 7 So, I’ve been thinking about all this data we have so helpfully generated for ourselves. I think we have the following: • a few hundred Curriculum Wall quotes • more pieces of coloured card than I’ve ever seen in my life • a whole bunch of kiviat charts with pretty shapes on them • half the professional services and a few academics’ thoughts about the new curriculum framework • less completed online questionnaires than we might have hoped for • a set of random images of diamond nines (on various people’s portable devices) • pages…and pages…and pages…and pages…of ethnographic field notes The analysis should be a piece of cake, eh (or, more accurately, will require the consumption of large amounts of cake along the way). A lot of data
- 18. Thematic analysis ofn=373 cards
- 19.
- 20. Theory behind theframework • Balancing knowing, acting and being (Barnett and Coate 2004) • Significant learning (Fink 2003) • Intellectual journeys (Perry 1998; Baxter- Magolda 2001) • Personal knowing (Polanyi 1954;1966; Palmer 1983)
- 21. What’s your university/discipline emphasis? •Knowing is about selecting and understanding key concepts in the discipline • Acting is about becoming a historian, actor, engineer, or philosopher • Being is about understanding yourself, orienting yourself and relating your knowledge and action to the world Knowing Being Acting
- 22. Entering society’s importantconversations… .
- 23. L.D. Fink (2003) Creatingsignificant learning experiences: an integrated approach to course design on college courses Significant Learning (Fink 2003)
- 24. Learning how tolearn Caring Human dimension Integration Application Foundational knowledge: Topics A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I… The learning- centred paradigm pushes teaching and learning in this direction, into multiple dimensions of learning The content-centred paradigm pushes teaching and learning in this direction, along one dimension of learning Content vs learning-oriented (Fink 2003)
- 25. Intellectual development ina nutshell Model Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Perry Dualism Multiplicity Relativism Commitment Baxter Magolda Absolute Knowledge Transitional Independent Contextual self- authorship
- 26.
- 27. 2 7 Solent’s realworld curriculum
- 28. 2 8 How wouldyou map your curriculum?
- 29. 2 9 Chatting time Talkto a partner: Which one of the dimensions: a. excites you? b. puzzles you? c. what might this look like in your discipline?
- 30. P R ES E N T A T I O N T I T L E – G O T O I N S E R T > H E A D E R & F O O T E R T O E D I T T H I S T E X T 3 0 Making it happen: reviewing all courses
- 31. P R ES E N T A T I O N T I T L E – G O T O I N S E R T > H E A D E R & F O O T E R T O E D I T T H I S T E X T 3 1 Work with quality Flow chart! Curriculum flowchart
- 32. P R ES E N T A T I O N T I T L E – G O T O I N S E R T > H E A D E R & F O O T E R T O E D I T T H I S T E X T 3 2 Curriculum Framework Workshop 2: Vision, ideas, philosophy
- 33. P R ES E N T A T I O N T I T L E – G O T O I N S E R T > H E A D E R & F O O T E R T O E D I T T H I S T E X T 3 3 CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK WORKSHOP 3
- 34. Listen and write Talkto a partner about your unit, as if they are a student. Tell them: • What is novel and exciting and significant about the unit • What they will learn and become through the unit • How they will learn and be assessed • What knowledge and capability they will take away from it • How it links to industry and to other units on the degree PARTNER: Please jot down key words while they talk.
- 35. The old unitdescriptor
- 36. The new unitdescriptor
- 37. Are we thereyet?
- 38. Tensions • Quality assuranceand enhancement • Consistency or creativity • Compliance culture or culture change? • Cynicism or hope • Initiative fatigue or excitement • Slow professor thinking or routine thinking • Generic dogma or disciplinary expertise • New wine in old wine skins…
- 39. Can the cagedbird fly?
- 40. References Barnett, R. andCoate, K. 2004. Engaging the curriculum in higher education. Maidenhead: Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press. Baxter-Magolda, M. 2001. Making their own way: Narratives for transforming Higher Education to promote self-development. Davies, Mark 2017. Developing 'A Personal Knowing': A Grounded Theory Study. PhD. University of South Wales. Fink, L. Dee 2013. Creating significant learning experiences: an integrated approach to course design on college courses. Palmer, P. 1983. To know as we are known: Education as a Spiritual Journey. HarperOne. Perry, W. 1998. Forms of Ethical Intellectual Development in the College Years: A Scheme. Polanyi, M. 1966. The Tacit Dimension. Chicago. University of Chicago Press. Polanyi, M. 1958. Personal Knowledge: towards a post-critical philosophy.
Editor's Notes
- #5 We had some ideas about a curriculum framework from the word go – but we wanted this to be a truly collaborative exercise. In the main talk this afternoon, you will hear much more about this process, but we wanted to focus on two key parts of the data in this talk to show you how they contributed to the final framework.
- #7 Resources: a set of curriculum cards for each group.
- #29 Resources: Kiviat chart handout
- #30 Resources: Handout with framework graphic and full text explaining each of the dimensions.