Time went by so quickly this weekend probably
because we were having a lot of fun. We discussed curriculum theory, engaged in
our first class presentation, read out loud a moving narrative about becoming
human, and explored the shapes, colors, textures, and other characteristics of
skin, pine cones, stones and leaves. How lucky to be with this cohort group in
the SFU MEd HEAL program. Oh, one more thing, we also discussed our next
potluck day…..yeaaaaah, can’t wait to taste the delicious soup Taylor will be
making or the healthy salad Josh will be sharing and of course the yummy in
your tummy food everyone else will be bringing!!!
This
post is mainly about looking through the jeweler’s loupe to see beyond what we
see at first glance. I did two exercises with the loupe. Our first exercise was
to look through the five powered magnifying jeweler’s loupe at our skin,
finger-tips, cuticles, finger prints, areas we pay very little attention to,
and explore these areas in more detail. My first impression was ‘this looks
like what a scent from The Hobbit might be… ‘Middle Earth and the dark stark
forest of branchless black trees.’ A wonderful view of the skin can be viewed
here
My
reflections on the skin is best summed up by the thoughts below:
soft
and supple
weathered
and wrinkled
blisters,
cuts, moles and calluses
what
beauty lies beneath
you
tell stories of youth and vigor
shining
and glowing, reaching and stretching
you
share the wisdom of age and experience
dry,
cracked, exposed; gnarled by the elements
valleys,
mountains, ledges with saw-toothed edges
waves
of wonder, fractal patterns
dunes
and ripples expose my identity
the
stark, bare forest, deep roots of arrector pili
my
protection, my nourishment
you
keep me whole
oh
how I long for times begone
to
feel the touch, a gently caress
The second exercise involved looking through the loupe at a ‘shell’
of a pine-cone. At first glance it looked like a brown sea shell, with various
shades and patterns of brown separated by very delineated boundaries. However
on closer examination less obvious lines became apparent, dotted areas and
gradient shades of brown were intermingled, I observed a ‘head’ and ‘tail’
section, the curvature of the structure resembled a well constructed dome and
the overall form of this single pine cone reminded me of a
tortoise /turtle shell.
Turtles
have evolved over 100 million years and are important habitants and contributors
of land and ocean ecosystem. There are about seven species of sea turtles and
they are all either on, or close to, joining the endangered species list. (Species Sea Turtles) . Land turtles
or tortoise, are more numerous in their species and share various habitats
including deserts, marshes and forested areas. Turtles (both land and sea) can
reach ages of 80 years, a conservative number; many tortoises species can
have much longer life spans that their sea dwelling family. While tortoises can re-track their head back into their shells, sea turtles are
unable to do this. The shell of the turtle is primarily for protection from
predators.
While
drawing the pine cone shell (see drawing below) the notion of
‘protection’ filled my thoughts. The
Reflecting
on this exercise, the class discussions and some of the questions and thoughts
raised, I am now so much more curious about the notion of ‘what is curriculum’?
Two thoughts/ questions we lightly touched on resonated with me…is curriculum a
means /modality for the unfolding and development of the individual OR is
curriculum a management tool, and if so managing what? As an educator and with
some experience in curriculum development, a personal opinion is that
curriculum is increasingly used as a management tool in justifying the business
of education. The unfolding of the individual often takes second or third place
to the intense pressure we as teachers are faced with in ‘covering’ the
curriculum in a timely manner. Is formal
curriculum a direct method of ‘managing’ the learning, and in so doing leads to
enculturation of learners? If formal curriculum is a form of managing learning
and shaping the minds of learners, do learners develop the skills, attitudes
and attributes for self autonomy? Is curriculum a means to manage ‘free
thinking’? While these are provocative questions, I am reminded that there
might be an opportunity hidden in the midst of this educational chaos we live
in.
We
had a brief in class discussion about the works of the scholar Dr. Ted Aoki and his
contribution to education. We discussed the notion of two curriculums teachers
are faced with, the formal curriculum as dictated by curriculum designers and
the lived curriculum (a hidden curriculum) the actual events and relationships
between teachers, students and administrators that occur. Perhaps we do need to
explore what this hidden curriculum is and discover ways of situating ourselves
in this space?
In
bringing these thoughts back to the loupe exercise, using the loupe to further
explore my skin and the pine shell gave me a glimpse of what lies beyond the
glance. I’m intrigued by what a ‘Loupe Curriculum’ might inspire, a course that
teaches how to live in the inter-space between the formal curriculum and the
lived curriculum. Hummm might this be the beginnings of the major assignment in
‘Curriculum and Instruction in an Individual Teaching Specialty’.
Stay
safe and warm
Until
the next post
Namaste
No comments:
Post a Comment