My Multi-Dimensional Curriculum Image and Course Learning Outcomes (CLO’s)

My Multi-dimensional Curriculum Image

Throughout the tough journey in this unit, I could see my curriculum images are shaped. I found that my curriculum images have three basic principles which are meaningful learning experiences, emphatic intelligences, and active citizenship. Three of these principles are engaged into the process, as described in this picture:

Picture 1. My Multidimensional Curriculum

Since I realised most of my teaching practices was shaped by technical interest which is meaningless and controlling students’ achievement, I more explore how to create the meaningful learning experiences for my students. Throughout this unit I found that engaging students with their own experiences will be powerful to create the meaningful learning experiences. According to Garder (2000) as cited in Schirduan & Case (2004), crystallizing the experiences is the most important moment in child’s education which engages the curiosity and stimulates further exploration. Moreover, integrating these experiences with the image of curriculum as currere in the classroom could give opportunities for my students to reflect, reconceptualise, explore and transform their personal experiences (Doll, 2002; Schubert 1986; Ornstein & Hunkins, 2004; Print, 1993; Lovat & Smith, 1993). In short, curriculum as currere provides opportunities for students to engage in the teaching and learning process within their living experiences. As a result, students could use their autobiography to evaluate their experiences, think about future, analysis both past and future, and create the people that they want to be. Without ignore the real condition of curriculum implementation in my education system which is curriculum as subject matter and planned activities, I struggle to involve my creativity to engage the curriculum as subject matter to create evocative learning experiences for my students. Besides, I agree that when my students perform well performances or achieve good marks do not means “they are becoming good human beings (Henderson & Kesson, 2004, p.93). Therefore, I do not want to be trapped under the “raised standards” of students’ competencies which is given by the powerful institutions. I consent that declining the power of “experts” which determine the content of curriculum will give me and students space for creativity (Apple, 1997). For example, I could choose one topic of science subject matter such as environmental science and relate this topic into their lived experiences such as investigating the environmental problems in their home could give the space for my students’ creativity and imagination. Furthermore, I found that the idea of curriculum dynamic through the curriculum matrix and the essential concept of curriculum integration will help me to engage my students to understand themselves and the world throughout the new knowledge and experience in their real lives.

Furthermore, throughout the curriculum, I would equip my students to have the integration of personal and social competencies which help them to participate in their role-life performances. According to Robertson & Gerber (2001), development children’s identity requires an understanding of themselves and social world. Therefore, I view my curriculum as organisms and curriculum as values to facilitate me to equip my students with these competencies. Throughout these images, it also helps me to see my students as individuals who have feeling, emotional, and intelligence which guide me to shape them as holistic individuals. Therefore, I favour to shape my curriculum which cooperates with interpersonal relationships, development of self awareness, self development, engagement, and personal experiences. I found the concepts of emphatic intelligence will mobilize my teaching into the transformative learning which personalized experiences are central to deep learning. I will apply the deep learning which could help my students to understand that the learning is not only memorizing but also transforming their capability as individual and social agents.

Finally, I hope that the multidimensional of my curriculum vision could shape my students to be active citizens. To be active citizenship, the students should have ability to engage with the social change and active solidarity (Ross, 2007). Moreover, I agree that it will be prevailing to teaching science by linking scientific ways of thinking with the advancement of democratic society, rather than simply treating science education as a subject matter which prepare students to have skills to critically analyse and change society (Longbottom & Butler, 1999). Furthermore, According to Aspin in Pascoe (2002) and Henderson (2001), promoting the values of moral, social, political, and aesthetic are the vital elements in education process for citizenship in democracy which develop the autonomous individual in the society.This process could help them to be initiators in the society development. Furthermore, I realize that the vision process could bring the learners to be aware of their role in the society after leaving the school. Therefore, it will be powerful to engage my students throughout the envisioning process of their “dream world” as well as my learning experiences in this unit. According to Robertson & Gerber ( 2001), it is important for the young generation to construct the positive image of the future which could affecting the future of society. Furthermore, throughout the integration the idea of environmental awareness, sustainability eco-justice, social justice, democracy, community, agenda for social reconstruction, and OBE in my curriculum vision, I hope that I could help my students to active participate in the reconstruction of society. Even though, these ideas seem ambiguous, but I believe that throughout my role in the education process, the powerful of these ideas will create the better world for my society.\

The Integration of My Graduate Attributes and CLOs

Related to the envisioning process, I found that my learning experiences to create the graduate attributes, then CLOs and ULOs encourage me to be brave to think out of the borderland of the systems. However, I found myself engaging my vision concepts with the reality of my professional practices in university which could help me to practice my dialectical thinking. Furthermore, throughout the integration of knowledge, values and spirituality, leadership, and practice outcome, I hope that I could empower my students to be the active participants in the society. In addition, I separate the leadership concepts because of the motto of my university is “Building the Future Leaders”, it doesn’t mean I am restricted by the available concepts, but I think that giving the space to dialect with this concept will help me to bring my voice in my university. According to Fullan (2001), becoming a leader should have the integration knowledge and skills on the value purpose, understanding change, developing knowledge, and coherence making. Therefore, I try to integrate the concepts of leadership with the values, spirituality, and knowledge and practice outcome into my CLOs. These four CLOs are explained by the several concepts:

1. Knowledge Outcome

Intelligence, intituition, motivation and creativity shape students’ knowledge within their life long learning

2. Values and Spirituality Outcome

Emphatic intelligence, spirituality, understanding, and awareness shape students’ learning process

3. Leadership Outcome

Emphatic, initiative, and creative future leaders shape their role-life performances in the society

4. Practice Outcome

Critical and creativity shape students’ practice on their field, technology, communication, and research skills

Throughout the meaningful learning experiences which are integrated in my curriculum vision, I hope that the process could empower my students to be life-long learners who have self-awareness to develop their knowledge within their lives and their roles in the society. Furthermore, since I found the importance of values and spirituality in education, I integrate these two concepts into my CLOs. I don’t want my students become individuals who do not have empathy with their communities. Moreover, even though the leadership outcome is one of the implementation of my dialectical process, but I could integrate this concept to help my students to be aware of their leadership roles in their lives after leaving the university. To be a leader doesn’t mean controlling others but also caring and constructing the society. Moreover, as individuals, my students are the leader for themselves who have to decide which ways they have to follow. Finally, the practice outcome will show their capability as professional individuals in their life-role performances. Then, these four competencies could shape the unit learning outcomes in my department.

Picture 2. Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) and Graduate Attributes

The Unit Learning Outcomes

Teacher’s competencies is one of the units in university which I will deal with. Since, I will be the one who graduates from science education master course. My department will give me the responsibility to handle this unit. This unit has 3 SKS which means 150 minutes learning process a week in the classroom. It means, for one semester I will teach my students 32 meetings which give opportunities for me to shape my students to be competent chemistry teachers. Furthermore, this unit is given in the end of semester before they do the teaching field work in the school. Therefore, I try to combine the integrated competencies which could equip them in the real of teaching experiences. Moreover the ideas of knowledge base of teaching from Henniger (2004) which are the knowledge of content, teaching, curriculum, pedagogical content, learners, educational contexts, history and philosophy of education inspired me to integrate with the teacher’s competencies which are applied in my country (pedagogical, professional, and social competencies).

Furthermore, I try to explore this unit because of most of my students have less motivation to be a teacher (based on my experiences when taught them). Most of them chose the teacher education course because of they are not accepted in other program which is high competition and high requirement on academic achievement. Moreover, according to Banks (1989) as cited in Miller & Endo (2005), many research studies show that students choose the job as doctors and lawyers because the community tends to appreciate these kinds of jobs which are highly paid. Unfortunately, my university is the one public university in Jakarta which educates teacher educators. Therefore, my university plays important role to shape the professional teachers in my country. Moreover, there is no doubt that teacher profession plays important role to shape the young generation through education process. This profession also involves high responsibilities which not only transfer the knowledge to the students, but also supervising, caring, understanding, and emancipating. The importance and powerful teachers’ roles in the society encourage me to explore this unit, not only because of my role in this unit, but also stimulate my students to be aware on their roles as teachers and empower them to be critical and reflective teachers.

Furthermore, In Indonesia, there is a new policy on professional teacher certification which assesses the teachers’ competencies. Teachers who could get the professional teacher certificate could get the high salary and other rewards (Sijabat on Jakarta Post, 2007). This certificate encourages the teachers in my country to develop their competencies which are divided into three competencies: pedagogical, professional, and social competencies which are described in my ULOs. According to Darling-Hammond (1996) as cited in Marsh (2000, p.10), “teacher education programs worldwide are now being restructured to include competencies and accreditation standards”. Even though, it doesn’t mean the best way to develop the teacher’s professional development, but I put my dialectical thinking on it. Furthermore, the learning experiences in this unit inspired me to stimulate my students

becoming reflective and critical teachers. According to Brookfield (1995) as cited in Marsh (2000), reflection is hopeful activity which is done in a spirit full of hope for the future.

Furthermore, the integrated concepts of curriculum are included in my ULOs to provide the awareness of developing curriculum which is relevant to the students and community. Moreover, I found the other ideas of curriculum images which could integrate in my curriculum perspectives are curriculum as opportunity, exploration, and empowerment (Stevenson, 1998) as cited in Marsh, 2000). Throughout the ideas of reflective teachers, teachers, teacher’s competencies, the nature of learning chemistry, curriculum, evaluation, and micro teaching practice, I hope that I could shape my students to be the critical and reflective teachers who could bring the better changes in my country. Finally, I realize that this creating this unit learning outcomes is one of my learning journeys which still need to be improved, but I found it helps me to learn and realize of my role as teacher’s educator who could give contribution on the improvement on chemistry teacher quality in my country.

Unit Learning Outcomes of Teacher’s Competencies

In conclusion, throughout this journal, I could find the essential concepts of my multidimensional curriculum which give me the new insight to improve my pedagogy practices. Furthermore, mapping my CLOs and ULOs in teacher competencies unit is also help to envision my contribution to develop my students’ skills to be chemistry educators who have motivation to be life-long learners, critical and reflective teachers.