Running head: FINAL REFLECTION

Final Reflection
Brody C Tate
Loyola University Chicago

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Introduction
Nothing is what it seems. This is a lesson that I have become all too accustomed
to this semester. Curriculum used to be a word that my mom used when talking about
school or something a board member would reference and I would just nod and smile. I
started this semester with no real framework for what I was getting myself into.
Throughout this semester I have cried, screamed, laughed too hard, stressed myself out,
and most importantly I learned. I pushed myself, I worked harder, I strived to think
outside the box and change the perceptions I had about all kinds of topics not just
curriculum and higher education. Knowledge and education are limitless and I do not
want to limit myself in this incredible privilege of being in a masters program here at
Loyola University Chicago. When I started this course I thought curriculum was just
syllabi, structured testing and how you grade a student. From that moment of my naivety,
I have learned about different forms of learning, styles of creating curriculum and new
methods of teaching that I believe can revolutionize education. Nilson (2010) stated that
education requires structure, without it, theres no knowledge (p. 5). How we structure
education and the means and methods used to engage students is the constant struggle of
how to create and nurture learning in the classroom. Interactivity and adaptation to
technology is a growing area within higher education and professors can learn to utilize
and engage students in multiple ways (Bransford, 1999, p. 209). Learning can also be
really difficult, frustrating, and complicated. Learning also can occur outside the
classroom.
Learning is Difficult

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Learning in this course was hard for me. I work 20 hours a week at my graduate
assistantship, 10 hours of interning in the College of Arts and Science, 3 courses, all the
work that goes with that and I also enjoy having a personal life. The work-life balance in
graduate school can make learning difficult and then I remembered that learning happens
everywhere. I kept up with the readings, skimmed a lot, and still managed to make
meaning with other students and recall the course material. Wagner (2012) cites
Montessori for his concepts of play and creativity and that is something I have held onto
my entire life. My mother studied Montessori and now a lot of my life makes more sense.
Engaging in new ways of learning, which I connected to Fink (2003), Wagner (2012) and
Bransford (1999), made me engage in the course in new ways as well. I asked others
about their perceptions, discussed application and was met with a lot of challenge to my
viewpoints. When I was challenged it was always respectful, intelligent and really well
received. It is not often so many differing opinions can be in one room and discuss topics
so smoothly. I think a major piece for me this semester was that I loved this course, the
application and the material so much that I tried harder because the class is harder. I
spent more energy and effort because I was passionate, I set my standards higher and I
worked my fingers to the bone on some these assignments. I wanted to be involved and
look at the factors that shaped curriculum, high-impact learning programs and even
seeking job paths in the future. Wagner (2012) cites motivation and rewards for learning
multiple times throughout his book and I believe Patrick intentionally structured class to
push us to motivate ourselves. Learning does not happen if we continue to see no value
in it. Nilson (2010) and Fink (2003) reinforce outcome-centered approaches and
integrated course learning that engage students, add new technology and concepts, and

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develop significant learning experiences. Without utilizing the course readings and
guidance, this course would have been horrible for me. I am now able to articulate
curriculum structures, learning outcomes, significant learning experiences, and my
positionality on curriculum development within higher education.
Group Project
Fink (2003) stated that focusing on the mission, what we dream of for our
students and why we became educators in the first place is what will lead us to
developing significant learning experiences (p. 29). In my case studies of university
practices, the group project with Marquette modules, and the ePortfolio I am continually
reminded of why I love higher education. I had some of the most incredible opportunities
in undergraduate studies that are honestly once in a lifetime wonders. Nikki and Megan
are incredible, smart, talented women that I have had nothing but the most amazing time
working with them. Their perspectives, insight, vernacular and ambitions toward
committing to social justice have only reinforced why I came to this program. So far this
is my favorite class and this is not me buttering up for a better grade. This is the first
course that pushed me harder than any other, opened up a lot more of my creative side.,
and did not limit my voice based on the intensity of subject matter. I was able to use my
own life experiences to support and defend my claims, influence my assignments and
share information with our community of scholars. We discuss learning opportunities,
how we define them and shape them but to actually put our knowledge into practice and
have an amazing professor to guide us only reinforced the topics of significant learning
and service-learning in this course. We were asked what we had to undo in order to
create significant learning and I wrote that i had to reevaluate all the ways of learning I

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had engrained and that most of traditional teaching has little to do with learning. It is as
if a large part of myself just cracked into pieces. There is merit in certain parts of my
educational experiences and those experiences are all the ones that broke the mold of how
education is and I was shown what it could be.
ePortfolio
My ePortfolio was a lot of fun to create. It is not every day your final is so
engaging, funny and unique. The themes around my portfolio are very much centered
around my personality. I do not like a lot of words so use images or documents
embedded to represent my work, my life and my presentation of this course. The theme
involves wavy blue in the layout because blue is my favorite color. To me though it is
not a color, it can be a mood, a feeling of safety, of challenge, and strength. Blue is my
direct association to water and I love water. I live my life around it and I am so thankful
about being so close to Lake Michigan. Similarly to water, I am unpredictable, I travel
over large distances, I can be hot or cold, I can heal or I can cause damage. In learning
more about who I am in this course and connecting it to curriculum I feel like education
is the safe house in a storm. Education is a place to explore, feel safe and guided, listen
and learn about your surroundings. Curriculum is the process and patterns of education
and learning but learning is often not done alone. There are others, knowledge is shared
with others and we reinforce and reciprocate information when learning is done best. My
portfolio reflects that. My photos often include other people or my pets; theyre not just
me. Reflecting on the assignments over the semester has made the ePortfolio my favorite
part of the course because I was able to reflect and incorporate multiple aspects of

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learning this semester into one synthesized project. I cannot express enough the
uniqueness of this course and all that I have gained from the experience.
Conclusion
I will walk away from this course with more knowledge, compassion and future
goals involving curriculum. I will never take another syllabus for granted and I will
always think critically about the subject matter, design, and course structure in any type
of programming. Curriculum is more than just educational guidelines. Curriculum is
present throughout institutions and organizations that require significant learning of any
kind. Fink (2003) and Wagner (2012) had the greatest impact on how I personally related
the experiences in this course to my own life. Through passion, play, motivation,
significant learning and integrated course methods I will no longer look at a course as
simply a course for teaching. The classroom has now become an amazing community to
develop and encourage learning and innovation in students, colleagues and the
educational community as a whole. There was an incredible amount of work, effort,
stress and learning that went into this course. I want to continue learning and engaging in
curriculum and I have even thought about changing my career path to shift more toward
engaged learning opportunities.

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7
References

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (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: Jossey-Bass.
Nilson, L.B. (2010). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college
instructors. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. (Ch. 1 3)
Wagner, T., & Compton, R. A. (2012). Creating innovators: The making of young people
whowill change the world. New York: Scribner.