Mark Alexander

Ed3501-PQR
September 21, 2015
Curriculum Ideology Reflection
What Lesson did you find most engaging and why? How might
this be informed by the ideology that guided the lesson?
In all honesty, I found most of the lessons quite engaging. I
entered the presentations thinking that the learner-centred ideology
would be the most engaging for myself, but I was quite surprised at
how each presentation was clearly guided by an ideology, yet still
found a way to lead a lesson that was memorable. It sounds like a copout answer but the academic scholar lab, the social efficiency
constructing society activity and the social reconstruction water
distribution display were all very engaging activities despite their
differences in ideology. This is a very positive thing in my opinion, that
teachers who may differ in ideological leans can still create engaging
content no matter what their background.
What was the impact of the ideologies on the objectives
identified?
They had a great impact. Each ideology created unique lesson
objectives, though the academic scholar ideology stuck out as a little
more unique. A.S. was seeking for acquired knowledge and learning
the process to examine the finding of this knowledge. Social efficiency,
social reconstruction and learner centred ideologies were all similar in
that they were hoping learners gained an awareness of the topics
effect on greater society. S.E. had an economic/employment twist,
while S.R. focused on awareness of inequalities that exist around a
topic. L.C. objectives were a little harder to nail down as it happened
through the lens of the learner, but it seemed that this approach was
trying to stir up a curiosity in the learner in a way that leaves the
learner passionate about the topic.
What ideology did you find to be the most impactful or
meaningful on the teaching/learning that took place? Explain
why. How does this compare with the result obtained from
your curriculum inventory?
I believe the Academic Scholar ideology was the most impactful
on the teaching/learning in the sense that it was easily the most
recognizable ideology and provided a lesson plan that differed the
most from the others. I think this is because the ideology lacked ties to
the real world that other ideologies had. It was instead focused on
progressing our skills and knowledge in a subject matter and even

Mark Alexander
Ed3501-PQR
September 21, 2015
though there may have been practical application of these to realworld scenarios, the A.S. ideology tended to not highlight any of these
applications. It instead stayed in the bubble of academia.
Overall how do you think curriculum ideology will impact your
role and practice as a teacher?
Curriculum ideologies were a completely new concept to me
before this assignment. I did assume that a teachers experiences
would influence how they presented material, but I thought that
curriculum would take away that wiggle room for individuality. I guess
that still could be the case as this assignment was not constrained by
Alberta curriculum and I have limited experience planning around the
curriculum handed down to teachers, however, if this is an indication of
what lesson planning will be like, I am encouraged by the chance for
creativity. My general knowledge of the ideologies acquired here will
allow for me to be a little more aware of my personal biases as I plan
lessons, and I can see myself drifting back in to the ideology that I find
most comfortable. My newly acquired awareness should help me avoid
that. I look forward to the opportunity to get creative and try to apply
different ideologies to certain topics that will provide an engaging and
memorable lesson for my students.