Noted in “Curriculum Policy and the Politics of What Should Be Learned in Schools” , curriculum is a fundamental framework of schooling. Curriculum is also a political and social construct. It is noted, “whether controversial or not, education policy decisions, because they involve questions of public choice and concern, are essentially political in nature”. Supporting that curriculum is political by nature. This is something I have never really considered, but makes today sense. Education shapes future citizens so of course governments and policy makers want to influence what we teach those citizens. The article surprised me when discussing how complicated it is to actually implement change into the curriculum. The main arguments are 1) what, how much and when are certain subjects included and 2) the content within the subjects. The article goes on to explain “debates are sharper because they embody deeply held views not only about the nature of education but about essential life values”. This quote emphasizes how difficult it can be to form a curriculum as there are always going to be differing opinions as people hold values and beliefs differently. Also it is noted school is a common experience and people develop their own opinions on it because of their own experiences and lacking a lot of information into theory and research. This contributes to the difficulty in reaching consensus. 

In “The Saskatchewan Way: Professional-Led Curriculum Development”, it is expressed how complicated curriculum is. It demonstrates progression to the realization of how curriculum concerns everyone. A quote that stood out to me was, “if we believe that true learning is geared to individual motivation in terms of goals, and that teachers, parents, the community, and the students have a share in planning the tasks of the school, then we must accept the wider definition of curriculum planning as a continuous process within the schools themselves”. Curriculum must be accepted as a continuous process and is not owned by the teachers. This idea relates to the above article, but is also important to emphasize the involvement of others. In lecture we looked at the new Curriculum Advisory Committee and the arrangement of parents, professionals, Indigenous leaders, etc. on it. Connecting these individuals to the article when it states specifically, “Teachers believe that The Saskatchewan Way for curriculum renewal should:  Be professionally led. Demonstrate collaboration and co-operation among educational partners.  Be inclusive of parents, students, and others within the broader community…”. The inclusivity belief is seen in this committee and promising for future Saskatchewan curriculums!

Levin, B. (2008). Curriculum policy and the politics of what should be learned in schools. In F. Connelly, M. He & J. Phillion (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of curriculum and instruction (pp. 7 – 24). Los Angeles, CA: Sage. Available on-line from: http://www.corwin.com/upm-data/16905_Chapter_1.pdf.

The Saskatchewan Way: Professional-Led Curriculum Development. Available on-line from: https://www.stf.sk.ca/sites/default/files/the_saskatchewan_way_professional_led_curriculum_development.pdf