Maira Khalid
Hello, my name is Maira Khalid and I am a Middle School teacher in Ontario, Canada. Currently, I am taking a course titled "integrated planning, instruction and assessment" for my "professional master of education" degree. We learned about the different philosophical foundations that shaped the curriculum, the conceptions of curriculum and the curriculum designs teachers use. I realized that contemporary curriculum conceptions such as "Social Resconstructionism" and "Humanistic/Personal Relevenace" (also tied to the progressivism philosophical foundation) of curriculum are most popular as they correspond to a problem/society based curriculum design and learner based curriculum design. Recent research suggests that assessments pertaining the learner centered curriculum design and problem/society based curriculum yield a more in-depth knowledge about the curriculum. The best way to assess student learning is through portfolios, essays, journals, reflections, projects rather than the performance or standardized test. At the core of learner based and society based curriculum design is intrinsic motivation. Educators can strengthen intrinsic motivation by making it relevant to the students. In this manner students will be more eager to learn. I am interested in learning more ways where I can make learning and assessments more student centred in order so they are more motivated to learned.