Moving from Traditional to Transformative Curriculum and Pedagogy (Demystifying Social Justice Education: Moving from Trendy to Transformative Equity and Justice Practices in Schools)

Curriculum and pedagogy are the heartbeat of our schools.They encompass what we do and do not teach-what content and approaches we either choose or are mandated to choose, or leave out or are mandated to leave out.Curriculum entails the overall educational experience of schooling, while pedagogy is the art and craft of teaching-or the translation of curriculum into student knowledge and growth.Hence, curriculum and pedagogy are sociocultural phenomena that impact and are impacted by context (e.g., students, community, colleagues, geography, etc.). Once upon a time, curriculum and pedagogy were the spaces in which educators could exercise creativity and exploration, reflecting the individual needs of their students and communities.However, as political structures shifted and the standards movement took hold in the late 20th century, freedoms around curriculum and pedagogy began to fade with increased oversight over and standardization of "best practices" with greater emphasis placed on