The chapter guides curriculum leaders and teachers in planning integrated learning experiences that honour all three dimensions rather than privileging subject content alone.
1. Understanding the 3S Framework
Gornik and Henderson argue that conventional curriculum planning overemphasizes disciplinary content. Instead, 3S Education promotes a balanced curriculum that develops:
a. Self-Learning (Self-Formation)
Learners develop:
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Personal voice and identity
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Critical and reflective thinking
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Autonomy and self-regulation
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Values and ethical awareness
Self-learning aims to cultivate empowered, reflective human beings, not passive recipients of knowledge.
b. Social-Learning (Social Action and Responsibility)
Learners engage in:
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Collaboration
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Civic responsibility
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Community engagement
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Empathy and intercultural understanding
Social-learning builds socially responsive citizens and supports the democratic mission of schooling.
c. Subject-Matter Learning (Academic Competence)
Learners acquire:
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Disciplinary knowledge
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Conceptual understanding
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Skills for inquiry, research, and problem solving
Subject-matter learning remains essential but is reframed within broader humanistic purposes.
The authors argue that transformative curriculum leaders intentionally design for all three domains, seeing them as interdependent, not hierarchical.
2. Planning Curriculum with the 3S Lens
The chapter emphasizes that designing 3S learning requires intentional planning, not simply adding activities to existing curriculum. Gornik and Henderson propose that planning should begin with questions such as:
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How will this unit cultivate self-awareness and personal meaning?
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How will students engage with social issues and collaborative work?
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What disciplinary concepts and skills anchor this unit?
Planning becomes a process of weaving these strands so learning experiences are rich, meaningful, and transformative.
3. Backward Design with Transformative Purposes
Building on Wiggins & McTighe’s idea of backward design, the authors adapt the approach for transformative goals:
Step 1: Identify Transformative Outcomes
Outcomes should integrate:
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Personal growth (self)
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Social responsibility (society)
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Disciplinary understanding (subject)
Step 2: Decide on Evidence of Learning
Assessment is broadened to include:
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Reflections
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Portfolios
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Projects with social impact
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Performance tasks
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Traditional assessments
Evaluation becomes holistic, capturing the multi-dimensional nature of 3S learning.
Step 3: Plan Learning Experiences
Learning tasks must:
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Be inquiry-driven
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Invite student choice
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Support collaborative work
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Connect to real-world problems
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Anchor in core curricular concepts
The authors argue that planning for 3S Education naturally creates engaging, authentic, and relevant learning experiences.
4. Integrative and Experiential Curriculum Design
The chapter argues that 3S curriculum requires moving away from isolated subjects. Instead, the most effective approach is integration:
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Interdisciplinary units
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Project-based learning
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Service learning
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Thematic curriculum
These designs allow students to draw ‘‘connections across self, society, and subject’’—the signature outcome of 3S Education.
Experiential key components include:
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Real community problems
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Student-led projects
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Reflection as a structured learning process
3S Education is therefore deeply experiential and inquiry-based, not lecture-driven.
5. Teacher as Curriculum Maker
A central message of the chapter is that teachers must be transformative curriculum makers, not deliverers of externally imposed content.
Teachers are encouraged to:
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Exercise professional judgment
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Adapt curriculum to local context
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Co-design learning with students
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Act as reflective practitioners
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Align teaching with democratic and ethical purposes
Curriculum leadership becomes shared and distributed, empowering teachers as creative designers of learning.
6. Equity, Diversity, and Ethical Considerations
The authors highlight that designing for 3S Education requires attention to:
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Diverse cultural identities
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Ethical dimensions of teaching
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Inclusion and equity
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Students’ lived experiences
Curriculum is seen as a moral and political act, not a technical one. Planning must therefore foster:
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Inclusive representation
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Respect for all learners
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Opportunities for voice and agency
This approach promotes a socially just curriculum aligned with democratic education principles.
7. Practical Guidelines for Curriculum Leaders
Gornik and Henderson provide several practical planning guidelines:
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Begin with transformative purposes, not content lists
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Plan collaboratively across teams
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Build time for student reflection
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Integrate community partners
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Use cycles of action research to improve units
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Align assessment with 3S outcomes
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Treat curriculum as a living document that evolves
The role of the curriculum leader is to mentor, facilitate, and support, not dictate.
Conclusion
“Designing and Planning for 3S Education” argues that curriculum must be intentionally constructed to support holistic human development. Gornik and Henderson urge curriculum leaders to design learning that integrates:
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Self (identity, autonomy, reflection)
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Society (collaboration, responsibility, democracy)
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Subject matter (knowledge, inquiry, disciplinary competence)
Through integrative planning, teacher empowerment, experiential learning, and democratic values, 3S Education aims to transform both learners and the learning environment.
This chapter positions curriculum leadership as a humanistic, ethical, and collaborative act—one that shapes not just academic achievement but the civic and moral fabric of schooling.
