arden's asides

winter 2026 personal curriculum

About a month ago, I fell down a rabbit hole listening to people talk about their personal curriculum plans - a self-guided plan for dedicating yourself to the practice or study of a particular subject. While I do maintain some reservations about the intersection between this trend and toxic productivity culture (which has been especially on my mind after watching Mina Le's video essay "You Don't Need to be Productive"), the general concept scratched that part of my brain that wants to be a perpetual student - especially when I get to plan out the course myself.

Last July, I taught a couple of workshops and that rekindled my love for teaching. Given the current state of the academic workforce, however, I don't see myself going back into the classroom any time soon. But when I sat down and brainstormed ideas for classes I could casually take on whatever topic I wanted? I went into full hyperfixation mode.

General Structure

Rather than setting up an intensive weekly course calendar, I decided to develop a three-module structure for each class. This way, I have a sequence of readings and activities, but I can complete them at my own pace between now and the Spring Equinox. It also provides me with leeway to weave between the classes depending on which one I am really feeling at a given time.

One of the staple activities that I include is the mini-portfolio: a collection of five entries that can range from character bios from fiction, sketches, collages, close readings, research, responses to secondary criticism, etc. This was a staple in my own classroom to encourage critical and creative engagement and remixing of materials and knowledge.

Another staple is a simple reflection. While I might take direct notes on books that are especially informative for specific skills I will be developing, I also want to be in the habit of writing a concluding reflection about my overall impression of the text to ensure that I am summarizing in my own words. This helps a lot for reading retention and is useful to read back in the future.

Each course concludes with a Final Project that matches my personal learning outcomes. Sometimes this might be writing an analytical essay, going on field trips, or developing a creative portfolio. I drafted a few options for each class, but can also make up my own plan if something else captures my interest.

Last, at the end of the course, I have a Final Reflection about the learning process of the class and what my future plans (if any) are for continuing to learn about that subject.

I'll share the loose details of this first set of courses in this post, but if you are really keen on perusing one of the syllabi, feel free to send me an email!

Self Reminders

If a class isn't working for me, I can drop it. If a reading I had chosen when I developed the syllabus isn't working, I can drop it - ideally, swapping something else in its place. I'm not completing these courses to prove anything, but to stay present and engage with subjects that I am genuinely interested in.

Course 1: Children's Literature - Tove Jansson's Moomins

For years, Tove Jansson has been one of my favorite authors. It has been several years since I first read her Moomin series and I am eager to return to it with a fresh pair of eyes ā€” especially in conjunction with Boel Westin's biography to understand the various influences that shaped her artistry. I already own all of the books for this class, including the biographies thanks to my brothers, so there are zero costs for me.

Module 1

Module 2

Module 3

Course 2: Backyard Birding 101

For years, I've wanted to take up bird watching as a hobby. Although I have occasionally opened up the Merlin App to identify a bird here and there, I have not tapped into more significant study. In this course, I want to learn the basic practices of birding, how to use binoculars, and to appreciate the mindfulness of watching even the most common birds in my neighborhood.

I did invest in a good pair of binoculars since this has been a hobby interest for a long time, but I am using free resources for the rest of the course including borrowing books from Libby, trying out various field guides form my local library, and using websites and applications for studying and tracking.

Module 1

Module 2

Module 3

Course 3: Photography Basics

Photography is a casual hobby that I am interested in honing in a playful but intentional way. Through this course, I want to better understand my specific cameras (Panasonic Lumix LX-10 and an iPhone 12 Mini), general digital photography practices, basic editing skills using free software, and develop a routine of using my tools.

Since I am borrowing the books from Libby and using the cameras that I already own, this is another free-to-me course!

Module 1

Module 2

Module 3

Course 4: Introduction to Puppetry

For decades, I have said that in another life I would be a puppeteer. What if I can still dabble in that fantasy during this life, though? For this course, I am going to study some of the behind the scenes elements of puppeteering including brainstorming design, construction, performance, and filming. If this course is a success, then I will develop an intermediate course on puppet construction and performance that will be more workshop oriented with some additional supplementary research.

Puppetry 101 by Adam Krutinger is not available via Libby or my public library so I will be buying a physical copy. There are also some creative project options in the course that might warrant purchasing a few materials, but my main goal is to primarily use whatever I already have on hand.

Module 1

Module 2

Module 3

It's possible that I might check in along the way in blog posts, but you might not hear about any progress until the end of the quarter. It will be interesting to see how I fair with this structure and whether there are some (or many) elements that I would change for the future. Considering that I already have several syllabus drafts on the back burner, I do foresee myself continuing in Spring 2026 even if the set up might be different from how I originally imagined.

Thank you for reading! Ź•įµ”į“„įµ”Ź”

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#personal curriculum #winter 2026