I see education as one of the most powerful vehicles for social change.  Cognitive dissonance is key in education – through dissonance we are challenged to continually make meaning of our understanding of ourselves and our social reality.  This notion of dissonance is the key foundation of my curriculum development philosophy statement.  As an educator, I strive to create curriculum and learning experiences that will engage students in conversations about diversity and multiculturalism.  Through this experiences I will challenge their worldview and thereby start creating dissonance.  Connection is the second foundation of my philosophy statement.  Through these experiences I will encourage students to make connections between their lived-experience to course content.  Through this approach, I hope to build students’ self-efficacy as they come to understand that we are both co-constructors of knowledge.