There are many things that deserve to be learned about in school that is neglected, and there are also things that are taught in school that could cause potential negative effects. Something that surprised me the most throughout this module was the idea of the hidden curriculum. This idea proposes that there are often times “hidden” lessons that are taught alongside regular lessons. An example of the hidden curriculum is the idea that boys are supposed to like sports and cars while girls are supposed to like dolls and the color pink. The hidden curriculum can go even deeper with harmful assumptions about expectations or stereotypes for certain races, genders, subjects, and many other factors. This idea of the hidden curriculum can be, but is not always, harmful as it can teach a lot of false ideas that may really stick with people and cause negative impacts. It is important as teachers to not let our personal biases get in the way of giving our students the best educational experience we can. I was already familiar with the idea of the null curriculum, I did not know the term for it. The null curriculum is things that go unlearned in school. I think that there are many things in school that go unlearned that are still very important to be taught. As teachers, we must be aware of this idea of the null curriculum so we can keep it in mind while lesson planning and teaching.
Overall, it is very important for us to be aware of the explicit, null, and hidden curriculum so that in moving forward as teachers we can do our absolute best to give our students the education that they deserve. This way we can ensure that we are teaching our students the most important information we can as everyone is deserving of a fulfilling education. I think that anything is worth learning about and we should strive to learn something new every day and that there is truly so much out there to learn. We should never hold our students back from learning as much as they can and we should always encourage a positive learning environment for them.
Hi Lauren! This blog post is wonderful. It touches very well on the module lessons this week and I think that the way that you summarized the 3 different types of curriculum was perfect in definition. It is kinda crazy to think about underlying things that were taught in lessons over the years that may have stayed with us even now. It is also important to think about how certain things in this idea could change to be less harmful to the mind. Teaching should be centered around how to help make the kids as successful as possible, not how we can manipulate them into thinking about things in unhealthy ways. Awareness is everything and I agree with how you said that moving forward it is important to be aware of the explicit, null, and hidden curriculum as future teachers. Our students deserve the best, so we need to give them that and nothing less!
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren! I completely agree that it is important for teachers to be aware of the hidden curriculum. It is important that we are aware of these topics so we know how to prevent them from happening in our classrooms. Stereotypes can be extremely offensive and they should not be used at all and especially not in classrooms. It is important for students to feel safe and welcome in the classroom so they can have the best learning experience possible. Classrooms should be a safe space for students to come in and feel like they can be themselves. I also agree with what you said about learning something new everyday. As first year teachers, we are going to be constantly learning new things. We are going to have to be flexible in the classroom and also willing to learn as we go! You did an amazing job on your blog!
ReplyDelete