Hidden Curriculum
From Class Discussion
Definition – Everything that you teach that is not written down somewhere. Everything that happens to the student within the school. Actions speak louder than words.
Examples
1. Respect
2. Teachers handing back papers.
3. Bathroom, hallways – socialization
4. Life experiences of students outside of school
5. Empathy
6. Organization
7. Asking questions
8. Bullying
9. Different cultures
10. Dress codes
11. Socio-economic class
12. Expectations
Go to Dumbing Us Down: the Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling. Scroll down to the section of the speech which lists the 7 lessons that are taught in all public schools by all teachers in America, whether they know it or not. What is your reaction to these 7 items?
Hello everyone!
I think one of the best examples of the hidden curriculum was Laura’s about not going into certain bathrooms, etc. Something as simple and as necessary as using the restroom can be such an issue that may cause distress for some students. Who would have thought?
Gatto’s speech is interesting; a bit hard to follow for me at times. I would disagree that homeschooling is better than traditional schooling, but I would agree that the rigid bell schedule we have, for instance, can be detrimental to the learning process. It can ruin those ever-popular teachable moments when the bell rings right in the middle of it. Maybe the traditional school system does need some revamping. But I do not feel that the teaching and learning process should be left entirely in the hands of the family.
Wow, that article gave me a chip on my shoulder. Now I am concerned that I am ruining the children’s life by trying to get him/her to conform to the rigid rules and by teaching them what “I want.” Due to time constraints, I am going to pggyback off of Julie’s comment. I agree that the bell schedule has a tendency to get in the way of those teachable moments. This is one “benefit to the LA/SS block schedule, because there won’t be bells going off in between the classes like they do now. I have the control as to how long I want to continue one subject, before I move on to the next. Could someone please clarify what the author was trying to say–more family time? I recognize it is not the 1930’s anymore and what worked then, does not work now. I don’t like the idea of homeschooling, but that is a whole other “blog.”
I’m not sure I totally get this article, but I am grateful for the liberties in the “elementary” classroom. FEW bells, but we have many liberties that I hadn’t considered previously. If I don’t get to SS one day due to high interest levels in science, I have that freedom to continue and perhaps create ‘teacher’ moments which in turn turn into ’student’ moments.
I also would agree with Julie – I think there are too many benefits for being in a traditional school. One of the main reasons is for the social interaction with a variety of teachers and students. I don’t feel that I am the only educator in my classroom – I learn something from my students almost daily.
Dana, you are not ruining the lives of your students! Please Girl! You are a great teacher who cares about her students.
SUPERBOWL BOUND BEARS! YEAH!
Obviously, actions DO speak louder than words: that what reasonated with me with the hidden curriculum. In another school experience recently, we were having the discussion regarding what we value is what we teach more energetically, etc. I’m going to have to be more aware of what I say and do now. (Perhaps I need to remove some of my Denver Bronco ’stuff’ from my room!)
Gatto sounds like somebody spit in his cornflakes. Talk about focusing on the negative! Maybe those are the lessons he was teaching, which means it’s a good thing he quit teaching. I don’t believe for a minute that his views are true for everyone. I think there is some truth is some of his ideas, but for the most part he just sounds like a burned out teacher with a chip on his shoulder. I hope none of us ever get that negative!
Ok, that list kind of upset me. I understand the point that he is trying to make-there are some things that are contradictory and ironic about the public school system. Fine. I will accept that. However, give us some credit. I am going to respond to each lesson-I hope you don’t mind.
Lesson 1: Confusion. I think most teachers who are resonable try to make things the least confusing as they can. Yes, everyone has too many rules. Yes, everyone’s rules are different. In my class, I try to teach the kids how to “play the game.” I tell them everything in life is a challenge and they have to figure it out. Confusing, sure. Do-able, absolutely.
Lesson 2: Class position. Do the kids measure themselves, yep. Do I measure them, yep. Do I announce that in class so they have my knowledge of their accomplishments and failures to use against each other, absolutely not. I try to teach my kids they can accomplish anything they work toward. You never know what a kid is capable of when the effort, desire, and a little luck turn up.
Lesson 3: Indifference. When the bell rings, my kids finish what we are doing. If we don’t finish, we pick up there the next day. Everything in my class is worthwhile, otherwise, why do we do it?
Lesson 4: Emotional dependancy. Do they ask about grades and whine about points non-stop, yes. I try to teach my kids that the process is, in a lot of the instances, more important than the journey. Do results matter, of course they do. But enjoy the journey.
Lesson 5: Intellectual depndancy. Any teacher who teaches this way should be fired. We should teach kids the critical thinking skills necessary to change the world, not the simple facts needed to answer a scantron test. The right types of questions can accomplish this.
Lesson 6: Provisional self-esteem. My principal is constantly talking about formative assessments, not summative. To place everything on one final grade is damaging to the student. Yes, there are extentuating circumstances sometimes, but life should not be graded.
Lesson 7: One can’t hide. Ok-scary. This guy has issues.
Now, let me make it clear I don’t think I am the best teacher ever. All of you are probably better. However, I have my beliefs as to what kind of teacher I want to be and these 7 lessons upset me. I think it is unfair to lump all teachers into the same category. Is the system perfect, no. But it’s a lot stronger than Gatto makes it seem.
(sorry that got long)
Gatto does bring up some good points. The way the school day is fragmented can be confusing and counter-productive. School does feel like a prison for many students. Class position- wow, you should have seen the students comparing thier scores on the latest MAP test.
His solution is crap, however. Free market schools? What will happen to families that cannot afford education?
Home schooling? How many students have parents at home during the day?
I agree somebody did spit in Gato’s cornflakes! Schools may have their issues but it is no where near as bad as Gato makes it out to be. Maybe there are people that have the same views as Gato but I definetely do not know any. Gato stated that out-come based education destroys the independence of family and the individualism of a child. I disagree. I do not see how it does that. Parents are working more in order to be able to afford to live in today’s society. If the school day was shortened I do not see the positive effect that it would have on the students. They would go home and watch tv; parents would be at work so no one would be their to monitor them. As for destroying their individualism, I disagree with that as well. I know there are occasions in which the students have to conform to certain expectations (just as they would have to in the working world), but now there is a greater focus on differentiated instruction. Students have many different opportunities to learn information. Teachers assign projects and give students a variety of options to complete their project. If anything schools are beginning to encourage a child’s individualism!
Wow!
I wasn’t too pleased with his article or his thoughts and opinions on education. He must have had a really bad school experience!!!!
What angers me the most is that this article actually puts some doubt in the way some teachers teach. Dana you are an awesome teacher and shouldn’t allow Gatto to get to you.
This guy Gatto has GAT TO GO! LOL
LOL…what can I say, Claudine you made my day!! You are a funny girl.
GAT To GO!!!
I think Gato is still on an acid trip from the 1960’s. He seems to be overly concerned about “the man” keeping students and families down. I would expect that a person with Mr. Gato’s esteemed credentials would at least have a better grasp of history. The good old days really weren’t that good (I think there was some sort of major economic catastrophe in the 1930’s) It is almost comical that he blames schools for the decaying social and moral values in American society If anything american public schools are one of the few things keeping these values alive.
Amen Joe. Very well said—and much more succintly than my entry.