Before reading the Eisner text, I would have defined school curriculum as the content and subjects that a school district mandates teachers convey to their students. After digesting the text, it’s clear that most of that is what Eisner refers to as an explicit curriculum.
I stopped reading at the idea of producing compliant human beings through an implicit curriculum. I agree with this sentiment and, as a result, suspect some young people (like my younger self) reject the notion of structured education. I believe that a system focused on meeting teacher expectations instead of generating genuine interest misses the mark. Along these lines, I’m also inclined to believe that the overuse of extrinsic rewards, such as grades, conditions students to seek validation instead of developing a “real” intrinsic interest in the content.
I also found the text related to tracking students very interesting. Creating different ability groups and assigning differing values based on their placement is very troubling, as it creates a system of inequality within the classroom and/or school. By sorting students into honors or lower-level classes, we send messages that some students are inherently more valuable or capable than others. Having a less capable mindset could also lead students to diminished self-confidence. I like the author’s question of whether this was a “humane” way to set up our school curriculum. I don’t think so.
To incorporate changes into the BC Curriculum that align with Eisner’s ideas, we could start by emphasizing fostering intrinsic motivation rather than relying purely on extrinsic rewards like grades. To be honest, I’m not sure what the alternatives are in this regard, but finding a way to motivate and convey content that allows a student to develop an “interest” in the subject would be a great place to start. Additionally, BC could re-evaluate tracking systems and ability groupings, ensuring all students have access to challenging and enriching material, regardless of their perceived ability level. Caution: hot take incoming!! I’d even suggest getting rid of French Immersion schools that, in my eyes, create a high degree of inequality in BC. Regardless, we should really work to create a more equitable learning environment, reducing the implicit message that some students are inherently more valuable than others.
I think it's a great idea to expose students to different materials that could spark their interest, but I do wonder if grouping students by ability in a classroom with diverse ethnicities and educational backgrounds could unintentionally promote bias or even racism. When we sort students in this way, it might reinforce stereotypes or lead to unequal treatment, which can affect how students see themselves and others.
ReplyDeleteHi Malihe. Thanks for your comment and sorry I took so long to respond. As I mentioned in the post, like you, I find ability group "troubling" as well. I was even advocating the removal of inequitable school like French Immersion :-)
ReplyDeleteSee the following quotes:
"Creating different ability groups and assigning differing values based on their placement is very troubling, as it creates a system of inequality within the classroom and/or school"
"I’d even suggest getting rid of French Immersion schools that, in my eyes, create a high degree of inequality in BC"