Post #1 – The Problem of Common Sense

How does Kumashiro define ‘commonsense?’ Why is it so important to pay attention to the ‘commonsense’? What commonsense understandings of curriculum and pedagogy do you bring with you into this course?

Kumashiro defines ‘commonsense’ as anything that becomes a part of our normal routine that no one questions or examines and often does not want to change. ‘Commonsense” is the societal norms that dictate aspects of our life that we have learnt not to question because that is just the way things are. Kumashiro explains his definition of ‘commonsense’, specifically regarding education, by writing about his time in Nepal as a resource teacher with the Peace Corps. While in Nepal, Kumashiro realized that in the schools, they rely on using textbooks and standardized tests to teach and measure students’ knowledge. They cover one section per day in the textbook during the lecture, and at the end of the year, they have a test that determines their mark and whether or not they can move to the next grade level. The students are expected to complete practice questions for homework every night, and then very similar questions comprise their final exams. When exposed to change by Kumashiro, the students in his class complained, stating they wanted to continue how it had always been and worrying about whether all the course material will be covered in time for their test at the end of the year. The teaching methods they had grown up using became their ‘commonsense’.

It is important to pay attention to “commonsense’ because although it is what is normal, is not always what is best. Using the Nepali schools as an example, we see that their way of schooling is normal to them; however, there may be a more effective approach to teaching which would allow the students to have more success. Kumashiro mentions in the reading that the US education system creates systems of oppression in both the school and classroom environments. These systems of oppression have become ‘commonsense’ in American schools. On page XXXVI, Kumashiro states, “Oppression is masked by or couched in concepts that make us think that this is the way things are supposed to be”. So by not examining ‘commonsense’ Americans have ignored the issues in their schools and have allowed oppression to continue. As said by Kumashiro on page XXXVI of the reading, “Commonsense is not what should shape educational reform or curriculum design; it is what needs to be examined and challenged”. In this quote, Kumashiro is basically saying we should be looking at ‘commonsense’ more closely and critically instead of blindly letting it run our education system.

The commonsense understandings of curriculum and pedagogy I bring to this course are what I can only assume as being almost the exact same as everyone else in this class. My understanding of the curriculum is that it is an extremely long document mandated by the Ministry of Education and the Government of Saskatchewan. It is a document that outlines what a teacher should teach their students and what the students should understand by the end of the school year. It often outlines how much class time should be used for certain subjects, and what should be taught during this class time. My understanding of pedagogy is that it is the way one teaches the material in the curriculum. The teaching methods, the resources, the activities and assignments, and the educator’s beliefs help make up pedagogy and how a teacher will get the information from the curriculum to the student’s brains.

Reading – https://drive.google.com/file/d/19qJJP3W5xa_Y1Vezet_H18xVo1NUvGqE/view  (From Kumashiro. (2009). Against Common Sense: Teaching and Learning Toward Social Justice, pp. XXIX – XLI).