Week One: The Problem of Common Sense
How does Kumashiro define ‘commonsense?’ Why is it so important to pay attention to the ‘commonsense’? What commonsense understanding of curriculum and pedagogy do you bring with you to this course?
Commonsense has been a critical topic to evaluate, because it has provided me with many valuable insights and perspectives, as well as, shifted my understandings in becoming a teacher. These perceptions further developed my views surrounding commonsense. Kumashiro defines commonsense as something that everybody should know (XXIX). The simple example used was being used to eating three meals a day, which consisted of breakfast, lunch, and supper (XXXIX). However, the teaching position presented their commonsense in Nepal, to eating two meals per day (XXIX). This is a very interesting realization, because something that seems so different for Kumashiro, feels completely natural for the people of Nepal. If they were to come to Kumashiro’s hometown, they would also feel lost and un-natural eating three meals per day. Neither place is necessarily living life incorrectly, but rather choosing to live differently.
It is so important to pay attention to the different ‘commonsense’ from different countries, cultures, beliefs, and societal practices, because every place or group of people may do ‘life’ differently. When something may feel common to one person, it can feel completely uncommon for the next individual. It is stated powerfully in this reading to understand the importance of recognizing commonsense: “the ways we traditionally think about teaching and learning are not the only possible ways” (XXXIV). Sticking to traditional methods in education only places limitations on the perspectives and value that we can all teach one another. As discussed in lecture, many of us attending this class, including me, come with the commonsense of curriculum and pedagogy being a written, official, and mandated approach to teaching. We have formal expectations of what it to be completed, how it is exactly to be produced, and the day it needs to be finished by. I believe that this has been a valuable first topic to discuss, as it has opened my mind and understandings that I want to continue to grow as move along in my journey to becoming a teacher. The reading discusses that it is important to challenge the idea of commonsense, as it can be so beneficial in improving experiences for all individuals (XXXVII). In this course, I need to have the desire to challenge this societal dynamic, which can begin through curriculum and pedagogy, as I believe it will lead to growth in society.
As Canada becomes a more diverse country, I find it very valuable to understand that everybody has different worldviews and many people come from different backgrounds. I don’t want my students to fear education by the curriculum and pedagogy of education to be strict, but rather open to new ideas and methods of teaching. I am hopeful that I will be able to incorporate those aspects into my classroom to make it an inviting location for EVERYBODY.
Amber Smith
The problem of common sense (From Kumashiro. (2009). Against Common Sense: Teaching and Learning Toward Social Justice, pp. XXIX – XLI).