Week Three: Examining Hidden Curriculum
Ever since our class had discussed hidden curriculum (HC) in lecture, I have been intrigued with the idea. It is something that I had never seriously considered and had instantly been drawn to the ideas and objectives proposed. I found a peer-reviewed article that I will be focusing on: “Revealing the Hidden Curriculum in Higher Education” by Orón Semper, J. and Blasco, M. This highlights the need to concentrate on hidden curriculum today, fitting hidden curriculum into different models of education and how to make the hidden curriculum explicit. This article takes multiple perspectives on hidden curriculum and ensures that a full understanding is obtained. This includes the influence that both teachers and students have on classes: “The HC concept serves as a reminder that students’ learning is not only a product of teachers’ and students’ doing but also of their being; and that learning outcomes are the result of unique encounters between a teacher’s being and a student’s being that produce unpredictable effects (483).
I find it extremely interesting in that quote pulled from the reading that hidden curriculum produces “unpredictable results” (483). This makes it a very sensitive and careful topic to discuss and to be aware of in my future classrooms. Obviously, it is a goal to leave a positive influence on students and it is valuable to recognize that information on topics is presented in a proper and professional manner. The concepts that students learn, transfer into their lives and society. Whether it be through family, friends, work, or activities after school hours, it is carried with them all of the time. It puts pressure onto teachers, as actions are constantly being examined and evaluated. The article summarizes its findings into understanding that in education learning extends past the written curriculum and is approached radically different in present time than previous years (495). Hidden curriculum needs to constantly be evaluated and used as an opportunity to learn and grow in an attempt to better society.
As I move forward into examining the topic of hidden curriculum for assignment one, I need to source a few more articles to support and evaluate this topic. This means taking a good look into both the positive and negative effects of hidden curriculum, as well as how it is affecting society today. I want to go into this research with an open mind, knowing that it can be both a positive and negative experience for students to endure. Perhaps, this research is going to help me understand and further recognize that my actions as a future teacher mean more than I believe.\
Amber Smith
Orón Semper, J., & Blasco, M. (2018). Revealing the Hidden Curriculum in Higher Education. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 37(5), 481-498.
I enjoyed this post largely because of how it helped increase my understanding of the topic. As someone who is also going to be examining hidden curriculum as a part of our curriculum critique, I found this perspective refreshing. The articles that Ms. Smith references here will be useful for me to read over, if not to cite it will at least afford me a greater understanding of the topic. I liked how much of an open-minded approach was presented here and I believe it is a mindset that will benefit me, as well as the other students in this course.