The hidden curriculum is made up of the implicit, unstated lessons that are delivered in educational settings via school structures, curricular materials, and instructional practices enacted by the teacher. For example, school faculty or administrators may never make explicit the values of hard work, obedience, conformity, and persistence, but these values will be taught every day in subtle ways. “In my second year teaching at the elementary level, two biracial first graders told a Black child that she could not play because her skin was too dark. I found myself, a white female teacher, using the language of the bullying prevention programme to ignore the racialized nature of the incident and ultimately enact a hidden curriculum of white supremacy” (Thomas, 2019).
Teaching will never be neutral. Schools have always been sites for socialization, and culture will always be central to school learning. Learning takes place in the context of systems of meaning and power that people build, reproduce and contest in and through their interactions with one another. Thus, it is essential to analyze the social context of schooling and the ways in which the enactment of the curriculum in school settings counters dominant systems of power.
My next steps for this assignment will involve investigating the Dr. John Archer Library, to ensure that I have chosen the proper references to complete my Critical Summary. I must ensure that they are similar enough that I can draw connections between the Thomas text and the other texts, but dissimilar enough that I will be able to offer a rich overview on the topic of The Hidden Curriculum.
As I continue writing this Critical Summary I will be sure to revisit each of these questions:
- What does this concept/topic mean?
- How does this curriculum scholar define this topic?
- Where do these texts converge/diverge?
- Considering what we have read/discussed in class, what is this text missing? What do the others offer?
References:
(2019). Identifying Your Skin is Too Dark as a Put-Down: Enacting Whiteness as Hidden Curriculum Through a Bullying Prevention Programme. Curriculum Inquiry, 49:5, 573-592, DOI: 10.1080/03626784.2019.1687258
Possible other References:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1179759?sid=primo&origin=crossref&seq=4#metadata_info_tab_contents
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03626784.2017.1348778
One Comment
Samantha Lowenberg
Hi Anna! I totally agree that schools are a site for socialization. School is the place where you meet most of your childhood friends and begin to interact with others than the normal family members you are around while you are at home. This often brings children to learn new things and express themselves in front of their friends. I really liked your post!