Kumashiro defines “common sense” as something that “everyone should know” (2009). The article The Problem Of Common Sense explores the idea of how “common sense” can mean differently to other groups of people. Kumashiro, as one who came from the United States, illustrates this by sharing her teaching experience in Nepal because what is “common sense” in their villages and school system looks different from what is known as “common sense” in the United States. An example that Kumashiro shares with us is how the in the village she lived in, the Nepalese people used one faucet for different uses throughout the day. This was different from what Kumashiro was used to because in the United States, there are specific faucets or machines for various uses. On another note, schools in Nepal focus on the lecture-practice-exam approach, while on the other hand, in the United States, schools try to engage students in their learning experience by promoting group work and group experiments. This is seen in how final grades are only determined by midterm and year-end exams in Nepal. Whereas in the United States, in addition to these exams, teachers also evaluate students through homework and projects. Kumashiro says, “It seemed that the students and faculty already had a clear idea about what it meant to teach and learn, and my attempts to teach differently simply did not make sense” (2009). This implies that what was “common sense” to Kumashiro coming from the United States was not “common sense” to the Nepalese people.
It is very important to pay attention to “common sense” because according to Kumashiro, this term can be problematic. What I learned from the article is that “common sense” can be problematic because not everyone holds the same set of ideas of what is “common sense”. It can vary from person to person or from a group to another group. Closer to the end of the article, Kumashiro suggests that what is “common sense” to us are masked ideas that the society has formed. “Common sense” makes us think that things are what they are supposed to be. However, this idea can be oppressive. I think this is very important to note because in our world today, we see various kinds of oppression not only in our society but all around the world. As a future educator, I have a responsibility to address these issues, especially in my classroom one day. As teachers, we have the power to positively influence our students and encourage a change in their minds as well as how they act inside and outside of school to create a safer and better world for all.
Reference: Kumashiro, K. (2009). Introduction. Against Common Sense: Teaching and Learning Toward Social Justice, pp. XXIX – XLI.