The idea of common sense and what makes a ‘good’ student have been prevalent in education for over 100 years. In The History of education by F.V.N. Painter his idea of a good student is a godly, intelligent, and hard working student who accepts the ‘right kind of knowledge’. In Kumashiro’s book, which I have referenced in previous discussions before, he describes his experiences working with students that didn’t fit his preconceived ideas of a ‘good’ student. Kumanshiro believed at this point in time that the ideal student accepted the ‘learning standards’ that he had set, as well as a student’s ability to complete and master the content and concepts in the syllabus. Both ideologies are set in a curricular belief that affects all beliefs or interpretations of curriculum, and that is curriculum as a product.
Curriculum as a product is inherently apart of all interpretations of curriculum, but the sole belief of curriculum to create a product is designed to help only the privileged to achieve success. With roots in Herbartianism, education as a product was originally designed to teach the English Canon and build strong, moral characters with classical knowledge. Only the elite could attend this type of schooling, and the context of what they were learning fit the people it was designed to teach in its era. When these beliefs were applied to universal schooling, its effectiveness collapsed due to the wider groups of students with a multitude of different backgrounds, and the system could not accommodate them. It simply does not fit the needs of every student. While not as evident today as it was in Painter’s time, Kumnshiro points out how he still believed the model student is one who follows instructions and the syllabus properly in line the teachers set goals. Both beliefs were challenged by some of Kumanshiro’s students, who challenged his way of thinking outright and made him question what he believes. Conformity and structure in product-based education doesn’t always work for a student, which means that students who cannot learn in the ‘common sense’ way that many people view education struggle more and more throughout their years in this type of education, when really, what they most likely need is a different approach to the same type of content, which is what Kumanshiro learned with his students M and N.
Education is always changing and evolving, and it is important to learn that context will shape a student’s experience. Students will all learn in their own ways, and that the old ideology of common sense and what a good student is simply do not exist in a world that is attempting to be post-colonial.