I believe that Kumashiro defines common sense as the way of living our lives and the unwritten rules of society. That common sense will differ in other parts of the world. For example, Kumashiro mentions that he wanted to add some American dishes to his diet while in Nepal. But “because I was not cooking the rice-lentils-veggie combo that was a staple of Nepali meals, my neighbors said that I did not know how to cook” (XXIX-XXX). Another example of common sense is the Nepal way of teaching using the “lecture-practice-exam approach” (XXXI). Nepal’s schools implement a single pathway of learning for their students. They teach in a Plan A, one plan fits all kind of mindset. Whereas, in the United States, teachers understand that Plan A does not work for all their students. Therefore, this is why teachers have alternative approaches to delivering material to students that may fit their learning styles better.
As mentioned before, common sense can be seen as the way of living our lives and the unwritten rules of society. However, what is seen as common sense in Nepal may be seen as silly by somebody living in the United States. Everybody in different parts of the world has their idea of what common sense is all about and how they each believed that their version of common sense is the best in the world. This is why it is so important to pay attention to common sense and how we can improve our quality of living and our education system for future generations. Without listening and being open-minded about other countries’ common sense, the world as a whole will become stuck in mediocrity as children will learn the same way 100 years from now.
I understand that commonsense within a school is becoming very stagnant. Students will attend school starting at age 6 and continue until they turn 18. That the majority of learning will build off of what has previously been learned a year ago for the students. That the classroom curriculum is set up by the government and the four main areas of learning are math, language arts, social studies, and science. That all other classroom activities, such as art, drama, music, and physical education are seen as extracurricular, and if time permits, then those extracurricular activities can be participated in by students. In terms of pedagogy, I understand that not all students are Plan A kind of learners. I understand that to be a successful/versatile teacher, you must make sure to have a Plan B, C, D, E, F, and G in your teaching style to ensure that all student’s needs are met and exceeded during their time in your classroom.
Kumashiro. (2009). Against Common Sense: Teaching and Learning Toward Social Justice, pp. XXIX – XLI
Hey Michael. I really enjoyed reading your following definition of the term common sense. I also agree that in relation to your quote that common sense “can be seen as the way of living our lives.” This is mainly because everyone comes from various parts across the globe. If society only has one definition of commonsense, then this means that other peoples perspectives about commonsense is incorrect.
I also enjoyed reading your following statement: “ Everybody in different parts of the world has their idea of what common sense is all about and how they each believed that their version of common sense is the best in the world.” I agree with this point because again, if there is only one specific definition of commonsense, then everybody else’s lense is wrong. Furthermore, I appreciated this quote from you because this definition also promotes inclusive classrooms.
Now, one question I would like to end off with includes the following: From your perspective, how do you see commonesense?