The Problem of Common Sense

I think that Kumashiro defines “common sense” as something we should all know, or a certain group of people will know and that is what makes it common. What was common for Kumashiro was not common for the people of Nepal where he went to be a teacher. When it comes to his ideas of teaching and what is common sense to him as an American is different from his colleagues in Nepal. He believed that it is common sense to incorporate different styles and methods of teaching whereas in Nepal the common sense of teaching is to teach straight out of the textbook, which leads to preparing the students for their yearly exams.  

It is important to pay attention to common sense because it has become a regular or safe routine for people. It is something that we do not notice and we just do it. We should be challenging our ways of thinking and doing and inquiring how to express change.

Some of the common sense understandings of curriculum and pedagogy that I have entering this course are:

Curriculum is what we teach. We are given this from the government and it has to be covered within our school year. (Beginning of September until the end of June). The curriculum sets the guidelines on what we need to prepare for and follow throughout the year.

Pedagogy is how I choose to teach and how I engage with my students. Many students learn in a variety of different ways and it is up to me, as an educator to provide them with different learning opportunities. Each educator is unique and has different skill sets that they can incorporate into their classrooms to make their learning environments follow their beliefs.