Blog #1

According to the article: The Problem of Common Sense “common sense”, in the terms of education can be defined as what is deemed an acceptable and adequate form of pedagogy and curriculum. Common sense places more emphasis on the word “should” rather than “could”. It means conforming to a level of structure that is recognized as the best and only way that students will thrive. Many aspects of teaching are based on tradition, normalcy, morality, and professionalism (XXXV) Educators try to conform to this idea of being an effective teacher and often do not think twice about how they are representing the previously listed qualities. This can be problematic as this leads them to the assumption that there is only one correct way to teach, and all other methods and strategies are inferior to how they were taught growing up. The article states that by doing this, we continue to privilege only certain perspectives, practices, values, and groups of people, which can be very oppressive to those who do not have these same privileges. I think that being aware of the “common sense” makes it easier to avoid falling prey to it. Asking yourself “why” you structure your classrooms and lessons the way you do, and “who” is directly benefiting from this structure, are important questions to consider when creating your educational philosophy. I think the more aware an educator is, the more likely they are to work against their pre-conceived notions of how learning should look and who it should benefit.