Jared Cormier
Jean Anyon
Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work
1. “when you do this, it’s the same steps over and over again – and that’s the way division always is”
This is one of many quotes Anyon cleverly used to describe the division of teaching techniques among schools. Taken from a teacher attempting to explain a math problem in a working class school, it’s also a statement describing the work involved in the blue-collar professions of their parents; the mundane work of assembly line personnel, stockroom workers and gas station attendants.
2. “I’m more-just as interested in how you set up the problem as in what answer you find. If you set up a problem in a good way, the answer is easy to find. “
This is another tongue-in-cheek reference, this time regarding the executive elite schools. Parents of students at these schools are top corporate executives, financial executives and politicians. I relate this quote to politicians going through the motions to solve problems of the lower classes to give the appearance that they are concerned; never really solving the problem, just making it appear that there is an effort being taken.
3. “No, you don’t, you don’t even know what I’m making yet. Do it this way or it’s wrong.”
This is a quote from a teacher at the working class school. This encourages again the factory worker mentality. It doesn’t allow for a sense of accomplishment upon completion, more of a feeling that the minimum need has been met. It creates more of a feeling of fear that it will be wrong or not get done at all rather than the feeling that when the task is accomplished,
progress has been made and the individual has made a contribution; something has been improved.
I found this reading well organized and informative. Techniques used in the more privileged schools clearly involve more reasoning and encourage more independent thinking. They are also designed to make the school experience more enjoyable to students, giving them a sense that their opinion matters and encouraging them to speak their mind. Students learning in this environment are taught at an early age that they can be anything they want to be. Students learning in the working class or middle class environments are told more to listen and follow instructions. An early indication that their life ahead as simple, mundane workers.
Most of these techniques don’t require a large budget or many resources. Considering this, I’m curious as to why are the open ended ways of teaching not adopted by the lower class schools.?
To attempt an answer to your last question, Jared, I think it's because teachers and administrators traditionally have preconceived notions about what roles students are meant to fill in life based on their background.
ReplyDeleteI think that often these ideas are not explicitly thought out or officially designated as school policy. I think they just happen because teachers aren't thinking about social context as much as the every day work of the classroom.
This is why I think it's extremely valuable for prospective teachers to learn about the different ways that diversity affects how children are educated.
It would be nice if these studies were a little more recent, its hard to even consider these as valuable studies when they are so outdated. I feel like the lower and middle class have combined in the way the teaching methods work.
ReplyDeleteI found your first and last quotes very offensive to the students mostly. How are you going to tell a young child to only worry about the steps to a division problem? They should be worrying or grasping the whole concept and idea behind long division problems. Following steps is just going to become a pattern for them. Do this first, then this , then this , then this, nwo i have the awnser. Its all just a pattern , theres no real explanation and understanding behind it. and what is goig to happen when a child takes one of those standardized infamous tests and the test tells them to not only solve the problem but to explain why thats the awnser and not something else. They cant say "well the awnser is the awnser because of this step and this step and this step." they're going to get that part of the problem wrong. This step to step style of teaching is preparing children for higher level thinking. and as for your second quote, i agree. Why put fear into a child? wheres the excitement, nourishment, and accomplishment feeling? The material isnt going to mean anything to the child if they feel scared all the time of getting the wrong awnser.
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