Hidden Lessons Taught in School - Report Example

Hidden Lessons Taught in School By Student’s Name Course + Code Class Institution Date Hidden Curriculum. Hidden lessons are also known as hidden curriculum. The term concept was first introduced by Jackson in his publication titled, The Life in Classroom (Dahlström, 2006). According to Jackson, the concept referred to a wide discipline that comprises all beliefs, unintended morals, and knowledge, that are part of classroom and school learning process (Dahlström, 2006). Hidden Lesson is a term used to explain unacknowledged and unspecified items that are taught to students in school. According to the course work, slide 1, weeks 6, on Sociology of Education, Hidden Curriculum can also as subtle or not-so subtle lessons that are unintended curriculum. Concisely, the term is used to describe the spoken, unauthorized regulations to which children are expected to abide to in the schoolroom. Also, hidden lessons refer to the implicit values cultivated in the educational institutions through curriculum application (den Besten, 2011). For instance, rewards for children is not only based on studying their subject curriculum but also seeming to do so with enthusiasm, admiration, alertness and through respecting the authority. At such, the education systems not only teach formal knowledge but also an understanding of proper code of conduct in wider society (B, 1975). This can be related to instructional practices in the classroom by teachers to keep up with the needs of the organizational structures of which they have minimal or no control. In his six-volume book titled, Key Concepts for Understanding Curriculum, Marsh talks about how culture affects the arrangement of different lessons in the school timetable (den Besten, 2011). His publication has given an insight for educators to design different subject timetables. In education, hidden curriculum means the way in which attitudes and cultural values are transferred, through the organization of schools and the structure of teaching (Marsh, 2009). There are a number of such information communicated indirectly. Such as, reading and mathematics are the most significant school subjects is clearly if implicitly communicated by scheduling more time for these disciplines than for others, such as social studies and science, testing them more often than other subjects or skills and scheduling them in morning prime time rather than in the afternoon. Therefore, a major reason of the hidden curriculum of public schools has been teaching students the customs for getting along in school and the society or cultural transmission. Class presentation titled, Social Difference, explains that, Hidden curriculum serves to maintain prevailing socioeconomic hierarchy and status quo, specifically the dominant culture. Hidden Curriculum appears in each school whether private or public, high school, secondary school or Institution of higher education (den Besten, 2011). It is the way we educate our students to follow the norms of society and become good citizens. Hidden curriculum is recognized as the interaction course of schooling. In one way or another it can be said that hidden curriculum is more vital than the standard curriculum (den Besten, 2011). Although hidden curriculum has not always been approved. The school customs prepare pupils in the life of public sphere (den Besten, 2011). These customs include achievement, universalism, specificity and independence and the pupils are taught these norms in order to collaborate with contemporary industrial society. How hidden lessons are taught in school It is impossible and difficult to observe what is hidden of curriculum, so it is essential to infer the characters of the hidden curriculum. “There are various components that impact to shape the hidden curriculum, these include knowledge, awareness, teachers, students and society (T, 2012). Moreover, to move towards a more enlightened future, knowledge of the hidden curriculum is of advantage. There is an issue of the hidden curriculum since students may not realize the regulations of this curriculum (M.W, 2014). As a result, teaches are put in embarrassing situations with their students in the classroom since they are not aware about the objectives of the curriculum (M.W, 2014). Identifying the teacher’s expectations is very essential in the hidden curriculum. For example, understanding which school teachers are excited to answer queries, which instructor teaches children that are bright, which teachers stresses on daily quizzes and weekly tests, which teacher love to teach boy, which teacher loves to teach girls and so on. Also, the playground-sports pecking order. survival playground manners, which individual plays fairly and who does not are all crucial part of different things that students study in school and shapes students thinking and how to handle issues such as language, morals, cultural expectations, gender, stereotypes, social class and schoolground politics (M.W, 2014). Hidden curriculum is taught informal way, whereby kids participate in classroom and social activities, acquires and understand the lessons through natural observation. This method is what is referred to as school of culture by the sociologists (M.W, 2014). The culture of organization explicitly defines athletic success as very significant and highly celebrated in many different high schools worldwide. Whereas in others, make social popularity revered especially, in demographics where norms and values are predominated by the peer cultures (M.W, 2014). Still, in other institutions, excellence and academic perfection are highly valued and all students are required to demonstrate high discipline when it comes to classroom work or any other curriculum activity. Hidden lessons begin early in a children’s education, therefore, making it possible for them to learn to form opinions and ideas about their environment and their classmates (A, 2011). Determining which child arrives early or which one carries a bag of stuff, is a big part. In general, it all shapes the child’s attitude towards the school (A, 2008). For a parent or guardian, the hidden lessons can yield all success differences with the formal curriculum taught in classrooms. When teachers do not understand the hidden curriculum well can make issue of the hidden curriculum and influence negatively their students ( Castling, S. & Martin, F, 2011). The hidden curriculum are messages that are send through school’s staff, especially teachers, therefore superintendents, curricula maker, and administrator of ought to provide teachers with more explanations about the concept of the hidden curriculum. This will enable the teachers to effectively work and deal with the curriculum in the similar manner as the formal curriculum. Furthermore, teachers and their students through the hidden curriculum, can play an important role in development of the education practices ( Castling, S. & Martin, F, 2011). Hidden curriculum is the best way to teach social skills for students with special needs though can be issue in the classroom. In order to handle this issue, it is very important to provide and equip teachers with methods and strategies to enable the students comprehend hidden curriculum by creating opportunities for pupils to apply or put into practice one rule of the hidden curriculum once daily ( Castling, S. & Martin, F, 2011). For example, is a good idea to understand hidden curriculum this can be done by writing one of hidden curriculum rule on the writing board and going through it for five minutes every morning with students. This will result in a different social behaviour to the students which will be observed by the teachers. Hidden Curriculum and Social Difference Historically, the educational systems have been known to serve political or economic agenda. These agenda, has been propagated through various means despite the teaching methods of using academic course work that intends to shape and socialize students (M.W, 2014). However, all the individuals in the educational system are shaped through what is known hidden lessons. The hidden lessons help to preserve established society’s class systems by ensuring that inequality of power is kept in place. It also ensures that this inequality powers are distributed to few individuals. Conflict theorists such as Karl Marx would agree that separation of power and this imbalance are definitive proofs that the education system is a basic element in the unending separation of classes (D, 2008). Despite the widening margin of public availability to education how are such classes continuing to remain strong? Through selective means of division based on income, race and intelligence, the education system promotes inequality more than other macro structure found within modern society and hampers progress (D, 2008). The evidence of such divisions is prevalent all around us ranging from requiring college degrees to work minimalist jobs with no relation to said degree to standardized placement testing used to pick potential students in universities. The “Hidden Curriculum” helps to contribute to society by shaping young students into proper productive members of society in which those with fewer advantages are more submissive into entering the skilled trade workforce while those with better advantageous starts are more likely to succeed (D, 2008). In school, socialization begins from early ages ranging from learning established norms such as acquiring respect and obedience to authority and the rules of society, to doing the accepted thing to a group found within an individual student’s principles from their acquaintances ( D, 2008). Student with earlier advantages for example, the ability to attend a head start preschool have been shown to do sufficiently better in school up until sixth grade. In affluent communities, pre-schooling is common. However, in the poor communities, majority of the learners do not attend the pre-schooling classes. The best schools are often within upper class white affluent communities this is so because public education system is traditionally funded through public taxes (D, 2008). Schools are more likely to have better results academically because they're better equipped. Having an increased school fund in place immensely contributes to the quality of one’s education (D, 2008). The teachers working under these kind of schools, are paid a higher salary hence they are more motivated to teach better and deliver better results (D, 2008). Also, because of the availability of sufficient funds, they are able to purchase sports equipment, new and updated text books, along with other resources that can help leaners to perform better. In contrast to a poorer demographic school, the students attending white upper class schools are given immense advantages for entering better colleges. These merits come into play at later stage, and at such, they directly affect the type of and choice of higher education or the opportunities for more rewarding jobs (A, 2001). Because the schools from poorer backgrounds do not have the mentioned advantages, learners from this schools are most likely to end up joining technical or vocational trainings. The district schools that are less affluent are basically comprise the majority of the community’s population (A, 2001). In a sociology study published by James Coleman, based on the system of education in US, in comparison with black-alone class, when the socially disadvantaged black students are mixed racially in class, they perform better. The “Hidden Lesson” has the ability to exist outside public requirements in that it can always selectively choose the potential of its students. Therefore, when at work in the education system it is powerful and effective (A, 2001). As opposed to the option of an open enrollment public school’s private schools are able charge a significant higher tuition to hold their students to a stricter standard in terms of academics, which in turn affects their results positively (A, 2001). Therefore, from a sociologists perspective, it is important for this system of education to be monitored and evaluated, so that the necessary authority should take the appropriate equality measures. Conclusion The hidden lessons can be identified by the social interactions within an environment as socialization of schooling. Thus, it serves to transmit an implicit information such as attitudes and principle as an all time in-process. Hidden lessons can be revealed through unexpected and environmental evaluation, unintended interactions between learners and their teachers which brings about analytical pedagogy. From the study materials, it is evident that every theorist has expeditiously explored how students are informed and socialized through school’s pedagogical practices. The course materials and the associated literature, also agree synonymously that throughout the schooling, the demands of upper and middle class are dominant. Particularly, hegemony and resistance concept are important when performing an evaluation of hidden lessons. Hence, it is of utmost importance for researchers to focus more on the concept of hidden lessons and its significance in the contemporary educational system. References Apple, M.W. (2004) ‘Cultural politics and the text’, in Ball, S.J. (ed.) The RoutledgeFalmer Reader in Sociology of Education, Oxon: Routledge, pp.179-195. Bernstein, B. (1975) ‘Ritual in Education’, in Class, Codes and Control Vol 3, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul [various editions available]. Catling, S. & Martin, F. (2011) ‘Contesting powerful knowledge: the primary geography curriculum as an articulation between academic and children’s (ethno-) geographies’, The Curriculum Journal 22(3): 317-335. den Besten, O., Horton, J., Adey, P. & Kraftl, P. (2011) ‘Claiming events of school (re)design: materialising the promise of ‘Building Schools for the Future’’, Social and Cultural Geography, 12(1): 9-26. Coffey, A. (2001) Education and Social Change, Buckingham: Open University Press. (Chp. 4). Dahlström, L. (2006). The hidden curriculum in Lao classrooms. 1st ed. [ebook] p.3. Available at: http://www.sprak.umu.se/digitalAssets/63/63535_09_the_hidden_curriculum_in_lao_classrooms.pdf [Accessed 29 Dec. 2016]. Gillborn, D. (2008) Racism and Education: Coincidence or Conspiracy. London: Routledge (Chp.5). James, A. (2001) ‘Making sense of race and racial classification’, Race and Society 4(2): 235-247. Marsh, C. (2009). Key Concepts for Understanding Curriculum. 1st ed. pp.55-56. Roehl, T. (2012) ‘Disassembling the classroom – an ethnographic approach to the materiality of education’, Ethnography and Education 7(1): 109-126. Read More