Examples Of Hidden Curriculum

987 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Inequalities in the education system

Hidden curriculum
How well do you think you know what your children are being taught in today’s school system? Maybe you did not know there is a hidden curriculum which categorizes children into special positions to either be the future working class or the new CEO of some corporation. Jean Anyon, chairperson of the Department of Education at Rutgers University describes in her article, “From Social Class and The Hidden Curriculum of Work,” the different teaching methods, philosophies of education and preparation needed to occupy a particular spot in the society. She does this by observing five schools from different communities located in New Jersey. When observing schools from one community to another, we find that these hidden curriculums …show more content…

The problem is that there is a difference in goals depending on which social class you belong to. Many of these children from the lower classes are less likely to graduate or to belong to a different social class than their parents. The districts are divided by social classes: working, middle, affluent and executive classes. These social classes are separated by income, occupation, and students and parent’s characteristics. Schools receive different funding depending on the school 's neighborhood, thus location plays a big role on how money is use for resources. Anyon observed the schools used different curricular and pedagogical assessment that emphasizes different cognitive and behavioral skills in each district. As a result, the segregation of these social classes education gets affected; lower class gets less education and has less opportunities to improve and succeed in school. These districts differ quality in their curriculum system, which leads to either help or harm the development of education in …show more content…

This gap of education among districts suggest that the hidden curriculum exists today in every school. For example, working class students are taught not to think, while at the same time executive students are taught to reason through complications. Lower and middle class schools are taught to get the right answer by following directions and rules, with little or no creative decision making. They are evaluated according to whether the child learned the right steps and by what is in the text books or booklets. In addition, upper middle affluent class children get to be creative while expressing ideas and concepts. This class is evaluated by the quality of expression and for the appropriateness of its concepts on the task. On the contrary, executive elite students develop analytical intellectual powers, they reason through a problem to produce intellectual products, which leads them to be more creative. Moreover, children conceptualize rules and apply them in solving a problem. They had critical evaluation, research reports, essays and experimental analysis. According to Anyon, “schoolwork helps one to achieve, to excel, to prepare in life”. The main purpose of education of the executive elite class is to be prepared for what comes after students are done with school. I see this type of evaluation in schools today, when I help children to do their homework is

Show More
Related

  • John Gatto Against School Summary

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    This article points out the flaws in our modern education systems. Students should enjoy school and feel as though they are learning important things in the subjects offered. The classes can be altered to tend to the interests of children, so they can properly express themselves. School should be preparing children to be mature, how to handle hard situations, and ultimately prepare them for their future lives. Overall, Gatto’s article has its flaws, but it can be used to help improve the education system for upcoming

    Read More

  • Summary Of Against School By John Taylor Gatto

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Taylor Gatto in his essay “Against School” explains the lack of motivation that students have to the educational system of the USA. He also explains the damage that the system makes to both, students and teachers, by the non-interesting topics they are taught in class. Furthermore, he enlightens the indifference of students towards the teacher, seem as incompetent and unprepared. In addition, he also highlights the dark side of the school system which intends to brainwash and rescind the ideas from students. He addresses a main goal of the educational system; convert juveniles into the next docile and manageable generation. Wherefore, he proposes an educational system that should be structured and not controlled. In addition, he demonstrates

    Read More

  • Social Class And The Hidden Curriculum Of Work By Jean Anyon Summary

    1340 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some people may believe that education all over the United States is equal. These people also believe that all students no matter their location, socioeconomic status, and race have the same access and quality of education, but ultimately they are wrong. Throughout history, there has been a huge educational disparity between the wealthy and marginalized communities. The academic essay “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work” by Jean Anyon, an American critical thinker and researcher in education, conveys that depending on the different economic backgrounds students have, they will be taught in a specific way. He reveals that the lower economic background a child has then the lower quality their education will be and the higher their economic background is the higher quality their education is. Anyon’s theory of a social ladder is extremely useful because it sheds light on the

    Read More

  • Unequal Education in America: Urban vs Suburban Education

    2470 Words  | 5 Pages

    The gap between the nation’s best and worst public schools continues to grow. Our country is based on freedom and equality for all, yet in practice and in the spectrum of education this is rarely the case. We do not even have to step further than our own city and its public school system, which many media outlets have labeled “dysfunctional” and “in shambles.” At the same time, Montgomery County, located just northwest of the District in suburban Maryland, stands as one of the top school systems in the country. Within each of these systems, there are schools that excel and there are schools that consistently measure below average. Money alone can not erase this gap. While increased spending may help, the real problem is often rooted in the complex issues of social, cultural, and economic differences. When combined with factors involving the school itself and the institution that supports it, we arrive at what has been widely known as the divide between the suburban and urban schools. Can anything actually be done to reverse this apparent trend of inequality or are the outside factors too powerful to change?

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of John Taylor Gatto's Against School

    1079 Words  | 3 Pages

    Juveniles are being taught that in order to have a nice car, branded cloths and the house of their dreams, by getting into an expensive mortgage, they have to be an employee of a huge corporation. In addition, they have to undergo to a prestigious school, study hard, have excellent grades in order to become popular and respectable in the world. However, many people would not become those super leaders, but these majority of people have a great role in the capitalism society of the US. As Gatto says, “We buy televisions, and then we buy the things we see on the television. We buy computers, and then we buy the things we see on the computer. We buy $150 sneakers whether we need them or not, and when they fall apart too soon we buy another pair” (38). Such results are in part of a wrong education that teenagers have received trough many decades. In addition, Gatto highlights that modern educational system has been working in a six basic functions methods that makes the system strong and unbreakable: The adjustable function, indulge students to respect authorities. The integrating function, which builds the personality of the students as similar to each other as possible. The diagnostic and directive function, which allows a school to set permanent scholar grades in order to determinate his or her future role in society. The differentiating function, which gives to the student a good education and after his or her role is diagnosed, they prevent any educational progress. The selective function, function that the system has used to prevent academic growth for the non-selected students. The propaedeutic function, which works in the selection of specific groups of intellectual adults to keep perpetuating the system all over again making it a continuous sequence. (Gatto 34). Gatto’s facts revealed the survival of the educational system for decades,

    Read More

  • Desegregating The Obsolete Busing System at Rio Bueno High School

    1088 Words  | 3 Pages

    Anoyn, J. (n.d.). From social class and the hidden curriculum of work In EDUC 160 Urban Education (Spring 2014, pp. 127-136).

    Read More

  • Social Class And The Hidden Curriculum Of Work By C. H. Knoblauch

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first scholarly essay I am going to discuss is Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work by Jean Anyon. Anyon believed that students of different economical statuses and the schools in their communities taught differently. She used schools in four different types of communities. The four types of communities are working class, middle-class, affluent professional and executive elite. She studied the students, teachers, principals, and staff as well as

    Read More

  • Jean Anyon Essay On Social Class

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jean Anyon’s “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work” claims that students from different social classes are treated differently in schools. Anyon’s article is about a study she conducted to show how fifth graders from the working, middle, and upper class are taught differently. In Anyon’s article, she provides information to support the claim that children from different social classes are not given the same opportunities in education. It is clear that students with different socio-economic statuses are treated differently in academic settings. The curriculum in most schools is based on the social class that the students belong to. The work is laid out based on academic professionals’ assumptions of students’ knowledge. Teachers and educational professionals assume a student’s knowledge based on their socio-economic status.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Living In Two Worlds By Marcus Mabry

    2031 Words  | 5 Pages

    Poorer schools with more diverse populations have poor educational programs. Teachers methodically drone out outdated curriculum on timetables set by standards set by the state. Students are not engaged or encouraged to be creative thinkers. They are often not even given handouts or physical elements of education to touch or feel or engage them into really connecting to the material being presented by the teacher in front of them. Time is not wasted exploring any of the subjects in a meaningful way. As much of the curriculum is gone through as the teacher can get through given the restriction of having a classroom of students that are not picking it up adequately enough according to standardized tests scores. So time is spent re-droning the material to them and re-testing before the cycle repeats in this classroom and other subject classrooms in these types of school. This education is free. As John Gatto writes about in his book, “Against School”, it seems as if the vast majority of students are being taught be blue collared, low paid but obedient citizens. As she makes her way up to less diverse, more likely private and expensive schools, the education becomes better. Students are engaged by teachers that seem to like to teach. Students are encouraged to be

    Read More

  • The Degrading Quality of Education in America: Idiot Nation by Michael Moore and Against School by John Taylor Gatto

    1010 Words  | 3 Pages

    Schools are the basic foundation of knowledge, which is imparted to children. They give a chance for children to gain knowledge in various fields such as humanity, literature, history, mathematics and science. By obtaining knowledge, they are in a better position to know the world around them. A school is a society where faith and other values are developed. Schools also play an important role in a democratic social set up. Students of today are the citizens of tomorrow. Schools are the backbone of a society, where children interact with other children and develop certain social skills. Education in schools opens doors to various opportunities that would not be possible if it had not been for the knowledge one gained at school. However, in the articles, “Idiot Nation” by Michael Moore and “Against School” by John Taylor Gatto, the authors express their concerns about the degrading quality of education. There are many problems the education system is facing today, and several of them are having negative effects on the quality of the education that the students are receiving which are highlighted aptly by the effective use of rhetorical strategies by Moore and Gatto.

    Read More

  • The Banking Concept Of Education As An Instrument Of Oppression By Paulo Freire

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s society, schools in wealthy communities are better than those in poor communities, higher income schools are simply better at preparing their students for their future. In the reading “The Banking Concept Of Education As An Instrument Of Oppression” by Paulo Freire, he believes that teachers are depositing information into their students. He states that there are two educational systems, the “banking concept” is when teachers are filling their students up with information but the students aren’t fully understanding the material. On the other hand, the “problem posing concept” is when the teacher lets the students communicate with each other. It opens the classroom to a learning environment. Especially when students are more comfortable enough to ask the teacher a question. Esentionally he prefers the problem posing concept. Futhermore, “Social Class and The Hidden Curriculum Of Work” by Jean Anyon an educator at Rutgers University, Newark. She researches how students of different economic backgrounds are interacting with school work and teacher interaction in their elementary schools. Also, she supports her research by looking at the various ways public schools provide particular types of knowledge and educational experiences of the different social classes.

    Read More

  • Against Schools

    2166 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Quality of a child’s education often either limits or opens up a world of opportunities. Those who study the purpose of public education and the way it is distributed throughout society can often identify clear correlations between social class and the type of education a student receives. It is generally known by society that wealthy families obtain the best opportunities money can buy. Education is a tool of intellectual and economical empowerment and since the quality of education is strongly influenced by social class, a smaller portion of the American population obtains the opportunities acquired from a top notch education. Many people believe that educational inequalities are perpetuated from the interests of specific classes, but some researchers like John Gatto believe that there are even stronger social forces in play. In the essay “Against Schools” the author John Gatto presents three arguments: (1) that are educational system is flawed, (2) that the American educational system is purposely designed to create a massive working class that is easy to manipulate, and (3) alternative teaching methods should be applied to teach children to think for themselves. In this essay I will be summarizing and relating each of these arguments to other educational essays. Also, I will be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the author’s argument.

    Read More

  • The Education System

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    The education system has been a controversial issue among educators. Requirements of school do not let students choose what they want to study for their future. It’s a big issue to force students to study specific curriculums, which don’t help them improve, and what they like to create. Educators choose a general system of education for all students based on general knowledge. Intelligent or genius students have to be in that system of education, which doesn’t let them improve their creativity.

    Read More

  • How Wealth Affects Education

    1498 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many different factors that affect education. One such factor is, socioeconomic status. Children who attend school in a wealthier community receive a better education than those students in poor communities. In poor communities, student’s education is not only affected by a lack of resources, but also from teaching methods and philosophies. Urban and poor schools’ students do not receive as equal of an education as their more affluent and suburban counterparts do.

    Read More

  • Essay On Mixed Classroom

    1032 Words  | 3 Pages

    When a lower tracked student is placed in the low-ability class, the placement can destroy a child’s confidence as well as promote inequality (Enns 2015). As the lower tracked education quality is much lower than a higher tracked classroom, there is a disadvantage for students who actually want to learn. There is not much encouragement for the lower-ability students because expectations are significantly reduced (Enns 2015). Despite being in a high-ability class, a child may feel pressure because he or she has to compete with other kids with the same intellect. When a child feels the need to compete, it could harm his or hers confidence level as well (Holloway 2003). A homogenous approach creates inequality within society because tracking is based off on an individual’s social background. Therefore, tracking will create a divide between the minority and majority groups. The majority dominant class has the upper-class advantage meaning that their children are most likely to be in the high intelligent class due to the extracurricular within their lives. While the minority is placed in the lower tracked class, they are given the lower quality education that they do not deserve (Enns 2015). Nevertheless, according to Paton (2012), the mixed approach was thought to have a its disadvantage because it might put high-ability children at a disadvantage. Parents were scared that the lower-ability children would hold their high-ability children back academically (Paton 2012). Having said that, the parents are wrong, as it is not another child’s fault in why their children are not pushed to their full potential. It is the teacher’s responsibility to provide more challenging lessons for the more intelligent children. The teachers are the ones who should push their students to their full potential (Paton

    Read More

More about Examples Of Hidden Curriculum

Open Document