Response to Eisner's "Three curricula all schools teach"

Two 'stops' I have in this article

The first thing that stopped me was the “compliant behaviors” Eisner mentioned. It really makes me think a lot. Based on my learning experience, I think almost every teachers ask students to follow their requirements. For example, students are asked to hand in homework on time otherwise they will get zero. And many teachers in my high school and university used the reward systems, too. Sometimes they offered extra marks to the students who finish more readings, and sometimes they offered some special treatments for the students who were good at these specific subjects, for example, if you get “A” in all first 5 quizzes, you can skip the 6^th one. I think the reward system really has double edges. On the one hand, it will become a good tool for teachers to using positive reinforcements. And in this way, students may have extrinsic motivation to study harder. On the other hands, I think it will bring some problems. Students are not willing to study, they just have to. And they may lost interests of studying and always seek for teachers’ rewards and approvals. I think as a teacher, we should consider more about how to use a reward system and its influences.

The second thing that stopped me was the impact of “implicit curriculum”. Eisner mentioned we cannot consider implicit curriculum has an entirely negative impact. Eisner argued that “The implicit curriculum of the school can teach a host of intellectual and social virtues: punctuality, a willingness to work hard on tasks that are not immediately enjoyable, and the ability to defer immediate gratification in order to work for distant goals can legitimately be viewed as positive attributes of schooling.” I think I agree with Eisner’s opinion. Just like I mentioned before, all the teachers ask students to hand in assignments on time otherwise you will get zero marks. And because students spend so much time in schools, I think for most of them, this period of schooling time are long enough for them to develop this habit. I believe this requirement will affect students in long term. If students develop punctuality as a habit, even when they start to work and are no longer students, they will still finish their tasks or goals on time.

Ways that this might expand our ideas about what is meant by 'curriculum'

I think this article brings me a new definition of the null curriculum. Now when I consider what curriculum means, I will divide it into three parts. First two will be the traditional curriculum which covers explicit and implicit curricula. And the third one will be the null curriculum what covers what schools do not teach. As a teacher, I think I will try to combine these curricula into my future class. For example, I am willing to link math world and real world together. I will not only teach my students the functions, concepts and theories, but also let them know how we can apply those things into our daily life. I know it will be difficult. But just like Eisner said, schools have a role to offer the young an opportunity to develop the kinds of intellectual processes. It is worth trying. 

BC Provincial Curriculum connect with Eisner's ideas

I think BC new curriculum has some connections with Eisner’s ideas. In BC new curriculum, it only offers some big ideas as an outline, and leave more spaces for teachers to apply their ideas to how to give lessons. And for example, in second languages of new curriculum, it also asks teachers to make connections of languages and corresponding cultures. I think it is related to the null curriculum idea, too. In some ways, the new curriculum also tries to ask teachers to make connections between textbook knowledge and real world applications for students. So we can see the education system are trying to make changes, too.