What is Worth Learning?

 

This week's compelling question is a tricky one because the is no right or wrong answer because there is a lot of grey area to cover. I think everything is worth learning if taught right, but also we can learn from injustices we are taught. In order to teach knowledge that is worth learning, we have to have an understanding of explicit curriculum, null curriculum, and hidden curriculum. Think of explicit curriculum as very direct and well, explicit. Students are told exactly what is expected of them, such as how to walk in the hallway, classroom rules, and even when it okay to talk and when they should catch a bubble. I think this is the type of curriculum that is worth learning in elementary schools because students are coming in with mostly mo prior knowledge of how to behave other than having to listen to their teacher. I can see explicit curriculum being used the most in kindergarten through first grade as preparation. Then as they progress through school, I believe the use of explicit curriculum lessens. This kind of teaching may used during syllabus week but after that, teacher begin focusing on other aspects of curriculum. To help you understand null curriculum, just think of the phrase, "null and void." This is a form of curriculum where only some aspects of politics or history are taught and other aspects are deemed null or avoided. This kind of curriculum only paints a one-dimensional picture of learning and it decides what is worth learning. I think what is deemed "null" is actually what we need to learn, that way we learn from all sides. Hidden curriculum can be thought of as aspects of education that are not necessarily hidden but more like overlooked by society. Hidden curriculum occurs more in schools that are considered low income. Students who attend school with higher incomes are taught more than those with less and the students are taught critical thinking and problem solving skills that are not only necessary in school, but also in life. Students who experience hidden education often lack resources and they get a strict education that emphasizes listening to authority and not questioning what is, while upper-class students get to question what they are learning. I believe all three of these curriculums are worth learning if taught correctly. For example, we have to be aware of hidden curriculum in order to be able to give students of all incomes equal education. Then we must also be aware of null curriculum to teach the unknown.