Eisner Reading Reflection

One thing that made me stop in the Eisner reading was the connection made between implicit curriculum and the physical learning space. I had never considered the motivation behind the choice of desks used, or why every school classroom seems to look the same. If I would have made a guess before this reading, I think I would have predicted that this choice is to save money, that the furniture is uncomfortable and the lights are LED and the rooms are bland because it’s cheaper than designing and furnishing a school in a more interesting way. I realize now that this choice is also partially due to the nature and purpose of the schooling system in general, which in part is to assimilate and efficiently produce contributing members of society. While reading this I was thinking about the contrast between this and the choice to have our classroom be physically outside in both Susan’s math classes, and how her views on education might have led her to this choice.

I also found learning about the null curriculum to be really interesting. It makes me think about all of the people who are maybe 10 years older than me, who say they never learnt about residential schools when they were in school, and how now this is something embedded into the curriculum. This makes me think about all of the blind spots I could have in my learning that I don’t know about, and how I might unknowingly pass these blind spots onto my students. 

I think this chapter helps support my feelings on the importance of a more holistic curriculum. One that does not only focus on the acquisition on facts and knowledge, but also the noncognitive skills that are required beyond the classroom as well. Realizing that curriculum is a combination not only of what we choose to teach, but also what we choose not to teach and what we teach implicitly, I think it is important to spend the time to reflect on what a specific curriculum is asking of us and why. I think that the BC curriculum in part ties into Eisner’s ideas by including core competencies as way to lead students learning, rather than just enforcing the memorization of information given from teacher to student. Instead, there is more chance for reflection and exploration directed by the students themselves. In my opinion, having skills like critical thinking and socialization as explicit goals in the curriculum give the opportunity for students to develop in a way that is more meaningful, holistic, and applicable to life beyond the school walls.