Preparing Teachers for Crisis: ‘Good’ Students and the Commonsense

What does it mean to be a “good” student according to the commonsense?

Societies pressure teachers to produce obedient and mild-mannered students. Students who are able to follow instruction and talk quietly and orderly are praised, while students who may think too critically and challenge norms are seen as disruptive and are scolded. In this way, what students learn and how students learn can actually oppress them.

Which students are privileged by this definition of the good student?

The students who are privileged by this definition are the docile ones. The students may be smart, quiet, and able to follow instructions, but not being able to think critically will not help these students in the real world. These docile student will be “participatory citizens”, meaning they will be ‘charitable’ and donate to a food drive. But we should expect more from our students and have them expect more from themselves. Rather than just donating to a food drive, students should investigate root causes of hunger in their communities and seek to rectify that. Or at the very least, be a leader in the community and organize the food drive themselves.

A good article about the type of citizens we want students to be can be found here.

What is made impossible to see/understand/believe because of these commonsense ideas?

Challenging the oppression of critical thinking students is more than just recognizing its existence. More important is being able to address the issue on a broader, more social context. Challenging this oppression in your own classroom is great, but making students aware of it themselves, and working through challenging it together is even better.

Curriculum Theory: Tyler’s Rationale

As a student, I never paid much, if any, attention to the curriculum. I thought it was a list of what teachers needed to teach, and in a way that thought mimics aspects of the Tyler rationale.

As a high school student, I was a teacher’s dream. I came in, soaked up the knowledge like a sponge, and was able to spew the information back on command. However, like a sponge I was able to rid myself of that ‘knowledge’ with a quick rinse.

Looking back at my high school experience now, there were not many distinguishable features of excellent curriculum instruction, and aspects of the Tyler Rationale were in all of my classes. Even in my ECS 300 class this semester, we are expected to systematically plan every detail of our lesson plans, down to in what manner am I going to hand out papers. To an extent this planning is helpful for student teachers to practise their planning; a good plan can help ease some of the anxiety with teaching a new lesson.

One of the criticisms of Tyler’s Rationale is that it lacks a social aspect. This includes student involvement of how they will learn. As education students we know about the importance of socializing in school, hence the constant group work/discussions we are involved in for every class.

Kumashiro’s “The Problem of Common Sense” Reflection

How does Kumashiro define ‘common sense’?

Kumashiro defines common sense as the facets of life that are specific to a place or group. Common sense is subjective and varies from culture to culture. For him, it was common sense that one could use water throughout the day for any need, whether it be for dishes, bathing, or laundry. However, in the Nepali village he taught in, it was common sense that particular times of day called for particular water usage. For example, the village would not be doing laundry at sunrise, because that is when the people bathe.

This localized common sense continued in Nepal’s education system. When Kumashiro attempted to engage in fun, collaborative lessons which would be common sense in North American schools, he was met with a lot of resistance from students and faculty who thought he ‘didn’t know how to teach’. This is interesting as many people would view the Canadian or American educational system as superior to the ‘outdated’ Nepali educational system.

Why is it so important to pay attention to the ‘common sense’?

It’s important to pay attention to the ‘common sense’ around you because it is not neutral. What is common in the Saskatchewan educational curriculum differs from the common sense of the Ontario curriculum. And both of these differ even more with the common sense education in Sweden or in Japan. Common sense is localized.

Common sense does not tell us what we could be doing better, it tells us only what we should be doing. It’s difficult to challenge the common sense ideas in our education system for two reasons:

1. It’s difficult to challenge ‘tradition’. This is the mentality of “We have always taught it this way” — or — “The curriculum has always included this”
2. Common sense is comfortable! It is comfortable to know that school is Monday – Friday, September – June, etc. Common sense means fitting in with the status quo, and it is comfortable to be socially accepted.

Through common sense,  “it has become normal for us to experience oppression without realizing it”. Being part of the status quo is often quite oppressive. However, we do not generally view our common sense as oppressive because it is how we have traditionally thought and will continue to think. It’s important to note that longevity and tradition of common sense does not mean an appropriate or flawless way of thinking.

“Common sense is not what should shape educational reform or curriculum design; it is what needs to be examined and challenged.” So, only through challenging our societal common sense ideas will educators be able to address and therefore challenge the issues of oppression.

What we decide to teach and learn can either reinforce or challenge oppressive common sense ideas.

Week 10 – Self-Realization

 

What I’ve realized the most through this experience is that true comfort comes from being comfortable with yourself. All the things I have discussed in previous weeks can aid in making one more comfortable: from watching the sunset to forget your worries, to hiding behind makeup and fashion. What is more important is being comfortable with yourself, your silly, funny, beautiful, intelligent self. Being comfortable with who you are is the most important level of comfort. Self-Realization is the climax of comfort. This was apparent to me when I was in Europe. I didn’t have the time to do my hair or makeup, so I walked around completely natural. And guess what? Nothing bad happened. No one stopped and stared at my bare face or wild hair. And you know why? Because it doesn’t matter. You can spend hours in the morning applying various creams to your hair and face, but that cannot change the already amazing things about yourself. Bottom Line, Love Yourself and Others Will Love You. That is what I’ve learned through these Aesthetic Experiences with Comfort.

Week 9 – Make-up

This week I looked into the comfort of make-up. Much like fashion, make-up can be used to hide in order to make one feel better about themselves. I think make-up has the opposite effect. I think the more a person wears make-up, the worse their self image will become. If a person feels as though they need to wear make-up all the time, their self esteem will low. Many women use make-up as a ways of hiding while it should be used to accentuate the areas you are comfortable with. Personally, I think the more natural the make up is, the prettier the outcome. The dark heavy make-up works against women most times. It is comforting to know that if I’m having a bad day, make-up can help me feel better. It gives us a disguise of sorts. Make-up has the ability to make one more comfortable. My pictures represent the two sides of make up. The side that you layer onto your face in order to feel comfort and the side were you take down your barriers (and make-up) and allow yourself to feel comfort with your natural self.

Week 8 – Fitness

This week I explored the comfort of fitness. I go to the YWCA, and it’s the first actual gym I’ve went to. Back home we have a small home gym in the garage and I would work out there. I enjoy going to a big gym and being able to talk to other people and use other machines. Fitness isn’t just going to the gym though. Through high school I never went to the gym as I was on sports teams which kept me healthy. Being on a sports team was also a source of comfort. The most fun we had was in hotels and driving to our games. We didn’t win a lot, but we got along really well and were able to work well as a team. Having a team gives me comfort because I built lifelong friendships and memories. Fitness is a source of comfort because it allows me to relieve stress in a healthy manner.

 

Week 7 – Sunsets

Sunsets were my first source of artistic outlet. When I was younger I would sit on the swings in my yard and make up songs while I was swinging and watching the sunset. They were also my first attempt at visual art. I had a notebook and all I would draw would be pictures of sunsets. I would bring my pencil crayons, notebook, and lawn chair out into the field and draw pictures of sunsets until my mom called me inside. Sunsets have always been a source of comfort for me; whether it’s watching the sun set behind the frosted branches of a tree, or standing on top of a building and watching the sun set behind the city of Regina. I find comfort in the sense of renewal sunsets give. It’s as though anything that was bothering you earlier in the day loses its importance because you realize that there is always tomorrow. No matter how bad your day is, the sunset is a reminder of the beauty you need to look for when you’re having a bad day.

Week 6 – Organization

         

Organization may not be the first thing you think about when you think about comfort. For me, organization and comfort go hand in hand. I am a very organized person and I enjoy planning; whether it’s party planning or just organizing my homework for the week. Being organized makes me feel comfortable because I like knowing what is in store for me. For example, I have 2 calenders in my bedroom to tell me when assignments are due, as well as a day planner I bring to class and my phone’s day planner. Another example is that before I went on my tour across Europe, I made Google Map sheets for every city, telling me how to get to the places I wanted to see. I didn’t end up using them but I carried them around with me in a duotang. I like being organized because I like to know what to expect. I also have a bad memory and writing down the due dates on multiple calenders and day planners helps me stay focused.

 

Week 5 – Fashion

 

This week I noticed how clothing/ fashion/ accessories make people either very comfortable or very uncomfortable. I was shopping with some friends over the week. Some of them were very excited to try things on, modelling in the mirrors for us, and of course there were the couple friends who were reluctant to even look. Clothing gives people a sense of security. It can be used to hide the parts of your body you may not be comfortable with, or could be used to accentuate the parts of your body you love. Jewellery is the same; the right jewellery for the right outfit. I find it hilarious to watch people pick out jewellery. holding earrings to their faces and making duck lips and other weird facial expressions. The right outfit could make you feel on top of the world! But everyone has those couple of baggy sweatpants and oversized sweaters for the days where you just want to eat a bag of popcorn and watch TV all day. So even if you don’t feel up to modelling clothes for your closest friends at the mall, Remember that shoes fit no matter what, so start there for a confidence boost!

Weeks 3 & 4 – Family

The past few weeks I have explored and experienced the comfort of family. My Grandpa Malcolm passed away very suddenly a few weeks ago. The grieving process is different for everyone. Some keep themselves busy – distract the mind. Others do nothing but think. Some like to sort through things on their own while others prefer to be around family. Being around my family gives me a great source of comfort. Knowing there are people around who are feeling the same emotions as you is very comforting. Here are the pictures that remind me of the Comfort of Family.

The first picture was taken when me and my brothers were honoring our Grandfather by doing his favourite activities : Playing Pool and Having a Barley Sandwhich. Grandpa never called it beer, he got a kick out of confusing young waitresses at the restaurant where him and my Grandma had lunch every sunday.

The Second picture is a Fat ol’ Owl sitting on the barn at my Grandparents Farm. We were having coffee and eating endless amount of coldcuts and buns when my Grandma Elizebeth pointed him out. She said he hadn’t been around in a couple of days. None of us were sure if she meant the Owl or her husband. Grandpa just had the barn painted last summer. They use to have dairy cows there. He was proud of his newly painted barn. I think it reminded him of the past.

The third picture is a typical night after Grandpa passed. Everyone was scared to leave Grandma on her own. The house wouldn’t quiet down until nearly 11, but everyone was back again the next morning by 9 o’clock. This is only half of the kitchen, and there were more in the living room and rumpus room.

My Grandfather was Scottish. In his house there is this poster of his Family Namesake. This poster had more hands on it in the past few weeks then in its entire existance I imagine. Everyone was so proud that my brother Eric could play the bagpipes. At the funeral he piped Grandpa out to ‘Amazing Grace’. The combination of the Bagpipes and Amazing Grace is a relentless tear-jerker.