The Hidden Curriculum

Issues in the study of curriculum in the context of lifelong learning

The Hidden Curriculum is for students  to learn to conform not just to the formal rules of the school but also to the informal rules, beliefs and attitudes perpetuated through the school's processes of socialisation.

For example, schools may encourage students to compete or collaborate, to refrain from bullying, to value order, formal knowledge or common sense.

The intended hidden curriculum comprises those things that are not part of the formal curriculum but which teachers actively and consciously pursue as learning goals for their students.

There is a further hidden curriculum which is not consciously intended by teachers, and indeed may run counter to either or both of the intended hidden curricula. An example is of primary school teachers who tell pupils that it is important to work hard and concentrate but, in practice, value flair and natural ability more highly.

So this leads me to consider the following:

Is the hidden curriculum necessarily harmful?

In my opinion I do not think it is harmful if used correctly. From my experience I find the students that excel are those that have the organisational skills necessary to be prepared for classes. This will include the ability to meet deadlines, note take and store all hand outs in a safe place. I constantly try to enforce this so students can keep track of what they are learning and can always refer back to the material if they do not understand a given task. Another important part of the hidden curricula which I try to teach is study skills. The students must know how to study but first of all they have to know what type of learner they are so I always encourage them to investigate this and to use what works for them.

I have seen first hand students fail because the hidden curriculum has not been taught. An example of this is two boys in our year 12 who failed all of their AS Level exams. I believe that the reason for this was because school rules were not enforced for these boys. These boys did not value order. They were able to miss school, sometimes for weeks at a time. They never got involved socially and emotionally within the school and because the school rules were so relaxed they had the freedom to procrastinate. Another downfall was the fact that their were only two boys in that year, so they therefore had no competition, another downfall of my school which tries to ‘mother’ pupils to much rather than give a realistic view of the real world.

This mothering instinct is at the other end the spectrum of the hidden curriculum, teaching the children that it is ok to fail as long as they try hard. This is the damaging aspect of it. I have also witnessed this. Although teaching the skills of empathy, understanding, social skills are very important, they are not as important as teaching students value of order, respect and study skills necessary to gain qualifications, the other skills can taught at home and socially so parents and teachers must work together to provide children with the positive aspects of the hidden curriculum.

Deschooling Society

Many students, especially those who are poor, intuitively know what the schools do for them. They school them to confuse process and substance. Once these become blurred, a new logic is assumed: the more treatment there is, the better are the results; or, escalation leads to success. The pupil is thereby "schooled" to confuse teaching with learning, grade advancement with education, a diploma with competence, and fluency with the ability to say something new. His imagination is "schooled" to accept service in place of value. Medical treatment is mistaken for health care, social work for the improvement of community life, police protection for safety, military poise for national security, the rat race for productive work. Health, learning, dignity, independence, and creative endeavour are defined as little more than the performance of the institutions which claim to serve these ends, and their improvement is made to depend on allocating more resources to the management of hospitals, schools, and other agencies in question.
(Deschooloing Socity, Illich, 1971: 1)

Ivan Illichthat argues that there was a 'hidden curriculum' in Western education that indoctrinated pupils, smothered creativity, induced conformity and encouraged an acceptance of the 'status quo'.

This view is very similar to Pete Seeger's in the song ‘What did you Learn in School Today’ posted in my previous post. I agree that both of them had a realistic view of schools during that era but I think that was because their was not as many job choices back then. Jobs were more vocational and I believe the schools were only preparing children for these vocational jobs. With the inventions of new technology and changing times perhaps the schools became out-dated and these hidden curriculums no longer suited the needs of children.

I think that for a hidden curriculum to work in a school it has to suit the needs of the children and be more realistic.  It would work by issuing a code of conduct that outlines the rules and regulations of the school, but these rules have to be realistic and there has to be a reason that represents the best needs of staff and students. The hidden curriculum would have to be lead by example, so teachers or older year students must abide to it and put it to good practice which will then make the students follow. Certain topics can be interlinked with subjects, for example; an ESL lesson on cyber bullying. A school must have an ethos or adapt a motto in which it outlines how students are expected to behave. In an effort not to hinder any flair and creativeness by making students work harder and concentrate a range of subjects and classroom activities must be offered in order for the students to apply each skill effectively and in the right situation.

Teachers and schools might exercise a constructive control over both positive and negative features of the intended and unintended hidden curriculum by educating all staff on the matter and holding regular meetings to discuss any issues or new opportunities. Schools can also introduce different themes to each month such as empathy, confidence, stress; the teachers will then teach these aspects of the hidden curriculum through regular class activities.  A code of conduct must constantly adapt to changing times and student needs. Anti bullying campaigns should be introduced and the school must adapt pastoral care lessons where a tutor mentors a group of students in physical, emotional and health education. This tutor can be the go to person when students are having difficulties or if students are not conforming to the ethos of the school. These tutors should also be in contact with parents to maintain the same hidden curriculum out of school hours, which also gives scope into controlling the effectiveness f the efforts made.