Some thoughts on Education_as I take further studies.

What are the "most powerful" examples of each of the 3 types of curricula in your school?

How much of the null curriculum should you be paying attention to?

Examples of Tri-Curricula at Sacred Heart School - Ateneo de Cebu

(SHS-AdC)

Declared and Explicit

The Explicit Curriculum is the apparent and fairly graspable evidence of a curriculum one can readily observe at SHS-AdC.   This advertised curriculum is self-evident in the Vision-Mission as a Jesuit school along the tradition of excellence, leadership and service, further expounded in our school’s Core Values that guide all plans and efforts.  Cascading this written curricular framework to specifics resulted to the proposed 2013 Long Term Action Goals and Graduate Outcomes which is further cascaded to the different goals and objectives of the the subject areas of the each department (the HS, GS & EED) and the unit programs such as those of the formation units like the Guidance Office, the Campus Ministry and the Discipline Office. This explicit and declared curriculum leans on Chinese-Filipino heritage of the school as well at its supported emphasis on the Science and Math Curricular programs.

 

 

Implied

We intend and hope that results of learning from our schooling here at SHS-AdC would be manifested along this explicit curriculum.

Nonetheless, the assertion of John Dewey of a pervasive yet subtle influence of the implicit curriculum is something I can strongly agree to.  Although not declared and not intended, these implicit results of our type of schooling creates important expectations for students.

For one, SHS-AdC forms part of the Philippine Educational system that “seeks to modify the child’s behavior to comply with goals that the child had no hand in formulating and that might not have any intrinsic meaning”.  Compliance is an important undeclared purpose that our system of authority over the students’ behavior and thought implies. 

Our organizational set-up, from the classroom to the administrative spheres, are traditional and hierarchical “with students at the bottom rung of the ladder” and formal communication within and around the school organization is top down.  When laid out along the prevalent rules and routines of “students must not speak unless called on” or that “virtually all activities within a course (subject) … determined by the teacher”, this tendency for compliance is concrete.

It is of course practical and realistic that schools, SHS-AdC being a typical basic educational institution, are molds for compliant behavior as they serve a Philippine society which is also set up in the same way – businesses running top down, hierarchically, and with rank and file or citizens following routines for order and predictability.  Indeed our school, as a social device for perpetuating a status quo, takes part in excellently preparing students for this kind of social set-up.

There is however a specific implied emphasis that one can gleam in the allocation of time for our subjects.  To me, it is apparent that curricular offerings and activities are considered equally important.  Academics is not given more than the necessary attention it requires over the other activities such as athletics or culture and the arts.  The fact that our school has Directors in-charge in these fields says something very important. 

Take for example the schedule and time allotment for subjects.  Our schedules don't relegate some subjects only in prime hours to the prejudice of other subjects.  One will find Science, Math, PE, Service Practicum (Outreach Activity) and Club Activity in both primetime and unholy times.  PE can be in morning or afternoon as Science and Math.   Club meetings and Service Practicum are part of the eight (8) period-schedule in a day, enjoying the same time allotment as one academic subject.

Furthermore, although we appear rigid with requirements for academics and student activities but spiritual activities run parallel through these by way of class prayers during periods while recollections and masses are given focused or allotted days.

A strive for balance communicates the importance of balance to students. All student engagements - spiritual, extra curricular and academics – considered being equal and important. In fact, the treatment of grades being averaged each quarter, and all subjects taken into as addends reinforces this implied purpose, not explicitly declared or written anywhere in our documents but intuitively understood by stakeholders of SHS-AdC education.

However, there is a price for this implied pursuit for balance, an implicit of the implicit curriculum it seems.   Since all subjects and activities are given importance, students bring all things everyday so as not to miss out on any requirement should a student forget a schedule class or mess up remembering whether today is a scheduled class especially for subjects that do not meet Monday to Friday.  As a result, students are overburdened with school materials, not all of which will be needed for the day.

Does this imply then that we value the strong student who can carry all his stuff or those who are assisted (those with drivers and yayas) who can load those materials day in and day out?

Does this also imply that we value the idea that those who can succeed are those always equipped with the logistical armory of books, notes & requirements, and that these are primordial to learning rather than flexibility or the limited-to-essential-materials-only disposition?  Does this imply that preparation is having all the materials even those not needed because one can manage to, versus, proper organizing of needed logistics?

There is also I believe an implied curriculum in the cleanliness, order, convenience prevalent in our school environment, not that these are not important but the point being, that these conditions carry an implied message, that is, our ease with abundance and efficiency.  Comparing our school condition with those of the public schools that lack resources, our campus looks much beautiful and well maintained which, to me, implies our ease with abundance and efficient operations similar to business factories and establishments (cubicle rooms with arranged chairs, the clean environment, new cars & gadgets noticeable among parents and students, prettified fashion get ups of our parents).  One senses that natural manifest of social status of families and students enrolled at SHS-AdC and the kind of lifestyle they adhere, an implied preference for abundance and precision efficiency typifying positions of privileged status.

 

 

Options that students are not afforded (null)

Even as we strive for balance, what is it that we have missed in our education and formation of our students?  What is it that they don't or won’t know with and through us?  What is it that they have but will be unable to use after their schooling with us?

SHS-AdC has missed out opportunities too when it comes to schooling that fosters wisdom, reduce prejudice or explore modes of thinking.  The cultivation of imagination – the brewing and distillation of creativity among students as a habit of mind– is our null curriculum.

True, Arts education and culture and arts programs are activities we offer which does provide exposure of our students to the metaphorical, poetic and beyond literal but offering a explicit content, design and implemented efforts to develop the mind of teachers and students toward developing perception for new patterns, understanding multiple meanings, intimation, nuances and analogy are sporadic, if not completely null.  According to Albert Einstein, “The true test of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.  Imagination is more important than knowledge.”  Our rigorous academic program and ironclad timetable does reinforce this veering away from what Einstein finds as true education – developing imagination, brewing creativity – and somehow prevents our students to nurture the joy of discovery.

To learn a song “from one bird” rather “than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance” may be something almost all of our students will not reach to.  I feel that they will sing songs about stars but still they will teach these stars to dance after their schooling with us.  It would be rare to find a graduate who would learn a song from a bird.  Many then will be missing the joy of learning over the abundant knowledge that they will certainly have.

I would definitely agree that understanding the arts of the vernacular is a life-long and life-improving learning that students must have.  Unfortunately, we don’t have this.  The arts of the vernacular is very important and pervasive in our lives especially as every generation becomes subtly and extensively exposed to broadcast and digital media.

Being able to read the vernacular arts, how these persuade and motivate for example through the varied advertisements, understanding their hidden but mind-imposing meanings and how it allude us – these are necessary skills that 21^st century learners must have.  The iniquitousness of media requires an indispensable critical consciousness only possible through education or schooling in the arts of the vernacular.

Although secondary education in SHS-AdC has a MAPEH curriculum, which prescribes arts content, it is mainly a watered-down input of sports teachers on superficial concepts of arts and does not afford our students a meaningful learning of the arts even in general.

Does SHS-AdC need to pay attention to the full range of the null curriculum – from Anthropology, Law, Economics, Arts and arts of the vernacular, to Communication among others? I suppose it would depend on the context of the learners we are teaching and the nature of our school.  As a Jesuit school, a leaning towards the Humanities as well as to Spiritual Formation should be in order.  Surely it is far too ideal for a school to offer all content making sure that nothing is null in its curriculum.  But I think, what is important is that we strive to holistic offering and implementing elements in the null curriculum most relevant to our learners’ context.  It is, in a way, prioritizing which are viable, as all the range of content in the null curriculum cannot be offered.

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