So society is said to be meritocratic, as everybody can achieve if they want to. Durkheim (2002) Believes that there are fixed rules for all and by transmitting the norms and values across society, it is then fair and meritocratic. Marxists on the other hand believe that meritocracy is a myth and that it hides the truth of the inequality in society. Sociologists argue that the processes in school such as the hidden curriculum helps to keep society unequal. The hidden curriculum has a big influence on pupils, its one thing to teach the child educationally but if the child is treated unjustly (no voice) by the school system then a much more negative message is given to those pupils about the nature of society.
John Taylor Gatto in his article “Against School” addresses his belief that schools are laboratories, turning young, fresh-minded students into stationary consumers who are all alike. The students are bored as well as the teachers, so “who, then, is to blame?” “We all are.” (300-301) It is our duty to push and challenge ourselves instead of waiting on someone else to make that happen. The government will continue to use the few students they believe are capable to continue on their tradition, while letting the majority fall into meaningless stereotypes and groups. We have the ability to change the prospect and goals of public education, and we can bring out the genius in every single student. 1.
Throughout the years there have been many arguments on how to educate and in whether changing the paradigms of education, on how to educate and what’s the best strategic concept to be used in mainly public schools, considering the Latin American context. Paulo Freire, a leading and influential figure inside the “critical pedagogy” to guide students into helping them develop their critical thinking and consciousness of freedom. He noticed and studied a dichotomy between the teacher and the student, shown in the modern education in Latin America realizing there is a “banking concept” being presented. He refers to this “banking concept of education” to be a fractional action of communication from the teacher to the student, by delivering information to the student, having it stored and not exactly storing it and recognizing the information, by simply absorbing and accepting that all information received is the only thing they are meant to digest. Freire believes that this concept of education is suited for oppressors, to have the overwhelming control in aiming the student to adapt to this doctrine.
Albert Einstein once said that the significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them. I believe the concept of learning and teaching, similar to the world around us, should not be a rigid entity, rather a fluid one with the ability to transform and adapt to the scenario or context. A more modern paradigm of learning envisions the institution of learning itself as a learner- over time it continually learns how to produce more learning with each graduating class, each entering student (Barr & Tagg, 1995). This study has two intertwined objectives, to illuminate education as a transformative endeavour and to discuss the theoretical and philosophical elements of critical perspectives of curriculum and pedagogy. Furthermore, the application and implications of critical curriculum and pedagogy will be revealed and debated in order to fully deconstruct meaning of the aforementioned intentions.
Fryer, the then Secretary of state for the Labour Party to respond to the Dearing report. Fryer’s report encouraged all to embark on a process of life long learning. This report was fuelled by New Labours New deal initiative to enable people on benefits a new chance to gain employment. ‘Life long learning’ was a net for the disaffected youth, who the educational system had previously failed. The Moser Report challenged further Dearing’s and Kennedy’s report by suggesting that the disaffected youth could be a result of deficiency in the basic skills of individuals such as literacy and numeracy.
By showing to the readers that he was once a public school teacher it helps them see him as an expert giving his own expert opinion. He stresses that the public school system is doing the youth of this generation an injustice. He does this through analyzing the goals of education, not schooling. He uses the third goal a lot which is to make each person their best that they can be. He also says the today’s school system suppresses the word genius.
Bloom has a vision for the modern student. This vision is for the modern student to be wrapped and crushed under the weight of enlightenment and revelation through education. His vision is somewhat blocked from him unfortunately, and might never see it fulfilled. The behemoth that is blocking his vision is the current universal model for educating students, and getting them to their specialization faster. Bloom has problems with the modern university system and how they are teaching the modern student.
Week 5 Journal This week’s essay key points in the assigned readings has us discussing what was the most surprising fact that was discovered during our research on the topic of multicultural education, and why multiculturalists are working so hard for reform of curriculum in our schools as well. I would have to say that the most surprising fact that I have discovered during my research on multicultural education was the ignorance and intolerance that the school system had on handicapped children, and the fact that multicultural was not thought to be made mandatory for all teachers. This ultimately means that ignorance needs to stop to exist. In order to teach our children right from wrong, we need to show them and/or provide them with the appropriate and proper knowledge because we as teachers should be able to function on all levels. As human beings, we know that prejudice and stereotyping is not going to stop because this is the way of the world.
Problem posing education looks at students as active participants in their education—participative and engaged. This type of education is in essence a dialogue wherein “the teacher is no longer merely the-one-who-teaches, but one who is himself taught…”. (Freire, 1993, 80) On the other end of the spectrum is the banking concept of education. This is where a teacher learns the information to be presented while creating a lesson; then, the teacher educates his students with the information he learned. (Freire, 1993, 80) This is a straight regurgitation model of education.
Freire believes that through teachers, students turn important education into pure memorization, and therefore cannot utilize the full potential of the knowledge given to them. In his essay, “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education,” he writes that in order for students to avoid being turned into receptacles of useless knowledge, they must “meekly…permit themselves to be filled by the teacher” (244). One can easily allow themselves to be “banked” on, therefore oppressing their education, or they can prevent their mind from being fed useless information, and turn the information they are learning into useful knowledge. Writer Richard Rodriguez talks about how he was always striving for more and more education in his essay, “The Achievement of Desire.” He explains he was always, “too eager, [and] too anxious,” (598) to learn more in school, and was never satisfied with the knowledge at hand. Rodriguez exemplifies that he strove to be the best he could be, and was successful based off his own hard work.