What is in your hidden curriculum?

The hidden curriculum is what is learnt in an educaional setting informally, meaning it is not a prescibed subject or area on the formal curriculum. It includes things such as social and political norms, values and expectations. In a school setting this may be the behaviour policy, what is expected of you at school, (you passively listen and work hard you will be successful), uniform, how you interact with others and the teachers, hierarchy and what is expected of you. 

 Many schools stress conformity, obedience, compliance and punctuality. All the things that would make great docile industrial workers that conform. While some of the things in the hidden curriculum can be beneficial to students for their lives and learning how to behave in society, many of the values and norms may have a negative effect on students in the 21st century and is something that needs to be addressed. 

 Is the hidden curriculum crushing creativity, criticality, individuality and motivation in schools? Ability grouping in schools are still widely used. While this system can make the job of teachers easier, is it telling the children in the lower groups they will not succeed in their exams and are predetermined to take a certain type of job? Do pupils in the higher group have too much pressure to get certain grades? 

 The hidden curriculum is something that needs to be addressed whatever setting you teach in as it is affecting young people and how they experience learning. Norms, values and expectations that are present in a educational setting need to be for a positive purpose for the learners and teachers. Who is creating the norms and values? Is it political figures, teachers, peers? What is the reason behind them? The hype and pressure around exams for example being the focus of education has a detrimental effect on many young people's wellbeing and self worth. 

 Even for home educating families there is a hidden curriculum. You need to be aware of what is being imposed implicitly or explicitly to your children in your home. Make notes on the norms, values and expectations that your want for your home-school and think of ways that demonstrate these.