Eisner Three Curriculum Response:
Surprised by the total hours and weeks in school. This also interests me that during that time, what and how much skill and knowledge our students could master. In a third-grade classroom within a rich US suburb, the school uses the list to encourage students to read more books and also uses the “leave 5 mins earlier for lunch” as a prize to promote them to study. This system rule is pretty familiar to the Eastern education system, and I have never imagined that the reward system also happens in the US. However, I agree with the point in the book, this kind of reward system may activate them at that moment, but what if the rewards are no longer provided, which will make them lose the inquiry and expectation to achieve further goals after. In this book, it is indicated that “the compliant behaviour” was fostered by the school, but I do not think so. Students can still choose their favourite subjects to learn and could choose whether to do the homework or not, with a valid reason.
On the other hand, I think the students at school have their
own choices for participating in different subjects. But for finding out the
reason why the “Ivy League” is so attractive to “middle-class” students, I do
agree that faculty and library resources are some of these reasons.
Additionally, the networking among alumni is also one of the significant
reasons here. But here comes to my mind one question, why does it specify
with “middle-class” students? Aren’t these “Ivy League” universities attracting
other students as well? I have thought about there being a kind of curriculum
called null, but never thought what it looks like. It said there are
intellectual processes and subject matter, but it is quite different from what
I imagined before. It seems that the null curriculum is about the brain working
and the connection between different subjects, which I thought should belong to
the implicit curriculum.
You’ve engaged well with Eisner’s ideas here. I liked how you picked up on the reward system example and connected it to your own experiences in Eastern education. Your point about short-term motivation versus long-term curiosity was thoughtful and showed you’re thinking about how this plays out beyond just the classroom moment.
ReplyDeleteYour reflections on the Ivy League example were interesting too. Asking why Eisner specifies “middle-class” students shows you’re reading critically and noticing details that invite deeper thought.
I also appreciated your honesty about the null curriculum. You explained clearly how your first impression of it was different from Eisner’s, and that process of working through the concept came across in your writing.
One way you could develop this further would be to take one of the questions you raised — like the Ivy League example or your thoughts about the null curriculum — and explore it in more detail with your own reasoning or examples. Questioning is great, keep going!
Thank you for taking time to read this!
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