I think class and education is always an interesting topic to discuss about. I remember reading this one article a while ago, the topic of it is "From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work," and it is written by Jean Anyon. This article clearly stated the four different types of school, which are the working-class schools, middle-class school, affluent professional school, and the executive elite school.
According to Anyon, students from working-class schools are "allowed to do nothing but to follow the instructions given by the teachers," which means there is literally no thinking or decision-making involved in their learnings. In other words, "work is following the steps of a procedure." Anyon demonstrated the situation by giving an example from a math class. Anyon stated that math learning for the students from working-class schools is simply just following unexplained fragmented procedures, and students are taught that there is no alternative way to solve the math problems, one of the teachers from the working-class school even said to her student "Do it this way or it's wrong." In the middle-class school, "work is getting the right answer." Some choice or decision-making are involved. Furthermore, the students also get the opportunity to practice what they have learned, and the teachers will talk about the topics/concepts learned in class with the students, but will not take the opinions of the students seriously. The third type of school is the affluent professional school. In affluent professional school, "work is creative activity carried out independently." Anyon explained that students from this type of school are often asked to "express and apply ideas concepts." Last but not least, is the executive elite school. For the students in executive elite school, learning is not about finding the right answer, but about learning the concepts, said Anyon. Students are motivated to learn more internally compared to the students from working-class or middle-class schools. Moreover, the students from executive elite school are also taught to learn through reasoning, and they are expected to come up with their own methods for problem solving.
The way of how the students in the working-class schools are being treated kind of reveals a sense of discrimination to me. The teachers show little or no respect to the students (the way they talk to the students, for example), and the reason seems to me is due to the social-class background of the students. I think this is really unfair, I can understand the differences in education style (I mean if the students can afford to buy materials or things needed for school, then the school has to come up with an alternative plan to assist the students, such as limiting the amount of materials provided and have the students share them), but I still believe the way students are treated should be equal. For example, it is okay not to give every student a textbook if it is not affordable, but at least every student's opinions should be taken seriously by the teachers, and positive feedback should be given to the students. I really dislike how the working-class schools are teaching students. The type of education I'd received when I was in Taiwan was exactly working-class school style. I think it will bring negative contribution to children's mental development, for example, students will not get the chance to practive their creative and free thinkings. On the other hand, I think the education of the executive elite schools really gives the children the adventage to success in the future, it also makes them higher or "better" than the kids from other schools such as working-class schools. They get to practice many things such as leadershups that other students don't. I believe it would be too late for the children from either working-class or middle-class schools to fight for their equality when they grow up, because they've already lost all the knowledge that would help them achieve their goals and become successful when they are young. Therefore, this article also gives me a sense that we are doomed, it is kind of saying if you were born in a working-class family, then you are mostly likely to be classified as such for your whole entire life.
souce: "College Knowledge," article- "From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work" by Jean Anyon.
According to Anyon, students from working-class schools are "allowed to do nothing but to follow the instructions given by the teachers," which means there is literally no thinking or decision-making involved in their learnings. In other words, "work is following the steps of a procedure." Anyon demonstrated the situation by giving an example from a math class. Anyon stated that math learning for the students from working-class schools is simply just following unexplained fragmented procedures, and students are taught that there is no alternative way to solve the math problems, one of the teachers from the working-class school even said to her student "Do it this way or it's wrong." In the middle-class school, "work is getting the right answer." Some choice or decision-making are involved. Furthermore, the students also get the opportunity to practice what they have learned, and the teachers will talk about the topics/concepts learned in class with the students, but will not take the opinions of the students seriously. The third type of school is the affluent professional school. In affluent professional school, "work is creative activity carried out independently." Anyon explained that students from this type of school are often asked to "express and apply ideas concepts." Last but not least, is the executive elite school. For the students in executive elite school, learning is not about finding the right answer, but about learning the concepts, said Anyon. Students are motivated to learn more internally compared to the students from working-class or middle-class schools. Moreover, the students from executive elite school are also taught to learn through reasoning, and they are expected to come up with their own methods for problem solving.
The way of how the students in the working-class schools are being treated kind of reveals a sense of discrimination to me. The teachers show little or no respect to the students (the way they talk to the students, for example), and the reason seems to me is due to the social-class background of the students. I think this is really unfair, I can understand the differences in education style (I mean if the students can afford to buy materials or things needed for school, then the school has to come up with an alternative plan to assist the students, such as limiting the amount of materials provided and have the students share them), but I still believe the way students are treated should be equal. For example, it is okay not to give every student a textbook if it is not affordable, but at least every student's opinions should be taken seriously by the teachers, and positive feedback should be given to the students. I really dislike how the working-class schools are teaching students. The type of education I'd received when I was in Taiwan was exactly working-class school style. I think it will bring negative contribution to children's mental development, for example, students will not get the chance to practive their creative and free thinkings. On the other hand, I think the education of the executive elite schools really gives the children the adventage to success in the future, it also makes them higher or "better" than the kids from other schools such as working-class schools. They get to practice many things such as leadershups that other students don't. I believe it would be too late for the children from either working-class or middle-class schools to fight for their equality when they grow up, because they've already lost all the knowledge that would help them achieve their goals and become successful when they are young. Therefore, this article also gives me a sense that we are doomed, it is kind of saying if you were born in a working-class family, then you are mostly likely to be classified as such for your whole entire life.
souce: "College Knowledge," article- "From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work" by Jean Anyon.
image: Jean Anyon, from e-Focus on Student Learning website
Li-Yun -
ReplyDeleteGood job focusing on one article in your blog. I really wish you would have expanded and spoken more about the similarities and differences between the U.S. system and the Taiwanese system. That would have been really interesting.
- Ruth