The term “hidden curriculum” as you will read, refers to conscious or unconscious intentions reflected in the structure of schools and classrooms and the actions of those who inhabit them. If official curricula call for commitment to democracy, but the governance of a school is autocratic, there is a disjunction between the overt and the hidden curriculum.
What is taught and learned in schools has, over the last century, been the subject of considerable study. A less studied but intriguing field is what is not formally offered in school curricula; this is sometimes called the null curriculum but for our work and consideration, we will refer to it as the “hidden curriculum”.
Your assignment is to develop a perspective on the hidden curriculum in your school and in your classroom. You will be asking yourself and reflecting on such questions as:
What are my most basic commitments as I teach and work with my students?
How are these commitments reflected in the way I work and teach my students?
How can I better communicate these commitments through the structures I have established in my classroom?
The written and established curriculum is only one component in the socially and politically complicated world of the school. It can, however, be a powerful component, especially in the hands of educators whose curricula reflects their lived beliefs.
