Blog number 10

In this article entitled "Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work," Jean Anyon argues that schools are performing different teaching styles based on the economic status of their students. Thus, in working class schools, children are told to follow rules, to take notes from books. No explanations are given to them about lessons. They're like robbots taking in machanically whatever they are told by their teachers. No reasoning and questioning are allowed on their part. Anyon states on page 4, " On the three occasions observed, the children were not called upon to set up experiments or to give explanations for facts or concepts. Rather, on each occasion the teacher told them in his own words what the book said. The children copied the teacher's sentences from the board."
In middle class schools, students are expected to follow rules as well. But here, they are allowed to make choices, especially when they are engaged in activities such as Math. "Math involves some choice: one may do two-digit division the long way or the short way." Here, children can explain their work to the teachers.
In the affluent professional school, emphasis is put on creativity on students part. Indeed, they are expected to express their ideas and apply them as long as they do so methodically. Anyon says on page 7 " The products of work in this class are often written stories, editorials and essays, or representations of ideas in mural, graph, or craft form. The product of work should not be like anybody else's and should show individuality."
In executive elite school, students have more control of their destiny, and they can challenge their teachers if they don't agree with their explanations, during lessons. Here, teachers appeal to students' intellect. As a result of her investigation, Anyon notices that "work is developing one's analytical intellectual powers. Children are continually asked to reason through a problem, to produce intellectual products that are both logically sound and of top academic quality."
In reading this article, it appears clearly that students don't have the same privileges, depending on their social classes. On one hand, we have children who are just there to follow blindly whatever they're told by their teachers. And on the other hand, they are children who are encouraged to express their ideas, to voice their feelings freely. This is not fair. In my humble opinion, school curriculum and teaching styles should be the same in all schools, in order to give students the same chances of success.