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Hidden curriculum

Bachelor of Education (University of Mumbai)

Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university

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Mandar Education Society’s,

Lt. Shashikant Gawde college of education, Pedhambe,
Tal. Chiplun, Dist. Ratnagiri

F.Y. B.Ed (Semester First)

ASSIGNMENT 2

Name: Farhat Abdul Jabbar Shaikh

Roll No: 35

Subject: KNOWLEDGE AND CURRICULUM

Topic: Critically examine role of hidden curriculum with

reference to school rituals, celebrations and rules & discipline.

Guide: Prof. Mrs. Sonam Neha V.

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Table of contents-

No. Name Page no.

1. INTRODUCTION 3
2. HIDDEN CURRICULUM 4
3. ROLE OF HIDDEN CURRICULUM WITH 5
REFERENCE TO-
I. SCHOOL CULTURE AND 5
RITUALS
II. CELEBRATION OF EVENTS AND 7
FESTIVALS AT SCHOOL
III. RULES AND DISCIPLINES 8
4. CONCLUSION 9
5. REFERENCES 9

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1. INTRODUCTION:
Curriculum is one of the most important items in the educative process. The curriculum, in
fact, is the fundamental problem which determines the ‘warp’ and ‘woof’ of the process of
education. What to do and how to do is the very essence of curriculum.
Etymologically, the term curriculum is derived from the Latin word “currere” which means
run or run way or a running course. Thus, curriculum means a course to be run for reaching a
certain goal. Arthur J. Lewis and Mid Alice (1972) defined curriculum as “a set of intentions
about opportunities for engagement of persons to be educated with other persons and with
things (all bearers of information process, techniques, and values) in certain arrangements of
time and space.”
A curriculum means, the total situation (all situations) selected and organized by the
institution and made available to the teacher to operate and to translate the ultimate aim of
education into reality. In the words of Cunningham, curriculum is a tool in the hands of the
artist (the teacher) to mould his material (the pupil) according to his ideal (objective) in his
studio (the school). The material is highly self-active, self-determining human being who
reacts and responds consciously.
Curriculum may be defined as the “social environmental in motion”. It is the sum total of all
the activities and experiences provided by the schools to the learners for achieving the desired
objectives. The courses of studies are merely a suggestion for curriculum activities and
procedures, a guide for teaching to follow.
Need for and Importance of Curriculum
The need of education determines the importance of curriculum. The review of literature in
this reveals that there has been changing emphasis in the process of education. Thus, the need
of curriculum is evolved the concept of ‘curriculum development’. These needs of the
curriculum have been merited as follows-
 The human can acquire knowledge while other species cannot acquire knowledge. It
is an important aspect of human beings.
 The mental aspects are trained and developed; thus, mental facilities are trained by
teaching various school subjects.
 The vocational and technical educations prepare the students for different jobs.
During British period, clerks were prepared through educational curriculum.
 The interests and attitude are developed according to the student’s potentialities.
Curriculum is designed as child centered approach.
 The good citizens are prepared by the developing democratic way of life. It also
develops the abilities and capacity of the teachers.
 The ability of the self- realization is also developed by education and to make good
man.
 It also develops the feeling of appreciation and sound judgment.
 Education is given always for future life so that he can earn his living.
 It also prepares for scientific invention and technical development.
 It brings performance in child. It helps in all-round development.

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 It is a powerful instrument for social change and social control.

Types of Curriculum:
The types of Curriculum can be given as follows-

Types of
Curriculum

Subject Learner- Problem

Core Hidden Null
centered centered centered

In this study we are going to understand what is Hidden Curriculum and how it impacts the
students.
2. HIDDEN CURRICULUM:
A hidden curriculum can be defined as the lessons that are taught informally, and usually
unintentionally, in a school system. These include behaviours, perspectives, and attitudes that
students pick up while they are at school. This is contrasted with the formal curriculum, such
as the courses and activities students participate in. A hidden curriculum is a side effect of an
education which are learned but not openly intended" such as the transmission of norms,
values, and beliefs conveyed in the classroom and the social environment. Any learning
experience may teach unintended lessons.
Areas of hidden curriculum in our schools that mould perspectives of students deal with
issues such as gender, morals, social class, stereotypes, cultural expectations, politics, and
language. Hidden curriculum is often found within the formal curriculum of a school; this
may be partially in what is not taught. Various aspects of learning contribute to the success of
the hidden curriculum, including practices, procedures, rules, relationships, and structures.
Many school-specific sources, some of which may be included in these aspects of learning,
give rise to important elements of the hidden curriculum. These sources may include, but are
not limited to, the social structures of the classroom, the teacher’s exercise of authority, rules
governing the relationship between teachers and students, standard learning activities, the
teacher’s use of language, textbooks, audio-visual aids, furnishings, architecture, disciplinary
measures, timetables, tracking systems, and curricular priorities.
Although the hidden curriculum conveys a great deal of knowledge to its students, the
inequality promoted through its disparities among classes and a social status often invokes a
negative connotation. Since the hidden curriculum is considered to be a form of education-
related capital, it promotes this ineffectiveness of schools as a result of its unequal
distribution. As a means of social control, the hidden curriculum promotes the acceptance of a
social destiny without promoting rational and reflective consideration. Although the hidden
curriculum has negative connotations, it is not inherently negative, and the tacit factors that
are involved can potentially exert a positive developmental force on students. Some

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educational approaches, such as democratic education, actively seek to minimize, make

explicit, and/ or reorient the hidden curriculum in such a way that it has a positive
developmental impact on students.
Today, it is considered that the social development of students are important as well as
cognitive development and proving social development they give importance to a second
curriculum, including social and cultural features of school, rather than formal curriculum.
Except from the curriculum which is written at school, this curriculum is referred to as a
second curriculum and referred to names such as ‘the hidden curriculum’, ‘secret
curriculum’, ‘stored curriculum or ‘non-written curriculum’, but it does not provide a clear
and distinctive elements of the official curriculum for students, such as feelings, values,
attitudes and habits of the official curriculum of the correct knowledge is stated to be more
effective (Yüksel, 2004). Within the context of hidden curriculum, it is suggested that
elements like social class of the students that they come from and their academic achievement
levels, social and academic life in schools, interactions between school and the environment,
management and organizational preparations of the school, position of the teacher and the
students in classroom and school environment should be properly taken into account during
the process of character education.
It should be noted that a hidden curriculum can reinforce the lessons of the formal
curriculum, or it can contradict the formal curriculum, revealing hypocrisies or
inconsistencies between a school’s stated mission, values, and convictions and what students
actually experience and learn while they are in school. For example, a school may publicly
claim in its mission or vision statement that it’s committed to ensuring that all students
succeed academically, but a review of its performance data may reveal significant racial or
socioeconomic discrepancies when it comes to test scores, graduation rates, and other
measures of success. And because what is not taught in school can sometimes be as
influential or formative as what is taught, the hidden curriculum also extends to subject areas,
values, and messages that are omitted from the formal curriculum and ignored, overlooked, or
disparaged by educators.

While the hidden curriculum in any given school encompasses an enormous variety of
potential intellectual, social, cultural, and environmental factors—far too many to extensively
catalogue here—the following examples will help to illustrate the concept and how it might
play out in schools:

3. ROLE OF HIDDEN CURRICULUM WITH REFERENCE TO –

i. School rituals or culture:

School culture has been referred to as the ‘hidden curriculum’ of a school (Pollard and Triggs,
1997). It forms the rites and rituals, customs, symbols, stories, and vocabulary of a school.
Students unconsciously absorb codes of behaviour and expectations from the culture in their
school, which therefore directly affects their learning.
Changing aspects of a school’s culture is not a quick process; any actions you take may not
show results for some months or even years. The existing culture and associated behaviours
may be fairly entrenched, requiring a long-term, incremental sequence of changes before

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seeing any real differences. However, being aware of a school’s culture, its impact on your
ability to lead change and having a vision of the culture you want to develop is critical to
leading for effective learning. This unit will support you in beginning to think about the
learning culture in your own school and your leadership of it.

[School culture can affect learning.]

A school that is able to develop and maintain a positive shared culture knows what aspects of
the culture are important in developing an effective learning environment;
it consciously transmits these values to its students. Through collective awareness and action,
culture can be used positively in order to enhance student learning and achievement, whether
through small actions such as celebrating achievements in public events, or to more large-
scale projects such as developing democratic processes for teachers, students and other
stakeholders to contribute to curriculum reform.

A positive school culture can be defined broadly to include (Character Education Partnership,
2010):

 social climate, including a safe and caring environment in which all students feel
welcomed and valued, and have a sense of ownership of their school; this helps
students in their moral development
 intellectual climate, in which all students in every classroom are supported and
challenged to do their very best and achieve work of quality; this includes a rich,
rigorous and engaging curriculum, and a powerful pedagogy for teaching it
 rules and policies that hold all school members accountable to high standards of
learning and behaviour
 traditions and routines built from shared values that honour and reinforce the
school’s academic and social standards
 structures for giving staff and students a voice in, and shared responsibility for,
solving problems and making decisions that affect the school environment and their
common life
 ways of effectively working with parents to support students’ learning and character
growth

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 norms for relationships and behaviours that create a professional culture of

excellence and ethical practice.
ii. Celebration of Festivals and Events at school:

Celebrating events and festivals at school is also an integral part of Hidden

Curriculum. It helps in learning and building a strong cultural belief. It helps in
incorporating following values in students-

 These celebrations bring the students closer to each other’s traditions and cultural
beliefs and develop respect and understanding for each other’s customs and traditions.
Some of the days celebrated in most of the schools are Independence Day, Republic
day, teacher’s day, parent’s day, etc. Apart from building relationships and friendships,
such celebrations will bring happiness and love amongst the students.

 For students, it is a great way to understand the rich heritage of India and learn about
the importance of various festivals. Along with enthusiasm and fun for the activities,
qualities like creativity and togetherness also inculcate in the students. Apart from
building relationships and friendships, such celebrations will bring happiness and love
among children, friends, and family. Many schools organize cultural exchange for
students that foster intercultural learning experiences.

 Republic day and Independence days are not only the holidays but an important day
to celebrate the freedom for which we fought for 150 years. These special days bring
the sense of responsibility and unity in children. Children from all the classes and
background take active participation. Students organize plays in memory of the
freedom fighters.

 They also sing patriotic slogans and songs in the memory of the freedom fighters. The
campus reverberates with the sounds of loud thumping of drums playing the tune of
the national anthem. Along with fun and enjoyment, students learn about the struggle
and pain our freedom fighter took to make our nation free from British rule.

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 Children enrich their wisdom and knowledge. Listening to the speeches of the
Principal and other dignitaries present there. Among all the festivals celebrated in
schools, the National festival stands apart as their celebration brings an unparalleled
enthusiasm and excitement in students and teachers.

 They also help in nurturing the feeling of national integration and patriotism among
the young generation.

iii. Rules and Disciplines-

“Life without discipline is just like a ship without radar”. Another aspect of Hidden
Curriculum is Rules and Disciplines at school. Following rules and maintaining
discipline is very essential. It benefits students in following ways-

A. Encourages positive academic performance- One of the reasons to consider

discipline in school to be a top priority is the fact that it leads to better academic
performance. Students who know they are accountable for their actions both in and
out of the classroom tend to get better scores on academic testing. Classroom
discipline helps students stay on-task while with the teacher, limiting distractions and
improving the flow of information.

B. Helps students stay more focused on their goals- Discipline in the classroom
helps students stay focused on their academics. Over time, this teaches them how to
focus in other ways. A disciplined student is able to stay focused on his goals and
keep his work as a top priority. This type of focus translates well into life outside of
school as well, helping students maintain high standards in every area of life.

C. Limits problems with negative peer pressure- Peer pressure can be both a
positive and a negative factor in a student’s life but having discipline in school can

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help limit the amount of negative peer pressure students face. When the entire student
body is held to a high standard, students are less likely to push their peers to make
negative choices. As a result, peer pressure that does occur is the pressure to do and
be better, which is a positive type of peer pressure.

D. Creates a safe environment for students- Another benefit of school discipline is

the safety it creates in a school. This is particularly true in boarding school
environments where students live and learn in the same place. When an established
discipline code is in place that students and teachers both understand and accept,
everyone can learn in a safe and supportive environment.

4. CONCLUSION:
Generally speaking, the concept of a hidden curriculum in schools has become more widely
recognized, discussed, and addressed by school leaders and educators in recent decades. Ideas
such as “white privilege,” equity, voice, and multicultural education—to name just a few—
have arguably led to greater tolerance, understanding, and even celebration of racial,
cultural. physical, and cognitive differences in public schools. In addition, school
communities, educators, and students are more likely than in past decades to actively and
openly reflect on or question their own assumptions, biases, and tendencies, either
individually or as a part of a formal school policy, program, or instructional activity. For
example, topics such a bullying and diversity are now regularly discussed in public schools,
and academic lessons, assignments, readings, and materials are now more likely to include
multicultural perspectives, topics, and examples. Political and social pressures, including
factors such as the increased scrutiny that has resulted from online media and social
networking, may also contribute to greater awareness of unintended lessons and messages in
schools. For example, harmful, hurtful, or unhealthy student behaviors are now regularly
surfaced on social-networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, which often leads to greater
awareness of student behaviors or social trends.
That said, a “hidden curriculum” is, by nature, obscured or unacknowledged, which means
that many of its lessons and messages are difficult to perceive or measure for any number of
reasons. For example, long-standing policies may become so deeply embedded in a school
culture that people simply forget to question them, or a school faculty that prides itself on
celebrating multicultural diversity may find it emotionally difficult to acknowledge and
openly discuss behaviors that might contradict that self-perceived identity. For this reason,
every school will always have some form of hidden curriculum.

5. REFERENCES:

Websites-
https://www.edglossary.org/hidden-curriculum/
https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=57509&printable=1
https://www.riversidemilitary.com/news-detail?pk=1421991
https://gisgondal.com/2021/05/13/importance-of-festivals-and-celebrations-in-schools/

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Ebooks-
https://www.bdu.ac.in/cde/docs/ebooks/B-Ed/II/KNOWLEDGE%20AND%20CURRICULUM.pdf

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