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| The Hidden Curriculum - Revisited |
In a previous blog post, we attempted to articulate some of the underlying factors regarding Curriculum for Wales, and education in general, that broadly reflect the need to address attitudes to learning, dispositions, or competencies alongside the content and skills we map out in schemes of work and lesson plans. We referred to this as The Hidden Curriculum as it’s enshrined in the ethos and culture of an organisation in the form of routines, language, expectations and so forth. There were some very interesting responses against the use of this term as some stated it mystifies these important underlying aspects of learning and education in general. Others made the point that these dispositions, attitudes to learning, or competencies can and should be taught explicitly if viewed as declarative knowledge and modelled as how to do something. In this sense, you could also argue that these dispositions or competencies sit within the skills aspect of the curriculum. Regarding things such as reflection, resilience, problem solving or being attentive, for example, this is indeed true. However, the focus of this second post is to counter that it’s hidden because it is in fact the realm of tacit or implicit knowledge and is rooted in the humanity, interactions, history, ambition and destiny of an organisation.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines tacit knowledge in this way:
In this Ted Talk, Richard Brock talks about the importance of tacit knowledge in education. There’s an interplay between implicit and explicit knowledge in all of us but this looks different between expert and novice, or teacher and student if you prefer. The tacit knowledge of an expert is different from the learner as they’re novices. This can sometimes cause learners to experience difficulties gaining explicit knowledge later as their experiences and resulting tacit knowledge can impact future learning. However, the point here is that all of us possess tacit knowledge and this has implications for learning and it is developed based on a whole range of experiences, interactions, observations, conversations, intuitions and insights over time.
Another interesting discovery for us regarding tacit knowledge was the term tribal knowledge. Leonard Bertain, in his book The Tribal Knowledge Paradigm, defines it as “the collective wisdom of the organization. It is the sum of all the knowledge and capabilities of all the people.” This would suggest there is a collective, unwritten and intangible set of skills and experience in every school, and this may well be an important contributory factor for the individual context of each school. This knowledge is passed through the school through the day to day experiences of those in the community over time, and we would suggest this is heavily influenced by leadership and further transmitted through academic and wellbeing teams down to cohorts, classrooms and lessons. The culture, day to day experiences and collective ‘know how’ all contribute significantly to the overall success or shortcomings of any school, and by default how well the curriculum will be enacted.
How does this look in a school? The culture at work in a school is a product of how clear the school vision is and how effectively it is enacted. In addition to this, we also need to consider the reasons why one individual would adhere to those cultural expectations and another might not. How a learner perceives specific rules, routines and authority are very often determined by their tacit understanding and experiences of such things in the past. Given negative experiences in the form of bullying, trauma, racism, poverty, domestic violence (etc) at one extreme and minor difficulties or one-off events in relationship with peers, family or teachers on the other, it is clear that perceptions and understanding of the purpose of school, rules, expectations and cultural compliance can be severely affected. I’m certain there are individuals in all schools, and at all ages, who are disaffected, uninterested and have very negative feelings and emotions about being in school. In addition to this, we have learners who do not buy into the whole premise of education, who don’t care about qualifications, getting rewards, being part of the community or becoming a citizen within it. No amount of expert instruction, technique and sequencing can address this issue, something else is needed.
To provide some examples, when training as a teacher and observing an experienced teacher at work, it is clear that much of the craft and skill of the teacher would be lost to the observer. This is due to the lack of tacit knowledge gained by the observer at this early stage. It is only as their own experiences in the classroom grow that they can begin to fully appreciate what they observed and some of the reasons why certain techniques were used and why? Another consideration is in the realm of cultural or linguistic references made by teachers or peers in the classroom. If the tacit knowledge of the learners has never encountered the reference, understood it fully or even gained a misunderstanding of the use of the reference, then this obviously creates a tension or disconnect with the learner. It has been and remains a serious pitfall when we assume the tacit knowledge we possess is also possessed by the learner. This is very dangerous ground indeed, as many have discovered along the way and unfortunately can be generational too.
We argue that tribal, tacit or implicit knowledge, whether we agree about its exact definition or not, is a part of the fabric of each and every school and is equally as important as the visible explicit knowledge, skills, and learning experiences we provide. The four purposes demand recognition of this fact and Curriculum for Wales cannot be enacted by neglecting to acknowledge or address its impact on school culture and ethos. Do we as educators, and now curriculum designers, fully understand the implications of this hidden knowledge? Do leaders fully appreciate the dangers of the knowledge silos which can result from ignoring its importance and place within the curriculum and stifle meaningful sharing of good practice? Do we as organisations plan to ensure transfer of information regarding the experiences that lead to some of the negative attitudes in our learners? Do we place enough emphasis on understanding the tacit knowledge of learners and their community? How can we ensure that those learners or new staff joining a school are supported to acquire some of this tacit knowledge effectively? How effective can curriculum design and planning really be if we do not have a deep understanding of the implicit knowledge our learners already have or don’t have? Would the curriculum need to be adapted in light of a growth in tacit knowledge within the community as we move forward?
At the heart of all of this are the learners! Motivation, self-regulation, self-efficacy, resilience, confidence, attentiveness, beliefs, attitudes, identity, belonging, behaviour and willingness to play their part in the community are essential aspects we need to address through our vision, ethos, culture, routines, expectations, rules, language, collaboration, values, interactions and efforts. This is the hidden curriculum that needs to become visible alongside all the planning, schemes of work, assessments, content and pedagogy.
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