English 1100
9-25-15
Prof. Young
Does Jean Anyon's Opinions Still Stand Today?
When it comes to change in school systems over time, not much has changed. Yes textbooks get updated versions, and technology in schools get newer, but the way the subjects are taught are still very much the same. Jean Anyon's Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work she talks about how social status for the most part effects the way different children learn. Generally the lower class's children get a more robotical education, they just get drilled the info, no exception. While kids in a higher social status get more independence and freedom. The higher status kids absorb the information better since their minds are actually being stimulated while learning. How the children are taught is not the only factor that Jean Anyon makes in her article. Other factors that she states are: the freedom to ask questions, attitude toward following directions, and attitude of teachers.
In the case of the lower class schools the general rule for the kids was that they need to keep their mouths close and just listen to the lesson. This breaks the sense of curiosity for the kids, or prevents them from getting more context for a subject they might not have gotten, while the upper class is of course more of the opposite. These lower class kids instead just get notes that they have to copy down and study. When it comes to following directions however neither kind of schooling is in the right. The lower class schools pretty much tell the kids if it isn't exactly like the directions it's wrong, diminishing creativity. The upper class schools children will fight with the teacher about directions because they were told to be their own person, so the teacher tries to reason with kids. On one side the kid won't use proper problem solving methods, and that everything must be done to textbook standards, and on the other the kid might not have respect for others or be able to follow orders because of the philosophy they were taught. Finally, teachers of course have a big impact in how a child learns, they much provide the knowledge for the kids to absorb. No matter the school there will be good and bad teachers. However typically teachers in a more high end school teaching kids that want to learn more, will make the teacher more enthusiastic about teaching.
Overall, Jean Anyon's ideas, despite being 35 years old, still correlates with today's teachings. There are still rich and poor schools, and typically the richer schools will yield better students. However, in the end I think it ends with the teacher's enthusiasm and desire to teach the students. "The teachers rarely explain why the work is being assigned, how it might connect to other assignments or what the idea is that lies behind the procedure or gives it coherence and perhaps meaning or significance." (Anyon 2) This shows how little the teacher cares about teaching the students, and is just waiting for the next paycheck versus the upper class schools where, "First she helps them, through discussion on the board....After discussing several she says, "Can anyone make up a formula for the perimeter?""(Anyon 8) Since the teacher actually wants to be there the learning is much more engaging.
I thought your response had a lot of great detail and support from Jean Anyon's article. Although in my response to this assignment I disagreed and said that school's are teaching children of different social class more or less the same, I did think that you're opinion was valid. I think this topic is more up to opinion since neither opinion has actually been proven within the article.
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