Empowering Education by Shor -reflection

“A curriculum that does not challenge the standard syllabus and conditions in society inform students that knowledge and the world are fixed and are fine the way they are, with no role for students to play in transforming them, and no need for role for students to play in transforming them, and no need for change.”

            This quote really caught my attention, connecting me to many previous readings. Many things I have learned in class, I can relate to the quote for example it connects to Collier in the way that if teachers let students be themselves in the critical thinking and expressing what they think and believe it would value who they are and even their family beliefs and difference between one another. It would also create a safe place where students feel free to interact without hiding any difference from one another. While reading I kept thinking of how Dr. Bogad teaches her class and this reading is basically a description of her system of teaching. In the way we read and when we talk about it in class is thoughts and things of what we got from the reading. Most of the time there isn’t a right answer, it’s more like what we got and learn from the reading. Many times we have disagreements but that’s fine each of us is different so there will be some difference between us but we respect it.

            The type of curriculum Shor talks about its frequently used in middle class and upper level class society. Shor and Finn both talk about how a challenging curriculum of more thinking and less straightforward assignments is the better way to educate and how the lower classes societies are lacking of this system.