Common Sense in Schools: Kumashiro Reading
Writing Prompt: How does Kumashiro define 'commonsense?' Why is it so important to pay attention to the 'common sense'?
Kumashiro explains his own experience of commonsense after he was sent to Nepal to teach. He suddenly learned that his knowledge of schooling was a lot different to those in Nepal. Kumashiro does not clearly define common sense but speaks a lot on the topic of common sense being different to each person. Kumashiro says, “Common sense limits what is considered to be consistent with the purpose of schooling.” When he was in Nepal, he soon realized that their school system was much different from what he was used to. The students only had to preform tests, while back in the U.S. students would do work all year long, as well as tests. The students in Nepal were quick to complain about Kumashiro's teachings as his way was not the norm to them. The students had their own "common sense" formed around teaching while Kumashiro had a different one. Common sense “is what needs to be examined and challenged” when relating to education. In my second year of University I was to work with EAL students for an ELNG class. I remmeber a boy telling me his story and how he grew up in Afghanistan until he came to Canada when he was 12. He said he missed the school system in Afghanistan because it was "much better than Canada". This boy told me that back home he would have around 13 classes a day for 30-45 minutes each. He said that "this was less boring because we got to learn different things each day rather than 5 boring subjects". This student had to come to Canada and learn in a new way, which altered his idea of "common sense" around education. He learned that not all countries education systems work in the same way, just like Kumashiro and the Nepali students.
So, why is it important to pay attention to the "common sense"? Well, after this reading I think that it is important to pay attention to the "common sense" because it is constantly changing. My common sense would be a lot different compared to those from Nepal. Rather than challenging each-others norm, one should pay attention and attempt to learn from it. It is important that we recognize that common sense varies from person to person and that we accept that there can be differences. Kumashiro says, "“common sense does not tell us that this is what schools could be doing; it tells us that this and only this is what schools should be doing. This moral imperative (“should”) helps to explain why we often feel social pressure to conform, as when we tell ourselves, “It’s just common sense that schools teach these things and students do those things, lest we be seen as abnormal, senseless, even counterproductive.” Rather than pushing away the stuff that "makes no sense", we accept that it could make sense to others and try to learn from it. By paying attention to the common sense we can continue to learn new things and explore new ides relating to our own common sense.
