Stand Your Ground

After reading Kumashiro’s article on common sense, the definition that comes to mind is any form of teaching or knowledge that has become accustomed to the surrounding area and fits into their normal, every day lives. The world has become so used to following the ground rules that have been in place for years, resulting in many being shocked if the common guidelines are changed. Trying to change any normative narratives is difficult due to surrounding peers who already have their ways of knowing and learning set out for them. As a teacher, common sense can either work with or against you, and it is important to pay attention and be able to pick up on this. Being able to organize and control your ways of teaching is important so teachers are not being controlled by their students and held guilty for new strategies. Kumashrio talks about trying to introduce new learning strategies to her class, but all the students seem to be against this as they are used to the old ways and do not want to have to challenge themselves. This is a downfall for any teacher because not being able to express new ideas creates boundaries and limits creativity. On the opposite hand, the common curriculum guidelines can be very beneficial to teachers as they know the topics they are needing to teach and grade levels to teach them at. Common sense may be too restricted in some areas, where it should be open for expansion. I believe that anyone is able to create new ways of learning and express their new knowledge in any shape or form.

This article left these questions in mind….how does one teach new ideas when they do not understand the ways of teaching in a specific area? What is the common sense of ‘good teaching?’ and what will happen to me if I go against the normative narrative? Will anyone stand their ground and go above and beyond the typical common sense stereotypes?