Photo credits: Cheryl Tradewell

Now that would be a tough metaphor to work out. But maybe that is reason enough to do it. I initially thought that that would be my clickbait, but now I think I will give it a go. The real challenge will be to somehow tie in Egan and Blades, but I will make it happen!

To begin, I will relay a connection I make in my English 11 class when we study Lord of the Flies. Full disclosure: I LOVE Lord of the Flies. Not the killing and all that, but the writing, the insight, the themes. So in chapter four, “Painted Faces and Long Hair,” Jack, one of the two boys who assumes a leadership role, paints his face as a symbol of his transition to a warrior. It is a “mask” he puts on to become something other than “Jack.” I show the students a clip from Looney Tunes featuring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd called, “Bugs Bonnets,” in which a truck carrying hats opens and Bugs and Elmer have hats land on their heads. Each time a different hat lands, their personalities transform to take on the stereotype associated with that hat. It is the “mask” that they wear. Of course, some of the stereotypes are very dated, but we also use that as a point of discussion.

First, let’s work the metaphor. If we assume that curriculum is the “what,” (Egan, 1978) and that in my case, the curriculum applies to high school English or Japanese, then how do hats compare? Let us assume that each student must wear a hat, at least until grade 10. What kind of hat? Let’s get into that later. Right now, we must make sure the hat fits. We measure the head, and account for hairstyle. Will there need to be some accommodations for a particular student’s head? This is information for the milliner. Now for the “choice” of hat (remember, it is mandatory to wear it). In English, with it being the only foundational subject that must be taken right to grade 12, this would be something both stylish and functional; something colourful, yet plain; light, yet durable. These hats are with the students for up to 12 years, so variety and durability may be key. Students will have some choice what hat to wear for that day, but it is not always up to them. For some decisions, the teacher may tell all students to wear the same hat that day, and for others, the teacher may suggest a hat to wear based on experience, but in the end, the students could decide on their own. The teacher must also wear a hat, but that may change day to day, and it would be chosen from a hat rack (Blades, 1995) that was partially predetermined. Of course there are some hats that are not allowed, as it is not completely unchecked. Within the classroom, a teacher will pick the most appropriate hat to wear that day, and among students, they can decide on colour, or material, or whether to wear the hat backwards, sideways, upside down or askew, if they wish. As long as they are meeting the requirements of wearing a hat, and that we have defined what we mean by “hat,” then there is freedom to decide how to wear the hat, and what embellishments to add to the hat, both for teacher and student.

By the way, my original metaphor was, “Curriculum is a restaurant menu.” Probably would have been easier.

 

References

Blades, D. (1997) Procedures of Power in a Curriculum Discourse: Conversations from Home. JCT, 11(4), 125-155.

Egan, K. (2003) What is Curriculum? JCACS, 1(1), 9-16.

Warner Brothers (1956) ‘Bugs Bonnets’ [Cartoon]. Looney Tunes.