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Learning Theory and Concepts

The Hidden Curriculum

Critical, Moral and Equity-Oriented Theories

The Hidden Curriculum (1970) is a book by the psychiatrist Benson R. Snyder, then Dean of Institute Relations at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, arguing that much of campus conflict and students' personal anxiety comes from unstated academic and social norms, which he termed the hidden curriculum. Snyder argued these hidden norms limit students' ability to develop independently or think creatively, and illustrated his thesis with psychological studies and other research conducted at MIT and Wellesley College. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Core Claim
Much campus conflict and student anxiety is caused by unstated academic and social norms. 1
Origin Year
1970 1
FAQs

What does hidden curriculum mean in schools?

It is the unwritten and often unintended lessons students absorb in school beyond the formal curriculum.

Hidden curriculum refers to the unwritten, unofficial and often unintended lessons, values and perspectives that students learn in school. The formal curriculum consists of the courses, lessons and learning activities students take part in, while the hidden curriculum consists of the unspoken or implicit academic, social and cultural messages communicated to students while they are in school. It can reinforce the formal curriculum or contradict it, revealing inconsistencies between a school's stated mission and what students actually experience.
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Developed By

Source The Hidden Curriculum (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. The Hidden Curriculum (Wikipedia)
  • Introduction
    The Hidden Curriculum (1970) is a book by the psychiatrist Benson R. Snyder
  • Thesis
    Snyder advances a thesis that much of campus conflict and students' personal anxiety is caused by unstated academic and social norms.
View the Source
The Hidden Curriculum (Wikipedia)
  • Lead section
    The Hidden Curriculum (1970) is a book by the psychiatrist Benson R. Snyder (March 29, 1923, in Glen Ridge, N.J., September 4, 2012, in Cambridge, Mass.), the then-Dean of Institute Relations at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • Developed By: Philip W. Jackson, Body
    The phrase "hidden curriculum" was coined by Philip W. Jackson in his 1968 book entitled Life in Classrooms, in a section about the need for students to master the institutional expectations of school.
  • In Group: Hidden Curriculum and Social Reproduction Critiques, Lead
    The Hidden Curriculum (1970) is a book by the psychiatrist Benson R. Snyder (March 29, 1923, in Glen Ridge, N.J., September 4, 2012, in Cambridge, Mass.), the then-Dean of Institute Relations at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
View the Source
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