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What is the Hidden Curriculum?
What is the Hidden Curriculum?
It is a term used to describe the unwritten rules and expectations of behaviour that people seem to know without instruction. The hidden curriculum is the set of social rules that you are usually expected to figure out yourself. Have you ever noticed that your friends act one way at recess, maybe shouting and running around, and then when an adult is close by they are quiet? When your friends change their behaviour in the presence of an adult, they are adapting their behaviour to the change in the context. Figuring out these social rules and following them will help you fit in.
There are loads of hidden curriculum rules. Every situation you are in that involves more than just you there is a hidden curriculum. See if you can brainstorm some of the hidden curriculum rules you already know. If you come across a situation that you are not sure how to behave in, look at what everyone else is doing and the context of the situation and make your best guess. Here are some examples of common situations involving the hidden curriculum.
Cafeteria
Cafeteria
Eating in the cafeteria will be one of the biggest changes to your school day from your elementary school day. Some of the changes are:
You are eating lunch with lots of other students, in some cases you are eating with over 100 students.
Most schools have a split lunch so you might not see all your friends at lunch.
Most schools have a cafeteria service where you can buy your lunch if you want.
The cafeteria might be open in the morning for you to do school work, hangout with friends, and get something to eat.
Scenarios
Scenarios
Below are some scenarios common to high school. Read each scenario and decide how you would respond.
Making Friends
Making Friends
One of the best things about high school is that it is bigger than elementary school. In this larger group of peers you are more likely to find people you have interests in common with. You might have to look a little bit to find friends but there are a few things you can do to up your chances of making new friends:
Be open to meeting people - say hi to your classmates when you see them, start conversations, and be an enthusiastic conversation partner.
Join clubs and teams you are interested in - you will find people with shared interests in clubs or teams which is a good starting point to friendship.
Be patient - you might meet a new friend the first day of school who you are close with for all of high school or you might find it takes a while to develop friendships and not all of them will work out - this is okay:)
Take it slow - wait for your friendship to develop before you trust your new friend.
Be kind - treat people how you would want to be treated. Sometimes our friends and potential friends will disappoint us. When this happens, it important to react with kindness and understanding.
Peer Pressure
Peer Pressure
Our friends and peers are huge influences on our lives. Often our friends and peers are positive influences, encouraging and supporting us to do things we are unsure about doing. Unfortunately, sometimes peer pressure can be a negative influence on our lives. It can be hard to figure out when we are being peer pressured negatively, or how we should react when we feel the pressure. It is likely that you will face peer pressure at some point during high school and you can control how you respond to it.
It is important to note that peer pressure is often more subtle than what you see in movies and television. Despite it not being dramatic as portrayed in the media, negative peer pressure can leave the victim feeling awkward, hurt, uncomfortable, and embarrassed.
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