Teacher Development
Part 3: CCRA & CC in the Classroom

9: Hidden Curriculum

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Here we have seen a specific example of the hidden curriculum in school materials, and we have seen the power of the teacher (equipped with the CCRA) to challenge the norms, values, and beliefs expressed in the textbook.

Now we invite you to try the same type of exercise, but this time focusing on artificial intelligence (Part 2 of the task).

Here we present some podcasts generated using artificial intelligence (with the NotebookLM tool) that offer an alternative summary of our article on the hidden curriculum in South Tyrol, on which the PowerPoint presentation above is based
(Leone-Pizzighella & Telser, 2025).

Warning! Even though NotebookLM generated a highly accurate written summary of this article, we had to provide intensive “coaching” to create an acceptable podcast. We are not yet entirely satisfied with the three podcasts generated because they contain traces of ideas and discourse (a sort of hidden curriculum) that we do not agree with. In fact, the linguistic reality in South Tyrol is a matter of identity, politics, and can sometimes even be controversial. Naturally, generative AI—drawing on any information available online to supplement what we wrote in the article—does not pick up on the hidden curriculum in the texts on which the podcast is based.

So let’s ask for a human opinion!

We invite you to listen to our three attempts to create a decent podcast—that is, one that stays true to what we wrote—using generative AI. We invite you to activate your CCRA and to

  • take note of the “remnants” of the social, political, and cultural discourse circulating in the media from which NotebookLM drew its data (especially in the first two attempts);

  • identify the elements of the hidden curriculum that remain in the third version of the podcast despite our attempts to remove them;

  • Notice how the confident and authoritative tone of the voices in the podcasts influences your interpretation of the content;

  • look for moments that give away that the podcast hosts are AI.

Here, we’ve also provided the“prompts” (instructions and requests) that we wrote for NotebookLM to generate (and regenerate) the podcasts.

Prompt #1:

I would like to create a short podcast based on the attached article [Leone-Pizzighella & Telser 2025], intended for middle school teachers in Italy. The podcast should cover the concepts of communicative repertoire (Betsy Rymes), multilingual critical awareness (Ofelia García), and communicative competence (Dell Hymes).

The article also discusses linguistic ideology at length, as well as the processes of erasure, iconization, and fractal recursivity. However, these concepts should NOT be included in the podcast, because the teachers have not yet covered them in the course they are taking.

The podcast, of course, must be in Italian. Preferably featuring female voices.

PRIMO TENTATIVO: "Il tedesco a scuola ignora l'Alto Adige"
NotebookLM

Prompt #2:

Here are some suggestions for changes:

Don’t assume that everyone in South Tyrol speaks German at home. That’s not accurate. However, students in Italian-language schools in South Tyrol study German as a second language (NOT as a foreign language). The distinction between a foreign language (a language spoken elsewhere) and a second language (another language spoken within the students’ community) is important here. German is not the “mother tongue” of any of the students in the observed classes. However, students interact with German every day, even at a basic level, through street signs, shop signs, and other aspects of their city’s linguistic landscape.

Don’t go overboard with the praise for Leone Pizzighella and Telser, since this podcast will be published on Leone Pizzighella’s website and it might seem presumptuous or self-serving to praise him too much. However, it is fair to acknowledge that Leone Pizzighella (not “Leone-hyphen-Pizzighella”) and Telser are the first (to our knowledge) to have conducted an analysis of this kind on German as a second language teaching materials in South Tyrol.

When referring to middle schools in South Tyrol, be sure to always call them“Italian middle schoolsin South Tyrol.”

Don’t say “um” before “Austria” when talking about Sachertorte.

Don’t compare it to the Aosta Valley.

The lessons are not “usually titled Typisch Deutsch.” Only one lesson has been taught on this topic.

Don’t blame the teacher for using a “rigid format” in classroom interactions. Instead, explain how this common model of classroom interaction can limit what students are able to express about their own experiences.

Don’t talk about language communities as ecosystems. Instead, talk about the local German dialect, the German that students learn in school, the Italian they speak in other classes, and other possible languages—such as Urdu, Arabic, or Romanian—that students use as PARTS of their communicative repertoire and that teachers can seek to promote and expand.

I don’t want to make any sweeping statements about the social fabric of the region at the end. Instead, wrap up with something concrete that can be directly summarized from the article.

SECONDO TENTATIVO: "Tedesco nelle scuole altoatesine: oltre i Brezel"
NotebookLM

Prompt #3:

Prompt #3:

Okay, I really like the part from the beginning up to the mention of Elias Telser. His name is pronounced e-LI-as, with the stress on the middle syllable.

I also really like the next section, including the part about tempera paints and colors.

I don’t like the section on car brands. I think too much time is spent on this topic. Instead , it points out that in the classroom, the book’s depictions of “Germanness” come exclusively from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, ignoring the local reality. It’s not the teacher’s fault (who is a German-speaking South Tyrolean), but rather the fact that the materials never include any references to the local reality.

I really like the idea of the “short circuit” at the beginning.

I don't like the discussion about Volkswagen and the guy who says his grandfather worked at the factory. It's irrelevant and not a good example.

The discussion of communicative competence could instead be explored by examining how students in South Tyrol interact (or do not interact) with the German language, which aspects of their German are more developed (for example, those related to sports, food, and city landmarks), and which are less so (perhaps those related to family life, art, etc.).

I like the conclusion.

TERZO TENTATIVO: "Alto Adige ignorato dai libri di tedesco L2"
NotebookLM

For this final part of the journey, we have a two-part task.

But first, let’s define the hidden curriculum.

It is the set of norms, beliefs, and values that are conveyed—implicitly—to students through lessons and school materials. It may contain implicit “messages” regarding gender norms and prejudices related to different social classes or ethnic groups, as well as implicit judgments about many other social, linguistic, and cultural issues.

A classic example of the hidden curriculum is the images in textbooks where certain professions (e.g., doctors, police officers, scientists) are always portrayed as male, while others (e.g., teachers, nurses) are always portrayed as female. Silently, implicitly, and without ever stating it directly, these textbook depictions are presented as objective reality. In reality, however, they merely convey the beliefs, values, and norms of specific individuals or groups.

As Part 1 of this assignment, we present a case study on the hidden curriculum in the teaching of German as a second language (L2) in Italian-language schools in South Tyrol. Please see the PPT below (in Italian).

As we come to the end of this brief overview, we would like to highlight the connection between theories of educational linguistics and the world of schools, as well as between the world of schools and the so-called “real” world.

Theories in educational linguistics help us take a close, critical look at the way language constructs the social worlds in which we live. This critical perspective also allows us to consider other possible ways of “doing school.”

Let us conclude, then, with a reminder that, in school, children and young people learn to be members of society—to be citizens who can read and interpret a linguistic, textual, and digital landscape that is constantly changing.

That concludes our discussion on AI, as it represents a real and pressing challenge. We recognize that young people should not only be taught technical “skills,” but above all, curiosity, the ability to ask questions, the social tools needed to participate in society, and the ability (and desire) to think critically about world events.