Think of three ways in which school has been really useful to you.

Think of three ways in which school has been very bad for your personal development.

Discuss your ideas with a study partner and find out if there is any agreement between you

(4 minutes)

Understanding the ideologies that underlie educational thinking

PowerPoint 1

To know some of the reasons why the school system is important to the running of our society.

To understand that there are a variety of ideologies underlying the development of the education system.

To meet assessment deadlines

To develop the ability to think critically and in a sociological manner about a social institution

To contribute to whole class discussion in an orderly fashion

Find out more about education policy in Wales by clicking onto the Welsh Assembly Government website. http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills

For a view of how political parties may develop policies for education, see the website of the Welsh Labour Party who are currently the government (2007) and have listed education change among their achievements. Why not research the policies of other Welsh political parties as well? http://welshlabour.org.uk/education__lifelong_learning_and_skills

Look at the website of the Home Education society for some very interesting and radical ideas about the purpose of schools and of education. Among the articles, there is discussion of socialisation and schools. http://www.home-education.org.uk

Teacher TV is designed for teachers and has hundreds of relevant programmes and video clips to watch online. Many of them question the purpose of education and how best to educate children. http://www.teachers.tv/

You are representing young people on a Government commission designed to ask students what subjects they think should be taught as part of the National Curriculum.

Choose eight subjects and be prepared to justify them to the others in the class. Do not discuss your ideas until asked.

NB: Some of these points can be seen as negative for children as well as positive

Socialisation is the process of learning the rules and knowledge valued by a culture.

One of the most important agencies of secondary socialisation is the education system.

It is known as an agency of formal socialisation, because schools and education systems deliberately set out to influence people's behaviour.

How do schools set out to control your behaviour and pass on norms and values? Think of two ways in which you are taught your cultural values.

Further thinking: In what ways do the values of the school clash with the personal values of your home and family?

Schools exist to control behaviour. Children are taught to obey authority and respect rules.

Jackson said that if they are to succeed, pupils do not just require knowledge, but also conformity to the socially acceptable behaviour of the school.

Pat McNeil (1986) says that this includes knowledge such as how to get on with teachers and other pupils, how to cope with boredom and how to conform.

This hidden control is known as the Hidden Curriculum.

Mummy has taken the children to a fire station. Topsy and Kerry are girls and Tim is a boy.

 When they came down from the ladder Mummy bought them each a little

fire-fighter's helmet. 'I'm going to be a fire-fighter when I grow up' said Kerry. 'Can girls be fire-fighters?' asked Topsy. 'I don't think so' said Tim. 'Yes they can!' said the lady who was selling the toy helmets. 'I'm a fire-fighter, just like Kerry's Dad. Women can be fire-fighters, but

they have to be as strong and as brave as the men.' To show how strong she was, she gave Tim a fireman's lift.

Mummy has taken the children to a fire station. Topsy and Kerry are girls and Tim is a boy. When they came down from the ladder Mummy bought them each a little fire-fighter's helmet. 'I'm going to be a fire-fighter when I grow up' said Kerry. 'Can girls be fire-fighters?' asked Topsy. 'I don't think so' said Tim. 'Yes they can!' said the lady who was selling the toy helmets. 'I'm a fire-fighter, just like Kerry's Dad. Women can be fire-fighters, but they have to be as strong and as brave as the men.' To show how strong she was, she gave Tim a fireman's lift.

The first government Act imposing compulsory education in Britain was in 1880 and then partly it was designed to end child labour in factories and only affected children aged 5 - 10.

It also served the purpose of providing a trained workforce who could operate new machines and technology.

Victorian coal miners

In the 1970s, James Callaghan, a Labour Prime Minister made a famous speech in Ruskin College, Oxford, where he said that Britain was falling behind its industrial competitors because the education system failed to produce skilled and motivated workers.

This has affected government policy and thinking for over 30 years. It influenced many of the changes made by the Conservative governments of 19879 -1997. It formed the basis of National Curriculum.

There is still a strong vocational agenda in British schools and colleges that involves examinations, key skills and portfolio approaches to learning.

Pierre Bourdieu (1930 – 2002)

Marxist critic of education system

Uses idea of cultural capital

Schools exist to advantage the children of the middle classes so they go on to take the best and most interesting jobs

Learning is when people seek knowledge. Education is when knowledge is provided for

people. Schools exist to

Protect children from exploition Teach children cultural values Train children for the work they will do in adult life Socialise children to become acceptable adults Control children

Depending on your perspective, some of these characteristics of the education system can be seen as positive, and others as negative.

Vocationalism is Of acquiring a skill or knowledge

Learning is the process Skills from people around us as we live our lives

Formal education systems are where Is the highly valued knowledge of our culture

Informal education is when we learn Refers to the values that a school teaches without necessarily intending to.

Socialisation is the process of learning A route to high pay jobs and social mobility

If pupils are to succeed in school, They need to learn to conform to the rules of the school

The hidden curriculum Pass on gender roles through books and school organisation

Feminists say that schools People are taught specific skills and then tested in their knowledge and understanding

Cultural capital The preparation of students for the world of work

In Wales , education was seen as The rules and knowledge valued by a culture

Learning is the process Of acquiring a skill or knowledge

Formal education systems are where People are taught specific skills and then tested in their knowledge and understanding

Informal education is when we learn Skills from people around us as we live our lives

Socialisation is the process of learning The rules and knowledge valued by a culture

If pupils are to succeed in school, They need to learn to conform to the rules of the school

The hidden curriculum Refers to the values that a school teaches without necessarily intending to.

Feminists say that schools Pass on gender roles through books and school organisation

Cultural capital Is the highly valued knowledge of our culture

Vocationalism is The preparation of students for the world of work

In Wales , education was seen as A route to high pay jobs and social mobility

Discuss with as many people as you can the answer to this question:

Is it the role of schools to correct the problems of society?