Unit 1 - Education

Do now!

Make a spider diagram of everything you can remember from the Education topic

Hint: types of schools, function & purpose, formal & hidden curriculum, criticisms etc

Homework due Monday

Complete at least:• 2 x 2 mark Qs• 2 x 4 mark Qs• 2 x 5 mark Qs• 2 x 12 mark Qs From anywhere in this powerpoint

* Of course you can do more! *

Revision Topic

Week 1 • Social Inequality mock exam

• Studying Society (Social structures, processes & issues)

Week 2 • Studying Society (Research methods, ethical issues)

Week 3 • Education

Week 4 • Family

Week 5 • Crime & Deviance

EASTER

Week 6 • Mass Media

Week 7 • Power

Week 8 • Social Inequality

• Revise all topics / exam practice

Week 9 • Revise all topics / exam practice

UNIT 1 Exam (prov. 17th May)

UNIT 2 Exam (prov 22nd May)

Session 1 – The structure & function of the Education system

Key concepts revised today Describe the basic structure of education system Describe the functions and expectations of the educational system

Copy and complete the elements of the basic structure of the UK education system:

1) Pre- school or E_________ Y_________ education (3-4yrs)

2) P_____________ education (5-11 yrs)

3) S_____________ education (11-16)

4) F______________ education (16+ A levels & vocational courses)

5) H______________ education (university degrees etc)

1) At what age/key stage do these exams take place?

• SATs?• GCSEs• A Levels

2) In what other ways are schools monitored?

3) What are league tables and what are they for?

Ext: Can you think of any criticisms of league tables?

Exam Questions

1) Identify one advantage and one disadvantage of testing in primary schools.(2 marks)

2) Describe one way in which British governments have increased the use of testing in primary schools over the past 25 years and explain the criticisms of this policy. (5 marks)

What is the education system for?

1) Complete Task 1 & Task 2 looking at the functionalist and Marxist views of the purpose of the education system (p.23)

2) Write a paragraph explaining the key similarities and differences between the two sociological approaches.

Which of these functions take place in the formal curriculum and which take place in the hidden curriculum?

Purpose of education system

Social controlEconomy

Social cohesion Social mobility

Secondary socialisation

The hidden curriculum…

• Structure & hierarchy

• Social control

• Achievement & competition

• Routine

• Dress code

• Gender role allocation

Criticisms

• Does everyone agree with the values taught within schools? Are they the values of the upper class (Marxist argument)?

• Does everyone get fair chances within education?

• Deschooling = argument that compulsory education stifles creativity and should be banned.

Exam questions:1) Explain what sociologists mean by “social cohesion”. (4

marks)2) Explain what sociologists mean by the “hidden

curriculum.” (4 marks)

3) Describe one function that education is expected to fulfil in Britain today and explain how it is expected to fulfil this function. (5 marks)

4) Discuss how far sociologists would agree that serving the needs of the economy is the most important function of the education system in Britain today. (12 marks)

5) Discuss how far sociologists would agree that encouraging social cohesion is the most important function of the education system in Britain today. (12 marks)

Session 2 – Changes in education

Key concepts revised today Describe the basic structure of education system Describe the functions and expectations of the educational system Be aware of key political debates around different educational provisions

There are many different types of schools within the UK. 1) Match up the type of school with the definition2) Which type of school is CWC?

Comprehensive

Specialist

Special

Academy

Faith

Independent

Grammar

State-run schools for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

State schools that have handed power and control over to a board of trustees or sponsor

State-run schools that receive additional funding to support a subject of expertise e.g. sports or languages

State-run schools reflecting a particular religion in their curriculum, admissions criteria and staffing policies.

State-run selective schools based on academic ability.

State-run school aiming to educate all students, regardless of background or ability, under one roof.

Private school with the freedom to set their own curriculum and policies.

Tripartite system

Three types of secondary school for different types of pupil based on an IQ (Intelligence Quotient) test at the age of 11.

Eleven plus A type of intelligence test taken at the age 11 to determine whether a child should attend a grammar school or a secondary modern.

Setting A way of dividing pupils into groups for particular subjects based on their ability in those subjects.

Streaming A way of diving pupils according to their supposed ability. A pupil will normally remain in the same stream across all areas of the curriculum.

New vocationalism

Training aimed to equip the young with the skills and education required by a rapidly changing economy.

Marketisation of education

Changes to the education system in the late 1980s, so that it became more business-like.

Task: Using the information on pp.58-61, complete the educational changes timeline. Make sure you include the keywords below.

Exam Questions

1) Identify two reasons why some parents of children with special educational needs may want their children to be educated in a special school rather than mainstream. (2 marks)

2) Describe one type of school that pupils aged 11-16 might attend and explain the advantages of this type of school. (5 marks)

3) Describe one way in which British governments have tried to increase competition between schools over the last 30 years and explain why they have tried to do this. (5 marks)

4) Describe one way in which British governments have tried to increase the number of pupils who stay on in education and training after Year 11 and explain why they have tried to increase the staying on rates. (5 marks)

Exam Questions1) Identify two reasons why parents might

send their children to private school. (2 marks)

2) Identify two examples of vocational education (2 marks)

4) Describe ONE way in which governments have tried to raise educational standards over recent years and explain how successful this has been. (5 marks)

Session 3 – Barriers to educational achievement

Key concepts revised today Describe and explain variations in educational

achievements Awareness of range of influences on educational

achievement

Quick think: Which groups within society statistically achieve the highest and lowest GCSE results?

Key factors:

• Gender

• Ethnicity

• Social Class

But why?

Since the 1990’s girls began to equal boys education and now out-perform boys at every level of education.

This is due to; 1. Changes in employment and expectations of employment. There are many more

opportunities for females today.2. The National Curriculum introduced coursework this suited girls, who are often very

organised and socialised to multi- task and plan.3. Girls and their parents have higher aspirations than in the past4. Girls Subcultures tend to be quite positive and focus on their futures as more than just

getting married and being mothers.(girl power)5. Awareness of gender issues in schools led to teachers treating boys and girls equally.However women are still paid less than men.

GENDER AND EDUCATIONAL SUCCESSWHY DO GIRLS OUTPERFORM BOYS IN EXAMS?

Brainstorm and plan

• Equality policies – no sexism

• National curriculum – equality for all

• Feminism – increased positive role models, etc

• Peer pressure / negative subcultures

• Poor concentration for long periods of time - need short tasks

• Socialisation –parents and teachers expect boys to behave in a different way to girls

Girls now achieve wellbecause……

Boys are nowunderachieving because….

Exam Questions

1) Identify two reasons why girls are now achieving higher grades than boys throughout the education system. (2 marks)

2) Identify two ways in which females might still face disadvantages in the education system. (2 marks)

ETHNICITY and EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS

It is not true to say that those from the ethnic minorities perform worse than the majority, white population.

Rather different ethnic groups have different performance levels, and within ethnic groups there are further variations by social class and gender.

E.g. students from Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds are less successful in the education system, with the females from those backgrounds performing worse than the males.

Females from Indian backgrounds are amongst the most successful in the state education system.

Males from African-Caribbean backgrounds are less successful than average but females are more successful. Children from Chinese backgrounds are also particularly successful.

EXPLANATIONS FOR DIFFERENCES IN EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT BY ETHNIC GROUP

Explanations for the differences in educational attainment between different ethnic groups include:

1. deprivation

2. the impact of teachers' labelling of students

3. institutional racism

4. home backgrounds

5. cultural differences.

INSTITUTIONAL RACISM

Definition

Institutional racism - where an organisation (such as a college or company) has procedures and regulations that discriminate against certain groups.

OFSTED inspectors have suggested that there is institutional racism in British schools.

e.g. subjects like history and English literature may just focus on the success of white British people.

Home BackgroundsJones (1997) found that the educational success of the child, of whatever ethnic group, was closely related to the educational standards of the parents-

Also the success of many Indian school students has led some to argue it is based on high levels of parental encouragement...

However government funded research has also found

•Four out of 10 black parents support the idea of racially separate

schools

•Some felt school failed to acknowledge or understand their ‘cultural

needs’.

•The majority of parents identified education as their

greatest concern,

•Many sent children to Saturday school to gain extra

tutoringSource- The Daily Telegraph, 16 August 1996

CULTURAL DIFFERENCESThe majority of ethnic minority school pupils attending British schools were born in Britain.

However many may well have parents who are not fluent in written or even spoken English. They may not have the shared cultural values and backgrounds which help their children to succeed.

1. Describe ONE way in which schools prepare pupils for employment in later life and explain how this works. (5 marks)

2. Identify one way in which ‘streaming’ might affect the educational success of school children and explain why this could be. (5 marks)

3. Identify two differences between selective schools and comprehensive schools. (2 marks)

Exam Questions

Underachievement – home vs school

Home arguments

School arguments

Parents can’t help with work

Facilities at home eg computers

Over-crowding

Crime in home area

Labelling by teachers

SFP

Peer pressure

School culture and values

Language

Extended answer questions – class & underachievement

Exam Questions

1) Explain what sociologist mean by the term ‘differential educational achievement.’ (4 marks)

2) Discuss how far sociologists would agree that teachers’ expectations are the most significant influence on children’s educational achievements (12 marks)

3) Discuss how far sociologists would agree that ethnic background is the most significant influence on pupils’ educational achievements in Britain today. (12 marks)

4) Discuss how far sociologists would agree that school-based factors are the most important influence on pupil’s educational achievements in Britain today. (12 marks)

5) Discuss how far sociologists would agree that gender is the most significant influence on pupils’ educational achievements in Britain today. (12 marks)