EDU101 Final Term Past Papers

SOCIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS · OF EDUCATION · Schools as Agents of Change:

Literacy today is more than simply being able to read, write and being able to do simple quantitative skills. Today we talk off:

Areas to focus to school as agent of change

•Cultural literacy • Scientific literacy •Computer literacy

•Technological literacy •Electronic/media literacy •Information literacy

If all this literacy has to be taught, it has to come down to the school level. And therefore, schools have to be agents of change.

•Dealing with diversity. •Diversity of culture •Impact of globalization

• Race, class, gender •How do schools deal with this?

Individual Actions

Individuals can take one of the two types of actions.

determinism In society, the reasons you behave in a particular way is because an external force makes you do it. For example, you could not pass the red signal; you have to stop because following the rules of presence of police makes you do it. This is known as “determinism” (Determined by external forces)

Voluntarism. You behave in a particular way because that’s the way you know the right way to behave and this is known as voluntarism. You voluntarily behave in a particular manner not because an external force is demanding to behave in a particular way.

Sociological perspective recognizes free will within the context of the power of external circumstances.

Functional Theories:

stresses the interdependence of the social system, how well the parts are integrated with each other. Emile Durkheim: education in all societies of critical importance in creating moral unity, social cohesion, and harmony . . . moral values are the foundations of society

Functionalists Assume that consensus is the normal state in society and conflict represents a breakdown of shared values.

Educational reform is to create structures, programs and 21 century curricula that are technically advanced, rational, and encourage social unity.

Conflict Theories

Social order is based on the ability of dominant groups imposing their will on subordinate groups through force, cooptation, and manipulation. The glue of society is economic, political, cultural, and military power. Karl Marks is the intellectual founder of conflict theories. “Cultural capital” passed on by families and schools. schools pass on social identities that either help or hinder life chances.

Interactional Theories

Primarily critiques and extensions of functional and conflict perspectives It is exactly what one does not question that is most problematic at a deep level e.g. how students are labeled “gifted” or “learning disabled” Speech patterns reflect social class backgrounds and schools are middle-class organizations, disadvantages working class children.

Effects of Schooling on Individuals

Schooling should have three effects on individuals

•Knowledge •Attitudes •Employment

Teacher Behavior inside classroom

A teacher at any given time performs multiple roles; instructor, disciplinarian, bureaucrat, employer, friend, confident, educator . . . can lead to “role strain”

Student Peer Groups and Alienation:

Four major type of college students: careerists, intellectuals, strivers, unconnected. Schools are far more than collections of individuals; they develop cultures, traditions, and restrains that profoundly influence those in them.

Education and inequality:

The following must be eliminated from the society in order to bring equality:

• Inadequate schools •Tracking • De facto Segregation • Gender discrimination

Bernstein’s Theory

In education, he talks of two things; curriculum and pedagogy. Code refers to a “regulative principle which underlies various message systems, specially curriculum and pedagogy.” Curriculum defines what counts as valid knowledge . . . pedagogy defines what counts as valid transmission of knowledge and evaluation defines what counts as valid realization of knowledge on the part of the taught.

Labeling Theory

The labeling approach allows for an explanation of what, in fact, is happening within schools. Labeling theory is interested in why people are labeled and who it is that does the labeling. Deviance is a social judgment imposed by a social audience. Race and ethnicity are powerful factors in generating teacher expectations. High expectations in elementary grades are stronger for girls than boys. “If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.” Self-Fulfilling Prophecy The teacher expectations are not automatically self-fulfilling.

Processing Social-Educational Priorities

What should be a school priority?

Education for All; child-centered, activity-centered, experience centered. Focus on Academically Talented Students Curriculum to challenge the “Smart” students. Focus on Disadvantaged students. How to help the disadvantaged students gain same access to education? Here not the mentally retorted or suffering any swear disability are considered but those who suffer from dyslexia etc. these students can learn from their better achieving peers. That is why when teachers make groups of students, they should make mix ability groups so that all students can learn from others experiences also.

Planning for Educational Change

Should aim of education be changeable? Yes, it should change because as technology progresses and moves, we must have the same aim in education. How we have moved from a paper-pencil culture to a paperless classroom culture. That will someday soon be a reality. So, today many of our colleges and Universities, there are people with smart phones and laptops who can do a lot with these hatcheries. So, the aims of education need to be changed. You cannot live with the same aims forever. Schools should prepare education that is not separate from the world. The world is not static. Creating relevant curriculum for the changing world.

HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS OF · EDUCATION · Introduction

We are living in 21st century; there have been communities and societies before us that have played a role in the development of trends in education.

- Pre-literate Societies (before writing) 7000 BC – 5000 BC:

pre-literate societies are societies and communities that existed before writing began. So, obviously the means by which information or stories were transmitted was oral. People communicated through oral language from one generation to the next and that’s how information got moved.

Goals of education under pre-literate society:

•To teach survival skills •Teach group harmony

Who were the students in pre-literate societies?

•All children •No grouping according to age

•All children get together and listen to what people had to tell them.