1. Sociological Perspectives
1.1. 1. Theoretical Perspectives
1.1.1. From a functionalist's perspective, children work well together. Instead of working independently they all work with each other to learn from one another. They view society as a type of machine that requires a team effort to work.
1.1.2. From a conflict's perspective, not all children work well together. If a child learns better by themselves then so be it. They view society as not held together by "shared values" but by dominant groups and their ability to control those that are more passive.
1.1.3. An interactionalist's perspective is an amplification of the other two perspectives. Interactionalist's look at the bigger picture and look closer at the seemingly normal actions. "It is exactly what one does not question that is the most problematic".
1.2. 2. Effects of Schooling
1.2.1. Knowledge and Attitudes have a large effect on the school. If a student walks into a classroom and the teacher is just sitting there, yelling at them to 'shut up, the children are going to be upset and hate going to class which can make them drop out. Teachers should always be upbeat no matter what is going on at home. Your attitude can determine a student's future.
1.2.2. Letting the students know that going to school will give them more opportunities and higher pay usually gives them more motivation. Who doesn't love money, right?
1.2.3. A teacher's behavior gives a huge impact on the students. A teacher gives you all the information you need to move forward in life and if they do not help, or even give you the information then they will not help you to succeed.
1.2.4. It is very important to make sure the children do not feel alienated. That is one of the worst things you can do to a student. If someone makes a student feel that way, especially by a teacher, that will definitely result in them dropping out of school or even worse.
1.2.5. Treating all students equal has a large effect on schools. The gender of the students should not play a role of any kind when making decisions. Everyone deserves the same amount of opportunities. Choosing one over the other can upset many people, and definitely make them feel like they are not good enough.
2. Philosophy of Education
2.1. Existentialism is a modern philosophy whose roots make their way back to the Bible. It is a philosophy that plays a big role in education.
2.1.1. Generic Notions: Existentialists do not ask the questions about axiology and such, they asked how their concerns affected other individuals. They believe that they must make a solution to all the chaos that goes on in the world.
2.1.2. Key Researchers: Soren Kierkegaard, Martin Buber, Karl Jaspen, Jean Paul Sartre, Maxine Greene.
2.1.3. Goal of Education: Existentialists believe that education should focus on the needs of individuals, both cognitively and affectively. Individuality is important regarding this philosophy. Learning about real world issues is also taught.
2.1.4. Role of Teacher: The teachers should understand themselves as well as all of their students so that they can teach them properly and show them how to achieve the best. Teachers should know more about the kids than they know themselves so that their eyes can come open to the possibilities that are out there.
2.1.5. Method of Instructions: Teaching, from an existialist point of view, is extremely personal. Every child is different therefore must be treated based on who they are and how they learn. Martin Buber wrote about an 'I-thou' approach where the teacher and student learn cooperatively from each other.
2.1.6. Curriculum: Existentialists choose curriculum biased toward humanities. Literature is more able to move the children therefore literature is pushed. They believe in exposing students at early ages to problems as well as possibilities, and to the horrors as well as accomplishments we as individuals are able to do.
3. Schools as Organizations
4. Equality of Opportunity
4.1. Who we are is almost as important as what we know. Every person is different, and they are also put into different groups of class, race, and gender. These groups have a huge impact on education. An individual's class determines his or her life at home also. If they do not grow up in a nourished, well-rounded environment it will effect the way they think about school. Segregation, including race and gender, is not as big an issue as it use to be. Some families still teach their children to be racist which makes the issue of racism worse.The fight for equality of gender is ongoing.
4.1.1. 2) The two responses of the Coleman Study from 1982 are a: The study compared the test scores of public and private schools, in which private schools seemed to "do it better". and b: Private schools had more effective learning environments with more emphasis on academics and more sturdy discipline.
5. Educational Reform
6. History of U.S. Education
6.1. !. The reform movement that I think has had the most influence on education is the acceptance for women and African Americans into schools. Having all of them at school broadens the spectrum and teaches the children about diversity.
6.2. 2. The Democratic-Liberal School believes in equity for all. They will not sacrifice one too harshly for the other. This school does not leave anyone out.
7. Politics of Education
7.1. 1. The four purposes of education:
7.1.1. a) The intellectual purposes of schooling are to teach the students their basic skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics. Learning these skills improves their thinking and evaluation skills.
7.1.2. b) The political purposes of schooling are to teach students about patriotism. We want the students to have an opinion about the political order of things and also to know the laws of society.
7.1.3. c) The social purposes of schooling are to teach the students to socialize and surround themselves with people rather it be in a church or organization etc. Socializing is the key to a stable society.
7.1.4. d) The economic purposes of schooling are to teach them how to choose and prepare for their future career.
7.2. 2. Describe a perspective for each of the following:
7.2.1. 1. The role of the school from a liberal perspective is to put the students in an environment where everyone is equal. Children are put in school to broaden their knowledge and to also figure out who they are in the process. Finding their place in society is a main priority.
7.2.2. 2. Explanations of unequal performance from a liberal perspective includes the advantages children of higher income families have. Some kids do not have a computer or certain things to assist them. But, some children simply do not put any effort into learning and refuse to try. Schools use policies and programs to "equalize the playing field".
7.2.3. 3. Definition of educational problems: a) When poor and minority children fail it is critical because the school limits their life chances too often. b) Discipline and authority get in the way of helping the students grow into individuals. c) How a student is brought up changes how they learn. d) The traditional curriculum keeps the society from being diverse.
8. Curriculum & Pedagogy
8.1. 1) In a Humanistic curriculum theory, there are five basic principles: a) Students get to decide what they want to learn. b) The goal of education is to teach students to have a desire to learn. c) Grades are irrelevant and only self-evaluation is meaningful. d) Feelings and knowledge are important in the process of learning. e) Students learn best in a nonthreatening environment.
8.1.1. The two traditions of teaching are Mimetic and Transformative. Mimetic- gives a central place to the transmission of factual and procedural knowledge from one person to another through an essentially imitative process; the steps are to test, present, perform/evaluate, reward/fix, and advance. Transformative- a change of one kind or another in the person being taught-- a qualitative change often of dramatic proportion; a metamorphosis; the three steps are personal modeling, "soft" suasion, and the use of narrative.