Parsons used the metaphor of education as a ‘bridge’ to work based on meritocratic principles. The education system takes children away from intimate relationships with family and puts them into a social institution where they are expected to follow instructions from an authority figure socializing them into obeying authority. School children also have a strict timetable which they must adhere to, this emphasis on punctuality and organization will prepare them for working life. Davis and Moore said that the education system was there for ‘sifting and sorting’ so that the best jobs go to the hardest working, more intelligent people. They argued that the education is meritocratic and is there to soft sort and select individuals on the basis of ability, motivation, talent and allocates them appropriate roles when they reach adulthood.
The organs perform functions vital to the well being of the body as a whole, so the family meets some of society’s vital needs, for example, the need to socialise children. Educating children is of great importance to the family. It prepares them for the working world that they will one day be entering in to which will determine a great part of their life, and also teaches them of fundamental skills and essential values of society, including the structure of society. Family values are used to integrate children into school, for instance a child will learn what is sociably acceptable with their manners and they way they react to certain situations. Without the family integrating the child into this way of life, the child will likely act in ways which others will see as socially improper.
• It stresses the importance of using the classroom to help the students overcome negative attitudes. • It forms positive skills. • It educates students in emotional and personal development as well as intellectual areas of study. • Too much focusing on attitudes can take away time from the content or academics. Morrish's "Real Discipline" • It shows and demonstrates a clear understanding of human nature and how students will react.
so the schedules and meeting people, and getting them into a routine of working and concentrating for certain hours throughout the day. They also believe in Role allocation which gives children their role in life whether that is a dentist or a cleaner, functionalists believe that this is good because children have to understand their future roles and suit towards them. Secondly, Marxists don’t believe that the education system helps to maintain the capitalist system because unlike functionalists, who believe in achieved status which means that you can work hard to be whatever you want. However Marxists believe in theories such as ascribed status that means that you were born into your class and will stay there for the rest of their lives and they won’t be able to get out of their ascribed status because Marxists believe that they can’t and
‘The hidden curriculum is a good way to learn norms and values’ Evaluate the arguments for and against this claim. The hidden curriculum is all the learning that goes on in a school that is not subject based. The hidden curriculum ensures that we learn the importance of, for example; following the rules, being in a routine, and being responsible. It becomes a part of our common sense experiences. Functionalists believe that education is crucial in order to have a smooth-running and efficient society.
This is what King seeks to explain to the reader in his essay. King believes that both education and knowledge are important; however the procedure is integrated it into their lives makes a difference. Education must teach students the means of right and wrong as well as be able to distinguish between propaganda and reality. King warns us an individual with critical thinking and knowledge is not enough. Without morals and personality, the individual won’t have a purpose in life.
Critical evaluation of the advantages/disadvantages of a cross curricular approach and discrete subject based approach to teaching. Introduction A teacher’s job is to encourage passion for learning and a fascination within children that heartens them as an individual, the curriculum is the tool designed to deliver this. Providing the utensils within the intellectual and social settings to encourage learning and growth as a person the curriculum has many outlines and has long been deliberated on numerous occasions, as we are on the brink of the latest version; it isn’t always what is being taught but how it’s being taught that is, for the most part, beneficial. As Savage (2011) queries should it be a cross curricular approach or a discrete subject based approach to teaching? The delivery of a cross curricular curriculum is one that overlaps and coincides classroom subjects with one another, Shoemaker (1989) identified that the endeavours to deliver he numerous strands to the curriculum entwined within a number of lessons to replicate real life.
The education system creates this effectively by teaching subjects such as history, which enables children to see the link between themselves and wider society. He argued that you must learn to cooperate with everyone, whether they are friends, family or just acquaintances, which can only be learnt at school and not at home. Durkheim also believed punishments should reflect the damage done and made clear that the transgressor will be punished by strictly enforcing school rules to help pupils learn what is wrong in society as a whole. He finally argued that education teaches individuals specific skills necessary for future occupations, with industrial society being united by value consensus and a specialised division of labour whereby specialists combine and produce goods and services. Criticisms of the functionalist view on education include; * Functionalists assume that pupils have an equal chance of success; however working class pupils and some ethnic minorities underachieve at school.
This theory suggests that one of the reasons the family was really formed was due to material values, which by extension ‘socialises children into accepting hierarchy.’ The second function of the family is the ideological function. This means that the family condition people to think that capitalism is a just, natural and consistent system. This also is an example of persuading children into accepting hierarchy within every day life, as they are taught from a young age that if they do not have certain assets or traits, they are inferior to those who do, thereby preparing children to take orders from others at work. The idea of family being a sanctuary is said to be mainly an illusion as outside influences can easily get into the privacy of our home and influence the way we think. Examples of this being police, social workers, schools and even television.
If the child is born into the working class then they will learn that they are and will be working class which would suit the ruling bourgeoisie aptly. However society isn't as harsh as this in western culture being born into working class doesn't confide you to that life forever. A functionalist would say that the secondary agency of socialization which is education would prepare all pupils based on commitment and intelligence rather than origin. Another key agency in socialization and culture as a whole which is becoming a dominating force in the modern age is the mass media. Marxists say that the media is a tool of the capitalists that reinforces conformism and discourages deviance.