Roles Within Institutions

“Not just Bricks and Mortar” It is important to remember that the word “institution” does mean more than just a building. Organized and predictable ways societies develop to meet their basic needs.

Role Expectations in Institutions What is expected of soldiers in the military? What is expected of doctors in a hospital? What is expected of teachers in a school?

What is expected of STUDENTS in a school? What do you think?

All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten 1. Share everything 2. Play fair 3. Don’t hit people 4. Put things back where you found them 5. Clean up your own mess 6. Don’t take things that aren’t yours 7. Way you’re sorry when you hurt somebody 8. Wash your hands before you eat. 9. Flush 10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you 11. Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. 12. Take a nap every afternoon 13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together 14. Be aware of wonder.

Behaviour Changes With Assumed Roles Schools are buildings, yes. But the status that you have within an institution determines the role and behaviour that you have within that institution. Students Teachers Principals (Headmaster/Headmistress)

Theories on Social Institutions Just like society, Functionalist and Conflict Theory have views on how these social institutions operate. Functionalists think that they work together toward the common good of the whole society. They are parts of the body, they rely on each other. Conflict Theorists agrees on why they were created, but they think that over time, these institutions have simply served to meet the interests of a small group of people in the economy.

The Real Purpose of School School Practice Functionalist Theory Conflict Theory Rule Students must be on time for class -Helps classes run more smoothly -Punctuality is a societal norm. -Trains students to accept that future employers are paying for workers’ time; thus, time belongs to the employer, not the worker. Subject Material -Curriculum is chosen by experts -There is limited student choice of what to study. -Curriculum is too important to leave to student choice since society demands common knowledge and skills for the next generation -Students are forced to study material whether or not they want to. It prepares them for boring, repetitive jobs in the future.

School Practice Functionalist Theory Conflict Theory Marks and Grades -Teachers praise good students -Tests and exams reward individual work -Prizes are given for top students at awards ceremonies. -Rewards individual effort because individualism is an important Canadian value. -Prepares students for large income differences in the Canadian economy. -Richer people have better chances to do well. Competition -Competition is encouraged in schools through classroom games, competitive sports, promotion of acadmic awards. -Competition is an important Canadian value. -The economy benefits from competition. -Workers have to compete for jobs, not rely on others for help -It undermines the idea of co-operation with co-workers.

School Practice Functionalist Theory Conflict Theory Discipline -Students must accept the authority of the teacher -The onus is on the students to justify their behaviour, movements, and actions within the school. -It is necessary for the smooth running of a large institution. -It will instil respect for future authority figures, such as workplace managers. Tracking and Streaming -Students’ academic progress is tracked, and they are streamed into different programs based on assessment of academic ability. -It is necessary to sort people out according to ability for future occupations, ranging from professionals to service and manufacturing jobs. -Students become used to differences in job levels and pay between executives, managers, supervisors, and workers.