Introduction: Understanding School and Society Chapter One Introduction: Understanding School and Society (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Tozer/Senese/Violas, School and Society, 5e

Social foundations helps teachers to: Make sense of classroom situations by understanding the larger social context of culture, social and economic class, gender, race, etc. Make the best decisions for all students Continually evaluate teaching goals and methods (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Tozer/Senese/Violas, School and Society, 5e

-Social theory -Schooling -Training -Political economy Tools of Inquiry -Social theory -Schooling -Training -Political economy -Education -Ideology (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Tozer/Senese/Violas, School and Society, 5e

Social Theory An attempt to make sense of and explain social phenomena An attempt to explain reality and practice Should be internally consistent, account for the data, and agree with other relevant theory Neither “the absolute truth” nor “just another interpretation” (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Tozer/Senese/Violas, School and Society, 5e

Schooling The totality of experiences occurring within the institution of “school” Formal curriculum, extracurricular activities, “hidden curriculum” Reflects the influence of government (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Tozer/Senese/Violas, School and Society, 5e

Training Preparation for specific roles or to improve one’s skills Goals generated by the trainer Potential for indoctrination? Necessary in some situations (driving) (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Tozer/Senese/Violas, School and Society, 5e

Political Economy Social, cultural, economic, political, and demographic dimensions of a society How a society is organized in order to function (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Tozer/Senese/Violas, School and Society, 5e

Education Promotes the skills and understandings to: Develop a wide range of human capacities Prepare for a wide range of roles Nourish reason, intellect, intuition, and creativity (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Tozer/Senese/Violas, School and Society, 5e

Ideology Society’s justification for its political, social, and economic arrangements The beliefs, value systems, and understandings of social groups Almost always created and articulated by the dominant group (the “dominant ideology”) Embedded in ALL societies (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Tozer/Senese/Violas, School and Society, 5e

Schooling & Culture in Classical Greece Political economy Citizens—owned property, opportunity to participate in government Non-citizens Women—proper place was in the household Slaves—private property (“chattel”) Metics—neither slaves nor citizens; worked in variety of occupations (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Tozer/Senese/Violas, School and Society, 5e

Schooling & Culture in Classical Greece Ideology Reason revealed workings of natural world Virtue facilitated harmony with the universe Citizens participated in the political democracy, and therefore “lived freely,” because of their superior rational capacity Schooling Available to young boys and men Gymnastics, music, and literature Avoidance of vocations; preparation for leisure (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Tozer/Senese/Violas, School and Society, 5e

Concluding Remarks Good theory is useful in identifying and explaining phenomena—including practice. The interaction of political economy, ideology, and schooling (analytic framework) are important focus of the social foundations of education. Meaning depends on context, and understanding meaning requires inquiry. Teachers must be active participants in this inquiry. (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Tozer/Senese/Violas, School and Society, 5e

Developing Your Professional Vocabulary -Athenian citizenship -Athenian slavery -democracy -education through participation -ideology -training versus education -political economy -schooling versus education -social foundations of education -social theory (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Tozer/Senese/Violas, School and Society, 5e