1. VCE Sociology Education
Unit 2 Outcome 2
VCE Sociology Education

2. What is education for?
The field of education is very broad in Australia
It is something individuals engage with from the cradle to the grave

3. Most children begin with kindergarten at around age 3
Primary education begins at 5
Compulsory schooling begins in primary school at age 6 and continues until the age of 15
Universities and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) are the two largest providers of post-compulsory education

4. Complete pg 3 of the booklet! Work and education

5. What is an ‘education’?
Education is the process of training people’s minds and abilities so that they acquire the knowledge and develop skills
It can be ‘formal’ E.g. lessons, schools, instructions or ‘informal’ E.g. social and survival skills learnt through copying

6. How is ‘education’ different from ‘schooling’?
A school is a social institution responsible for providing education.
Social institutions involve behaviour that is shared by large numbers of people and is stable or continued for a long period of time. E.g. schools have students and teachers (large no. of people), were introduced into Australian society in 1779
Education can be formal and informal and can be lifelong E.g. It is believed that the pace of the modern world has increased dramatically due to globalisation so education and training need to be ongoing/lifelong

7. What are ‘institutions’?
Institutional frameworks underpin the values and norms of a society and can act as agents of social control
Examples include:
Family (social institution)
Work (economic institution)
Government (political institution)
School (educational institution)
Church (religious institution)

8. What are ‘values’?
The ideas and qualities that are considered worthwhile, desirable, correct and good by a society
Values underpin the norms of a society and determine behaviour
Dominant Australian values include:
Democracy, individualism, tolerance, capitalism, welfare state, mutual obligation, secularism, personal achievement, egalitarianism (e.g., equality), mateship, private property, a ‘fair go’

9. What are ‘norms’?
The acceptable standards and specific guide for conduct. They are social expectations of what is correct or proper.
E.g., saying please, thank you, sorry, not farting in public, etc
We punish people who do not behave ‘normally’ or who break the codes (this is called ‘social control’)
E.g., streakers or nude bathers
We learn what is normal by watching and mimicking (internalization) and by being taught (socialisation)

10. What impact does education have on our lives?
Educational institutions have a profound effect on our lives
They help to instill community and social values and norms which can help to foster and maintain a positive and cohesive social environment (socialisation)
In a capitalist society they aim to prepare people (youth) for the workplace. Higher levels of education are associated with increased employment opportunities and higher wages (skills and knowledge)

11. What is the Australian system of education based on?
In Australia we tend to think that education i.e. skills and knowledge should be available to all BECAUSE
Australia is a democracy
Australians need to be educated to a global standard
Australia is multicultural
Australia is a secular society (one in which religion and religious organisations have no official role in civil or political affairs)

12. What is the Australian system of education based on?
The Australian curriculum is linked to the British & US educational systems
There is a growing awareness that the function of education within our society is changing
This has been recognised as a need to improve the facilities (E.g. classrooms, sporting grounds, computers), curriculum (E.g. Invidual state curriculum such as Victorian curriculum known as VELs to change to National Curriculum 2011) and assessment (E.g. Naplan, publishing school results ontrack)

13. The Australian Private and Public education system
Australia still has a Private and Public education system
Australia’s first schools tended to be either for the rich (tended to be academic E.g.The Kings School) or the poor (tended to be vocational or social training E.g. The Female Orphan school, The Native Institution)
1872 Government started to establish free and compulsory education
1964 Government started to provide funds for Private education
2009 There is still debate about whether and how much Private schools are government funded

14. The Australian Private and Public education system
Public schools are government run schools. They are guided by the Education Department and must follow regulations and systems such as curriculum and reporting systems like VELS. They are free (although there are optional contributions and books to pay). They are secular (not connected with any religious group) and they are inclusive (they must accept any student who wishes to attend regardless of gender, religion or economics). They must attempt to cater to the needs of their diverse student population.

15. The Australian Private and Public education system
Private schools are also known as independent schools as they are not solely guided by the government. They charge fees and are not necessarily secular (most have religious affilations) and they can choose to be exclusive (they can choose not to accept a student based on economics, religion and gender) .They do not necessarily have to follow state guidelines for reporting and curriculum but will usually choose to teach VCE and VCAL as these are recognised as necessary for entry into the workplace.

16. Is Australia fair?
The Australian government has identified three dimensions of Australia’s multicultural policy:
Cultural identity: The right of all Australians, within carefully defined limits, to express and share their individual cultural heritage, including their language and religion
Social justice: The right of all Australians to equality of treatment and opportunity, and the removal of barriers of race, ethnicity, culture, religion, language, gender or place of birth
Economic efficiency: The need to maintain, develop and utilize effectively the skills and talents of all Australians, regardless of background

17. Your education
What subjects are you and your fellow students studying and why?
What are the functions of a society’s educational institution?
Identify the social issues/problems currently in the media, such as private versus public schools, rural education, the right to culturally (or religiously) specific information, school ranking, vocational training programs.
What really occurs in schools?
What rights and responsibilities do students and teachers have?
Is our education system fair?

18. Your ideal school community
Think about your own ideal school community
Membership: who can be a part of the school community and who can’t – why?
Common activities
Uniforms, symbols, logos, mascots, emblems
Educational structures, governance, meetings and decision making processes
Identity and sense of belonging
Interests/purposes – political, social, cultural, religious
Where would classes meet – rooms, sports facilities, community centres, Internet
Language – ethnic languages, jargon, slang
Shared history

19. Ways in which the education system has changed in the last 30 years?
Schools Function –
Provision of skills and knowledge
has changed with need to be globally competitive, technological changes (Internet and access to knowledge has increased), and environmental awareness
Socialisation of young people
has changed with the need to understand the diversity of cultures and religions. What are the morals and values that should be taught? The welfare role has also increased as parents work-life balance and community involvement has changed

20. Effect of political changes
Political factors
Democracy and democratic practice leading to awareness of inequalities in our education system (E.g. need for improved levels of literacy and numeracy – National testing, NT intervention to increase educational access and eventually levels in Indigenous Communities)
Globalisation has influenced the idea that there is a need to fund a better educated society (E.g. Rudd’s education revolution which includes the building of new facilities such as Primary School Buildings)
Policy changes (E.g. Increasing the school leaving age to 17, Working with children police checks)

21. Effect of economic changes
Economic factors
Workplace changes: more women in workforce, more part-time/casual jobs (No longer full-time job market for school leavers – increase school leaving age)
Higher level of education = higher paid job yet there is a greater division between rich and poor (E.g.. Is it worth investing in Private Education?, or selecting the best Public School? Do children of lower socio-economic status really have equal opportunities?)
Changing nature of employment means that educational institutions have difficulties in working out industries needs (E.g.. Vocational programs such as VCAL or academic programs such as VCE)

22. Effect of technological changes
Technological factors
Internet and global communication, mobile phones, transport (car, planes, etc)
E.g., people are moving around more for work - need for National Curriculum?
- need for languages other than English to be taught
- need for understanding of diversity and tolerance
- need for community and schools to find ways of dealing with the negative side of technology such as cyber-bulling, cyber-addiction

23. Effect of social changes
Social factors
The way students socialise and communicate
Divorce and single-parent families
Work/home division
Migration (and ethnic tensions/terrorism)
Feminism: later marriages, out marriage (marrying out of ethnic/religious community) falling birth rate
Materialism and consumerism
Rural access and equality

24. Other social factors
Social trends – Is it fashionable to be educated in Australia?
Does this generation have more choices?
Choosing or imitating Private schools, publishing school and student results, School reputations, altering/increasing curriculum (what should we teach?), social identity (how does society view VCE & VCAL students?), What are you hoping to study/do?

25. Economic effects of globalisation
Changes to the structure of Australian workplaces have resulted in subtle changes to national culture
A local skills shortage has resulted in foreign labour via the 456 visa
Employees of multinational companies have faced redundancy following the world economic crisis
Low-skilled jobs have been moving “off shore” to developing countries promoting sweat-shop labour

26. Technological effects of globalisation
Information Technology includes:
Computers, mobile phones, Internet, electronic documents, networks, iPods, PDAs, etc
The Internet has resulted in a significant shift in communications, allowing for the establishment of communities across national borders and/or large distances
This can mean that the connection with traditional community structures is weakened

27. Technological effects of globalisation
ICT decreases social isolation by connecting isolated, rural, disabled and marginalised peoples
ICT increases the range of and access to interest-based communities
ICT communities are often more democratic and individually empowering
Some ICT negatives…
It disconnects people from “reality”
It is isolating for urbanites (i.e., less face-to-face interaction)
The contact is less “personal” and it is easier to lie
There is often less self-censorship (e.g., racist blogs)
It is linked to increases in childhood obesity
It excludes people without access to or knowledge of computers/Internet
The rise in online communities has shrunk the number of “real” communities

28. Social effects of globalisation
Globalisation has enhanced individualism, consumerism and competition – all of which work against community cohesion
Move from manufacturing industries to service industries has opened up the workplace to more women, which in turn has changed family structures and shifted family functions to other institutions (e.g., schools)
Globalisation has also impacted on migration, ethnicity, multiculturalism, etc