Power & Decision Making (Education)

Question 1

Sudbury Schools

or Democratic Schools

Answer 1

• school where students have complete responsibility for their own education
• A form of direct democracy where studentd and staff are equal citizens
  1. Strength: studnets have full control on their own learning and can progress significantly more in their topics of interests than a traditional school
  2. Weakness: students struggle to integrate later in their education because they believe democracy in education is the ‘norm’

key theorist: Freire

1 strength
1 weakness

Question 2

Lundy’s Model of Participation

Answer 2

• A non-hierarchial approach to student participation
• Follows a logical chronological order:
  1. Space (is it safe?)
  2. Voice (are opinions facilitated?)
  3. Audience (able to to talk to someone who cares
  4. influence (are they taken seriously?)

Strength: The non-hierarchial structure ensures that no type of participation is favoured and there’s a greater value placed on all types of participation which aims to find the right level for each individual.

Weakness: fails to consider the emotional component of a child’s involvement. Children who are not emotionally ready to partake would not be able to cope emotionally or mentally with the decision making aspect

Question 3

Uniforms?

Answer 3

(look in folder)

Question 4

Freire on School

Marxist

Answer 4

• believed that education is a powerful tool for social transformation + freedom from oppression
• argued that traditional education treats students as passive receipients of knowledge
• advocated for a critical pedagogy where education is collaborative between students and teachers and fosters critical thinking, active participation, and social awareness

banking concept of education

Question 5

Hobbes on School

Authoritarian

Answer 5

• believed that students signed a ‘social contract’ where they hand over their individual autonomy in exchange for the security of the collective student body
• Argued that the ‘Leviathan’ (All Powerful/Soverignty/God), in this context teachers, are required to maintain order by instilling norms and rules for safety and prevent the classroom from descending into anarchy

‘The Leviathan and Social Contract’

Question 6

Durkheim on School

Functionalist

Answer 6

• education played a crucial role in:
  1. transmitting social norms and values to younger generations
  2. promotes a sense of community and collective identity
  3. prepares students to fulfill their roles in division of labour
• argues that school could be a tool for equipping students with the skills and knowledge for future occupations and a larger social framework.

Question 7

Tokenism

Answer 7

the practice of making a performative effort to be inclusive. [blank] believes they hold influence but in reality they don’t.

Question 8

hierarchy

Answer 8

a system of power in which members of an organisation are ranked based off how much power they hold

Question 9

problem posing education

freire

Answer 9

‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’
starts with the concept that students need to realise that they are oppressed

Question 10

banking concept of education

Freire

Answer 10

how students are treated as passive receipients of knowledge, being asked to memorise and regurgitate information

Question 11

Walby

Feminist

Answer 11

• believed that schools hold the power to promote or dismantle gender norms
• argued that traditional education is designed to support the patriarchy and is an agent of secondary socialisation through the hidden curriculum

Question 12

Equity of Education

Answer 12

focus on supporting students through their education in proportion to their needs

Question 13

Equality of Condition

Kathleen Lynch

Answer 13

seeks to achieve equality by equalising material and non-material conditions in life (e.g income and social support)

Question 14

Inequality in Education

Lynch + Marx

Answer 14

• Summarised through ‘conflict theory by Karl Marx which states that education seeks to maintain a status quo and uphold systemic disparities (racism, sexism, etc..)
• The fullfilment of your education is proportionate to your socio-economic class. Low~> Less opportunities. Not all students have the luxury to focus on school.
• Evident in the ‘sorting’ when students are seperated based off ability as determined by testing which is biased as it often doesn’t account for different types of intelligence.
• Often perpetuates these inequalities as students are only encouraged to achieve within their predetermined limits meaning they’re less likey to try. (E.g vastly different examinations for junior cycle maths examinations which affect whether you can try a harder exam in senior cycle.)

Question 15

Education Act of 1998

Answer 15

• emphasises inclusivity + equality of access to education
• includes provisions for persons with disabilities or other special educational needs