Topic 14 - post modernism? Flashcards
Introduction?
Post-modernism is a recent approach in sociology, gaining prominence after 1991. While useful for describing modern life, it is complex and often written in difficult terminology. Many of its ideas are not widely applied to education, but its research methods have been highly influential.
Introduction?
Post-modernism is a recent approach in sociology, gaining prominence after 1991. While useful for describing modern life, it is complex and often written in difficult terminology. Many of its ideas are not widely applied to education, but its research methods have been highly influential.
Modernity?
Modernity, emerging in the mid-19th century, describes society’s movement toward progress, truth, certainty, social freedom, and facts. Post-modernism rejects this idea, asserting that nothing is certain except for the inevitability of change.
Living in a post mdoern world
Post-modernism describes aspects of modern culture influenced by advanced capitalism and technology. Society is increasingly individualistic, with people choosing ideas, products, and lifestyles from diverse sources. Image and professional management are important, and technology is constantly evolving. We draw spiritual and cultural ideas from various origins, focusing on consumerism and labels. Society is more unpredictable, and we live in an information-rich world. Post-modern research suggests exploring diverse identities and voices, using varied methods and media, and acknowledging that researchers influence their findings.
What does post modernism tells us about education?
Post-modernism views knowledge as biased and constructed by both teachers and students. Knowledge is an active process and can change over time. For example, past beliefs about women’s biology were once considered facts but are now disproven. Post-modernism suggests that future generations may also question current ideas. This process of constructing knowledge is known as discourse.
Culture?
Post-modernists argue that the functionalist goal of unifying society leads to oppression, as it relies on one dominant point of view. They believe that truth, knowledge, and cultural beliefs are relative and depend on individual perspectives. Imposing one’s views on others is unacceptable. Minority ethnic children have the right to assert their cultural identity against mainstream British culture.
Societal values?
Post-modernists believe that all truth is relative, so teachers inevitably express their own values or social agendas. Schools should expose children to diverse opinions and emphasize cultural values like tolerance, emotional intelligence, and creativity. Children must learn that schools are not value-free.
Identity and understanding?
Post-modernism views identity as a personal construct, constantly shaped by our experiences and situations. As a result, we can’t definitively say “this is who I am.” Education’s role is to help individuals explore and decide who they want to be, empowering them to achieve their goals.
Critics of post modernism?
Critics of post-modernism, like Chomsky, argue it lacks factual or empirical evidence and fails to explain societal diversity, merely describing society. Dawkins suggests that post-modernism is empty of meaning, using complex language to obscure its lack of substance.
Modernist theories of education?
Modernist theories of education view teachers as transmitters of knowledge, with culture being something children should learn in school. Ethnic minority children should be taught the dominant culture, and teachers are responsible for instilling social values like truth and science.
Post modern theories of education?
Post-modern theories of education view knowledge as co-constructed by teachers and students. All cultures are seen as equally valuable, and children from ethnic minorities should be encouraged to question Western culture and explore their own. Values are culturally dependent, as there are no universal values. Post-modernism promotes a “pick-and-mix” approach, where people combine ideas from various belief systems to create something new.
Marxists and post modernism
Marxists criticize post-modernism’s influence on education, arguing it focuses on local issues and ignores structural problems like class, gender, ethnicity, race, and disability. They contend that post-modernism fails to offer clear educational policies for improving young people’s experiences and overlooks inequalities within the education system. Marxists argue that post-modern education policies target individual schools rather than addressing systemic inequalities.
