Unit-II-UNDERSTANDING DISCIPLINES AND SUBJECTS - SOCIO POLITICAL AND CONTEXT OF SCHOOL SUBJECTS - BEd notes
Prepared by
Sabarish P
Contents
1) School subjects as historical and cultural phenomena.
2) Schooling for university. Schooling for everyday life.
School subjects as historical and cultural phenomena.
Historical view
A group of French historians known as the Annalistes carved a methodology to understand historical and social change. The Annalistes believed that change operated at long, medium and short levels of time and that these aspects of time penetrated each other in a complex manner.
The most interesting points for inquiring and investigating in educational study are when the different layers of historical time coincide.
These periods were known by the Annalistes as conjunctures as they applied to medium-term change.
Nicholai Kondratief founded the Institute of Conjuncture in Moscow in 1920 and went onto study how long waves or cycles of economic change could be discerned. Kondratief pointed to how long wave conjunctures of 30 to 40 years duration could be discerned in past historical patterns.
A new work on historical periodisation looks at these long waves of educational change to test if conjunctures can be distinguished.
The history of school subjects denotes the evolving of educational practices, which are renewed in accordance with the ever-changing needs of the society.
Cultural view
A range of studies has illustrated how deep structures of social differentiation are built into the form of curriculum.
A polarised pattern of mentalities emerged in Britain in the period 1770-1850. For the higher order, mentalities were judged to be intellectual, abstract, and active, whereas for the lower order, they were considered sensual, concrete, and passive.
In time, these polarised mentalities were built into the deep structures of curriculum and internalised. In this way, the process of mentality production was extended, for school subjects themselves became the makers of biases.
A self-confirming circle was drawn around different social groupings. Given the quality with patterns of cultural capital, this structuring of curriculum form was to prove a strong settlement.
The educational change theory
The educational change theory tends to work with two interlinked gaps.
First, questions of time and historical periodisation are either ignored totally or marked over in favour of the contemporary prospect and belief.
Second, the broad sweep of changes in economic and external context is subordinated to a belief in more internal and institutional change patterns.
Present scenario
A school discipline should allow reconstructing to create a pathway for necessary changes in the educational project of a school.
Recent work has focused on the 1960s/1970s conjuncture and the conjuncture beginning in the mid 1990s in particular, when globalisation, privatisation and marketing became dominant themes for schooling.
Contemporary accounts of school subjects arise from two major perspectives - the sociological and the philosophical.
Sociological perspective
Sociological accounts have followed that researchers should examine subjects both within the school and the nation.
Within a school and a society, communities of people compete and collaborate with one another to confer a sense of identity.
Academic curricula assume that certain areas of knowledge become specialised.
Therefore, organised curricular changes often result in specialisation of knowledge.
Philosophical perspective
The second school of explanation is philosophical and has preceded sociological perspectives.
The philosophical view is based on distinct forms of knowledge which correspond to the traditional areas of the academic curriculum.
Thus, the subjects are no more than socio-historical constructs of a particular time.
Schooling for university. Schooling for everyday life.
The process of schooling fulfills an individual’s fundamental human right to basic education. Schooling is an essential pre-condition for the progress of both the student and the nation.
School is a place of creation rather than reproducing values and disciplines that are produced within the school.
The school culture is a horizon that shapes scholarly knowledge.
Moulding of an individual
Schools are organised to develop and transform an individual into a socially responsible, well cultured and educated person.
A school teaches behaviour, attitude and knowledge to the students. Certain values are being reinforced by the hidden curriculum namely Organisational, Interpersonal and Institutional.
In addition to the intellectual development, a student undergoes the schooling in order to develop a sense of responsibility, self-confidence, independence, self-control, consideration and stable relationships with other people.
Schooling imparts knowledge and wisdom to a student in such a way that the strong foundation of values helps the student face challenges involved in all the aspects of life.
Schooling brings forth the aesthetic and creative abilities of the student thus enabling him to experiment, learn from the experience and raise the level of awareness needed for the overall growth.
Growth of the student
A student absorbs moral values from the school which helps him/her to respect others, develop team spirit and place others before self.
Secular values are inculcated in every student as they are encouraged by the school to exhibit their talents at various cultural events.
A student is prepared to face the world and be able to overcome hurdles in life by finding suitable solutions to the problems faced.
Reasons for studying in universities
Students have many reasons to study in universities, but the most common are employment, skill development, career and earning.
Attending university is not just about getting a degree but about acquiring skills and performing non-academic activities which prove beneficial for the students in their career and life.
Possessing a university qualification gives the student the advantage and skills to secure full time employment in the competitive market.
A university degree provides the student with the specialist knowledge needed for a specific career and also develops the eight highly valued skills, such as communication, team work, problem-solving, taking initiative, planning and organising, self-management, learning and technology.
Utilisation of skills in daily life
The skills that a student gains at university can prove valuable in a variety of job and life situations, as most people tend to change their careers several times throughout their working lives.
The teachers and career advisors of a school need to guide and advise a student with choosing the right high school subjects, in order to enable the student to select a suitable university degree accordingly.
In a rightly chosen university degree, a student will get to study in a particular field of interest and develop the skills and knowledge that can be applied to obtain a satisfying and rewarding career.
Scope for the student
After successful completion of the university education, a student has the opportunity to learn beyond the lecture classes and laboratories, as he/she stands to gain practical work experience through internship or the subsequent work placement.
After all the perseverance, the student begins to reap the benefits by exploring the potential of great earnings.
Reforms
Educated people bring about a radical change in the society by making a constant progress in evolving the people and environment to provide steady growth and stability.
Reforms in the curriculum and the education system are necessary in accordance with the ever changing situations of academic life.
Needs of schooling
Schooling is the basis on which students develop their intellectual skills after which they perfect their field of study by constantly studying, experimenting and learning.
Hence, schooling is absolutely essential for a student to grow in totality, keeping pace with the modern day realistic requirements.
Click here for getting Unit I notes- Unit 1
STUDYING SCHOOL SUBJECTSPrepared by
Sabarish P
(MSc Physics, MEd, NET)Contact: pklsabarish@gmail.com
