Transcript Critical Theories on Education

Critical Theories on Education
Objectives:Understand that critical theories
question traditional perspectives
Know what critical theories say about
education.
Critical Theories
• Functionalists have a view of education that seems
optimistic and unrealistic to many sociologists. Marxists
view the education system as being a form of mind control.
Neither picture is entirely satisfactory. Sociologists have
therefore looked at other ways of explaining how education
works. These other theories are known as critical theories
because they criticize society and attempt to change
society itself and to examine how people look at the world.
They include
• Neo-Marxism
• Post Modernism
• Feminism
Paul Willis’s Ethnographic study
• Read page 2 to top of page 3 of booklet
• Summarise the work of Paul Willis in your own
words 1-2 paragraphs.
• Outline the characteristics of anti-school subculture according to Willis.
• You have 20 minutes
Evaluations of Willis
• Identify three criticisms of Willis’ work
• Add these to your previous paragraph using
evaluative language.
• You have 10 minutes
Critical Theories
• Summarise the key points of each of the
critical theories in relation to education.
Include a piece of research evidence with each
summary
• Write your summaries on your blog
• You have 20 minutes
Plenary
• Check key terms
• Can you define them in your own words?
Feminism
Feminists argue that education helps to
reinforce the patriarchal nature of modern
society i.e. the belief that society is male
controlled and dominated. Feminism has
many different strands:
Feminism
Liberal Feminists
• Liberal feminists argue that legislation and
education can help to change gender inequalities
in society.
• Many believe that this gradual process has had a
great success rate already – males and females
have access to equal opportunities in education.
Feminism
Marxist Feminists
• Marxist feminists blame the capitalist system for
forcing women into the supporting role of
wife/mother at home and in lower positions in the
workforce.
• Education helps to preserve these expectations on
both men and women.
Feminism
Radical Feminism
• Radical feminists focus on the violent nature of
patriarchy.
• The school classroom and playground are where
this male violence (both physical and emotional) is
learned.
Feminism
Black Feminism
• Black feminists argue that black females suffer
different problems to white females.
• Their differential treatment at school by teachers
and other students suggest that we should look at
the situation of black women separately.
Feminism
Walby 1999
• Sylvia Walby argues that many of the above
approaches should be combined to give a more
holistic (complete) picture.
• She advocates a ‘triple system theory’ where
patriarchy, ethnicity and social class need to be
considered to give a full understanding of the
issues surrounding gender inequality.
Feminism
Post-Feminism
• Post feminists in line with post modern thinking
argue that there is no single meaning to being a
‘woman’.
• Working class women have different experiences
from middle class women, gay women have
different experiences from straight women, gay
working class women have different
experiences…etc.
• Consequently no overall theory can explain gender
differences.
Post Modernism
Postmodernism means literally ‘after the modern era’. The modern
era was a time of certainty and stretched from the 18th century to
the late 20th century.
Postmodernists believe that this era was far more predictable than
the times we live in today, e.g. jobs were for life and class was a
major source of identity.
Since around the 1970’s we have been living in times
characterised by risk and diversity.
Consequently this has had huge implications for education .
Post Modernism
Moore and Hickox 1994
• argue that such policies as the National Curriculum
are doomed to failure because they can’t keep up
with the increasingly diverse nature of society.
• The continual testing, target setting and recording of
results is seen as an attempt to keep some kind of
order.
Post Modernism
Criticisms
• Some argue that no such thing as a post-modern
world exists and that issues such as social class are
just as important today as ever.
• Postmodernists criticise sociological theories for
being ‘meta-narratives’ (large all embracing
explanations).
• However, in putting forward their views are not
postmodernists falling into the same trap?
Post Modernists and Feminists
• Continue reading to bottom of page 4 and
answer the last five questions at the back of
the booklet.
• You have 20 minutes