education and religion module 7

ch 16 education . textbook . ch 15 religion

Formal education

describes the learning of academic facts and concepts through a formal curriculum

Informal education

describes learning about cultural values, norms, and expected behaviors by participating in a society. This type of learning occurs both through the formal education system and at home

ex: we learn important life skills that help us get through the day and interact with each other, including how to dress for different occasions, how to perform regular tasks such as shopping for and preparing food, and how to keep our bodies clean

cultural transmission

refers to the way people come to learn the values, beliefs, and social norms of their culture. Both informal and formal education include cultural transmission.

For example, a student will learn about cultural aspects of modern history in a U.S. History classroom. In that same classroom, the student might learn the cultural norm for asking a classmate out on a date through passing notes and whispered conversations.

universal access

This term refers to people’s equal ability to participate in an education system

functionalism

view education as one of the more important social institutions in a society.

two kinds of functions: manifest (or primary) functions, which are the intended and visible functions of education; and latent (or secondary) functions, which are the hidden and unintended functions.

Education also provides one of the major methods used by people for upward social mobility. This function is referred to as social placement

Another role of schools, according to functionalist theory, is that of ___, or classifying students based on academic merit or potential.

sorting

conflict theory

Conflict theorists do not believe that public schools reduce social inequality. Rather, they believe that the educational system reinforces and perpetuates social inequalities that arise from differences in class, gender, race, and ethnicity.

Where functionalists see education as serving a beneficial role, conflict theorists view it more negatively.

To them, educational systems preserve the status quo and push people of lower status into obedience.

education does not provide opportunities, but instead maintains an established configuration of power.

cultural capital

• cultural knowledge that serves (metaphorically) as currency to help one navigate a culture

• For example, there has been a great deal of discussion over what standardized tests such as the SAT truly measure. Many argue that the tests group students by cultural ability rather than by natural intelligence.

Conflict theorists point to tracking, a formalized sorting system that places students on “tracks” (advanced versus low achievers) that perpetuate inequalities. While educators may believe that students do better in tracked classes because they are with students of similar ability and may have access to more individual attention from teachers, conflict theorists feel that tracking leads to self-fulfilling prophecies in which students live up (or down) to teacher and societal expectations (Education Week 2004).

symbolic interactionism

Symbolic interactionism sees education as one way that labeling theory is seen in action. A symbolic interactionist might say that this labeling has a direct correlation to those who are in power and those who are labeled. For example, low standardized test scores or poor performance in a particular class often lead to a student who is labeled as a low achiever. Such labels are difficult to “shake off,” which can create a self-fulfilling prophecy (Merton 1968).

Credentialism

the emphasis on certificates or degrees to show that a person has a certain skill, has attained a certain level of education, or has met certain job qualifications

Head Start program

which is still active and successful today, was developed to give low-income students an opportunity to make up the preschool deficit discussed in Coleman’s findings. The program provides academic-centered preschool to students of low socioeconomic status

No Child Left Behind Act

which requires states to test students in grades three through eight. The results of those tests determine eligibility to receive federal funding. Schools that do not meet the standards set by the Act run the risk of having their funding cut. S

ociologists and teachers alike have contended that the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act is far more negative than positive, arguing that a “one size fits all” concept cannot apply to education.

animism

the religion that believes in the divinity of nonhuman beings, like animals, plants, and objects of the natural world

denomination

a large, mainstream religion that is not sponsored by the state

ecclesia

a religion that is considered the state religion

established sects

sects that last but do not become denominations

liberation theology

the use of a church to promote social change via the political arena

monotheism

a religion based on belief in a single deity

polytheism

a religion based on belief in multiple deities

religion

a system of beliefs, values, and practices concerning what a person holds to be sacred or spiritually significant

religious beliefs

specific ideas that members of a particular faith hold to be true

religious experience

the conviction or sensation that one is connected to “the divine”

sect

a small, new offshoot of a denomination

totemism

the belief in a divine connection between humans and other natural beings