PDP – Ideology and Prejudice

Overall I feel I have learned that prejudice is something all people can experience, whether it may be based on their race, gender, religion etc. The power point also revealed to me that my prejudices are influenced by people in my micro and macro world and showed that prejudices are formed in the format of: learned prejudices, early learning, later learning until the behaviour becomes automatic and prejudice. However I feel like I need to look into examples of how these prejudices are formed through this process to fully understand it.  However I feel I may have to do further research into the affective, behavioural and cognitive theories that were highlighted within the presentation when the difference between prejudice and discrimination was being discussed.  As well as this I feel I will need to explore Pettigrew’s theory of conformity in prejudice. Having seen the types of people directly affected by prejudice I feel I may be affected by prejudice throughout my career. Despite teaching, specifically primary education, being a predominately female profession, women still struggle to reach the top of their professions and so therefore I may struggle to get promotions over male candidates. After learning of the agents of socialisation to be media, family, peers, education and technology, I feel like I need to research examples of each agent to understand how it affects prejudice.

The Holmes – Rahe Stress Inventory

After completing the Holmes Rahe Stress Inventory I scored 117. Thus the test therefore stated that I have experienced a relatively low amount of life change and so had a low susceptibility to stress-induced health breakdown. Looking over these questions it has highlighted to me that I have not experienced many of these life changes listed in this test however I have dealt with similar situations. For example one of the high causes of stress listed in this test was divorce, however being only 19 I have not yet experienced marriage. I have however experienced the break-down of a long term relationship which I feel can have just as much of an impact on a person. I did relate to some of the items listed on the test such as the experiencing the death of a loved one and felt it was particularly difficult to deal with because it happened so suddenly. However I feel that over time I have been able to grieve and come to terms with my emotions and feel like although it caused me stress at the time, I am more at peace with what has happened. I also related to the stress of going on holiday because I hate airports and the whole experience of being in an airport is stressful from start to finish; from trying to find the gate, to trying to get your flight on time, to trying to find your luggage at the baggage claim. Another thing I relate to on the list is having a major change in my eating habits. As I have my exams soon I channel my stress through eating junk food and so have put on weight. This then makes me have a negative self image about myself which causes me more stress and discomfort. I also began studying at university this year which caused me to feel really stressed and anxious as I had attended university prior to this course and had found that course unfitting to my personality academically. Therefore by already having this bad experience in my memory I was stressed that this would have the same outcome. However after almost completing my first year in this university I am no longer stressed as I am aware that I have made the right decision and I am happier now than I had been this time last year.

Inclusion and Equality: Focus on Disability

According to the Equality Act 2010, a person has a disability if s/he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

As part of our tutorial we were given different scenarios which had occurred within a school environment and are asked to decide in groups whether we felt that discrimination was occurring. For example one scenario included a deaf child being excluded from a school trip to see a play because it was felt the child would not benefit from it and was instead to stay behind in school and watch a video of the play themselves. We felt this was discriminatory towards the child as they were being excluded from the class activity because they have a disability  and were forcibly being isolated from the rest of their peers. We felt this could have negative effects on the child’s confidence and prevents the child from interacting and communicating with other children and therefore this solution was not in the best interest of the child. Thus we felt that that the school could try to come up with better solutions to accommodate the child such as giving them a copy of the script to read prior to seeing the play. Another idea was to ask the theatre if they offer interpreters for deaf people. After having done these scenarios it became apparent to me that it can be easy to discriminate against people having felt that it was in the best interest of the child, however it is important to ask the person themselves how they feel and what they feel would benefit them most to then have the most effective outcome.

As part of our second tutorial we were asked to describe a situation in which we witnessed discrimination. In our groups we discussed a situation where a girl suffered from a mental disability which caused her to have difficulty interacting with others and certain words would cause her to scream. As a result of this other children would say the words to cause the girl to scream for their own amusement. We felt like the school had not taken enough action to encourage the girl to socialise with other children or ensure that other children were being accommodating the the girls mental disability.

 

Inclusion and Inequality

According to Nelson and Prilleltensky (2010), inclusion affects people who have been discriminated against and oppressed by aspects such as gender, sexual orientation, ethnoracial background, abilities, age 0r some other characteristics. Sexism, heterosexism, racism, ableism and ageism are all examples of social exclusion. Inclusion is a solution to exclusion and can be conceptualised at different levels of analysis.

Nelson and Prilleltensky (2010) also states that there are three levels of inclusion. At the individual level, inclusion entails the recovery of a positive personal and political identity. The relational level of inclusion means welcoming communities and supportive relationships. At the societal level, inclusion is concerned with the promotion of equality and access to valued social resources that have historically been denied to oppressed people.

Also Nelson and Prilleltensky (2010) explains that inclusion is important as failure to promote it can lead to oppression. Different forms of exclusion can sometimes intersect and so some disadvantaged people experience double or triple jeopardy.

Thompson (2011) states that to encourage equality, for many people, means to encourage sameness to see difference as a problem to e solved or difficulty to be avoided.

Lynch and Baker (2005) explains that there are five key dimensions of equality of conditions. They are resources, respect and recognition, love, care and solidarity, power and working and learning. Equality of resources refers to income and wealth, social capital like family and social networks. Equal respect and recognition refers to equal rights and the privileges of citizenship, and the acceptance and appreciation of differences. Societies should be arranged in ways that make equal access to love, care and solidarity likely. This can be done through education, employment, transportation networks, care facilities, etc. Equal access to power is facilitated through civil and political rights, including the right of groups to political representation or their right to education in minority languages. It also involves the extension of democratic principles to all areas of society.Work is a potential source of personal development and a potential burden. Everyone should have a right to some form of potentially satisfying work, there should be limits to inequality in the burdens of work. Everyone should benefit from engaging and satisfying learning.

All Allport’s (1954) scale of prejudice and discrimination goes in the order of antilocution, avoidance, discrimination , physical attack and extermination.

However I am still unsure what all of these concepts mean and so intend to read over my notes and make my own notes too study. Also during the tutorial I was only able to research Mel Ainsow and Nancy Fraser and so will need to two further research into other philosophisers.

Religion, Culture and Unchurched Spirituality PDP

From the religion, culture and unchurched spirituality powerpoint I learned that religion influences culture and culture influences religion. Religious culture is a form of identity, whether that may be through food, dress and even music, whereas religion is a way of life which has an impact on national culture through laws and education as well as relationships.

Many social issues revolve around religious culture such as material claims. Religion encourages altruism. Religious communities have throughout time provided people in need with material resources such as food, shelter, educational resources and care of the vulnerable. Another social issue revolving around religious culture is claims of community. Religions provide not only the material framework for decent but also people to relate. This makes individuals tackling social problems part of a wider community tackling the same problems. A third social issue which revolves around religious culture can be spiritual claims as it creates a “spiritual” community for its believers and spiritual belongingness influences how believers as a collective body live on this earth in preparation for the afterlife.

However religion can be susceptible to internal extremist forces as it can be easily hijacked by fundamentalist forces who can misuse it to promote violence and conflict. As well as this some aspects of religion are known to inhibit deviant tendencies. For example, certain  aspects of Scientology are problematic as are some Islamic practices which are known to incite controversy on the ethics of veiling or so-called “honour” killing. Also some religious adherents refuse medical treatments if these are in conflict with their religious beliefs. Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, don’t to accept blood transfusions on religious grounds.

I have understood

Max Weber states that as culture, Christianity (Protestantism) contributed to the success of socio-economic patters in the Western world as protestantism enabled the ideological atmosphere in which a capitalist system could thrive in Europe.

Karl Marx reduced religion to socio-economic causes and stated that religion was used as a tool of the ruling class to oppress the masses. His view was that religion gives false consciousness in oppressed people to accept their predicament as religion promises of better life after death was a capitalist illusion.

Bruce Lincoln stated that religion, like all culture, should be approached as a negotiation of power through rhetoric, by paying attentions questions such as “Who speaks.. to what audience.. who wins what, and how much? Who conversely loses?”

However I still can’t fully recognise why religions are dominated by spirituality and how there are overlaps between religion and spirituality. Thus I intend to read over the powerpoint and do further research into this.

I feel I have better understanding of the impact religion has on culture and how much influence it can have on a persons life. I also have further knowledge on the social issues which revolve around religion and feel I could teach these to my class as part of a religious education lesson.

Religion, Society and Diversity Reflection PDP

After listening to the power point I have learned that Religion can be approached in two ways. The inside approach is the study and practice of one’s own religion where it is assumed that the belief in question is true. Whereas religion viewed from the outside approach is a neutral and non-committed view of religion where there is no interested to know whether the faith in question is true or false. There are also different types of religion. An established religion is a religion that has been around for a long period of time and has established roots. A sect has the characteristics of counter-culture, trying to introduce some kind of radical change. Finally, a cult is a group with more radical ideas and practices, which falls outside the sphere of the main religion within society. The power point also explores the functions of religion under the headings: dealing with life-crises; social relations; unites people within the group; sentiments and structure; peace in the community; basic needs; identity and explanation and meaning.

By participating in the independent task I was able to analyse the research exhibited by social psychologist and philosopher, Emile Durkheim, in more depth. His findings were mainly based on how societies maintain their integrity and coherence in modernity and understand how religion comes to be and what it does. According to Durkheim religious rules of conduct direct people in specific religious groups on how they are expected to behave in the presence of the divine or sacred objects. Therefore Durkheim states that religious beliefs and practices unite a group into one single moral community and as this is a collective affair, it serves to bind the group together. For Durkheim, diversity is generally a negative factor for religious faith because it brings competition and disputes between groups over the “ultimate truths”.

 

I found the tutorial useful as we were able to discuss in groups particular aspects of religious diversity. Specifically, my group discussed the consequences of religious diversity, which I felt was valuable as I could listen to other people’s opinions and undertake points others had made that I hadn’t thought of. We came to the conclusion that there were in fact several negative aspects of religious diversity. For example the transition from a minority to a majority religion could bring resistance from other religious groups. Another example is that an increase in religious diversity may require styles and management of care in public institutions to be altered to suit circumstances such as diet and places of worship. A final example is that it can also lead to conflict when alternative or new religions in a country challenge widely held norms such as religious freedom. The tutorial also allowed us to listen to the other groups’ answers to their questions, which I felt helped to expand my knowledge on those particular areas such as what benefits are created from religious diversity.

 

I feel by listening to the power point presentation I am able to establish the functions of religion as it highlighted research exhibited by several scholars. For example Bronislaw Malinowski outlines a function of religion, under the heading “Basic Needs”, that magic fulfils a psychological need in times of fear and provides a sense of security necessary to complete economic tasks such as fishing. A.R Radcliffe-Brown also outlines a function of religion, under the heading “Sentiments and Structure”, that religion helps to support values and attitudes which keep a society working together harmoniously. Thirdly Emile Durkheim outlines a function of religion, under the heading “Unites People Within the Group”, that religious rites provide rules of conduct to govern how people in a specific religious group should behave in the presence of the divine or sacred objects. Finally M.F.C Bourdillon outlines a function of religion, under the heading “Social Relations”, that certain rituals are performed to help people in their transition from one stage to another at key points in their life. I also feel I now have a stronger knowledge of the negative and positive aspects of religious diversity by engaging in the tutorial and by reading through the written material given at the beginning of the lecture. For example a positive aspect of religious diversity is that religious institutions may be agents of social integration as public voices and sources of social support. An example of a negative aspect of religious diversity is that religious groups may be unbeneficial by promoting conflict through negative representations of other communities, encouraging minatory separation or attempting to undermine the social order.

 

I am still unfamiliar with the concept of how religious diversity is managed and how it is measured/ analysed in a nation state. However I intend to read over the written material we received at the beginning of the lecture as it contains in depth knowledge of these topics.

 

I feel I have a better understanding of the latent functions of religion, however I feel I still don’t have an in depth knowledge of all functions of religion. Therefore I intend to read through the power point again and take notes of research done by scholars who state the functions of religion.

 

Now that I have participated in todays lectures and tutorial I feel this has benefited me, particularly when I intend to teach religious education. By being able to explain to children what the functions of religion are and what benefits and consequences relate to religious diversity this will enable the children to reach their own informed opinion on religion.

 

I feel I could improve on my knowledge of criticism of religion as a culture by reading through my materials such as the power point presentation and written materials.

Reflections on Placement

Introduction

Starting on the 31st of October I completed my one week placement at Newmilns Primary School.  One hundred and seven pupils attend Newmilns Primary and all classes, apart from primary seven consist of composite classes. I was placed in several classes throughout the week which allowed me to experience different levels of learning within different age groups. By being placed in different classes each day I was able to interact with several different teachers and observe their individual teaching styles.  During my time in class I worked with individual groups for literacy and mathematics. For example in my primary seven class I took a guided reading group. For this we read a chapter of a book and whilst doing so the pupils would highlight the grammar used within the book and write down words they didn’t understand so that they could look them up in a dictionary. Using my self-evaluation checklist I was able reflect on my strengths and weaknesses within both verbal and non-verbal communication. This then allowed me to create next steps which would enable me to build on my communication skills and further my progress when I go on my next placement. I was also peer assessed by another UWS student which highlighted to me areas of weakness within my communication skills that I hadn’t observed myself. Therefore by being made aware of these issues I was then able to build on that feedback and create an action plan to resolve them. However during our placement my partner and I were situated in different classes each day and were only allocated a short time slot in which we could both be together to complete our peer assessments. Throughout the week I was involved in a range of activities within literacy and mathematics lessons which enabled me to complete eight observation tasks. Each class used a variety of teaching methods within these lessons which allowed me to complete the tasks. For example whilst in my primary two/three class I played board games with a group of pupils to help them consolidate their knowledge of addition and subtraction. I also participated in a mathematics lesson outside where the class used objects they found in  the playground to create symmetrical images to teach them about reflective and rotational symmetry. Although by being placed in a different class each day my notes were limited to one lesson and I was unable to see how the next lesson was used to build on the pupils’ prior knowledge.

Strength

During my placement at Newmilns Primary I concluded that my use of body language proved to be my strongest aspect of communication.   For example, during literacy in my primary seven class I had written words up on the board for a group of pupils for a spelling test. As I explained to them how I would be conducting the spelling test I used hand gestures to direct their attention to the board. Also whilst giving this explanation I maintained good posture so that I seemed confident. I also ensured that I faced the whole class and maintained an open stance when delivering these instructions.  Also when I had to deliver instructions   I gave good eye contact to keep the pupils engaged. As I observed the pupils I moved around the room to make my presence known and when a pupil asked a question I bent down to their level to seem more approachable and to allow the child to feel more relaxed.

Area Requiring Progress

After completing my placement at Newmilns Primary I found that I could improve some areas of my oral communication. Living in East Ayrshire I have adopted a thick accent which I now realise could create  communication barriers. I found that when I was delivering instructions to the whole class I would feel nervous and so I would speak at a faster pace which was sometimes too fast for the pupils. I also found that I wouldn’t enunciate some words properly and would use colloquial terms such as “ken” when speaking to the pupils. As well as this I also noticed that when I was giving an explanation, I would sometimes use the terms like “em” and “eh” when I was thinking about what to say next.

Action Plan

Before giving an explanation or starting a lesson I should research and make notes on what I am about to talk about. After this I should roughly plan my lesson so that I am prepared in what I’m about to say so that I won’t need to constantly think about what I’m going to say next. Also by preparing my lesson I can then practice my lesson a few times before delivering it to the class. Therefore I can spend less time thinking about the content of the lesson and focus more on how I deliver it. As a result of this I can then be more aware of my pace and by having practiced my lesson I’ll feel less nervous and so I feel my pace would slow down naturally. As well as this I feel I should become more conscious of what type of vocabulary I use and try to enunciate words clearly when speaking to pupils and other members of staff so that I am recognised as a professional.

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