School Culture

School Culture, Learning Culture

DESCRIPTION OF THE UNIT:

This unit prepares students for a school visit. It uses the concept of school culture as a theoretical framework for preparation, as this concept shows the hidden parts of school life that may link to school dropout as well. We assume that if teachers are aware of these factors, they can consider this in their future work to prevent dropout. First (lecture) students familiarise themselves and create common knowledge of definitions and levels of school culture. After this section, students work on different tasks in groups: they collect questions and observation criteria, and discuss the potential bias arising from a school visit. In the final section, the groups present the teamwork results to the whole group and participants reflect on the presentation of each group.

The unit is linked to previous readings and to the unit “Insideness and Outsideness in Humanistic Geography.”

OBJECTIVES:

support students in gaining a broader perspective on school life. The emphasis is primarily on school culture
support the participants in preparing for the school visit and in designing and evaluating the experience they gained there
raise students' awareness of the complex nature of school culture

EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of this unit the learners will be able to...

... identify different levels of school culture and to connect the concept of school culture with their activities during school visit
…. prepare appropriate interview questions and observation criteria that are related to diversity and drop-out
… recognise and reflect on their own bias that affects their experiences during a school visit
… present their views on school experiences in an intercultural environment and to reflect on the beliefs and experiences of the others

APPLIED METHODOLOGIES:

This unit will be conducted in an interactive manner and will require a great deal of student participation. Most of the activities will be conducted in mixed small groups which help students to critically reflect on the cultural characteristics of their own school system.

Section 1: Warm up activity: Students in small groups collect conventions specific to their education system/university and discuss the similarities and differences.

Section 2: Introductory presentation by the lecturer. Whole group discussion about questions referring to school culture.

Section 3: Collaborative work: Students in mixed small groups collect questions and observation criteria for school visit, and discuss the possible bias that may arise during the visit.

Section 4: Group work presentation: Small groups present the results of their collaborative work to the whole group. Students give feedback on the work of each group.

REFERENCES:

Schein, E. H. (1985). Organizational culture and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Bounds, Greg, Adams, Mel, & Yorks, Lyle. (1994). Beyond Total Quality Management: Toward The Emerging Paradigm. Singapore: McGaw-Hill.
Tierney, W. G. (1988). Organizational Culture in Higher Education: Defining the Essentials. The Journal of Higher Education, 59(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.2307/1981868
(Pannucci, C. J., & Wilkins, E. G. (2010). Identifying and Avoiding Bias in Research. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 126(2), 619–625. http://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181de24bc)
https://phdinahundredsteps.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/bias-blindspot.jpg