Sociology
Curriculum Intent
Sociology, in the department of Social Science at Harris Academy Beckenham, has been developed and designed to facilitate a rigorous curriculum. We not only teach content as per the AQA specification, but also augment this with the students' experiential background, complimented by opportunities to consolidate, bridge and expand their knowledge through enrichments such as Mindfulness and Wellbeing society, trips to galleries, theatres, prisons, courts, museums, lectures series and conferences, research and literature reviews.
This will give students a viable option in preparation for studying at university, engaging in work to be economically active or enhance their lifelong learning. All Sociology students at HABE will develop transferable skills relevant to their social and employability prospects. These skills include independence of thought, critical analysis, investigative and presentation skills. This is possible as all Sociology students will learn to synthesise complex arguments in line with theoretical paradigms and empirical evidence before arriving at a conclusion; in addition, they will develop competence and confidence in literacy and oracy, mathematical and problem-solving skills which are embedded in all aspects of the curriculum.
In Sociology the dissemination of content is done in an enjoyable and engaging manner with practitioners employing a range of teachings styles that promotes, facilitates, and enhances the learning experiences of all students resulting in them being and feeling supported, stretched, and challenged. All Sociology students at Harris Academy Beckenham will develop and sustain their enthusiasm for the subject.
For further details of the Sociology curriculum please see the documents at the bottom of the page or contact Mrs. E. Hamlin.
Implementation
Harris Academy Buckenham historically has a strong culture of collaboration both at the academy level (through, SAMS, cross departmental engagements and CPD installments) and federation wide (ESS meetings, conferences, network huskings and further CPD instalments); this level of collaborative best practice will facilitate practitioners effectively disseminating content making them confident and competent in their practice.
Staff under the new teaching and learning developmental drop-ins are further supported in pedologically sound delivery of content along with student engagement and the above mentioned are effective tools in the implementation of the Sociology curriculum, using the frame work of the four part lesson approach of Recap and Feedback, teacher in- put ( I- Do), Understanding ( We do), deliberate practice ( you do). Examples are teachers support of the effective implementation of the Sociology curriculum is born out of the DDI observation cycles, which has embedded within- constructive feedback given within 24 hours and agreed targets where the practitioner has a week to reflect and put the targets into practice in time for the next DDI. Secondly, the academy has a continuous professional development programme which tends to augment the skills sets of practitioners to facilitate effective pedological delivery and student engagement, in addition, The head of Social Sciences encourages practitioners to actively take responsibility for their own pedological development and enroll ( with collaboration) on any developmental training course they deem to be useful to their practice as well as compliments the teaching and learning expectations of the academy. Finally, the department actively encourages team teaching, peer observation with constructive feedback to facilitate reflective practice.
Integral to the department of Social Sciences (and sociology) is checking for understanding and assessments. This is because they invariably measure; as well as; indicate the progress of students and areas of misconceptions or gaps in students’ learning and knowledge with must be corrected or bridged. To facilitate and ensue students achieve mastery and are successful; Sociology in the department of Social Sciences department will use the following: formative (assessment for learning) to continuously check for students’ understanding and learning. The reasons for this are predicated on the fact that AfL improves the long-term recall for students as well as, informs and assess pedological delivery and impact of students learning to access of the curriculum- this is made possible given the real time feedback in providing evidence of students learning and attainment. Examples of how the given is achievable is not only by questions and answers - pose, pause, pounce, but through discovery learning and presentation (flip learning), group related tasks and presentation, quizzes, deliberate practice and whole lesson feedback, PLC’s etc.
Summative assessments (tests, projects, presentations, or mocks are used by the department at the end of a unit, month, or term to evaluate students’ mastery of content. In adhering to the academy’s protocol, a question level analysis is completed after a summative assessment. The purpose of the QLA is to provide the department and the practitioner with a detailed outline of areas of student’s mastery and areas of concerns that the practitioner will need to either reteach or provide requisite interventions for each student. This process also feeds into the wider narrative with further discussions with colleagues, MLT and SLT strategies of intervention and a postmortem as to the students lack progress or no mastery
Impact
In keeping with the ethos of the academy and its culture of collaboration the Sociology curriculum in the department of Social Sciences was facilitated after consultation with colleagues in the department, colleagues in other departments such as Mathematics, English, Science ( to enable deep dive and a vocabulary rich curriculum) this complimented by the requirements of the examinations board’s specification in conjunction with our students’ experiential background as disseminating content that matters and value added seeks only to enrich and enhance the knowledge and learning of students thereby delivering positive outcomes. This is also a deliberate approach to ensure the Sociology in the department of Social Sciences = address challenges that students are likely to face and to give them the best possible chance of enabling their full potential. Sociology in the department of Social Sciences holds that all students completing the course will be able to effectively solve problems by applying knowledge gained through real life situations, adapt to change and be resilient to failure, be aware of their own thought processes, be articulate and express themselves coherently, and be critical thinkers with great outcomes. Sociology in the department of Social Sciences want all students at HABE to be strong in relation to the following attributes: leadership, organisation, resilience, Initiative, and communication. We want our students to recognise and appreciate the fundamental British Values and be model citizens
Sociology in the department of Social Sciences will equip students with the knowledge, understanding and skills to understand themselves and their interactions with the world around them. The engaging curriculum will allow students to connect with and explore the way people think and behave, their social and cultural environment and the people within it, including past, present and the future.
Sociology at HABE allow young people to understand and connect with their communities by developing knowledge and understanding of issues that are relevant to them, allowing them to develop their moral, social, and cultural understanding, promoting tolerance and respect for people from all walks of life whilst developing critical thinking skills and becoming effective problem solvers. Sociology in the department is proud to be at the vanguard of helping students to understand how to learn effectively and be successful at HABE and beyond.
Sociology
Sociology focuses on the ways that individuals are affected by the people around them (families, friends, the media etc.) and the social groups they belong to. The AQA Sociology specification is the most suitable for our students as the topics are relevant to issues that affect our students and their communities. Lessons aim to offer insight and explain social patterns in contemporary society which are relevant to our students. For e.g., explanations for the rise in youth knife crime, explanations for differences in ethnic and gender achievement in education, why are fewer people marrying and more divorcing today? These are all issues that our students find interesting and are eager to learn more about to better understand the world around them.
The key skills of a sociologist are:
- Up to date with current issues (politics, world news & events, mass media, the environment).
- Prepared to challenge the views of others and have their own views challenged also.
- Critical thinker.Uses empirical evidence to support arguments in debates.
- Has a sense of self and is able to identify their strengths & weaknesses as a learner.
- Prepared to have their mind changed as they evolve over time.
