Programme 365, Barbara Schneider on the Sociology of Education (8-5-19)

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney

Theme tune by David Vesey

This week on the programme my guest is Professor Barbara Schneider from Michigan State University. She uses sociology and psychology in her work and talks about how that works. She discusses optimal learning moments in science teaching and learning and about helping students make transitions from middle school to high school. Here are my notes on some of the topics discussed:

• How sociology has always about equal educational opportunity, access and social justice
• The development of adolescence in context
• How relationships created in school affect the inequality students experience in schools
• Why relational trust in school is so important
• The importance of student welfare
• How they studied flow in the classroom
• Converting flow into “optimal learning moments”
• The “in it to win it” app and the College Ambition Program
• How teachers can prepare for “optimal learning moments”
• Why it’s important for children to learn science at school
• A hybrid model of professional development for teachers
• Problems with poorly-equipped science labs in schools

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