CPE 102 COVERAGE - A.“THE SCHOOL AS CULTURAL INSTITUTION”

• CULTURE – Wincek (1995) further stated that cultures comprise of intertwining of assumptions, values, beliefs from which a group’s norms, practices, rituals, and meaning emerge
• culture is an ordered system of meaning and of symbols in terms of which social Interaction take place (Tharp. 2009).
• School culture is characterized bydeeply rooted traditions, values, and beliefs, some ofwhich are common across schools and some of whichare unique and embedded in a particular schoo’shistory and location.
• OTHER CULTURES IN SCHOOL- In every school, thereare several cultures existing. Pupil cultures, teachercultures, leadership cultures, non-teaching staffcultures, and even parent cultures do exist.
• INDIVIDUALISM- refers to classrooms as“egg-crates” or “castles”. Autonomy,isolation and insulation prevail, and blameand support are avoided.
• COLLABORATION- refers to the teacherswho choose, spontaneously and voluntarily,to work together, without external controlagenda.
• CONTRIVED COLLEGIALITY- refers to theteacher’s collaborative workingrelationships which are compulsorilyimposed, with fixed times and places set forcollaboration.
• BALKANIZATION- refers to the teachers who are neither isolated nor work as a whole school, Smaller collaborative groups form, for example within secondary school departments, between senior and junior teachers.
• BELIEFS – are understandings about theworld around us, They are consciously held,cognitive views about truth and reality (Ott,1989).
• NORMS- are the unspoken rules for what is regardedas customary or acceptable behavior and actionwithin the school (Stoll, 1998).
• SCHOOL RITUALS, TRADITIONS, CEREMONIES - A lifedevoid of ritual and ceremony would be one withoutrichness and zest. The small daily rituals of our livesprovide time for reflection, connection, andmeaningful experience (Peterson and Deal, 2009).
• SCHOOL HISTORY AND STORIES- A schoo’s mission,vision, values, rituals, traditions, and ceremonies areall elements of the culture that are current andhappening in the present.