37

Module 2

INTRODUCTION
Society and education enable learners on
a path through the many roles in
contemporary societies that education
plays. This module offers a vivid and
stimulating introduction, philosophical
and sociological insights, and educational
changes that will serve as a basis for
courses like educational history,
educational foundations, critical
educational problems, and school and
society.

At the completion of Module 2, you

SOCIETY AND should be able to:

 Discuss the basic concepts of school

EDUCATION as a social system and how they
impact individual learners,
classrooms, schools and the larger
In this Module
community;
 Social Systems Model  Describe social interactions and their
 Key Elements of School as a importance in building harmonious
Social System relationship with the wider school
 The School as a Community community;
 School as a Learning Community  Seek advice concerning strategies that
build relationships with
parents/guardians and the wider
community; and
 Seek opportunities to establish
professional links with colleagues in
the school community.
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Lesson Social Systems Model

1

Objectives

 Discuss basic social system concepts and assumptions.

 Describe social system model.

Introduction
Hello! Are you ready to take the lesson 1 now? That sounds good!
Welcome to lesson 1, in module 2. This lesson introduces you about basic
social system concepts and assumptions, and the social system model. It
provides you readings and activities that will broaden your concepts and
understanding about the topic. As expected, at the end of the day, you will able
to describe the social system model with your own understanding. Ok, shall we
start now?

Mind Mapping

Mind Mapping

In this activity, you are

going to activate your
prior knowledge by
supplying associated Social
ideas around the main Systems
ideas which is Social
Systems.
 39

Analysis

5. Why do you think those terms you put up are associated with the
main idea, social systems?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

6. Do you believe that you are part of social systems? Why?

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

7. Can you give examples of social systems? Also, why your

examples are important? What are their roles?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

8. Do you have any idea about the social system model? What is the
model implying?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Abstraction

Let’s Build on!

Social System Concepts

 It is a model or organization that possess creativity beyond its component parts;
it is distinguished from its environment by a clearly defined boundary; it is
composed of subunits, elements and subsystems that are interrelated within
relatively stable patterns of social order (Olsen, 1970 as cited by Timado, 2014)

 As a social system the school aims to prepare the students to occupy social roles
according to their capacities after leaving the school.
 40

Basic Assumptions of Social Systems Model

a. Social Systems are open systems: School are affected by state mandates, by
politics, by history, and a host of other environmental forces.
b. Social Systems consists of interdependent parts, characteristics, and activities
that contribute to and receive from the whole: When the principal is confronted
by parental demands for new courses, not only is the principal affected directly
but also the teachers and students are affected.
c. Social systems are peopled: Teachers act on the basis of their needs, beliefs, and
goals as well as their roles.
d. Social systems are goal oriented: Student learning and control are just two of
many goals, but the central goal of any school system is the preparation of its
students for adult roles.
e. Social systems are structural: School systems have division of labor,
specialization and hierarchy.
f. Social systems are normative: Schools have formal rules and regulations as well
as informal norms that prescribe appropriate behavior.
g. Social systems are sanction bearing: Schools have formal mechanisms such as
expulsion, suspension, termination, tenure, and promotion as well as informal
sanctions that include the use of sarcasm, ostracism, and ridicule.
h. Social systems are political: Schools have power relations that inevitably affect
administrator and teacher activities.
i. Social systems have distinctive cultures: Schools have a dominant set of shared
values that influence behavior.
j. Social systems conceptual and relative: For one purpose, a classroom can be
considered a social system, but for other purposes, the school or school system
may be viewed as a social system.
k. All formal organizations are social systems: But all social systems are not
formal organizations.

https://images.app.goo.gl/3YhMv9wD2t9f95Ff8
 41

 As a social system, the school is described by an interdependence of parts,

clearly define population, differentiated from its environment, a complex
network of social relationships and its own unique culture.

 Structural System. It is similar to those of formal organizations.

Bureaucratic expectations rule organizational behavior. Roles that are
derived from those expectations are represented by positions in a hierarchy,
which distribute tasks to specialized individuals. The structure of social
systems inherits many elements from rational, natural and open systems
theories.

 Cultural System. It is similar to the emergence of informal organizations;

culture emerges from interactions of individuals within a system. Share
common values, beliefs, and thoughts, and share spirit of togetherness and
respect. Culture is the most visible aspect of the organizational life that
distinguishes it from others and it significantly affects behavior through
establishing commitment to shared norms among individuals.

 Political System. The politics emerges from the interaction of authority and
power within an organization. There are three sources of power in an
organization. Formal power originates from the structural system, the
cultural system produces informal power, and individuals have the power of
expertise. One advantage of the political system is that it forces a school to
be responsible to its environment. Schools must pay attention to external
pressures, respond to their demands, and produce outcomes. In other words,
schools are compelled to be open systems by political forces. Actually, the
political system is in strong relation with the open system, and share many
similarities.

 Individual system. Every individual interprets their roles according to their

behavior, such as teachers, learners, administrators and students. They have
needs, belief and dependent on the level of cognition to have knowledge,
understand tasks, and display the desired behavior. Since people are
important element of social systems, their positive feelings toward the
organization significantly affect the overall health of the system.
 42

Application

Star Diagram

1 Social 3
System
Model
5 4
 43

Closure
Good job! You are done successfully with the tasks and activities in lesson 1. It
is expected that you learned important insights about the topic and you can connect
your learnings to our next lesson. So, just enjoy and keep learning!

Lesson Key Elements of School as a

2 Social System

Objective

 Identify and explain some key elements of the school

as a social system.

Introduction
Hi! Welcome to lesson 2, which is the continuation of the previous lesson. I
assumed that you already understood the basic concepts and assumptions of social
system, and also the social system model. In this lesson you are going to identify
some key elements of school as a social system. You are expected to performed the
given tasks and activities for you to broaden your knowledge about the topic.
 44

Activity

Circle diagram
In this activity, you are going to write down related ideas
or concepts in the circle pertaining to the key elements of school
as a social system.

Feedback
Structure

Outcomes
Individual

Key Elements of
School as a
Social System
Environment Culture

Technical Politics
Core
 45

Analysis

1. Do you think that above elements of school as a social

system is very important? Why?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

2. What is the role of each element in school?

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

3. Are you affected as a pre-service teacher in these key

elements of school as asocial system? How?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

Abstraction

All social systems have some activities and functions that are accomplished in
a fairly stable fashion. For example, if we conceived of society itself a social system,
then the routine and imperative functions of educating, protecting, and governing are
performed by educational, legal and governmental institutions. In the picture below,
the major elements, or subsystems, of a social system behavior. Behavior in formal
organizations is influenced not only by structural and individual elements but also
cultural and political elements.

According to the social system model for schools, organizational performance

is determined by key internal elements such as structure, the individual, culture,
politics, technical core, environment, outcomes and feedback.
 46

https://images.app.goo.gl/pXs1msqC8PPLbjBW9

Key Elements of School as a Social System

A. Structure

Roles are expectations of positions that are arranged in a hierarchy.

Bureaucratic roles defined by sets of expectations, which are combined into
positions and offices in the organization. In schools, the position of principal,
teacher, and student are critical ones and each is defined in terms of set of
expectations. In short, formal organizations such as schools have structures
composed of bureaucratic expectations and roles, hierarchy of offices and
positions, rules and regulations, and specializations.

B. Individual

A key unit in any social system; regardless of position, people bring with
them individual’s needs, beliefs, and a cognitive understanding of the job.
Cognition is the individual’s use of mental representations to understand the job
in terms of perception, knowledge, and expected behavior.

C. Culture

Represents the unwritten feeling part of the organization and shared

values. There is a dynamic relationship between bureaucratic role demands and
individual work needs as people brought together in the workplace.
Organizations develop their own distinctive cultures. Cultures provides members
 47

with a commitment to beliefs and values beyond themselves and when culture is
strong, so is their identification with the group and the influence of the group.

D. Politics

Informal power relations that develop spontaneously. Political

dimension spawns the informal power relations that emerge, often to resist other
system of legitimate control. It is legitimate because it is behavior usually
designed to benefit the individual or group at the expense of the organization.

E. Technical Core: Teaching and learning

The teaching-learning process is the technical core of schools. All other

activities are secondary to the basic mission of teaching and learning, which
shapes the administrative decisions in schools. Learning occurs when there is
stable change in an individual’s knowledge or behavior.

F. Environment

Everything outside the organization but unlike physical system, social

systems are open, hence the boundaries are much ambiguous and the
environment more intrusive. Environment is critical to the organizational
functioning of schools. It is the system’s source of energy. It provides resources,
values, technology, demands, and history.

G. Outcomes

The products of the organizations, that is educated students.

Performance outcomes are indicators of goal accomplishment. It includes
indicators such achievement, job satisfaction, absenteeism, and overall
performance quality. The model assumes that the effective achievement of these
behavioral outcomes is a function of the degree of congruence among the system
elements.

H. Feedback Loops – Internal and external

Communication that monitors behavior. Feedback informs individuals

how bureaucratic structure and the informal organization view their behavior.
Although bureaucracy has formal mechanisms and the work group of informal
ones, both have internal and external loops. The formal school organization
provides an official definition of the position, its rank in the hierarchy, and a set
of expected behaviors that go with it. In fact, the bureaucratic has an established
incentive pattern for ensuring appropriate behavior. Behavior in schools also is
monitored through external feedback loops. The culture of the community
provides environmental constraints that directly influence bureaucratic
expectations, group norms, and organizational goals that indirectly influence
individual needs. In spite of attempts by a school to isolate itself, it remains open
to community, state and national forces.
 48

The social systems model gives a dynamic view of school, with the feedback
mechanisms and elements providing the action components. Good, bad and neutral
events occur constantly and dynamic nature of the system becomes even more evident
when we consider the ways that students, teachers, administrators affects one’s another
behavior.

Application
In this activity, you are going to write a scene or any situation that
pertain to the key elements of school as a social system.

Key Elements of School as a

Scene/Situation
Social System

Structure

Individual

Culture

Politics

Technical Core: Teaching and

learning

Environment
 49

Outcomes

Feedback Loops – Internal

and external

Closure
Well done! You completed the activities successfully for lesson 2. It is expected
that you gain insights about the key elements of school as a social model. Now, you
are ready to move to lesson 3 of this module. Just enjoy and keep on learning!

Lesson The School as a Community

3

Objectives

 Define school as a community.

 Discuss the relationship between school and the
community.

Introduction
Hello! You are now in the lesson 3 of this module. On the previous
lesson, you were tackling about the basic concepts and key elements of school
as a social system. In lesson 3, it introduces you about the school as a
community within the community and the relationship between school and the
community. It provides you readings and activities that will broaden your
concepts and understanding about the topic. Ok, shall we start now?
 50

Activity

Picture Analysis

Analyze the picture

at the right side.
Write down on the
space provided
below about your
observations and
analysis about the
scenario.

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Analysis
Analysis

1. What do you think is the connection of the picture with the

topic school as a community?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

2. How would you describe your school community?

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

3. Did your school participate in the community in which it

located? How? Cite an examples.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
 51

Abstraction

Defining schools as a community

Every school should be central to its local community. Administrators
and experts must understand that their school has become a community within a
community. Each member of the school will be members of their local community
reflecting beliefs and values, carried through the action, behavior and attitudes of the
learners, teaching and non-teaching staff, parents, and leaders in the community.
Community can be defined as multidimensional within the location, where the
influence of the environment and the system of control is there; structure, where the
administrative elements and guidance that determine equality provision; and process,
where the management of people and the development of a shared understanding of
beliefs and values. All members of the school, together with those with special
educational needs, as participants in the school and local community, should be
encouraged to have a shared commitment to the formation of the school community.
Individual must support, relate to each other, high involvement in understanding
of the goals and objectives to be achieved in an effective school. The purpose of these
goals is reflected, since the school mirrors the local community and share individuals
their beliefs and values. Also, the other purpose is an individual, as all members will
have their own identity with their personal goals and objectives. Lastly, collective, as
shared understanding of common beliefs and values will create a sense of community
bound together by a recognizable identity and geographical location.

School and community

It appears that the connection between the school and the community is not static but
develops on a continuum. The level at which the school reaches its community and vice
versa is their level of community orientation. There are three possible patterns of
connection between the school and the community as described in the educational
literature (Green, 2016):
 The closed door pattern: Knowing that the school is responsible for
educational development, social problems of a child, and its community
involvement, it is necessary that the school needs feedback from the
community. In the absence of constant input from the parents and the
community, the school will be unaware of changes occurring in these
systems, and hence will be unable to adapt itself and its curricula to these
changes and will keep deteriorating.

 The open door pattern: the school and the parents function as open systems,
so that the information moves freely in both directions. The school with an
open door policy creates the parent’s partners to their child’s educational
 52

process and attempts to become an influential factor in the life of the

community. A basic assumption of systems theory is that the open system is
considered to process the inputs of its external environment, only to return
the processed product to the environment for its use and benefit. In their adult
life they will produce a new generation of pupils, whose contribution to their
children’s education is anticipated to be greater than that of their parents’
generation.

 The balanced pattern: the school and the parents set the degree of
closeness or distance between them, in order to achieve their educational and
social goals to the optimal extent. When the distance is large, the school has
to bridge the gap and reach out to the community; when the distance is small,
the school has to close its gates somewhat.

Application

Reflected Journal

In what way I can actively involve in What were good things that I have done
school as a community? to school and community?

What else that I can contribute to the development of the partnership of school and
community?

Closure
Closure
Well done! You completed successfully the tasks and activities for lesson 3 on
the school as a community! It is expected that you gained insights about the relationship
of school and community. Now, you are ready to proceed to the next lesson of this
module. Enjoy and keep on learning!
 53

Lesson School as a Learning

4
Community
Objectives

 Define school as a learning community

 Describe community of practice
 Explain School Learning Action Cells (SLAC):
Professional Learning Communities

Introduction
A school as a learning community is one in which all members acquire new
ideas and accept responsibility for making the institution work. All workers in school
must feel free that their insights are valued and taken into account in community life.
In addition, parents and students have to be seen as participants in the life of the school,
not simply recipients of services that the professionals deemed important. In this lesson,
you will be undertaking community practices and understanding School Learning
Action Cells (SLAC).

Activity

Model Analysis
Analyze the Hiatt-
Michael model on
the right side of this
box and answer the
analysis questions
below.

https://images.app.goo.gl/KnSH15sbs8r1zVRHA
 54

Analysis

4. What did you understand about the Hiatt- Michael model

as illustrated above?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

5. Do you think the organization or the learning community is

dynamic? How?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

6. As an individual, how can you contribute to achieve the

desired outcomes of the learning community you belong?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

Abstraction

School as Learning Communities

 The school must reflect the inherent characteristics of a community. The goal
of a school is student learning and when people come together to work
toward a common goal, a community is formed.

Essential Elements for a Learning Community (Hiatt-Michael, 2001)

7. A servant leader who performs as a guide and nurture. Encourages and
nurtures all members of the community to perform their ultimate capacity, and
supports the learning and uniqueness of each member, rather than saving
compliment for his or her efforts.

8. A shared moral purpose. It appeal to the common good of the learning

community and becomes the vital strength that binds together.

9. A sense of trust and respect among all members. The educational leader must
understand the qualities and lives of every member in the community and its
 55

purpose. Members’ lives and work center on the accomplishment of moral

purpose, and in so doing, build trust and mutual respect.

10. An open environment for collaborative decision-making. It presents a

challenge to any leader who wants to move toward the concept of a learning
community. The learning environment must be open and flexible. Harnessing
experiences of all individuals eventually builds a network of systems
communication so that new ideas are quickly organized and easily adapted by
others desiring similar information or solutions.

 The figure below define characteristics of learning communities,

representing different ways of defining the boundaries of a community
according to the study of West and Williams (2017).

https://images.app.goo.gl/FGYJu89vq3w6NP5J8

What is community of practice?

According to Etienne Wenger, the first person who coined the word
community of practice, that it is a group of people who share a passion for something
tha they know how to do and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better. In order
to become successful, it requires members to be participatory and is essentially lead by
its members since it is their responsibilities to ensure that the community of practice
stays relevant, engaging and offers value to the domain of interest. In short, we all learn
in everyday life from the communities in which we find ourselves.
 56

Characteristics of Communities in Practice (Wenger, 2011 as cited in ELRC, 2016)

 Domain. Community members have a shared domain of interest, competence
and commitment that distinguishes them from others. This shared domain
creates common ground, inspires members to participate, guides their
learning, and gives meaning to their actions.

 Community. Members pursue this interest through joint activities,

discussions, problem-solving opportunities, information sharing and
relationship building. The notion of a community creates the social fabric for
enabling collective learning. A strong community fosters interaction and
encourages a willingness to share ideas.

 Practice. Community members are actual practitioners in this domain of

interest, and build a shared repertoire of resources and ideas that they take
back to their practice. While the domain provides the general area of interest
for the community, the practice is the specific focus around which the
community develops, shares and maintains its core of collective knowledge.

School Learning Action Cells (SLAC): Professional Learning

Communities

 The Department of Education (DepEd) has implemented a policy on the

Learning Action Cell (LAC) as a Professional Development Strategy for
teachers. This policy helps the teacher to cooperate and resolve shared
challenges in the school.

 In the DepEd, a Learning Action Cell is a group of teachers who engage in

collaborative learning sessions to solve shared challenges encountered in the
school facilitated by the school head or a designated LAC Leader. LACs will
become the school-based communities of practice that are positive, caring,
and safe spaces.

 The Department of Education suggests that every teacher should properly

guided and equipped with the know-how of the learning process through
revisiting or reviewing some areas or concerned in performing the duties and
responsibilities of an effective and efficient teachers.

 Organizing professional learning communities will aid teachers in the

construction of new knowledge about instruction as well as in revising
traditional beliefs and assumptions about education, community, teaching,
and learning to suit the present needs of learners (Little 2003).

 A professional learning community, or PLC, is a group of educators that

meets regularly, shares expertise, and works collaboratively to improve
teaching skills and the academic performance of students.
 57

 Teachers should apply appropriate teaching strategies that best suit to the
specific learning objectives. Providing intellectual development of the
learners by providing various of assessments and teaching strategies makes
a significant role of a teacher.

 You are recommended to read more the details and understand the Learning
Action Cells (LAC) kindly visit DepEd Order No. 35 s, 2016.
(https://www.deped.gov.ph/wpcontent/uploads/2016/06/DO_s2016_035.pdf)

Application
Interview basic education teachers, master teachers and school
heads/administrators with following questions below and present
your output in the class.

1. What are the school takes to create linkages and harmonious relationships
with parents, guardians and other stakeholders?
2. How teachers establish and promote professional links with their
colleagues?
3. How school learning action cell (SLAC) sessions improve professional
relations and development?

Closure
Congratulations! You have successfully completed Module 2. Indeed, you have
just taken a meaningful learning about school as a social system, school as a
community, and school as learning community.

To sum up, this module highlights the following:

 A school is a social system has its roles and functions of administration while
the system has a network of social interaction and relationship for it to
function.

 As a social system, the school is characterized by an interdependence of

parts, clearly define population, differentiated from its environment, a
complex network of social relationships and its own unique culture.

 All members of the school should be encouraged to have a shared

commitment to the creation of the school community.

 In a school as a learning community, each individual is worthwhile

participating the tasks, activities and responsibilities of the community.
Collaboration of each member of the school community is very important to
achieve the desired goals of an organization.

 Teachers need to pursue professional development to develop the knowledge

and skills in order to address students' learning challenges.