Parenting the French way

A fascinating article about cross-cultural differences in parenting.  It would make a great resource for discussing the question of ‘child-centred’ families.

Population statistics

I’ve seen a number of interesting stories and programmes exploring ideas relating to population levels.  The most recent was this morning on the BBC, asking if the number of people alive today (about 7 billion) outnumbers the number of people that have ever lived on earth.  Most of these debates centre on the fear that at some point there will be too many people for the world to handle.

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Media and Image

This is a fantastic commentary of the images of women portrayed by the media, commenting on how they project an impossibly flawless ideal.  Jean Kilbourne argues, not just that this image leads to increasing eating disorders and mental health issues among teenage girls, but that the objectification of women’s bodies contributes to a growth in violence against women.

Watch the video and see if you agree.

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right to die - suicide

This story of a man’s campaign to the right to die, would make an interesting contemporary update for those studying suicide in Unit 4.  Read it here.

TED - videoed talks

TED is a fantastic resources of talks on a multitude of subjects.  Go and have a browse - you are sure to find something interesting / fun / challenging / useful / eye-opening… 

I like this selection on ‘what makes us happy?’

Methods: strengths and weaknesses

Some card sorting activities on methods, for GCSE or A level.
observation_sorting_activity.docx
Official_Statistics_sorting_activity.doc
questionnaires_sorting_activity.docx

Wikipedia ‘blackout’

Wikipedia’s decision to stage a 24hour ‘blackout’, in response to threatened US legislation, should make an interesting discussion starter for anyone studying media and / or crime and deviance.

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Feminism and Technology

This year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show) has caused some controversy, with companies employing ‘booth babes’ to help promote their products.  You can watch a news clip here, featuring interviews with attendees and ‘babes’.

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Evaluating Research methods

A simple evaluation template for research methods.
methods_evaluation.doc

Single Sex education

An article in the Guardian about the benefits of single sex education for girls.  Read it here.

Routine and exam success

Apologies for the radio silence, but I have been enjoying a well-earned holiday!  I plan to upload some new resources as soon as I can grab a chance between A level re-sit revision sessions, but in the meantime, take a look at this article on the link between daily routine and exam grades.

Policing the riots

The Home Office report on policing the riots.  Essential reading for Crime and Deviance students.

Violence and terror - Bauman

Zygmunt Bauman: ‘No one is in control. That is the major source of contemporary fear’ – video.  For Zygmunt Bauman the world is marked by a division between power and politics. While politics is defined by nations, power no longer recognises national boundaries

Health - animated lecture

Great animated video about research into the benefits of exercise.  Watch it here.

Mass Media: Facebook

Facebook provides plenty of fodder for lessons on the mass media at A level or GCSE.  Try this story summarising what people are actually talking about on facebook the most.

Traditional family?

A survey by the Centre for the Modern Family suggests that few people feel part of a ‘traditional’ family.  Read about it here.

Crime and Deviance - London riots

The government published last week their interim report on the violence during the summer.  You can find it here.

The LSE and the Guardian newspaper also carried out research, interviewing many of those involved.  The findings are summarised in an article here.

Contraception

Useful article about the impact of the introduction of the contraceptive pill.

Press Ethics

Any student studying Mass Media for Unit 3, should be aware of the Leveson inquiry - a goldmine of examples!  The BBC have been doing a rolling commentary on the witness statements, including that by Campbell here.

Family incomes

I’m having trouble uploading resources to the website currently, but there are plenty of stories in the news that provide a good basis for discussion.  One on the BBC today questions how easy it is to live on £40,000pa (the average combined income for two adults in the UK).  Read it here.

GCSE quizzes and games

If anybody else is feeling like me at the moment, then it is a good time to (re)discover Chris Gardner’s excellent website: lots of quizzes, games and notes for GCSE Sociology, several of which I use profitably with AS level as well.
Link.

Research methods: questionnaires

A great online exercise for evaluating questionnaires. 
http://wads.le.ac.uk/gg/orm/timingform.htm

Educational Attainment and reading

OECD study shows the importance of reading to children in their first years at school.  Read it here.

Growing populations

The growing population of our planet is of great interest to sociologists, and of concern to many.  This neat app on the BBC lets you work out what ‘number’ you are - a great little starter for discussion.

Suggar Daddies

Sugar Daddy parties in the UK - is it a form of prostitution?  Is it sexist?  Or is it simply a rebirth of traditional relationships where the man is the provider?  You decide.
Read the story here.

Gender and educational achievement

An interesting link I came across recently which explores the issue of boys underachievement at GCSE in more depth.  There is a chapter you can download, along with a presentation, both of which contain useful information that could be adapted for use with sixth-former, or potentially GCSE students.

Politics and democracy

An interesting discussion of recent changes to electoral procedure; useful as a starting point for discussions about democracy and the balance of power.  Read here.

African-Caribbean underachievement

Interesting and baldly stated article about reasons for underachievement by black boys.  A good starting point for a lesson.

modern crimes and moral panics

Nice story for a starter about a father in trouble for taking a photograph of his daughter in a shopping centre.  Read it here.

Race and Identity

Fascinating programme about race and identity on BBC2 tonight, that will be repeated Tuesday 11:20pm and Wednesday 12:20am.

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year 10 assessment

Here is an assessment I put together for my year 10, based mainly on the studying society element of Unit 1.  It is accompanied by a detailed peer marking exercise with model answers to assist.

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4 thought - mixed-race marriages

4 Thought on channel 4 present short viewpoints on a wide variety of subjects that might be useful as starters for discussion points.  Yesterday’s was on mixed race marriages.  The BBC have also commented on the issue, here.

Educating Essex

Don’t be misled by the title or the pictures on the website, this series is a great fly-on-the-wall look at comprehensive education today.  There is bullying, dating, teaching and even some learning.  Take a look at the programmes here.

sleep and learning

A joint research carried out by UAB and Ramon Llull University, published in the journal Cultura y Educación, indicates that children sleeping less than nine hours and with bad sleeping habits - such as going to bed late - do worse academically. The study was carried out in several schools with children aged 6 and 7.

You can read an executive summary here.

children as brand ambassadors

The BBC discusses the ethical issues of using children as brand ambassadors to sell products.