This lesson aims to examine the process of how teachers label students and some of the implications. It discusses what makes an ideal student and how teachers may label students based on factors like academic performance, social class, appearance and behavior. The lesson also covers labeling theory and key sociological perspectives on how teacher expectations and labeling can become self-fulfilling prophecies that impact student outcomes and fulfill the labels they are given.

1. Lesson ObjectivesUnderstand the process through which teachers labels studentsExamine some of the implications for a student of being labelled

2. Watch this clip....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_MyAs4t5Z8How does this link to education??

3. What makes the ideal student?

4. How might a teacher label a student, e.g. What facts and acts and influences?

5. Labelling of a “Geek”

6. Labelling theoryInteractionalist sociologyTo attach a meaning or definition to a student, e.g. They’re thick, smart, hardworking Some pupils are labelled positively, others negatively

7. Which pupil would be most positively labelled?I’m working class and cleverRank in order, 1 being most positive, 5 being least positive. I’m middle class and strugglingI’m middle class and cleverI’m middle class but struggle in classI’m working class and am not that brightWhy do you think this?

8. Key sociologists in labelling ...Becker (1971)Hargreaves, Hester and Mellor (1975)Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968)

9. Cicourel and Kitsuse (1963)Inconsistencies in how teachers assessed students suitability for coursesJudged on social class and raceStudents with similar grades- more likely to label M/C students as having college potential and to place them on higher level courses

10. Labelling starts from the outset of a child’s educational career....Rist (1970)- American kindergartenUsed info about children’s home background and appearance to place them into diff groupsTigers- fast learners, M/C and neat/clean in appearance, placed nearest to her and showed them greatest encouragementClown and Cardinals- W/C, lower level books to read, fewer opportunities to demonstrate their abilities

11. A class dividedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BrFHq-t2VY

12. Self Fulfilling ProphecyPrediction that comes true simply by virtue of it having been madeIf a teacher believes a child to be a failure, they can actually make him a failure“ what people believe to be true will have real effects- even if the original belief was not true originally!”

13. But...Self refuting prophecy= some pupils try to detach themselves from the label and prove the teacher wrong!What would the key theorists think of labelling?