Sociologists investigate and explain the social world and our behaviour in it. They are particularly interested in understanding the ways in which societies influence us and shape our daily lives.

Students explore and ask questions about the type of society in which we live, and draw on and make sense of their own experiences.

Sociology is thought provoking and encourages learners to think carefully about their views and assumptions as it taps into historical, contemporary and sometimes controversial issues.

Because Sociology looks at different issues in society, discussion is an important element, but this can be difficult for several reasons:

Students may feel reluctant to give their opinion due to a lack of confidence

They may not want to offend someone else in the class- for example, a single mother if they feel the nuclear family is best for children

They may want to share an experience but not want the rest of the class to know it is about them, such as a time when they had to claim benefits

Write a question on the board and ask students to text their view using around 35 words and obtain responses during the break or ready for the next lesson

To gain a quick response ask students to answer yes, no or don’t know about a topic

Ask students to respond using a Likert type scale- strongly agree, agree, neither agree or disagree, disagree or strongly disagree

Use it to find out things like voting choices- Labour, Conservative etc; or what class (working, middle etc) they see themselves as (which only require a one word answer)