SOCIAL SCIENCE - APPROACHES

APPROACHES TO TEACHING SOCIAL SCIENCE

A didactic Approach  is a  teaching method that follows a consistent scientific approach or educational style to engage the student’s mind. It is  the most commonly used  teaching method. It centers around the direct display of information. This is a teacher-centered method of instruction in which teachers deliver and students receive lessons, best suited to brief delivery of factual information.  It aims at the fulfillment of educational objectives and promotes consolidation of knowledge in form of facts, phenomena, ideas, formula, laws, etc.

The Socratic Approach named after the Greek Philosopher Socrates, is a form of inquiry and debate between individuals with opposing viewpoints based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking  and to illuminate ideas.

It is a pedagogical technique in which a teacher does not give information directly but instead asks a series of questions, with the result that the student comes either to the desired knowledge by answering the questions or to a deeper awareness of the limits of knowledge.

it searches for general, commonly held truths that shape opinion, and scrutinizes them to determine their consistency with other beliefs. The basic form is a series of questions formulated as tests of logic and fact intended to help a person or group discover their beliefs about some topic, exploring the definitions or seeking to characterize the general characteristics shared by various particular instances.

Facilitative Approach:

Carl Rogers and others have developed the theory of facilitative learning. The basic principle of this theory is that learning will occur by the educator acting as a facilitator, that is by establishing an atmosphere in which learners feel comfortable to consider new ideas and are not threatened by external factors. They believe that human beings have a natural  eagerness to learn and the most significant learning involves changing one’s concept of oneself.

As this is a student initiated learning they are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and are  considered that the most valuable evaluation is self-evaluation and that learning needs to focus on factors that contribute to solving significant problems or achieving significant results.