TEACHING OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Teachers can involve children in various activities so that they can learn certain concepts through lived experiences. For example, children can learn about the cooperative movement by running a cooperative themselves. Schools should be flexible in their hours of opening. For example, learning about the moon should include the possibility of being able to watch the moon from the school premises; therefore the need for the school to be open on occasion after dark.

Introduction:

It is necessary to revitalize social science teaching, to help the learner acquire knowledge and skills in an interactive environment. It has often been noticed that there is an increasing gap between the promises made in the curriculum and what is happening at the level of the child’s perception. It is important that the process of learning should promote the spirit of inquiry and creativity among both children and teachers.

The teacher is an important medium of transacting the curriculum and simplifying concepts in a language comprehensible to students. Therefore, teaching should

be seen as an opportunity for teachers and students to learn together, thus developing a democratic culture within institutions. In order to make the process of

learning participatory, there is a need to shift from the mere imparting of information to involvement in debate and discussion. This approach to learning will keep both learners and teachers alive to social realities.

Knowledge of social sciences is vital for many reasons.  It enables children:

• to understand the society in which they live -to learn how society is structured, managed, and governed, and also about the forces seeking to transform and redirect society in various ways.

• to appreciate the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution such as justice, liberty, equality and fraternity and the unity and integrity of the nation and the building of a socialist, secular and democratic society.

• to grow up as active, responsible, and reflective members of society.

• to learn to respect differences of opinion, lifestyle, and cultural practices.

• to question and examine received ideas, institutions, and practices. to acquire pleasure in reading, by providing them with enjoyable reading material.

• to undertake activities that will help them develop social and life skills and make them understand that these skills are important for social interaction.

In textbooks and in the classroom, the content, language, and images should be comprehensible, gender-sensitive, and critical of social hierarchies and inequalities of all kinds.

Primary Stage

The objectives of teaching social studies at the primary stage are:

• To develop in the child skills of observation, identification, and classification.

• To develop in the child a holistic understanding of the environment with emphasis on the interrelationship of the natural and the social environments.

• To sensitise the child to social issues and develop in him/her a respect for difference and diversity.

Classes I and II

For these primary grades, the natural and the social environments will be explained as integral parts of languages and mathematics. Children should be engaged in activities to understand the natural and social environments through illustrations from the physical, biological, social, and cultural spheres. The language used should be gender-sensitive.

Teaching methods should be in a participative and discussion-oriented mode. For example, story telling, painting, dance, song, and music can all be part of the teaching-learning process. A Teachers’ Handbook should be prepared with examples of activities that promote the development of concepts and teach sensitivity towards environmental concerns.

Classes III to V

For these grades, the subject Environment Studies (EVS) will be introduced and will be constituted by a discussion of the natural and the social environments. In the study of the natural environment, emphasis will be on its preservation and the importance of saving it from degradation.  The fact that the social environment is constructed by human beings will be emphasised. Children will begin to be sensitised to social issues like poverty, child labour, illiteracy, caste and class inequalities, in rural and urban areas. The content should reflect the day-to-day experiences of children and their life worlds.

At this stage, all concepts taught should be activity-based. Activities and textual material should complement each other. Activities should be related to examples from local surroundings. A Teachers’ Handbook should be prepared that gives clear directions on how to handle different topics.

Upper Primary Stage

The objectives of teaching the social sciences at the upper primary stage are:

• To develop an understanding about the earth as the habitat of humankind and other forms of life.

• To initiate the learner into a study of her/ his own region, state, and country in the global context.

• To initiate the learner into a study of India’s past, with references to contemporary developments in other parts of the world.

• To introduce the learner to the functioning and dynamics of social and political institutions and processes of the country.

At this stage, the subject areas of the social sciences—drawing their content from history, geography, political science, and economics—will be introduced. The child may be introduced

simultaneously to contemporary issues and problems. Emphasis needs to be given to issues like poverty, illiteracy, child and bonded labour, class, caste, gender, and environment. Geography and Economics may together help in developing a proper perspective related to issues concerning environment, resources and development at different levels, from local to global. Similarly, History will be taught emphasising the concepts of plurality. The child will be introduced to the formation and functioning of governments at the local, state, and central levels, and the democratic processes of participation.

Secondary Stage

The objectives of teaching the social sciences at the secondary stage are to develop among the learner analytical and conceptual skills to enable him/her to:

• understand the processes of economic and social change and development with examples

from modern and contemporary India and other parts of the world.

• critically examine social and economic issues and challenges like poverty, child labour,

destitution, illiteracy, and various other dimensions of inequality.

• understand the rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democratic and secular society.

• understand the roles and responsibilities of the state in the fulfilment of constitutional obligations.

• understand the processes of change and development in India in relation to the world economy and polity.

• appreciate the rights of local communities in relation to their environment, the judicious utilisation of resources, as well as the need for the conservation of the natural environment.

At the secondary stage, the social sciences comprise elements of history, geography, political science, and economics. The main focus will be on contemporaryIndia and the learner will be initiated into a deeper understanding of the social and economic challenges facing the nation. In keeping with the epistemic shift proposed, contemporary India will be discussed from the multiple perspective including the perspectives of the adivasi, dalit, and other disenfranchised populations, and efforts should be made to relate the content as much as possible to the children’s everyday lives.

In History, the contributions of various sections/ regions to India’s freedom struggle can be studied, as well as other aspects of recent history, in the context of developments in the modern world. Aspects of Geography should be taught keeping in mind the need to inculcate in the child a critical appreciation for conservation and environmental concerns. In Political Science, the focus should be on discussing the philosophical foundations that underlie the value framework of the Indian Constitution, i.e. an in-depth discussion of equality, liberty, justice, fraternity, dignity, plurality, and freedom from exploitation.

As the discipline of Economics is being introduced to the child at this level, and it is important that the topics discussed should be from the perspective of the masses.

For example, the discussion of poverty and unemployment should no longer be undertaken in terms of statistics, but instead should derive from an understanding of the elitist functioning of many economic institutions and the inequality sustained by economic relations.

Also, given that this is the stage at which choices are made about which disciplines to pursue for further study, it is important that students be introduced to the nature, scope, and methods of each of these disciplines.

Needless to say, the latter should not overload students with additional information, but instead should explain to them what the future study of the discipline might hold in store and link these points to the creation of desirable skills.

Higher Secondary Stage

Ten years of general schooling offer a common scheme of studies for all students. The higher secondary stage is considered important as it offers a choice of streams to the students according to their need, interest, and aptitude. For some students, this stage may be the end of their formal education, leading to the world of work and employment; for others, this stage may be the foundation for pursuing higher education. They may choose either specialised academic courses or job-oriented vocational courses depending upon their preferences.

The foundation laid at this stage should be able to equip them with basic knowledge and the necessary skill and attitude to make a meaningful contribution to any field they choose. The courses need to be designed and planned carefully, keeping in view the students’ wide variety of preferences in order to make this a less stressful experience.