Organization of Content. Pedagogy of Social Science

Pedagogy of Social Science

1. Organization of Content Prof. V Ramadas NCERT, RIE Mysore

2. Organization of curriculum content Organization of curriculum: It is the arrangement of component of curriculum into a substantive entity. Components of curriculum: Aims, goals, objectives; content/subject matter; learning experience; and assessment/evaluation. Dimensions of curriculum organization: Scope, integration, sequence, continuity, and balance Organization of content refers to arrangement of elements of content/subject matter in a systematic manner. facts, concepts, principles, theories, skills, values, methods and processes. ‹#›

3. Dimensions of curriculum organization ‹#›

4. Horizontal organization It is concerned with the side by side arrangement of curriculum content. Organisation of social science content/themes/topics in a particular grade. It includes two aspects: scope and integration. ‹#›

5. Scope Deals with breadth and depth of curriculum content. Breadth of coverage Depth of understanding Refers to variety and types of learning experiences. Direct Contrived Simulated Includes key topics and activities to be considered. ‹#›

6. Integration It refers to linking of all types of knowledge and experiences Deals with horizontal relation among subjects, themes, topics, and activities. Provides a unified view of the content. Where does integration occur? (within the learner or in the content?). Challenges to integration of content in curriculum Various disciplines Explosion of knowledge Increasing specialization Expanding/advancement of technology Thematic curriculum is a way for integration of content (e.g. EVS) ‹#›

7. Vertical organization It refers to the longitudinal placement of curriculum elements. It is concerned with linkages between curriculum elements of different grades and levels of education. It involves two aspects: sequence and continuity. ‹#›

8. Sequence Refers to the vertical relationship among curriculum components/content /activities. Promotes cumulative and continuous learning. Lead one content/activity to another appropriately. Sequencing of content knowledge and process knowledge Principles of sequencing: Simple to complex Known to unknown Whole to part Chronological sequence ‹#›

9. Continuity It deals with vertical manipulation or repetition of curriculum components. Focuses on repetition of concepts and skills across grades/classes. Provides continuous opportunities to learn/practice and develop skills or ideas. It enhances the depth of knowledge. It is also called vertical integration in curriculum. E.g. spiral curriculum (Bruner) ‹#›

10. Balance Balance refers to the weightage given to different aspects of curriculum What should be at the center of the curriculum ? (Content, Learner, Society, Methods, Process). Should all social science subjects be given equal weightage? Challenges in balancing the curriculum Need to include new areas of studies Over emphasis on content Localization and individualization Change in emphasis (content, individual, social aspects , national priorities) ‹#›

11. Guidelines for balancing curriculum Balance child centered and subject centered curriculum. Balance between individual needs and social needs/aspirations. Need for common education and need for special/inclusive education. Balance in breadth and depth of content. Balance in traditional and innovative content. Teaching methods and educational experiences. Balancing work and play. Community and school as educational forces ‹#›

12. Principles of organisation of content Organization of curriculum content depends on what approach one adopts Subject centered, learner centered, or society centered. There are two basic principles to be followed in the organization of curriculum content. Logical organization of the content Psychological organization of the content ‹#›

13. Logical organization Organize content based on certain rules and concepts of the subjects. Content is organised under different Themes, Topics, Subtopics or in a Chronological order. Eg. in economics concepts like ‘supply’ and ‘demand’ are important. Without these concepts the ideas of ‘capital’ and ‘market’ will not be clear. E g. in history chronology of events is followed. But it it is not necessary that the students learn the content the way its is organized. ‹#›

14. Psychological organisation Content is organized according to the mental level of the learner. It takes into account how students learn or process information . Principles to be followed in the organization of content. Simple to complex ideas or concepts Familiar to unfamiliar (ie. from immediate events to distant events) Concrete experience to abstract experience. Whole to part/part to whole ‹#›

15. Activity Analyse the textbook of different classes and find out how the content is organized within and across different grades/stages of education. ‹#›

16. Thematic curriculum In thematic curriculum the content is organized around macro “themes. It integrates disciplines of social sciences (history, geography, economics and political science) with the exploration of a broad subject, such as ‘Our Environment’, ‘Resources’, ‘Events and Process’, etc. Thematic curriculum is based on the idea that students acquire knowledge best when learning in the context of a coherent “whole,” and when they can connect what they’re learning to the real world. It places learning in the context of real-world that provide practical knowledge and allow creative exploration. Thematic curriculum is usually organised for an entire grade level. Teachers of different subjects work together as a team to design curriculum, instruction methods, and assessment around a selected theme. ‹#›

17. Steps involved in thematic instruction Choosing a theme –Themes often involve a large, integrated system (e.g. city, an ecosystem) or a broad concept (e.g. democracy, weather, resources, environment). Instructors strive to connect the theme to students’ everyday life. In some cases, students participate in choosing the theme or themes. Designing the integrated curriculum –The teachers organize the learning objectives ( both process skills and content knowledge) around the theme. Designing the instruction –This involves: Making changes to the class schedule, Combining hours normally devoted to specific topics, Organizing field trips, Teaching in teams, Bringing in outside experts, and so on. ‹#›

18. Example of thematic content RIVER BASIN E.g. In the study of a River Basin Mathematics involves calculating water flow and volume; Social science look at the nature of river communities; Science studies phenomena like weather and floods; and Literature could study books and novels that focus on rivers. ‹#›

19. Spiral curriculum Here the content is organised in an increasing depth and difficulty level at different grade levels. Important concepts and skills are included at each level of education, Beginning with a simple approach at lower primary, and adding more depth and detail as the student moves to higher grades levels. This helps the students to refresh and deepen their earlier learning on a continuing basis as they develop emotionally and cognitively. The key aspect is to identify and teach social science concepts in developmentally appropriate way. ‹#›

20. Principles of spiral curriculum Social relevance of the content. Utility of social content. Contribution of social, economic, geographical and cultural factors in human progress. Chronological order of social, economic, cultural and geographical progress. Cumulative record of progress of human and society. Knowledge of the progress of the society in a specific period. Integration of Social Science Components. ‹#›

21. A dvantages and limitations Advantages It is comprehensive and broad based. It is time centered. It is human and society centered. It solves the complexity of Social Science content. Limitations The concept of spiral approach is complex. Not easy to understand. Its structure is not well designed. Every Social Science teacher cannot use in teaching. ‹#›

22. Interdisciplinary curriculum The term interdisciplinary refers to two or more disciplines Interdisciplinary curriculum considers knowledge as a holistic entity, not fragmented. In this approach a unit is taught across different disciplines. Eg. Teachers of language, science and sociaL sciences work together to develop an interdisciplinary unit on RIVERS. Interdisciplinary teaching involves activities which apply, combine, synthesis, integrate or transcend parts of two or more disciplines. ‹#›

23. Social science as an interdisciplinary subject Social science is inherently interdisciplinary in nature The various disciplines of social sciences are interlinked It is difficult to study any social phenomenon without considering different disciplines of social sciences A social science concepts could be studied even outside the field of social science Vital connections can also be made to language, mathematics, science and arts in understanding these concepts ‹#›

24. Benefits of interdisciplinary learning Improved higher level thinking skills Reduced curricular fragmentation provides a unified sense of process and content Stronger real-world application of knowledge results in increased opportunities for the transfer learning Greater mastery of content High sense of initiative and autonomy Improved ability to adopt multiple points of view Enhanced motivation to learn. ‹#›

25. Methods/Activities of interdisciplinary learning Make use of different strategies , methods and techniques Questioning, Brainstorming Matching activities Games Drawing Reading books News analysis Virtual tour/exploration etc. ‹#›