Teaching Social Science in an
Inclusive Classroom
Gowramma I P
Regional Institute of Education
Mysore
“There is only one corner of the universe you
can be certain of improving………………………
and that is your own self”
--Aldous Huxley
Introduction
• Social Science - status of core subject in the curriculum.
• Awakens social consciousness, develops democratic
values and national integration.
• The NCF 2005 emphasises
- content should be transacted through activities drawing
on local resources.
- methods that promote creativity, aesthetics and critical
perspectives.
- strategies like problem solving, dramatisation, role play
along with utilisation of resources like audio visual
materials, photographs, charts, maps and models.
Introduction
Continued…….
• In an inclusive classroom children with various
types and degrees of disabilities whose needs are
diverse are present along with other children
• With the implementation of Right to Free and
Compulsory Education Act, every child has a right to
quality education
• Hence a teacher has to plan activities to take care
of the diverse learning needs of children in the
classroom.
Tell me and I will forget……
Show me, and I will remember……
Involve me, and I will understand……..
Challenges in teaching social sciences
• Social studies is the study of people and their
interactions with one another and the
environment.
• Hence learning social studies requires much
more than book knowledge.
• Teachers face many problems while teaching
this subject.
Challenges in teaching social sciences
• Challenges due to the nature of the disability
• Challenges due to the nature of the subject matter
(content)
• Challenges due to the individual factors
• Challenges due to administrative reasons
Challenges due to the nature of the
disability
• Lack of authentic experience that will help them relate
•
•
•
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to the content taught in the class
Limitation in vocabulary that will fail to give them access
to reading, writing and understanding
Opportunities to discuss or talk about topics they are
learning is negligible
Knowledge and exposure to people and events we learn
in social studies
Poor reading ability
Challenges due to the nature of the subject
matter (content)
• History
• Civics
• Geography
Challenges due to the individual factors
• Low self concept, low self esteem and low
expectation
• Negative attitude towards the subject acts
adversely in concept attainment
• Level of expectation
“Everyone is genius. But
if you judge a fish on its
ability to climb the tree,
it will live its whole life
believing that it is stupid”
--------Albert Einstein
Challenges due to administrative
reasons
• Huge class size
• Insufficient time
• Too much of portion
• Use of inappropriate method
Methods to be used
• Story telling: events and personalities in history.
Example: Rulers, their rise and fall; Advent of Europeans to India
• Observation: promotes the learner to involve in the activity and
make own interpretations of the observed features.
Example: involving in community service, visit to historical places
• Assignment: opportunity for self learning is created while working
for assignment. Learners develop their own information through
various sources.
Example: origin of UNO, functions of WHO,
• Discussion: closing session of most of the lessons in social sciences
can be converted into discussion.
Example: evaluating the schemes and policies of the Government
Activities to teach social sciences
-Teaching the concept of “peninsula”
Draw the diagram on the black board, show India as a
peninsula on a map.
Ask simple questions to elicit from children the features of
peninsula.
Using total communication, we can explain the water body
and land body referring to the map and the diagram.
Children can be asked to prepare a model of peninsula with
embossed land with soil and plants, lower region with
water.
The term may be made to repeat by CWHI by following the
teacher’s lip movement and facial expression. Children can
be given a task of identifying peninsula in the world map
and the globe.
Activities to teach social sciences
- Physical features of India
A project on making a three dimensional map of
India can be given.
Different shapes, texture and colours of threads
can be used to make the International
boundaries and coast line.
Paper with different colour and texture can be
used to stick on the region to represent the
feature.
Height of land above mean sea level and depth of
water below the mean sea level can be depicted
in the model map.
Activities to teach social sciences
- Economic activities
To understand this lesson child can be taken on field
visit to various places where people perform
different activities for their livelihood
Children can interact with them and understand
their challenges
Rural women, persons with disability who are
worthy of emulation in the locality may be exposed
to students
This can be assigned as group work, then discussion
can be arranged in the class.
Activities to teach social sciences
- Election procedure
Explain verbally
Prepare charts to show different stages of
election
Show video clipping
If there is an opportunity, show local election
live
Elect class leader by following the procedure.
Activities to teach social sciences
- Agriculture in India
Make a map of crops in India using pictures.
Specific regions can be made in separate maps
highlighting the soil condition, climate, physical
features related to the growth of specific crops.
Display all the maps and use graded questions to
know the understanding.
Provide opportunity to respond to every students
by inviting their participation according to their
level.
Activities to teach social sciences
- Dandi march
Indicate location of Dandi in an outline of India in a play
ground depicting sea for preparing salt.
Let students come from different directions of India and
join the main path to the sea.
Leaders from different locations can be identified and
the role can be given to selected students.
One can take the lead role of Mahathma Gandhi. The
student can be taught the action of Gandhiji to be
performed along with the fast walking style.
Slogans can be learnt, few can act as police who stop
the march. Placard of names of leaders, slogans, date
and year of the event can be held by some students.
“Few all of us can do
small”Few of us can do
great things but,
all of us can do small
things with great love”
- Mother Teresa
Few of us can do great
things but,
Conclusion
• Social science is a subject close to the life of an
individual.
• Let us convert disability as an insulation rather than
isolation in the process of teaching / learning in a
inclusive classroom
It is better to manage change than to manage
inertia