ONLINE ASSIGNMENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                SUBMITTED BY

                SATHAR. PA

                REG NO:13300018

 

 

EFFECTIVE PEDAGOGY IN SOCIAL SCIENCES

 

           

“Effective pedagogy in social science” is a booklet prepared by The International Academy of education. The authorship of the booklet is Claire Sinnema and Graeme Aitken. The preposed academy published lot of research work in social science teaching. Among them “effective pedagogy in social science” is valuable one.The present  booklet is an analysis of 383 studies of social sciences teaching that led to improved outcomes for diverse students from early childhood through to senior secondary education.

 

Table of Contents of the work

 

1. Identify prior knowledge

2 teaching to desired outcomes

3. Provide opportunities to revisit learning

4. Draw on relevant content

5. Ensure inclusive content

6. Establish productive learning relationships

7. Promote dialogue

8. Share power with students

9. Maximize student interest

10. Satisfy diverse motivational needs

11. Use a variety of activities

12. Teaching as inquiry

 

Introduction

 

Brief discription about the work

 

        This booklet is a synthesis of research on social sciences teaching that

has been shown to have a positive effect on a range of desirable student outcomes: cognitive, skills, participatory and affective outcomes. Education in the social sciences plays an important role in developing students’ sense of identity and influencing the ways in which they understand, participate in and contribute to local,national and global communities.The twelve principles of effective pedagogy highlighted in thisbooklet are organized around five major findings from the evidence concerning effective teaching in the social sciences (including social studies, history, geography, economics, classical studies and other social sciences). The first four findings are that alignment, connection, community and interest offer broad explanations for how teaching can support the achievement of valued outcomes for students. While these findings are associated with principles of effective teaching generally, their particular usefulness arises from their origin in the source articles drawn from the social sciences. Teacher content knowledge in specific social sciences is critical to success, but the focus of this summary is on the “how” of effective teaching across the social sciences.The fifth finding teaching as inquiryconcerns a model of inquiry that can help teachers apply research-based strategies in ways that are responsive to their own diverse groups of learners. The model is also important because it can mitigate against the risk that (as has been found) teaching practices may have unintended negative effects

on students.

 

Identify prior knowledge

 

         Learners make sense of new information by relating it to concepts and ideas stored in their long-term memory, and through a complex process of selecting, sorting and integrating it with prior knowledge. To support this sensemaking process, teachers need to identify and understand what prior knowledge their students, and particular groups of students, possess. By distinguishing new learning from existing learning, teachers become aware of understandings that can be used as a resource for further learning and also misunderstandings that could get in the way of further learning.

 

Application in practice

 

a) Use research-based information about how students progress in terms of conceptual understandings and skills. Research information cannot replace teachers’ own careful assessment of what a particular student knows and can do, but it can indicate understandings and misunderstanding that they should be aware of. Research can also provide examples of strategies that other teachers have used to find out what students know for example using visual images as stimuli for discussion (Barton & Levstik, 1996) or a funnel interview technique (Brophy & Alleman, 2002) involving a sequence of broad, then in-depth, then specific questions.

 

b)Use a variety of techniques for accessing prior knowledge  as different techniques will reveal different information and understandings.

 

Teaching to desired outcomes

 

      The extent to which the activities that students encounter align with what they are supposed to be learning has a significant impact on their success.Alignment of activities and resources has been found to be important for various social sciences outcomes, including the development of conceptual knowledge, changed attitudes and behaviours, and the development of social skills. What students learn is also influenced by the language, discourse and approach used by their teacher. For example, language that is inclusive of diverse perspectives is more likely to support appreciation of diversity than language that privileges the dominant group. Similarly, approaches to learning activities that demonstrate the value of collaboration are likely to influence students’ views of collaboration beyond the

classroom.

 

Application in practice

 

• Scrutinize activities and resources to establish if they align with desired learning outcomes.

• Model desirable outcomes through teachers’ languages, focus, thinking, questions and comments. For example, if teachers want to see curiosity, critical thinking or empathy in their students, then their own language, articulation of thinking, questions and comments should focus on these matters.

 

Provide opportunities to revisit learning

 

The number and timing of learning experiences are both critical. The likelihood of students learning and remembering new ideas and concepts is increased when they encounter those ideas several times in close succession. For example, it has been found that students who have encountered information three to five times over two to three days tend to recall it, while those who have not had this exposure to the information are likely to forget it (Nuthall, 1999). The implication is that when important new ideas or concepts are introduced students need to encounter those ideas or concepts sufficiently frequently and intensively if they are to become part of their long-term memory. Also, giving students multiple opportunities to practise supports the development of other kinds of outcomes—skills and competencies such as constructing generalizations, interacting socially and participating effectively in groups. To provide multiple opportunities, teachers must prioritize learning and, quite possibly, reduce coverage—the focus needs to be on the most important ideas and processes. Revisiting learning is not the same as repetition. While repetition has its uses, it is not enough to simply provide students with the same experience on several occasions. Rather, students need opportunities to practise and apply learning (aligned to curriculum goals) in activities of different kinds. When they revisit the same learning in different situations, they are better able to distinguish between the experiences and hence remember the learning.

 

Application in practice

 

• Ensure that important understandings are developed not through one off encounters but through multiple opportunities to revisit and practice the same ideas or concepts.

• Provide a variety of different kinds of activities.

 

Draw on relevant content

 

Embedding students’ own cultural knowledge and experiences in learning content provides a useful point of comparison for them. And connecting to what is familiar to students makes it easier for them to access new learning. It also provides continuity between home and school experiences, which is important for learning. Continuity is strengthened when learning is based on content that students find relevant, and that connects to their families’ experiences, expertise and interests. This does not mean, however, that learning must always begin with the students’ experience—sometimes the connections can be made subsequently. Further, learning does not always require obvious, practical application to students’ current or future livesit can be relevant simply because it arouses curiosity or sparks interest. In their efforts to connect learning to students’ lives, teachers do need to be careful that they don’t probe for personal or family information in ways that students might find inappropriate or intrusive.

 

 

 

 

Ensure inclusive content

 

Student understanding of social sciences ideas and processes is increased when classroom language and resources make diversity visible. Conversely, if language and resources ignore diversity, students are likely to acquire biased attitudes and understandings. This does not mean that every individual resource must meet the diversity criterion; rather, that the different resources used in a sequence or unit of work should collectively offer a variety of perspectives. Similarly, use of the term “inclusive content” does not imply that all opinions and views are to be accepted uncritically and treated as equally valuable; rather, that diverse perspectives and experiences should be used to promote discussion and dialogue.

 

Application in practice

• Review lesson content and resources to ensure that they make

diversity visible.

 

Establish productive learningrelationships

 

Respectful relationships provide a platform for learning and for learning communities, where both teachers and students have a sense of belonging, and where they learn with and from each other. Relationships are productive when, through their interactions with students, teachers consistently display a focus on learning. Productive learning relationships not only support cognitive outcomes; they are also crucial for motivational, affective and participatory outcomes, and they positively influence students’ identities. Research shows that it is also important to encourage inclusive relationships between students, since the extent to which students feel included or excluded has an influence on other learning. It alsohighlights the risk of teacher or teacher-aide support inadvertently having anegative impact on relationships between special needsstudents and their peers. For example, efforts by an adult to “help” a special needs student (through constant close support, for example) may unintentionally serve to distance that student from their peers.

 

 

Promote dialogue

 

 

Students develop their understandings and capabilities through discussion with their peers but only if they have the necessary dialogue and group co-operation skills. Explicit teaching and modelling of these skills is crucial, as is feedback. Involving students in developing the norms for group work can lead to improved group functioning and a greater contribution to dialogue. The design of group tasks influences student interactions. Tasks that can only be accomplished collaboratively are more likely to lead to quality dialogue and learning than routine tasks that students could complete just as easily on their own. In terms of knowledge, attitudes, efficacy and participation, highquality, whole-class discussion can also have a significant impact on student learning. Whole-class discussion enables students to experience social sciences in action; through it, they develop skills and dispositions that are key to their future participation as citizens. But discussion requires skilful direction to ensure that misconceptions are not left unaddressed. The use by teachers of statements rather than questions has been found to be effective. Teacher statements that, for example, acknowledge, summarize, reflect on or indicate interest in a student’s talk (for example “I’m interested to hear more about that” or “You’re suggesting there are three main issues”) can promote highquality dialogue. Questions have an important place in teaching, but when it comes to promoting quality dialogue, fewer can be better.

 

Share power with students

 

Sharing power means deliberately giving students authority to make decisions about learning processes and content. When they are involved in decisions that touch on their own learning, students feel their interests are respected. As a result, their participation is greater, their motivation to learn is increased and they are more inclined to become active citizens and purposeful members of their various communities. Approaches that promote joint (rather than one-sided) participation in learning are particularly important, given the social

and participatory goals of social sciences subjects.Students can handle delegated decision-making authority only if they are not reliant on the teacher. When teachers are not clear about the desired outcomes of a task, their students have to depend on them or further guidance; conversely, when they make thinking processes transparent, they promote independence in their students. Teaching

thinking processes simultaneously with content has been found to be effective in building students’ capacity to learn independently. Sharing power is not the same as relinquishing all authority or abdicating all responsibility; rather, it is about reducing dependency on the teacher and increasing student participation and agency in learning.

 

 

Maximize student interest

 

Student interest is often used to explain why particular approaches

work in terms of social sciences learning: an activity arouses student interest, interest leads to engagement, engagement leads to learning. A substantial amount of literature describes generic motivational strategies evidence from across the social sciences points to the motivational efficacy of a number of specific strategies. “Real experience” is likely to generate interest and engagement that supports learning. “Real” experiences can be genuinely real (that is, completely authentic), or they may match or directly replicate reality, or they may involve participation in social situations beyond the classroom, or they may be in-class experiences with a recognizably authentic purpose. Real experiences generate interest because they focus on issues that are real and relevant to students’ lives, or because they give students first-hand experience of social, cultural, economic or political situations. Debriefing following such experiences is critical so that the important learning can be drawn out and new understandings constructed. Learning opportunities involving visiting speakers, drama, handson activities and narratives can all arouse interest and promote engagement. Stories, for example, stimulate and challenge the imagination; they have, therefore, an important affective dimension and the power to motivate.

 

Satisfy diverse motivational needs

 

Learning activities (experiences) play a crucial role in motivating students to learn. It is through these experiences that they encounter the knowledge, understandings, skills, values and opportunities for participation that are important in the social sciences. But activities first need to capture the interest of students. While the social sciences have high potential to be motivating because, at their heart, they tap into young people’s curiosity about the wider world, not all students

are motivated by the same things. What is interesting and engaging for one may be boring for another; what has cultural and emotional significance for one may have no meaning for another. Individual differences in students’ interests, experiences and background knowledge influence their engagement and, therefore, their learning. Teachers can be mistaken when it comes to predicting what will

interest their students, so they need to find out. There can be considerable variation between students and also between groups of students (for example, boys and girls) in their attitudes towards different types of resources, learning activities and the content of learning. Teachers sometimes assume that their own favourite activity

will also motivate the students. This is often not the case.

 

 

 

Use a variety of activities

 

How successfully students learn from and remember the content of a sequence of learning activities depends to some extent on the combination and variety of experiences offered. Even an activity that was very successful in terms of generating student interest cannot be used over and over again to the same effect. The evidence supports what teachers understand intuitively: students need to experience a variety of activities of different types (for example written, oral, visual or dramatic).Variety is important because students use their memory of specific activities when trying to recall their learning. If they can differentiate between those activities, they have a better chance of remembering the learning.This does not mean that every single activity has to be novel, just that students need memorable anchors to help them recall their learning.

 

Teaching as inquiry

 

Research findings about strategies (such as questioning or using stories) show that what worked in one context, or for one learner/group of learners, or in relation to one outcome, often did not work in another context, or for another learner/group of learners or in relation to a different outcome. Apparently contradictory findings for seemingly similar strategies indicate that it is important for teachers to be curious rather than presumptive about how any particular strategy will work for their students.

 

Conclusion

 

The social science which deals with man and society.The leaning of social science shape the man and prepare for social life.The social sciences is a curriculum area that helps young people understand societies, their identities and what it means to be a contributing member of a community. It also supports learners in developing competencies for participating as informed and responsible citizens. These valued outcomes are the touchstone for all teachers of the social sciences and can support learning across the curriculum.The four mechanisms for effective teaching in the social Sciences connection, alignment, community and interest provide a framework that can contribute to teachers’ thinking. At the heart of effective pedagogy in the social sciences is an inquiry-oriented approach and mindset. That inquiry should draw on practitioner and research evidence to support decisions about learning priorities, find strategies that are likely to be effective, and contribute to ongoing improvements in teaching the social sciences and citizenship.

The importance and the challenge of social sciences teaching should not be underestimated. Teaching in the social sciences fosters the cognitive, social, cultural and participatory knowledge and skills that shape our communities. However, research reveals that classroom practices can also sometimes have unintended negative impacts on students’ identities and interactions. So the quality of social sciences teaching has impacts that extend well beyond the classroom.Improving teaching in the social sciences matters.