3S) HSSE- 3rd A Term Paper (10-NOV-2017) Bharghava Shyam-

 Date: 10-Nov-207

Name: A.N. Bharghava Shyam

Admission Number: MAE15007

Question Selected: What Kind of Social Science is Worth Teaching?

The central theme of this Term Paper:

The valid facts need to be taught in relating to the present context through the process of narration, argument {Social science facts with Narration & Argument} that can makes social science teaching worthwhile.

Deconstruction & Reconstruction of the Question

(Understanding the words from question from Dictionary)

Social:

a)     It is relating to the human society and its members/organizations.

b)    Living together in groups of the same kind in organised groups Society:

c)     The aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community

d)    An organization or club formed for a particular purpose or activity.

Science:

a) The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

b)  Systematically organized body of knowledge on a particular subject

c)  Ability to produce solutions in some problem domain

Social Science:

a)     The systematic scientific study of human society and social relationships.

b)    Studies society and the relationships of individual within a society.

Worth:

a)     Indefinite quantity of something having a specified value.

b)    The quality that renders something desirable or valuable or useful.

c)     Equivalent in value to the sum or item specified

Teaching:

There is slight difference between teaching and pedagogy, teaching works with “what to teach”; & pedagogy will work with “how to teach”.

a)     Ideas or principles taught by a teacher.

b)    The activities of educating or instructing.

c)     Activities that impart knowledge or skill

We all know that each coin has two sides, we can interpret the coin as concept of both subject and object. Here is also each meaning has two sides like a coin. One is mostly abstract (product) and another one is highly experiential (process). I want go in process side which is attached to product side also. {Both process & product

We all might know that “Nothing is permanent”, that means everything is in ever-changing process. So we need to focus on process than product, because if we focus on process that helps in welfare, but if we focus on product it will become second hand. The source of social science subject is understand the relation through the different means. Worth is highly very interpretative term, email is worth full for communication to me, for you post is worth for you, according to context we may change, worth means indefinite quality having specified value, according to me worth means having specified value for all, Ex. Drinking habit, for some people it is worth, and for others it may not worth, Ideally (source fully) worth can be called as which will valuable for everyone.

I am talking social science as mainly process, which will be valuable to everyone (most of the people) it may happens directly or indirectly.

Background-{why we need social science}

Social science is scientific study of humans, it explains the relationship between individuals with in society through different means like geographical, historical, political, economic study of Humans.

We all are living the very complex society, because of its characteristics like offering small campy in large world; Delimitation (it limits our possibilities, we can’t be the change, ex. By keeping restricted towards our name, religion, gender, etc.); hierarchy (Division of labor; ranking caste, gender, religion, language, etc.); Ordering the history (Interpreting histories- ex. colobus as hero); etc. 

For this first we need to know how society & individual formed from social science perspective

Now I will try to explain how society & individual formed from sociological perspective, then I will try to explain what kind of social science is worthwhile,

All living beings are physical & biological beings, but only social animals (humans) are physical, psychological (mental), biological, spiritual & social beings. A tiger will behave like a tiger itself in walking, eating, running, roaring, etc. & it applicable all most all animals except social animals {HUMANS}, they are trying to behave like almost all featured family beings, ex. Flying in air through airplanes, parachutes, etc. Hunting like wild animals, swimming and sailing like fishes, etc. because humans are physical, psychological, biological, spiritual, social beings. This happened because of ontogenetic development which is already in humans. Because of ontogenetic (things that are in us by birth) development different socio-cultural variability, this has world-openness/plasticity in humans, flexible in nature, auto-poises will happen with multiple choices, if there is multiple choices, it is very difficult to choose decisions, with this auto-poises we will become unstable in nature, that’s why we need come cultural taboos, that cultural taboos will happen through the habituations (learning in which an organism decreases or ceases its responses to a stimulus after repeated presentations), because of habituations we get some typification, with the help of typification, society (Living together in groups of the same kind in organised groups) is formed, in the form of institution (an established law or practice, which controls individuals). Like this our society became very complex, it became mechanic from organic. 

To understand the complexity of society (to understand the self in relating to society), we need to study social science subject, makes ourselves fit in this society in a right direction. If society is simple there is no need to understand in a formal setting.

What Kind of social science teaching is worthwhile?

Teaching is a profession (special activity) that shapes our caliber, character and future of a state through the Individual.

There is slight difference between teaching and pedagogy, teaching works with “what to teach”; & pedagogy will work with “how to teach”.

For making teaching worthwhile central main theme is “The valid facts need to be taught in relating to the present context through the process of narration, argument {Social science facts with Narration & Argument}”. In teaching selecting the theme is very important, after that the theme need to be arrange the theme in sequencing, sign-posting, structuring, and also try to make children fearless towards subject and facilitator. This will not give complete and clear (idealistic) understanding of social science, but helps in making better understanding.

While we are teaching social science, we need to be say about society relation with students with sequencing, sign-posting, structuring, we need to think about

Teaching & learning are the mutual things in education, through the teaching process learning happens, teaching and learning have to be mutual, for this we need to focus on teacher and learner then only the teaching process will become worthwhile. To make subject worthwhile teaching and learning both are equally & mutually important. If teacher’s teaching is very fine, but if student will not come to school means, the teaching will be waste for that student, student also participate in this activity, most of the things has two sides including this teaching.

Social science is the scientific study of human relationship with society, social science subject is the systematic scientific study of human relationship with society. 

Social science subject is there to understand our relationship with society, society’s characteristics are consisting of people, depends on likeness, union in it-self, it have interdependency also, etc. which all are based on geography of the society, history of the society, economics of the society and politics of the society. Understanding social science is very broad topic & subject, its will difficult to explain as broad, it better to segregate this as geography; History; Civics (political science) & economics. These are sub-broad subjects in social science.

Teaching History-

History is the study of change overtime, and records the continuous important public events, trends, human affairs, etc. over the period, nation, person, etc. which is connected to the person or thing.

History aim is to be critical in thinking about past events, with the virtue of skepticism (raising the how & why questions); grasping the inter-plans of humans & the nature; and also to understand human struggles, to build the empathy and co-operation between individuals in society.

History subject need to be taught in way, which makes critical about past, for this we need to give open-ended questions to then, while teaching we need to explain the relationship between that past event and present situation through the open-ended questions. We need to give proper information with open-ended questions makes the students to think, it will be helpful the student to be analytical that gives proper understanding of past in different views. If we read history in organic way, we can see well in bad past and also not believing bad as good. The ultimate thing in the history is to know past, and to go for integration of society, this happens with analytic. We need to show the good and past and as well as bad in past, to analyse the situation. History is kind of hermeneutics, there is no final meaning or judgment to the past. It’s better to make them analytic by showing two sides of information, for that teacher need to know the more same literature from different authors.

Ex. Partition of India, So many people have bad opinion on that, yes that right, so many bad things happened like communal riots, etc. at the same time co-operation also there between some people while migration. And ask their opinion on this, their, and how it help him in present for future. This kind of social science (history) teaching is worthwhile for me.

Teaching Geography:

Geography is the “Study of place and its physical features of earth, and also explains about human interaction and relationship with the environment/nature”. It includes in the distribution of population in place and resources from place. (Definition from Google).

Here we are taking geography as a social science not as an earth science. In social science geography is study of special relationship with humans. Spatial relationship has 5 characteristics that are location, place, human-nature interaction and region.

Aim of geography teaching is to make good spatial relationship between Human-Nature interactions, and also know the value of place.

In teaching geography we need to explain the probably accurate human-nature interaction to students, what are the reasons for this kind of interactions with the nature?

By seeing the appearance of place and by telling the place name, it is very much rigorous to know place. If you want to know the place we need to know the human experiences/ interactions with nature then only we can know the place and its dynamics. Place name and its physical features are important, but its interactions and experiences are much more important.

Ex. If you want to know me, by seeing my body & by hearing my name, you can’t know me, if you want to know me, you need to know my actions with others, their reactions towards me helps in knowing me.

When we are teaching the geography we need to explain its longitude, latitude to know the location at same time, we need to teach the human interactions with that place. Then it will become worthwhile.

Ex. We need explain Bangalore as capital city (it is a phenomena), why Bangalore is capital city

Teaching Political Science (Civics):

Politics means a struggle for voice, justice, fairness, public choices, etc. happens with social actions. Politics is the process of decision making for the welfare of people, it also the phenomena of society for people between the conflicts and cooperation form society.

Politics is the subject of “Is” and also the subject of “Ought”.  Is deals with real & ought deals with Ideal. Politics is having both rights and responsibilities. Rights (facts) and responsibilities (process). We need to teach about both rights and responsibilities

Aim of politics science is social change, social change will happen through political position and participation. Political science main aim is make a good citizen, than happen with their responsibilities with the support rights

Teaching political science is no mean making aware about rights and making them to work for their responsibilities for making society better.

Ex. If I have right to protection of life and personal liberty, also I have responsibility for the promotion to the welfare of people. If we need make them aware of rights and make them for the welfare of other people.

Conclusion:

We need to teach social science to understand society from different views like geography, history & political science (Civics), make them responsible towards nation state, with the help of their responsivities.

Abstract/Product/fact & Empirical/Process/Reality are at different sides, If we see this as different things we need to face problems, completely abstract social science and completely empirical science both are not good.

We find the common point in this, we need use this abstract (social science facts like knowing the past event, place, rights are abstract) as guide for the experiential process (social process critically understanding how to move in present & future with help of past events; dealing with place by knowing the place problems, going towards change by working on rights and responsibilities) makes social science teaching worthwhile.

The valid facts need to be taught in relating to the present context through the process of narration, argument {Social science facts with Narration & Argument} that can makes social science teaching worthwhile. It have to be by focusing on both learner and facilitator

References:

Google Definitions (Meanings) for Teaching, social, science, worth, geography, history.

Andrew hood’s book on Politics

David Hill’s Book on “Teaching the social sciences and history in secondary schools”.