Social science is an important academic subject that students mostly study in their secondary and senior secondary classes in detail. The main social science divisions are geography, political science, and history. The detailed theory lessons of social science become less engaging for students to study.
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However, the right teaching strategies can build students’ engagement and interest in this subject. Let us discuss some effective tips that teachers can follow to teach social science in the right way and make social science classes more understandable for students.
Tips for teachers to teach social science in the right way
- Use technology to teach
Understanding the detailed social science topics becomes difficult from the textbooks. To overcome this problem, using technology helps. By using an online education app, teachers can access several audiovisual tools like educational videos, modules, demonstrations, picture cards, PowerPoint presentations, and more. With the help of visualization, students tend to understand the concepts better and quicker. Also, the classes become more interesting and attractive.
- Have outdoor visits
Social science is a subject that can be understood better by getting real-life practical experience. Don’t limit your teaching to textbooks and conduct outdoor visits. For example, to teach geography lessons based on natural vegetation, you can take students to botanical gardens, wildlife sanctuaries, zoological parks, etc. For history lessons, talking to students about historical places, monuments, memorials, and museums helps. This will make social science more understandable to students.
- Teach maps too
Other than teaching the theory portions, doing laps is equally important. Make students understand maps and mark the states, cities, countries, and continents. Other than this history lessons have maps based on civilization, empires, and more too. So do include political and physical map practice in your social science classes.
- Make students read aloud the lessons
The teacher-centered approach of teaching, that is a teacher reading, and explaining the lessons whereas students simply sit as mere listeners is the least effective way to teach social science. This makes the online classes monotonous, boring, and less engaging for the students.
Listening to the teachers reading the textbook material is not interesting for students. This process must be reversed. Teachers should ask students to read in the class. One by one or line-wise, ask students to read a particular social science lesson. By reading aloud, students will become attentive in the classes, also they will relate to and understand the taught topics more.
- Ensure note-making
Social science texts are quite detailed. Every lesson is filled with lengthy explanations which become difficult for students to read and understand at the first attempt. To overcome this issue note making is important. This learning skill helps to make studies more systematic and easy to approach.
The social science class notes can be used to have a good understanding and later read the same topics effectively from the textbooks. Also, many times students are less engaging in social science classes. However, when they are asked to make notes, students will actively listen to the teachers. They will try to jot down the important pointers emphasized which make them more concentrated in the classroom.
- Give learning homework every day
Social science is quite a theoretical subject. The history lessons, geography, and political science ones are full of definitions, terms, and question answers. All these lessons cannot be learned altogether and therefore regular efforts are very important.
Many students have a habit of delaying and procrastinating learning. To overcome this issue, giving them homework every day is important. For example, for any topic you teach in the class, the same day ask your students to read and learn it at home. This will make students more involved and consistent with social science studies. Learning in smaller portions is easy and a quick process.
- Give breaks in the class
History, geography, and political science lessons are detailed and complex. Because of this most of the time, teachers conduct lectures of long durations. Listening to lengthy lessons for a long time makes students feel exhausted as well as bored. Because of this teaching and learning, both are affected. To overcome this problem, teachers must give breaks to students in the class. Even a small break is enough for students to re-energize themselves and be focused again on the classes. This will help students to have a good social science understanding.
Conclusion
Social science is a subject that is quite detailed and deep. Because of this, students find social science learning a little complex. By following the above-mentioned tips, teachers can teach social science in the right effective way. This will help students to understand social science well and do good in the classroom activities and exams.
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