HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
EDUCATION
SUBMITTED BY
MR. /MS. AAFREEN MOHAMMED WASIM KHAN
COURSE: BACHELOR OF EDUCATION
SEMESTER/YEAR: 1st Semester/2020
ENROLLMENT NUMBER: 200155133924
SUBMITTED TO
SINGHANIA UNIVERSITY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
1
I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my
University, SINGHANIA UNIVERSITY, who gave me the golden
opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic “Place of Humanities
and Social Sciences Education in present school curriculum”, which also
helped me in doing a lot of research and I came to know about so many new
things.
Secondly, I would also like to thank my family and friends who helped me a lot in
finalizing this project within the limited time frame.
INDEX
Sr. No. Topic Page
1. TITLE PAGE 4
2. INTRODUCTION 5-6
3. IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION 7
2
4. CURICULLUM 8-9
5. HUMANITIES 10
6. IMPORTANCE OF HUMANITIES 11
7. SOCIAL SCIENCE 12
8. IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL SCIENCE 13
9. IMPORTANCE OF HUMANITIES IN SCHOOL CURICULLUM 15-17
10. IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL SCIENCE IN SCHOOL 18-20
CURICULLUM
11. CONCLUSION 21
12. BIBLIOGRAPHY 22
3
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INTRODUCTION
Education is the wise, hopeful and respectful cultivation of learning undertaken in the belief
that all should have the chance to share in life.
When talking about education people often confuse it
with schooling. Many think of places like schools or
colleges when seeing or hearing the word. They might
also look to particular jobs like teacher or tutor. The
problem with this is that while looking to help people
learn, the way a lot of schools and teachers operate is
not necessarily something we can properly call
education. They have chosen or fallen or been pushed
into ‘
schooling’ –trying to drill learning into people according to some plan often drawn up by others. Paulo
Freire (1973) famously called this banking – making deposits of knowledge. Such ‘schooling’ too easily
descends into treating learners like objects, things to be acted upon rather than people to be related to.
Education, as we understand it here, is a process of inviting truth and possibility, of encouraging and giving
time to discovery. It is, as John Dewey (1916) put it, a social process – ‘a process of living and not a
preparation for future living’. In this view, educators look to act with people rather on them. Their task is to
educe (related to the Greek notion of educere), to bring out or develop potential. Such education is:
Deliberate and hopeful. It is learning we set out to make happen in the belief that people can ‘be more’;
Informed, respectful and wise. A process of inviting truth and possibility.
Grounded in a desire that at all may flourish and share in life. It is a cooperative and inclusive activity
that looks to help people to live their lives as well as they can.
Education is deliberate. We act with a purpose – to develop understanding and judgement, and enable action.
We may do this for ourselves, for example, learning what different road signs mean so that we can get a license
to drive; or watching wildlife programmes on television because we are interested in animal behaviour. This
process is sometimes called self-education or teaching yourself. Often, though, we seek to encourage learning
in others. Examples here include parents and carers showing their children how to use a knife and fork or ride a
bike; schoolteachers introducing students to a foreign language; and animators and pedagogues helping a group
to work together.
Sometimes as educators we have a clear idea of what we’d like to see achieved; at others we do not and should
not. In the case of the former we might be working to a curriculum, have a session or lesson plan with clear
objectives, and have a high degree of control over the learning environment. This is what we normally mean by
‘formal education’. In the latter, for example when working with a community group, the setting is theirs and,
as educators, we are present as guests. This is an example of informal education and here two things are
happening.
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First, the group may well be clear on what it wants to achieve e.g. putting on an event, but unclear about what
they need to learn to do it. They know learning is involved – it is something necessary to achieve what they
want – but it is not the main focus. Such ‘incidental learning’ is not accidental. People know they need to learn
something but cannot necessarily specify it in advance (Brookfield 1984).
Second, this learning activity works largely through conversation – and conversation takes unpredictable turns.
It is a dialogical rather than curricula form of education.
In both forms educators set out to create environments and relationships where people can explore their, and
others, experiences of situations, ideas and feelings. This exploration lies, as John Dewey argued, at the heart of
the ‘business of education’. Educators set out to emancipate and enlarge experience (1933: 340). How closely
the subject matter is defined in advance and by whom differs from situation to situation. John Ellis (1990) has
developed a useful continuum – arguing that most education involves a mix of the informal and formal, of
conversation and curriculum
(i.e. between points X and Y).
Those that describe themselves as informal educators, social pedagogues or as animators of community
learning and development tend to work towards the X; those working as subject teachers or lecturers tend to the
Y. Educators when facilitating tutor groups might, overall, work somewhere in the middle.
IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION
When I started thinking about why education is so important, I remembered my high school years when I used
to spend almost five hours a month on math homework, wake up at 6:00 AM and get ready for my PSAL soccer
game after school. I remembered my teachers, school subjects, the study and the fun! I never really hated
school. But I have seen many of my peers who hated going to school; I have had some friends who did not like
the idea of studying. Some needed to be up in summer school for recovery. I personally was always focused
because I wanted to become a software engineer. I know it will be hard and very challenging. However I
believe I can handle the challenge.
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The first thing that strikes me about education is knowledge gain. Education gives us knowledge of the world
around us and changes it into something better. It develops in us a perspective of looking at life. It helps us
build opinions and have points of view on things in life. People debate over the subject of whether education is
the only thing that gives knowledge. Some say education is the process of gaining information about the
surrounding world while knowledge is something very different. They are right. But then again, information
cannot be converted into knowledge without education. Education makes us capable of interpreting things,
among other things. It is not just about lessons in textbooks. It is about the lessons of life. One thing I wish I
can do is, to provide education for all: no children left behind and change the world for good!!
CURICULLUM
The Concept of curriculum
The term curriculum is derived from the Latin word currere which mean path. In this sense curriculum is the
path through which the student has to go forward in order to reach the goal envisaged by education usually the
term curriculum is understood as a group of subjects prescribed for study in a particular course. But curriculum
is not confined to this narrow concept. Curriculum should in no way to considered as synonymous with courses
of study. The course of study does list much of the content to be learnt and indicate some of the major
activities but these form only part of the curriculum. Curriculum should be considered as a broad-based term
encompassing every aspect concerning a course of study. Curriculum for a course of study may be conceived
us the totality of experiences a pupil is exposed to within the boundaries of the school and outside while
undergoing that course, with a view to achieve the anticipated educational goals.
There are four curriculums:
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Explicit curriculum: subjects that will be taught, the identified "mission" of the school, and the knowledge
and skills that the school expects successful students to acquire
Implicit curriculum: lessons that arise from the culture of the school and the behaviors, attitudes, and
expectations that characterize that culture
Null curriculum: topics or perspectives that are specifically excluded from the curriculum
Extra curriculum: school-sponsored programs that are intended to supplement the academic aspect of the
school experience
Definition of curriculum
Curriculum is a tool in the hands of an artist (teacher) to mould his material (pupils) according to his
ideals (objectives) in his studio (school) – Arthur Cunningham
Curriculum is that which the pupil is taught. It involves more than the act of learning and quiet study.
It involves occupations, productions, achievement, exercise and activity - H.H. Horne.
Curriculum embodies all the experiences, which are utilized by the school to attain the aims of
education – Munroe
Curriculum is made up of everything that surrounds the learner in all his working hours - H.L. Laswell
When it comes to education, the two concepts which pop up in our mind is syllabus and curriculum. People are
quite confused between these two, although the fact is that there is a difference. If we talk about the syllabus, it
is focused towards a particular subject. Unlike curriculum, which is related to the all-round development of a
student.
BASIS FOR
SYLLABUS CURRICULUM
COMPARISON
Syllabus is the document that contains all
Curriculum is the overall content, taught in
Meaning the portion of the concepts covered in a
an educational system or a course.
subject.
Origin Syllabus is a Greek term. Curriculum is a Latin term.
Set for A subject A course
Nature Descriptive Prescriptive
Scope Narrow Wide
Government or the administration of
Set out by Exam board
school, college or institute.
Term For a fixed term, normally a year. Till the course lasts.
Uniformity Varies from teacher to teacher. Same for all teachers.
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HUMANTIES
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the
term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in
universities at the time. Today, the humanities are more frequently contrasted with natural, and
sometimes social sciences, as well as professional training.[1]
The humanities use methods that are primarily critical, or speculative, and have a significant historical
element[2]—as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences,[2] yet, unlike the
sciences, it has no central discipline.[3] The humanities include the study of ancient and modern
languages, literature, philosophy, history, archaeology, anthropology, human geography, law, politics, religion,
[4]
and art.
Scholars in the humanities are "humanity scholars" or humanists.[5] The term "humanist" also describes the
philosophical position of humanism, which some "antihumanist" scholars in the humanities reject. The
Renaissance scholars and artists were also called humanists. Some secondary schools offer humanities classes
usually consisting of literature, global studies and art.
Human disciplines like history, folkloristic, and cultural anthropology study subject matters that the
manipulative experimental method does not apply to—and instead mainly use the comparative
method[6] and comparative research.
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IMPORTANCE OF HUMANITIES
Through the work of humanities scholars, we learn about the values of different cultures, about
what goes into making a work of art, about how history is made. Their efforts preserve the great
accomplishments of the past, help us understand the world we live in, and give us tools to
imagine the future.
The nine arguments that the humanities are
important:
1. The humanities help us understand
others through their languages, histories
and cultures.
2. They foster social justice and equality.
3. And they reveal how people have tried to make moral, spiritual and intellectual sense of
the world.
4. The humanities teach empathy.
5. They teach us to deal critically and logically with subjective, complex, imperfect
information.
6. And they teach us to weigh evidence sceptically and consider more than one side of
every question.
7. Humanities students build skills in writing and critical reading.
8. The humanities encourage us to think creatively. They teach us to reason about being
human and to ask questions about our world.
9. The humanities develop informed and critical citizens. Without the humanities,
democracy could not flourish.
SOCIAL SCIENCES
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Social science is the branch of science devoted to the study of human societies and
the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field
of sociology, the original "science of society", established in the 19th century. In addition to sociology, it now
encompasses a wide array of academic disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, economics, human
geography, linguistics, management science, media studies, musicology, political science, psychology, welfare
and nursing studies[1] and social history. (For a more detailed list of sub-disciplines within the social sciences
see: Outline of social science.)
Positivist social scientists use methods resembling those of the natural sciences as tools for understanding
society, and so define science in its stricter modern sense. Interpretivist social scientists, by contrast, may use
social critique or symbolic interpretation rather than constructing empirically falsifiable theories, and thus treat
science in its broader sense. In modern academic practice, researchers are often eclectic, using
multiple methodologies (for instance, by combining both quantitative and qualitative research). The term
"social research" has also acquired a degree of autonomy as practitioners from various disciplines share in its
aims and methods.
IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
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Social Science aware the students about our surroundings and the incidents happened in the
past. It has significance to develop an international viewpoint. It is also important for the moral
progress of society. It helps to form the man social character. Study of Social Science makes us
an efficient citizen of a democracy, and it also helps us to solve the practical problems in our
daily life. It is essential for communities and organizations. It also helps the students to know
how different societies are managed, structured and governed.
10 reasons why we need social science:
1. Social scientists help us imagine alternative futures.
2. Social science can help us make sense of our finances.
3. Social scientists contribute to our health and well‐being.
4. Social science might save your life.
5. Social science can make your neighbourhood safer.
6. We need social scientists as public intellectuals.
7. Social science can improve our children’s lives and education.
8. Social science can change the world for the better.
9. Social science can broaden your horizons.
10. We need social science to guarantee our democracy.
IMPORTANCE OF HUMANITIES IN SCHOOL
CURICULLUM
Now more than ever, as the Humanities are in in peril of being cut back or completely deleted to make room for
more STEM content, we need to heighten our efforts to reintegrate the Humanities back into elementary
education in the United States. While I was researching the topic of the Humanities in elementary education in
the age of STEM, I found a great deal of research and scholarly work written about why the Humanities are
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important at the university level, yet I found surprising little about the importance of the Humanities at the
elementary and middle school levels. The research that I did find emphasized that students actively
participating in Humanities education as part of a well-rounded curriculum are more engaged in academics as a
whole, and “students in interdisciplinary Humanities classes read better, write better, think more critically,
attend school more often, drop out less, and go on to post-secondary education more frequently than their
counterparts in traditional classes” (Anstead 85). Experts extol the academic benefits of providing elementary
students with a solid education in the Humanities through teaching art, history, philosophy and literature at an
early age. The Collaboratives for Humanities and Arts Teaching, or CHART, a nationwide network that “seeks
to help at-risk students by providing them with a wellrounded and comprehensive education that focuses on the
Humanities,” believes that exposing students to high art, quality literature, and deep history has proven benefits
to the schools that 5 include them. CHART insists that in programs that integrate Humanities, “students who
don’t enjoy school or struggle to find a reason to be involved are given an opportunity to deal with important
issues and think critically about complicated questions and think about and discuss relevant source material and
topics”
If the goal of STEM educators and proponents is to support the seven standards of practice that Roos is
proposing, then the study of the Humanities in elementary school classrooms is the perfect way to lay the
foundation on the ground floor of the educational experience by teaching 6 interpretation, communication,
collaboration, and reasoning skills. However, our educational goals should not be instrumentalist, offering
students a checklist to mark off. Our education goals must include inspiring the curiosity of students to help
them become life-long learners.
Global view: Understand the World and its Inhabitants:
Studying the Humanities exposes students to creative ideas from great minds outside of science that they can
then apply to their own work. Studying the Humanities helps students to connect ideas across curricula through
exposure to language, history, culture and ideas from other times and places.
Broaden students’ intellectual foundation:
By studying philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, history, and language, students begin to see the
interconnectedness of all areas of knowledge and how the Humanities and STEM subjects all fit together and
complement each other. The challenges that the students of tomorrow will have to face are far greater than
those we face today.
Communicate Clearly:
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Communication is an essential skill for all students to master. Humanities study strengthens our students’
ability to communicate clearly with others. The Humanities expand students’ communication skills by
enhancing their ability to express themselves through the ideas deeply rooted in the Humanities. By studying
the Humanities, students build skills in critical thinking, research, reading, and writing, which help to create
effective oral and written communicators.
Develop Creative and Critical Thinking and Problem-solving Skills:
The Humanities encourage students to think critically and creatively. They teach students to contemplate
humanity and to inquire about the complex world around them. The questions raised in literature, philosophy,
and religion courses teach students to think critically and listen actively, helping students to make connections
naturally between Humanities and STEM subjects. The complicated world we live in will require citizens who
have been taught to think logically and objectively about complex ideas to find creative solutions for the
challenges of a global society.
Knowledge of the Past Creates Good Citizens and Leaders:
Learning to be a good citizen is learning to live to the maximum of one's abilities and opportunities, and every
subject should be taught to every child with this in view… It is not, however, only in the courses bearing
directly on history and government that citizenship can be taught… but a study of the life and growth of other
nations, in which we follow the general moral, intellectual, and economic development through the ages, noting
what brought about the rise and fall of nations and what were the lasting contributions of peoples now passed
away to the development of the human family and the world as a whole…The power of concentration and
accuracy which these studies develop will later mean a man or 16 woman able to understand and analyze a
difficult situation… Mathematics and humanity are strangely intertwined, and an ability to understand both is
essential to well-balanced decisions in questions of this kind.
Reinforce Cultural and Ethical Responsibility and Values:
A strong, well-rounded education, which includes the Humanities, has both a democratic and a moral function.
Studies in the Humanities not only help to create good citizens and leaders, they also reinforce the importance
of cultural and ethical responsibilities in those citizens and leaders by reinforcing cultural and ethical
responsibility and values.
Elementary Education Revisited:
The Humanities and STEM blended curricula of Imagination School is based on the The Helical Model,
Common Core, and the Constructivist Learning Theory. The Helical Model, developed by school founder Gigi
Carunungan, is a learning process guiding the curriculum along the Constructivist framework comprised of five
stages of learning: Play, Explore, Connect, Imagine, and Remember.
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IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL SCIENCE IN
SCHOOL CURICULLUM
The study of human society is a complex one. It involves a study of the network of social relations.
Understanding society requires inputs from a number of subjects. Hence, the syllabus of social science attempts
at taking an integrated approach drawing upon the knowledge inputs of anthropology, sociology, history, civics,
geography and economics. Social Science seeks to enable the students to gain knowledge and understanding of
the historical, socio-cultural, economic, political and physical aspects of society. It helps them acquire
important values and prepares them to grow as responsible citizens. It motivates the learners to effectively
participate in and contribute to the process of nation building and development.
The inclusion of Social Studies in the curriculum right from primary to secondary classes signifies the
importance of the subject and the role it plays in a student’s life. Social Studies is incorporated in the school
curriculum through a combination of subjects like – History, Geography, Cultural Studies, Economics, Political
Science, Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, etc.
These subjects help children to develop-
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Awareness of The World and Environment:
Lessons in Social Studies related to topics like – My Family, My Neighbourhood, Community Helpers, Early
Man, Indus Valley Civilization, Modern Period in Indian History, The French Revolution, Great World
Leaders, etc. teach students about the various civilizations, movements and renaissances that occurred over the
years. This knowledge enables the students to understand how the world and different societies have evolved,
the important events that have occurred in the past, enduring ideas and eminent personalities that have created
an impact and affected the lives of people both locally and globally.
Lessons such as – Our Earth, Solar System, Major Landforms, Water Resources, Natural Vegetation and
Wildlife Resources, Natural Disasters, Disaster Management, Pollution, enable students to learn about – outer
space, formation of different landforms; evolution of animals, flora, fauna and man, water bodies, available
resources, importance of conservation and preservation, environmental impact on present life and future
generations. This information helps students to eventually develop a holistic understanding of their environment
and the interrelationship which exists between the natural and human habitats.
Helps to Develop Critical Thinking Abilities:
Social Studies inculcate higher order thinking abilities and skills like – Comprehension, Application, Analysis,
Evaluation and Synthesis, Creativity in students. Learning a variety of topics such as – Natural Resources,
Water Resources, Transport, Communication, Caste System, Political Ideologies, Social Reformers, Our
Cultures, United Nations, etc. give students a chance to gain appropriate information and data in various
contexts. The information gained allows students to make relevant observations, identify similarities and
differences, and make connections between related concepts, ideas and resources.
Subjects like – History, Economics and Politics. Students first have to gain information and comprehend ideas
such as discrimination, resource allocation and political priorities. They then need to understand, analyse and
evaluate the existing connections between those ideas and theories to make sense of how poverty affects certain
populations in the country. They could be given a chance to present their ideas in the form of debates, essays,
role plays or class projects.
Helps to Enhance the Social Understanding Of Students:
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Different topics included in the Social Studies curriculum for various age groups like – Festivals of India,
Different types of Families, Clothes We Wear, Food We Eat, Our Country, States of India, My Community,
Socio-Religious Reforms, Challenging the Caste System – help students to observe, learn and understand
human behaviour, values and attitudes and the interrelationships which exist among different people.
Furthermore, learning about the different religions, social and cultural beliefs, castes and creed, nationalities
and ethnicity, values, languages, festivals, food and clothing, types of families, etc. makes students aware that
the society they live in, is diverse and multicultural and yet there is interdependence and inter-relatedness
between different people, families, cultures, religions and countries. This helps students to recognize the
benefits and challenges of living in a world with multiple cultures and ideologies. This awareness helps them to
understand the importance of democracy, rights and freedoms and the fact that in order to live and coexist
peacefully each and everyone needs to respect, trust and balance the various opinions, values and attitudes,
lifestyles, cultures and practices and ideologies existing in society.
Helps Students To Become Better Citizens: Subjects in Social Studies like Economics, Political Science and
History educate students on Political Ideologies, Constitutional Laws, Citizenship, Rights and Duties, Morals
and Virtues, Social Code of Conduct, thus making children aware of their roles and responsibilities particularly
in relation to social and civic affairs. By providing relevant information and knowledge, skills and attitudes, the
study of Social Science prepares students to grow up as active, responsible, and reflective members of society.
It also teaches them to address societal and global concerns using literature, technology and other identifiable
community resources.
Thus, we can conclude that incorporating Social Studies in the school curriculum ensures well-rounded
education of the students.
CONCLUSION
Man's life should be guided with ethics and moral principles. One's life is shaped by the interaction with
environment called family, relatives, neighbours, society, nation and the world. Education is a prominent social
agency which plays a decisive role in shaping the personality of the child and the teacher is the shaper of the
destiny of the child and the nation.
Teachers' mental dispositions, character, emotions, belief systems, knowledge and wisdom influence students'
learning of behaviour. Modification of behaviour in a desirable way is conducive to one's personal development
and contributes to the welfare of the global community and preparing the children to uphold human values are
considered the purpose of education. Teachers need to enrich their emotional intelligence to enhance values
among students and to mould their character through identification of their problems and resolve appropriate
strategies to help students to become successful in life.
In order to thrive in the 21st century, the focus must not only be on educating our students, but helping our
students to learn how to learn. Students today must develop the capacity for critical thinking, effective
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communication, creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving. Students must be culturally and globally aware
citizens, who are literate in technology and have a developed sense of personal and collective responsibility, all
of which can be accomplished through a multi-modality curricular design which integrates Humanities and
STEM education as one.
This task may feel daunting in the face of all that educators are being asked to accomplish in today’s
elementary school classrooms. However, educators do not need to teach in a private or charter school to
develop lessons for elementary classrooms that integrate Humanities and STEM curriculum. Educators can start
small, one lesson at a time.
Our goal as educators and parents must be to help each student to become a successful lifelong learner, whose
accomplishments and sense of self are not measured by achievement tests. Our goal must be to support our
students in becoming “knowledgeable, emotionally and physically healthy, civically inspired, engaged in the
arts, prepared for work and economic self-sufficiency, and 22 ready for the world beyond formal schooling”
(learning compact). The best way to achieve this goal is to present well-rounded educational opportunities, rich
in a blended Humanities and STEM curriculum, beginning in the elementary school years and continuing
throughout a person’s life.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education
2. https://edlab.tc.columbia.edu/blog/9886-Why-is-Education-So-
Important-in-Our-Life
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanities
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_science
5. https://www.palgrave.com/gp/campaigns/social-science-matters/10-
reasons-for-social-science
6. http://paleeri.blogspot.com/2019/09/note-on-curriculum-in-social-
sciences.html
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