MODULE I

THE NATURE OF SOCIAL STUDIES

Lesson 1 Concepts of Social Sciences

and Social Studies as a
Subject in the Elementary
Grades
Lesson 2 Goals of Social Studies
Lesson 3 Basic Assumptions and
Theoretical Framework of
Inquiry as a Teaching
Strategy in the Study of
Social Science
Lesson 4 Approaches, Strategies &
Techniques
 MODULE I

CONCEPTS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE & SOCIAL STUDIES

 INTRODUCTION

This module enables to introduce, understand and apply basic

concepts in teaching Social Studies in the primary grades. It is expected that
the content lessons on this module will enable you to gain knowledge and
skills in teaching Social Studies.

OBJECTIVES

After studying the module, you should be able to:

1. discuss the concepts of social Sciences and Social Studies.

2. show understanding on the nature of Social Studies as a Subject.
3. show comprehension on the context of teaching and learning.

 DIRECTIONS/ MODULE ORGANIZER

There are three lessons in the module. Read each lesson carefully
then answer the exercises/activities to find out how much you have
benefited from it. Work on these exercises carefully and submit your output
to your subject professor.

In case you encounter difficulty, discuss this with your subject

professor during the scheduled face-to-face meeting.

Good luck and happy reading!!!

Lesson 3

Basic Assumption and Theoretical

 Framework of Inquiry as A Teaching

Strategy in the Study of Social
Science

Dewey and Reflective Thinking

The expository approach to teaching history was in popular use until

the introduction of the so-called New Social Studies. In contrast to the
expository approach, the new history gives emphasis on giving the students
not the conclusions of the scholars but the raw materials on which the
scholars work, asking him to formulate the questions and work his way
through to conclusion and in so doing, develop a sense of structure of the
discipline. In history as in other fields, the goal is to get the student to
develop his critical and conceptual faculties, to give him some sense of the
nature of facts, of the limits of generalizations, and of relationship between
hypothesis, evidence, and proof; in short, to encourage him to relate
knowledge to inquiry and to help him develop the intellectual tools for
inquiry.
This approach to the teaching of history may be applied only to the
fast learners or to the older students. Raw materials can also be handled by
the slow learners and the children of the elementary and primary grades.
This is so, because the act of inquiry is possible in all age levels. Thus, the
act of discovery is also possible at all levels.
According to Dewey, every unit of thinking has two limits – a
perplexed, troubled and confused situation on one end and a dispelled and
satisfied situation on the other end. He calls the first pre-reflective and the
second post-reflective. Between these two limits is a situation which he
calls reflection.
According to Dewey, reflection has five phases or aspects. These are:
1. Suggestion. The confused, troubled situation, in which one finds
himself temporarily, halts the development of thinking. The urge to
move, however persists and is diverted to some thoughts which
Dewey calls suggestion. Where there is only one, suggestion is readily
made. However, when there are two or more suggestions, careful
analysis of the condition is required.
2. Intellectualization. This is a translation of what is received
emotionally as perplexed situation into something intellectual. At this
point, the uncomfortable situation becomes more identified and well
defined. The child therefore identifies what the problem is and what
is causing the problem. Remember that the problem springs from the
discomfort felt by the child. It does not come ready-made from the
teacher.
 3. Hypothesis. If the first phase of the process is non-intellectual in
nature, then we say that the problem simply pops up in the mind.
What shall we do with the idea is the start of intellectualization and
we go further to control the idea and have it serve as a meaningful
guide in establishing relations among facts. Ne knowledge and
perspectives are created and what originally is simple suggestion
becomes definite supposition – a hypothesis.
4. Reasoning. Through this process, the ideas in the mind of the child
are refined. Such refinement is dependent on whatever previous
knowledge and experience the child has, his socio-cultural milieu,
and his facilities of communication to make the idea public. Through
this process, consistent ideas are linked logically. Suggestions which
seem far-fetched sometimes become meaningful and are found to be
of great use in the final analysis. On the other hand, sometimes a
suggestion may be acceptable at first glance but a close scrutiny,
through reasoning, may later prove it irrelevant to the solution of the
problem.
5. Testing the hypothesis by action. The verification of the hypothesis is
the last phase of the process. Verification may be done through
experimentation that is “conditions are deliberately arranged in
accord with the requirements of an idea or hypothesis to see whether
the results theoretically indicated by the idea actually result.” “If
they do, then a conclusion is very logical. If they do not, a review of
the hypothesis is most advisable.

Sometimes, experimentation is not necessary. A simple observation of

what is actually happening may be enough to verify the hypothesis.
According to Dewey, verification does not always follow. Sometimes, the
corroboration of ideas is obviously a failure-then it must be accepted as
such. However, such kind of failure is instructive. Through, reflective
thinking, the child sees what went wrong and what is needed to counter the
failure in the future. Indeed, in him, the failure is a learning experience.
Nothing shows the trained thinker better than the use he makes of his
mistakes. What may annoy and discourage a person not accustomed to
thinking, or what may start him out on a new course of aimless attack by
mere cut-and-dried method, can be a stimulus and a guide to a trained
inquirer.
The five (5) phases discussed here do not come in prescribed fashion in
actuality. They do not strictly follow one after another. Each one may
spontaneously spring out from the other. For instance, one does not have to
wait until a problem is clearly defined to operate on the hypothesis. The
hypothesis may be formulated in the back of the mind of the child although
it is not yet explicated. Or perhaps, in the process of reasoning, the child
can already verify the validity of his /her hypothesis. In other words, the
five phases of reflective thinking suggested by Dewey do not occur
according to a rigid sequence.
Bruner and Discovery Learning

Jerome Bruner’s study on discovery in man’s intellectual life was

inspired by Maimonides’ book that there are four forms of perfections which
one can desire for. (Frenton 1966) The lowest of these is the perfection of
wordly possession. The second is the perfection of the body. The third is
moral perfection and finally, the true perfection of man which is the
possession of the highest intellectual faculties.
If this is so, according to Bruner, then it is very important that we
encourage young minds to know more about discovering because of the
opportunities the experience avails the students. To Bruner, discovery is, in
its essence, a matter of rearranging or transforming evidence so to assemble
new insights. He sees the following as possible benefits which can be
derived from the experience of learning through discovery:
1. The increase in intellectual potency.
2. The shift from extrinsic to intrinsic rewards.
3. Learning of the heuristics of discovery.
4. The aid to conserving memory.

Intellectual Potency. The increase in intellectual potency is manifested

through the development of the child’ ability to gather information, sort
them, organize them into a structure which can be easily assimilated and
remembered. The child’s ability to ask questions indicates a sharpening of
his intellectual potency. Through his questions can be conceptualize
relationship in his environment. However, the construction of one
conceptual structure is not the end in itself; rather, it serves as the basis for
the construction of other structures.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motives. Some students behave according to some

external expectation, usually set by the parents and the immediate
environment. They over achieve because of the external stimuli. According
to Bruner, those who belong to this type are those who develop “rate
abilities” and are always dependent on their ability to give back. They are
those who tend to exhibit a lower ability in developing thought structures.
Satisfaction from performance is derived from the external stimuli. If this is
so, then learning becomes short-lived. It can become long-term and
enduring however, when one’s motive for learning is transformed from
extrinsic to intrinsic. This means, one wants to learn because he feels the
need to relate well with his environment. Therefore, learning becomes a
personal tasks, not an assigned tasks prescribed by the environment. a child
who develops this motive moves through learning to gain control over his
environment. He/She can treat success as indicator that he is on the right
tract, and failure as indicator that he/she is on the wrong tract.
In the end, this development has the effect of freeing learning from
immediate stimulus control. When learning leads only to pellets of this or
that in short run rather than to mastery in the long run, then behavior can
be readily shaped by extrinsic rewards. But when behavior becomes
extended and competence oriented, it comes under the control of more
complex cognitive structures and operates more from the inside-out (Mills,
1956).
This should not be misconstrued, however as belittling the worth of extrinsic
motivation in learning. Extrinsic motivation has its own worth in the
teaching-learning process. However, emphasis is given to the child’s
decreasing dependence on it and a simultaneous increase in the child’s
personal desire to learn.

The heuristics of discovery. One learns the art only by doing it. As the
child is exposed more and more to the process of reflective thinking and
discovery, he acquires the skills which are necessary to use the process. He
will know how to work and what to work on. His satisfaction will be derived,
not only, from the knowledge that he developed a thought structure but
more from knowing that he did it by himself, using work models which he
himself constructed.

Conservation of memory. A well-structured body of knowledge is better

remembered than fragmented ones. The discovery of associations among
facts and principles greatly reinforces the capacity of the child to
remember.

Piaget and Concrete Operational Thinking

Jean Piaget’s assumption on the nature of concrete operations are

helpful in designing teaching strategies. For Piaget, learning is basically an
internal process that takes place when the child is able to assimilate and
accommodate something knowledgeable into his own knowledge system and
thus create a meaningful conceptual structure (Milton, 1973)
According to Piaget, a child’s mental development during the age 7 &
8 which is prior to the formal operation is a landmark achievement. It is
significance lies on its; 1) current contribution to the organization of mental
actions in operational thinking capacities of the individual as applied to
concrete objects, 2) the antecedent experiences that have prepared the
child, as it were, to construct understanding of reversibility, reciprocity;
and constancy; and 3) the child’s grasp of relationships between parts and
wholes, the structuring of which enables him later on to perform the mental
functioning known as formal operations. (Mills, 1956)
According to Piaget, (Milton, et. al. 1973) there are six
characteristics of concrete operational thinking which can be observed in
the school-age child’s thinking, namely groupings, classification, seriation,
conservation, number and space.

Groupings. Groupings refer to the starting point of all the other

operations. It is the process from which the other operations spring. Piaget
classifies grouping into; 1) those that pertain to identity, 2) those that refer
to the logical system of classes two classes may be included in the other or
may partially overlap, or may be mutually exclusive 3) those that refer to
relationships between parts and whole of a concrete object or a collection
of objects or persons.
Classification. This is manifested in the ability of the child to
observe similarities and differences. Thus a child may classify objects
through similarity of shapes or color or weight. As the child gains more
experiences, the child develops several ways of classifying the same set of
objects. Thus, the child will begin to use of qualifiers one, some, all.
Example: All of them are heroes. All of them stand for patriotism and
nationalism. Some are women some are men.
Seriation. This process refers to the ability of the child to arrange
elements according to some given criteria. For example, the child can
arrange flat pictures according to historical period; or he can clearly
identify steps needed in a particular activity. As he gains greater exposure,
he will be able to create a series of his own. For instance, a series of events
or a series of music notes to produce the desired melody.
Conservation. Conservation develops simultaneously with the
aforementioned. This is the child’s ability to develop a system of regulations
that enables to compensate internally for an external change. Thus a child
can still conceptualize the surface of the earth when represented in map
form or globe.
Numbers. The child’s understanding of number is a synthesis of the
operations of class inclusion and seriation. The child, during the ability to
ignore differences in ascribing numbers, as 1desk is equivalent to 1 chair or
1 book, in so far as the number 1 is concerned. But he must also understand
that numbers are seriable and that he should not count the same object
twice in a series. Given objects, the child should understand the logical
mathematical relationship that exists among them. This concrete
operational thinking is helpful in the development of the child’s musical
skill.
Space. This enables the child to develop the relative position of one
thing to another. For example, his house in relation to the school; or the
capital of the province in relation to his town. This is also manifested in the
child’s ability to identify direction.

Although to most strategy planners, Piaget’s concept of learning is

more applicable to Math and Science, it can also be a basis of planning
social studies strategies.
In the discipline of History and Civics, Geography, Music and Arts,
various methods and techniques are used to develop the child’s mental,
social as well as manipulative skills. Through these methods and techniques,
value learning will also be achieved. Time-tested methods such as lecture,
discussion, demonstration projects and others are creatively combined to
bring out the best in the child as human person.

THINK!
Lesson 4
Approaches, Strategies and

 Techniques

The following concepts needs to be defined for better understanding of the

following terms: “approach”, “strategy,” and “techniques”.

Approach refers to the philosophical framework of any given subject. It also

pertains to the general operation that a teacher observes when he teaches a
subject. It includes the various strategies, techniques, and materials to be
use; the principles of teaching related to such strategies and techniques;
and the use of various materials. It is prescriptive in nature and meaning;
each subject course has a prescribed approach to be used in order to make
teaching effective. Under an approach are specific strategies to be used so
that its rationale is attained.

Strategy comes from the Greek word “strategos” indicating a person who is
a general in war whose main function is to devise war plans or steps to
enable him to accomplish his goal of winning the war. It can be used
interchangeably with method, because this concept consists of steps to be
followed so that our objective may realized. Strategy or method, therefore,
is procedural because it consists of steps or procedures to be observed by a
teacher.

Technique on the other hand, is stylistic or personalistic. It is a manner by

which a teacher does a particular steps or lesson. Thus, in motivating a
lesson, one teacher may be lively; another may be formal; another one may
use a picture; another teacher may just verbalize; and so on. Therefore, no
teacher will be the same as the rest in doing one step of a lesson or in
executing a strategy like showing a picture, and others. However,
outstanding teacher manifest very good techniques compared with newly
hired teachers without experiences.

A. Approaches in Teaching Social Studies

The following are the basic approaches to be used by teachers in teaching

Social Studies.
1. Discovery Approach
In this approach the pupils are assisted to look for the answer
to their problems under the effective guidance of the teacher. For
example, if the teacher is teaching about Andres Bonifacio, he will
not start by saying: “Class, today, we shall study the life of Andress
Bonifacio. You know class; Bonifacio was the founder of the
Katipunan. He was a poor boy who educated himself.”
 Such introduction is uncalled for. The teacher has already told
the answers. This is not discovery at all. He must allow the pupils to
identify the problems or questions and then look for the answer
themselves. Creativity of the pupils is lost when the teacher reveals
important facts about the subject matter to be learned without the
pupils researching for them. They have to do the discovery
themselves. What the teacher should do is to guide the pupils to ask
questions about the subject matter. Then he/she assists them to look
for the answers to the said questions.
According to Jerome Bruner, discovery teaching approach: a) is
self-rewarding; b) is learning to learn; c) is active participation on
the part of the learners; and d) is long lasting learning experiences on
the part of the learners.

2. Process Approach
The main purpose of this approach is to develop various skills
among the pupils. The said skills may be simple or complex. Single
processes are; observing, classifying, listening, guessing, using the
dictionary, reading for details, recording, grouping, others.
Meanwhile example of complex processes are: reporting, analyzing,
using original sources, outlining, summarizing, taking notes, reading
and using maps, planning, using charts and graphs, debating,
evaluating, others.

The purpose of the process approach is to equip the pupils with

the necessary skills they need to solve problems they encounter in
life at present or in the future.

3. Inquiry Approach
The sole purpose of this approach is to develop the learners’
interest in inquiring or asking questions about a given material,
situation, or subject matter being studied. In this manner, their
critical thinking is given a chance to be manifested.
A good example of the inquiry approach is showing pictures
about EDSA revolution. Then the pupils are led to ask questions about
the pictures. The teacher should accept as many questions as given
by them. These questions are written on the blackboard and put in
good shape. The ability to ask questions or to inquire is one salient
skills that a teacher should develop among her pupils. The said
questions are arranged in the correct order. The pupils are grouped
according to the number of groups of questions. The different groups
will plan answering their questions. Even answering their questions is
inquiry since they looks for the ways to answer them.

4. Integrated Approach
There are many issues surrounding the environment of the
learners. These issues should be included in the lessons under social
studies. Studying such issues as environmental
degradation/destruction, political, social, health issues, and others
 will enable the pupils to understand better the place they live and
the role they play in the society.
Likewise, values are now integrated in the lessons that the
pupils take with their teacher. Another is the integration of Science
in the teaching of English in the lower grades or the integration of
Science in the teaching Social. Under the K-12 Science as a subject
will be taught in Grade III.
The integrated approach helps pupils/learner get a unified
view of reality, and enhances their capability to acquire real-life
skills. It does this by linking learning content between and among
subject areas. There is integration when pupils are able to connect
what they are learning in one subject area to a related content in
another subject area. For instance, topics learned in Math or Social
Studies may be used by the pupils with related concepts and skills in
Reading and Language. The quality of learning outcomes improves as
learners are able to integrate information across disciplines instead
of acquiring them in isolation.

5. Multimedia Approach
Teachers should make use of all forms of media – from pictures
to films in order to arouse the interest of the pupils and to generate
concrete learning, for obvious reasons. Pictures are good but using
films or actual field trips to particular places can certainly concretize
pupils’ perceptions about the subject matter. Multimedia approach to
teaching and learning may be referred to the use of appropriate and
carefully selected varieties of learning experiences which when to
the learner through selected teaching strategies, will reinforce and
strengthen one another in such a way that the learner will achieve
predetermined objectives in an effective ways (Pakiam, 1986)

6. Value Clarification Approach

The purpose of this approach is to clarify the value chosen by
the learner. For instance, he should tell why he should join a
cleanliness campaign in the in the community. The advantages and
disadvantages of such undertaking should be properly explained A
pupil should not be criticized for choosing a negative value. Instead,
the teacher should try his best to redirect his value toward the
positive through skilful teaching.

7. Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary Approach
Teacher must not limit students’ learning in Social Studies
alone. They should relate their subject matter to other disciplines
like science, math, music arts, and other areas. By doing this, they
appeal to the various interests of the different pupils inside the
classroom.

8. Mastery Learning Approach

This approach calls for setting up the desired performance
level of success of the pupils being taught by the teacher when
 evaluating learning or when doing activities to answer the problems
posed to them. Bright may have the 80% up to 90% level of success.
Average pupils may give 65% to 75%; but poor pupils may go as low as
50% to 60%.
The teacher sets the performance or standard level of success
for his class based on their mental ability in general. This approach is
designed to make the pupils master the basic minimum learning
competencies. They are expected to attain these competencies at
the end of the school year.
This approach uses the teach reteach method. Its steps are:
a. Teach a particular subject matter/topic
b. Give a 10 item formative test. Set 75% as criterion level of success
c. Check the papers of the pupils. They may do it by exchanging
their papers.
d. Find out if they attained 75% (8 correct items). If all of them did,
congratulate yourself. Probably you taught well. The lesson ends.
e. If 10 or more didn’t get the 75%, re-teach the said pupils. Give
enrichment activity to those who got 75% and remedial lessons to
those who got lower than the set standard.

9. Conceptual Approach
The purpose of this approach is to make the pupils learn how
to get and identify facts and information. From these, they will
identify the concepts and sub-concepts. Under each concept and sub-
concept, sub-generalizations will be formulated. For each concept,
one generalization will be arrived at based on the sub-generalization.

There are other approaches that a teacher uses in teaching Social

Studies but the nine mentioned approaches are basic and must be used by a
mentor in the teaching-learning situations in the classroom.

B. Strategies or Methods Used in Teaching Social Studies

Strategies are classified into two major types.

a. Expository Strategy
In this strategy, the teacher is the information giver. He/she
gives all the information needed by the pupils, after which, he
gives an evaluation or a test. It is advantageous if one
considers the amount of knowledge given to the learner. Its
disadvantage rests on the fact that the pupils lose their
creativity.

b. Enabling Strategy
This is the opposite of expository. Here, the pupils look for the
answer themselves to the problems/questions formulated by
them also. The teacher acts as guide or facilitator of learning.
Its disadvantage is that it is time consuming. However, its
greatest asset is that it develops creativity and independence
on the part of the learner. Thus, its advantage far offsets its
disadvantage.
 A teacher may use both the enabling and expository strategies.

Time Tested Methods

Inductive Method can also be called discovery method. Its principal aims
are:
1. To help the learners discover for themselves important rules or truths
through careful observation of enough specific examples that will
support the generalization
2. To make meanings, explanations, and relationships of ideas clear to
learners; and
3. To enable learners to carry out their own investigation, independent
of the teacher’s.
The greatest value of the inductive method lies in the fact that a student
learns chiefly through his/her own activity. He/She observes cases,
compares and analyses them, and draws his/her conclusions. This process
allows him/her to permanently retain what she/he learns.

In the inductive method, the following procedural steps are observed:

1. Preparation – Apperception (experiences, motivation, and statement
of aims)
2. Presentation – Presentation of several cases to allow a generalization
3. Comparison and abstraction – The commonality is deduced from
different cases presented
4. Generalization – Presentation of common facts from the lesson
5. Application – The test of understanding

Likewise, for an inductive method to be effective, the following

conditions must be met:
1. There must be a problem that can be solved by a study of many cases
2. The fact to be generalized must be pointed out in each case and
separated from other facts.
3. There must be enough cases to make the conclusion valid.
4. The generalization of rules must be carefully worded.

Deductive Method the organization of the subject matter begins with law,
rule, definition, formula, concepts. Then, individual cases are studied.
The aims of the deductive method are:
1. To teach learners to master difficulties by utilizing truths or rules
established by other learners;
2. To teach learners to delay judgment until truth is proven or until
analysis is completed; and
3. To remedy or overcome a learner’s tendency to jump to conclusions
quickly.

Deduction has two types;

1. Anticipatory deduction – it forecast details found in a particular
situation
2. Explanatory deduction – it connects facts at hand with principles
that interpret them.
 In the deductive methods, four steps are followed. These are;
1. Statement of the problem
2. Generalization
3. Inference
4. Verification

Like in the inductive method, the deductive method must be able to

meet certain conditions for it to be effective. Such conditions are as
follows;
1. It must start with a law or principle that will fit the conditions.
2. Then, it must apply a rule to sufficient cases to prove or develop the
rule or make illustration clear
3. It should end with a conclusion which restates the rule.

Type-study Method is similar to the inductive method, except that it deals

only with one case instead of many. It aims to study a typical case
thoroughly and in detail to make the gathered concepts as bases for
comparison in studying similar cases. It also aims to organize into a coherent
whole all necessary and related details.

Problem Method is a purposeful activity which removes difficulty or

perplexity in learning through a process of reasoning or reflective thinking.

Problems are of three types namely;

1. Mental – These are problems that are contemplative, reflective,
academic, reconstructive, or imaginative in character. Arithmetic
problems, genetics, chemistry, and physics fall under this category.
2. Symbolic – These are problems that require written language,
drawing, modelling, or constructing solutions.
3. Real – These are material, physical, or practical problems

The functions of the problem method of teaching are as follows:

1. It trains the learner in reasoning
2. It provides practical knowledge and skill
3. It develops proper thoughts habits enabling the learner to meet
the exigencies of life
4. It teaches a learner how to act in a new situation.
5. It enables learners to solve puzzling mental problems
6. It teaches learners how to suspend judgment
7. It stimulates learners to find solutions and create new ideas.
8. It encourages learners to help others solve problems.

Therefore using the problem method of teaching yields the following

advantages:
1. It gives direction to a discussion and prevents the teacher from
wandering off the topics
2. It contributes to the development of personality, e.g.,
independence
 3. It builds proper attitude among learners, which is the scientific
attitude of considering all data accurately and objectively and
testing the conclusion carefully.
4. Since it is based on psychological drives like curiosity, a learner’s
attitude toward school work is improved.
5. It provides opportunities for learners to utilize facts to acquire
new meanings and gain new insights.

Steps in problem-solving:
1. Recognition and statement of the problem, originating in a
situation
2. Statement of hypothesis
3. Critical evaluation of suggested solutions
4. Verification of accepted solutions

Project Method is a significant and practical activity that is problematic in

nature, planned, and completed by learners in a natural manner, involving
the use of physical materials to complete the unit of experience.
Projects can be classed into four main types, namely:
1. Construction project – To make something into concrete form such as
preparing a diorama or a painting for the library.
2. Enjoyment project – the motive is participation in an activity that is
accompanied by enjoyment or satisfaction such as planning and
taking part in a school program.
3. Problem project – The motive is to master some intellectual
difficulties which come from the learner himself/herself. Curiosity or
interest is the fuel for this kind of project such as preparing a
prototype of a biodigester in an environmental engineering subject;
determining if Maria Clara can survive in a modern-day society; or
determining if the BALIKATAN exercise will continue in the
Philippines.
4. Learning project – The inner drive is toward the acquisition of a skill
or some knowledge as in learning how to play the piano or how to
swim.

In the project method, learning activities have the following

characteristics:
1. Activities are problematic in nature
2. Activities should work toward a definite and attainable goal.
3. Activities should be purposeful, natural, lifelike, and significant.
4. Learners should plan, direct, and execute activities.

Projects are normally presented through project proposals. The following

steps are followed in developing a project through a project proposal.
1. Purposing or statement of the objectives
2. Planning
3. Executing
 Through the project method, the following values are developed
1. The project method provides a motive for learning.
2. It train learners to be responsible and to develop initiatives
3. It train learners to solve problems in real-life situation.
4. It develops the spirit of cooperation.
5. It give training in perseverance.
6. It develops attitudes like alertness, open-mindedness, and tolerance
7. It develops value judgement.
8. It encourage creative activity
9. It furnishes the learner with a hobby.

The Morrisonian Technique or Unit Method – is usually used in the teaching

of geography, history, government, and economics. The steps followed in
this method are:
1. Exploration – The teacher asks learners about their previous
knowledge or experiences on the subject matter.
2. Presentation – The teacher gives a bird’s eye view of the subject or
entire unit.
3. Assimilation – This is the opportunity for a teacher to check the study
habits of his/her students and develop valuable study skills such as
outlining, using reference materials, getting the gist of the
paragraph, etc. Learners are taught how to express their ideas using
their own words. A test may follow after assimilation to find out
whether re-teaching is needed.
4. Organization – This should be done without books, notes, charts,
worksheets, or other aids. Cooperative outlining is worked out by the
teacher and the learners. This outline is placed on the board, criticized,
and adopted in a final form. The outline can make learners more
organized and develop logical thinking.
5. Recitation – The class performs while the teacher and other learners
listen. This is the unit recitation in which the teacher guides the
learners through questions. A written summative formative test can be
given to determine mastery learning.

Expository or Lecture Method. The lecture method is closely similar to the

storytelling method, except that the lecture is more of an exposition, while
storytelling is more on narration.
The lecture method plays a very important role in the teacher-centered
learning. The techniques in the use of the lecture method are as follows;
1. Preparation of the Lecture – It consists of an attention-getting
introduction, the most important points, a presentation of the body
of the lecture in an outline form, and a conclusion.
2. Procedure – The teacher must prepare charts, illustrations, or
visual aids which arouse and sustain the interest of learners. Other
factors lime personality of the teacher, weigh a great deal on the
effectiveness of the lecture. These include good voice, proper
effectiveness of the lecture. These include good voice, proper
pronunciation, appropriate facial expressions, right gesture, poise, a
pleasant disposition, and eye contact with the learners.
However, a lecture method may have a few setbacks. Below are the
weaknesses;
1. It violates the principles of “learning by doing.”
2. It fosters a passive attitude in the class.
3. It requires mature learners.
4. Learners may not know how to take down notes, analyse, and
summarize.
5. Learners may lack the opportunity to study in advance.
6. There is less opportunity for discussion.

THINK!

Prepare a summary of the different methods in teaching Social Studies using

the format below:

Methods and Characteristics Advantages Disadvantages Subject Matter

and the
Approaches
Method That
can be Used

What is the best strategy, approach or methods in teaching

Social Studies in primary grades?