Social Constructivism and Teaching of Social Science

Abstract

The paper presents an overview of prevailing pedagogic practices of social science at school level
\nin India. It has been sketched with the help of social science teachers’ interviews. The analysis of teachers’
\ninterview revealed that the teaching of social science is a reflection of teacher’s own biases and beliefs;
\ndominated by deficit model of thinking and learning. Against this backdrop the paper tries to address the
\nquestion do we have any alternative of ‘deficit model’ of teaching learning? If yes, what is it? How it can be
\ndesigned and executed? In the present descriptive study the researcher adopts the theoretical underpinnings
\nof Socio-cultural approach to learning and tries to design and execute constructivist pedagogic setting for
\nteaching social science. It emerges from the analysis of these constructivists pedagogic settings that it helps
\nto develop and sustain a culture of inquiry in the classroom where the strong interface between students’
\neveryday knowledge and school knowledge take place. The paper establishes the argument that for moving
\ndeficit model of teaching-learning, knowledge should be viewed as co-constructed, negotiated and situated
\nentity, knower should have agency and the voice in process of knowing and the process learning should be
\ndialogic. 
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