5. Social Science Education

Social Science is the systematic and scientific study of human societies that explores the relationship between the individual and society, social institutions, and organisations. In this NCF, the term Social Science is also used to include those branches of the Humanities that involve the more qualitative study of human society, culture, thoughts, creations, development, and actions in the past and present.

The purpose of Social Science Education is to help students learn about the society in which they live – how members of their society live, interact, behave, eat, speak (and in what languages), express themselves through art, the traditions they follow, the clothes they wear, and their aspirations. It also helps students in understanding their origins, their ancestors, their culture, their neighbours, and consequently, themselves. Social Science Education introduces students to people whom they have never met, places that they have never been, stories that they have never heard, and new ideas that that they have never conceived, thereby expanding their horizons and opening their minds to new possibilities. Finally, Social Science Education helps students develop pride in their culture and their country, with a forward-looking spirit to continuously improve – as individuals, as a society, and as a nation.

As a subject at school, Social Science draws significantly from the disciplines of History, Geography, Civics, Political Science, and Economics, and, also where relevant, from Psychology, Anthropology, Philosophy, Law, and others, thereby aiming to provide an interdisciplinary understanding. The approach to the study of Social Science in this NCF is to develop an interdisciplinary perspective rooted in disciplinary knowledge that enhances the student’s understanding of social processes in a holistic manner.

Social Science is first studied as a separate subject in the Middle Stage. In this Stage, the study of Social Science will be largely thematic. Each of the themes would be studied through an integrated view of History, Geography, Political Science, Economics, and other disciplines where relevant, such as Psychology, Philosophy, Anthropology, and Sociology. Also, each such theme with this integrated multidisciplinary perspective will be studied at the local, regional, national, and global levels.

In Grades 9 and 10 of the Secondary Stage, the study of Social Science is organised within the disciplines of History, Geography, Political Science, and Economics. Thus, the concepts and content are chosen to develop an in-depth understanding in that discipline, including its methods. However, at the level of detail of these particular concepts or topics, a complete picture is attempted by ensuring that the same concept is also considered through the lenses of other disciplines in an integrated manner. This approach builds disciplinary depth while ensuring a holistic interdisciplinary perspective.

In Grades 11 and 12, students have the option to go deeper into disciplines that they choose from the range of disciplines that constitute the Social Sciences, such as History, Geography, Political Science, Philosophy, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology. Grades 11 and 12 are dealt with in Part C, Chapter 10.

While the entire NCF needs to be used and implemented in an integrated manner, it is important that this chapter be read along with Part A of the NCF document. The Curricular Aims and the Learning Standards in this chapter are in continuity with Part A, Chapter 3. Similarly, the sections on pedagogy, content, assessment, and TLMs in this chapter must be read with the corresponding chapters and sections in Part A, because what is common across curricular areas on these matters has been pulled together in the relevant sections of Part A to avoid repetition across multiple chapters. Thus, reading this chapter in isolation will convey an incomplete picture.

Section 5.1 - Aims

Social Science plays an important role in developing an integrated understanding of the human world and its functioning, including its deep interrelationships with nature and the environment in the quest to continuously improve as a society. In the study of this subject, students learn methods of observing and interpreting the human world, which helps them lead their own lives and also contribute as members of a society. Social Science also helps in developing some of the Values and Dispositions that are essential for democratic participation — building and sustaining cooperation among communities that strive for peace, harmony, equity, and justice for all.

Social Science Education in schools must aim to achieve:

a. Understanding how society functions: Learning Social Science leads to the understanding of how societies function through the interplay of historical, geographical, social, cultural, economic, political, environmental, and other factors. Students will develop an awareness and understanding of:

i. Continuity and change in human civilisation and their causes and effects

ii. The interaction between nature, natural resources, and human beings, including the spatial and temporal patterns arising out of this interaction, its effect on human life, and the impact of human activity on nature

iii. The commonness and diversity among people and their practices in different societies, regions, and cultures within societies

iv. Various social, political, and economic institutions, their origins, functioning, and transformations over time till today

b. Capacities for inquiry in Social Science: Students will develop capacities for carrying out and applying the methods of inquiry available in Social Science, including:

i. Sourcing, verifying, and cross-validating evidence through multiple sources, interpreting this evidence, and constructing coherent narratives

ii. Recognising features of the physical world, spatial and temporal patterns, map reading, analysis, and interpretation of various interconnected concepts and processes

iii. Creative and critical thinking, forming informed opinions, demonstrating logical decision making, and having a problem-solving disposition.

iv. Collecting, organising, analysing, and representing data and information on various issues — historical, geographical, cultural, economic, environmental, and socio-political

v. Proposing meaningful responses to contemporary concerns of society based on these methods of inquiry

c. Responsible human beings and contributing citizens: NEP 2020 states:

The purpose of the education system is to develop good human beings capable of rational thought and action, possessing compassion and empathy, courage and resilience, scientific temper, and creative imagination, with sound ethical moorings and values. It aims at producing engaged, productive, and contributing citizens for building an equitable, inclusive, and plural society as envisaged by our Constitution.

[NEP 2020, pages 4-5]

Social Science can play a unique role within the school curriculum to enable the Knowledge, Capacities, and Values and Dispositions that underpin this purpose of education as committed to in NEP.

Section 5.2 - Nature of Knowledge

The nature of knowledge of Social Sciences may be understood as follows:

a. Evidence-based, empirical, and verifiable: Valid knowledge in and of Social Science relies on accepted norms of inquiry and verifiability of evidence, not on speculation. Verifiability is based on the corroboration of multiple sources of evidence, which are available in many forms, including oral narratives and traditions, performing and visual arts, literature, other texts, archaeological and other artefacts, physical and biological features, scientific investigations and experiments (both natural and conducted, such as astronomy-related, climatic, and seismic phenomena, or carbon dating), and numerical and qualitative data on the lives of people.Multiple sources are ideally used to cross-validate evidence to establish something as true and valid; corroborating evidence from multiple sources leads to better explanations and conclusions.

b. Social Science is often interpretive: While based on verifiable evidence, Social Science is nevertheless interpretive. Given the dynamism and complexity of human nature and cultures, and the real constraints in securing comprehensive, complete evidence for all aspects and for every level of any phenomenon, the same set of evidence often lends itself to different interpretations. The strength of growing evidence may eventually support a particular interpretation. However, this interpretive nature does not make Social Science unreliable or arbitrary in its claims, but rather a dynamic subject that constantly evolves and responds to the latest challenges and evidence.

c. Social Science is value-laden: Since Social Science is interpretive, it also reflects the values and the worldview of the interpreter. This manifests not only in different interpretations and explanations that can be drawn from the same set of verified evidence, but sometimes also in methodological issues, such as the weight to be given to various kinds of sources of evidence (e.g., surveys versus experiments) and which questions to seek answers to. Thus, in the study of Social Science as a subject, it is important to include a plurality of plausible interpretations, all arrived at with diligent and rigorous methods, and also an expanding range of questions with nuances. The awareness of students of this particular nature of Social Science must be developed, and therefore, a disposition of continuous inquiry, tentative explanations and conclusions, and avoidance of subjective value judgements should be encouraged.

*d. Social inquiry: *Knowledge in Social Science helps us understand the relationships and interaction between social processes and social facts (values, cultural norms, social structures); this also enables a sense of ‘social inquiry and criticality’, in other words, seeking answers to questions and issues that could help improve society. The awareness of students of this particular nature of Social Science also must be developed.

*e. Social Science is multidisciplinary and requires an interdisciplinary approach: *It is a complex task to understand human beings and human societies, and this requires an interdisciplinary approach informed by and based on multiple disciplines, such as Geography, Political Science, History, Economics, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Philosophy, Culture (including literature, art, traditions), and more. For practical purposes, up to Grade 10, the first four of these disciplines would mostly constitute the subject of Social Science, while not missing the relevant and important contributions of the other disciplines. Geography studies the physical features of an area and human relationships with their natural environment; History traces the journey of continuity and change from the past to the present of human life, and the major events that have impacted society and culture; Political Science deals with the socio-political existence of human beings; and Economics analyses economic activity and its impact on social and behavioural changes of human beings.

f. Social Science is sensitive to context: Socio-cultural beliefs and values are subject to their context, including historical, cultural, geographical, economic, and political. To understand any society holistically, Social Science evaluates the events and issues in keeping with the context of that time and space.

Section 5.3 - Current Challenges

Social Science teaching and learning faces a few challenges in schools at present. The NCF attempts to address these systematically. Some of the key issues are as follows:

a. Social Science is usually taught as a subject that focusses predominantly on memorisation of facts, such as dates in history, names of geographical features across the globe, the listing of fundamental rights and duties, and naming of economic institutions. The effort to understand, discuss, and appreciate concepts is often missing in Social Science classrooms. This, in turn, makes students lose interest in the subject.

b. Social Science is often divided into watertight compartments of History, Geography, Political Science, and Economics too early on in an extremely rigid manner. Students are rarely exposed to comprehensive engagement with any particular social phenomenon and usually learn to look at it through the lens of only one discipline. Therefore, the interdisciplinary thinking that students require to understand society is often not developed.

c. Information in the chapters is too often transacted in the classroom with little or no connection to the life of students. Since the subject is not made relevant or interesting to the students, it often ends up being boring, passive, or unrelatable. d. The content in some books (including textbooks) is sometimes not based on verified evidence and arises from inadequate inquiry, lopsided interpretations, entrenched stereotypes, or specific biases.

Section 5.4 - Learning Standards

Social Science as a separate subject begins at the Middle Stage. It builds on the capacities built in the Preparatory Stage, primarily through the study of the subject The World Around Us. In the Middle Stage, these general capacities of observation, data collection, and the basic understanding of social life are further sharpened to enable methods of inquiry and understanding of conceptual structures within Social Science. While in the Middle Stage, understanding and capacities are developed in an integrated manner, in the Secondary Stage (Grades 9 and 10), students more formally enter the disciplinary domains of History, Geography, Economics, and Political Science. This enables them to develop disciplinary rigour in both, the methods and concepts of Social Science. Students get adequate exposure to Social Science as a discipline and with this understanding, they can make informed choices about pursuing Social Science as a specialisation in Grades 11 and 12.

5.4.1 Curricular Goals & Competencies

5.4.1.1 Middle Stage

5.4.1.2 Secondary Stage (Grades 9 and 10)

Section 5.5 - Content

As mentioned in the beginning, the approach, principles, and methods of selecting content have commonalities across subjects — those have been discussed in Part A, Chapter 3, §3.2 of this document. This section focusses only on what is most essential to education of Social Science in schools. Hence, it will be useful to read this section along with the above-mentioned section.

5.5.1 Principles of Content Selection

The content selection in Social Science must fulfil the Curricular Goals, account for the nature of knowledge, and should systematically address the current challenges of Social Science teaching and learning.

These considerations inform the principles below, which should be used while selecting the content:

a. Content must be adequate to develop relevant knowledge and capacities: The topics chosen should together be able to help achieve the relevant knowledge and capacity goals of the curriculum. At the same time, there must not be content overload, which has been a significant cause of ineffective Social Science teaching and learning. This balance of having appropriate amount of content is one of the key challenges in developing Social Science curricula.

b. Content must be based on verified evidence and narratives: A good Social Science study of any concept or event requires engaging with evidence from a range of sources, references, and consequent interpretations and narratives. The range of what is admissible evidence for Social Sciences will draw from the socio-cultural contexts of India and from multiple pieces of evidence verified rigorously from various sources; it should give a sampling of differing interpretations or narratives (if justified by verified evidence) of a single event or phenomenon. For example, good understanding of the Gandhian philosophy of non-violence should be accomplished through the readings of multiple writers, or the usefulness and limits of markets should be seen from varied perspectives.

c. Content must be interdisciplinary in approach: Social Science, by its very nature, is an interdisciplinary subject. The discipline-wise division of History, Geography, Political Science, and Economics, and others such as Anthropology, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology cannot be seen as separate areas in isolation. None of these disciplines can be taught (or understood) without referring to another. For example, the concept of India’s cultural unity in diversity cannot be taught without introducing the student to India’s geographical unity in diversity, or to its shared philosophical and political concepts. Students should learn to investigate a concept from multi-dimensional and cross disciplinary perspectives to develop an expansive view.

d. Concepts must be built from the simple to the complex: The content in Social Science should be organised, with simpler concepts leading to more complex ones, enabling the construction of whole meaning with building blocks. This must be done progressively, including by considering the developmental trajectory of cognitive capacities of students.

For example, for teaching historical inquiry in the Middle Stage, the content would first focus on the identification and differentiation of sources of information or evidence, taking a local case study as starting point where possible. As a second step, students should interpret the evidence to draw meaning out of it. Third, where possible, they should attempt to collect and analyse evidence from multiple sources for a single event, engaging in discussions if such evidence at times appear to point to differing conclusions. And finally, where possible, they should do a comparative analysis between two or more similar events based on findings made through multiple sources. Such an exercise can be done at a basic level, to familiarise the student with the methodology in a light way.

e. Content to progress from local to global: As much as possible, conceptual understanding should start from the local context. For example, understanding geography is best achieved by first engaging with local terrain (streams, lowlands, uplands) in the locality, and then moving to features of the regional and national terrains. The same method is applicable to History and to other areas of Social Science.

f. Content to include real and diverse experiences of people: As Social Science deals with human beings and society, the study is incomplete with just theories and concepts. Without references to the real-world experiences of people, past or present, concepts do not ‘come to life’. For example, the concept of an uprising against colonial rule cannot be grasped without an appreciation for the courage of the people through a few first-hand accounts or testimonies; or discrimination and efforts to address it cannot be taught without introducing the students to accounts of people who have faced it personally and those who have been helped by measures taken at various levels. Real experiential accounts also help develop values and dispositions such as empathy, sensitivity, and pride in our heritage.

g. Content must enable development of capacities: Social Science aims at developing decision-making and problem-solving capacities in the social context to enhance social, cultural, and environmental harmony, which involves the interpretation of facts, relying on evidence, and connecting concepts to form rational and forward-looking opinions. The content in Social Science should not merely present facts but also help develop these capacities and enable inference, analysis, and a grasp of the complex, integrated nature of human life and society while being open to other perspectives.

h. Content must enable the development of values and dispositions: The choice of content in Social Science and its tone of presentation should have both implicit and explicit influence on the values and dispositions of students. While the overall content must be valid and adequately representative of a range of perspectives, it should also be deeply informed by the values and dispositions that it will foster.

5.5.2 Choice of Topics and Optimal Curricular Load

The ‘topics’ chosen to be studied as content must together enable the learning of relevant curricular goals of knowledge and capacity development.

In Social Science, perhaps more than any other subject, such a consideration leads to massive content overload. This is understandable because the scope and range of the subject is the entire range of human activity, phenomena, and society.

However, this content overload is self-defeating. It leads to students finding Social Science boring, with little relevance to their lives, and a mere memorisation of facts and figures. It also leaves no room for development of needful capacities.

Therefore, one of the most important matters in Social Science curricula is to have just the adequate ‘amount of content’. The key matter is ‘How can we arrive at this ‘adequate’ content?’ This NCF suggests the following basic principles to be used for designing such content:

a. Topics should be selected for development of capacities: The focus must be on the selection of topics (and also of pedagogy, assessment, and timetable space) that would help develop capacities, such as sourcing evidence, analysis, and framing questions. This is because no amount of content can be enough to build adequate knowledge in Social Science. However, if the capacities are developed, students can start gathering and developing their own knowledge base.

b. Address all relevant aspects: Choice of topics must cover all key relevant aspects of Social Science, including economic activity, cultural norms, and historical causes of a phenomenon. All (or even a significant part) of ‘knowledge’ must not be attempted to be covered, but all aspects should be touched upon so that students can subsequently use their capacities to continually build their knowledge base.

c. Make things interesting: Topics chosen must make study of Social Science interesting and also demonstrate its usefulness in the lives of people. This is what will motivate students to develop their capacities and use them. A variety of pedagogical tools must be deployed for the purpose (see §5.6.1).

5.5.3 Rootedness in India

While the entire Social Science curriculum would be strongly rooted in India, from the local to the national level, CG-10 (Middle Stage) and CG-9 (Secondary Stage) requires that the students must learn and understand the significant contribution of India and Indians to the concepts and methods in Social Science and the disciplines within as these are studied.

5.5.4 Content for Middle Stage

*5.5.4.1 Summary of Approach *

a. Based on themes: In the Middle Stage, the approach is largely based on studying ‘themes’. Themes form the content of study; ‘topics’ are sub-parts of the themes, which may be used for practical purposes of drawing boundaries for a particular discussion/inquiry. Each Grade would have all the chosen themes.

National Curriculum Framework for School Education National Curriculum Framework for School Education

b. Study themes from all perspectives: For all themes (or the topics within), study must happen from the angles and lenses of all relevant disciplines. This must cover historical, geographical, economic, and political science perspectives, as also anthropological, philosophical, psychological, sociological, cultural, and other perspectives. It is particularly important to note that:

i. Such study should be undertaken through real-life, relatable questions – and not be classified into disciplines – the disciplinary angles must be embedded within the questions/study. The students would not be told/instructed that such and such question is from such and such discipline.

ii. One question may embed and involve multiple disciplines.

c. All themes should be studied at four levels in each Grade – Local, regional, national, and global. At each level, the questions/study should be from the entire range of lenses from various disciplines.

d. Teaching-Learning Materials (including textbooks), pedagogy, assessment, and timetable must support this entire approach.

*5.5.4.2 ‘Themes’ for Holistic Real-life Perspective Building *

To develop an interdisciplinary, holistic perspective in the Middle Stage, the study of Social Science is largely based on themes rather than disciplines.

In essence, a ‘theme’ is any rich and complex human phenomenon that pulls together the lenses of multiple disciplines which in turn help obtain a good understanding of the phenomenon. For example, the concepts of continuity and change, governance, or migration are the sort of ideas that are so rich in nuances and so complex in multiple ways that a reasonable understanding requires the lenses of History, Geography, Political Science, Economics, and also Philosophy, Psychology, Anthropology, and more. Such concepts can be used as ‘themes’ in the study of Social Science.

a. It is useful and important to note that themes are likely to have related but different characteristics across different levels of human aggregation, implying that any of these themes, when studied at the very local community level as compared to the regional, or national, or global level, will have particular and different characteristics and dynamics. For example, the political and economic aspects of governance are vastly different at the local community level and at the national level.

b. Therefore, the themes should be studied at all four levels – local, regional, national, and global – with appropriate weightage given to each level in terms of the proportion of content. Needless to say, the study of all the themes at every level will be carried out with the same integrated multidisciplinary lens.

c. Within each of the themes (and for any of its constituent matters, which may be called ‘topics’) study must be done using the lenses of all relevant disciplines. The list of themes in 5.5.4.5 is useful for such an approach for studying Social Science. It needs to be noted that while this list of themes is useful and important, it is not comprehensive, and curriculum developers may choose other themes as well. The key criteria for choosing the themes are described below.

5.5.4.3 Criteria for Choosing Themes

Below is a set of criteria that can be used to choose themes. These have been used to select the themes used in the document. Other themes may be chosen by curriculum developers using these criteria.

a. The human phenomenon (or idea or concept) being chosen as a ‘theme’ must have the complexity that requires multiple disciplines for its study. For example, ‘the flow of rivers’ is not a phenomenon requiring multiple disciplines to study, as it is primarily a matter of Geography. However, ‘rivers and human life’ needs the perspectives of multiple disciplines and therefore could be a suitable theme within this approach.

b. The matter being chosen as a theme must be relatable in the context of the immediate environment of the student. This is not only important to develop an understanding of one’s own community and locality, but it is also important pedagogically to have a relatable understanding because students learn more deeply when they can relate to things with their own lives.

c. At the same time, the matter for a theme must be such that it has a regional, national, and global dimension and relevance and is not limited to only one or two levels. d. The overall set of themes chosen should enable the development of a syllabus and content that is sufficient to achieve the Curricular Goals in that class and of that Stage.

5.5.4.4 Themes Cutting Across Four Levels — Local, Regional, National, and Global/International

The themes should span from local to regional to country and then the world. Themes should be equally relevant and useful at all these levels.

This approach helps make the learning of Social Science observable, real-world, relevant, interesting, and connected to day-to-day occurrences for Middle Stage students, drawing them into thinking and talking about these occurrences while connecting them to the more expansive world. This would also give students a sense of their location in the world and the interconnections of matters between different levels of human aggregation.

For each of the Grades 6-8, the relative proportion of the content and of timetable space of the different levels are mentioned below. Within each level the themes should have roughly equal proportion of content. These are not tight rules, but directional guidance, and the exact proportions may vary reasonably based on other considerations.

a. Content for the local level would be 20% of the Social Science curriculum. Students will explore various facets of their locality in terms of historical context, geographical variations, and its socio-political, cultural, and economic life in an integrated manner. This will be done through collecting information/data from multiple sources, comparing data, making meaning out of it, doing analysis, and learning how social scientists build knowledge about

a society based on empirical evidence. This local level should:

i. Build familiarity with the methods relevant to Social Science and develop the related capacities.

ii. Make the subject relatable to real life.

b. Content for the regional level would be 30%. The understanding and capacities developed by the local level content would be built upon to deal with content at the regional level. In this, a deeper interdisciplinary perspective would be acquired by the students, by identifying interconnections, similarities, and differences between their locality and the region. The ‘region’ must be chosen thoughtfully, it must of course be the region around the ‘local’ area; but it may be a part of the state where that locality is, or multiple states, or the entire state itself.

c. Content for the national level would be 30%. Students are expected to learn the national context through a similar approach, including active engagement with secondary sources. This content could include a general survey of the relevant Indian history and geography. The unity in diversity of our people and the richness of our cultural heritage, and the relevant concepts of Indian ethos, must also be introduced and studied here.

d. Content for the global level would be 20%. An understanding of the culture and society of other countries would help students widen their worldview. Students can build a comparative understanding of life in other countries in relation to their own. This would lead to a sense of pluralism and appreciation of various cultures around the world. A comprehensive understanding of any three countries that meet the following (or similar) criteria may be chosen:

i. The three countries must be from different continents with different socio-cultural and civilisational histories,

ii. One country that has geographical challenges and has gone through rapid growth after struggling through challenging times in its history (e.g., Japan, South Korea),

iii. One country that has geographical diversity, has been a colony, and has struggled through foreign rule and internal difficulties (e.g., South Africa, Nigeria),

iv. One country that has grown rapidly and is influential in the global economy, with multi-ethnic composition (e.g., the United States of America, Australia, Germany). Along with other TLM, content for the local level should be in the form of workbooks, specifically designed such that, Teachers themselves should be able use it for their locality. On the other hand, the regional, national, and global level, content(s) may be covered through textbooks.

5.5.4.5 Themes Used in this Document

The themes chosen for illustration using the criteria mentioned earlier in § 5.5.4.2 are – People and Cultures, Livelihoods of People, Human-Environment Interconnectedness and Interaction, and Democracy and Governance.

A brief description for each theme, in the form of some key questions that form the rationale, is given below. Under each theme, illustrative topics are also given to help curriculum, syllabus, and content developers relate to the approach.

a. People and Cultures: The first step of Social Science is to study the people around us and what shapes their lives. There are multiple factors – geographical, historical, economic, cultural, psychological, and political – that enable and influence building a society and result in certain socio-cultural practices and norms in that society. These norms not only influence individuals’ lives, but also explain the functioning of group dynamics within a society. They enable us to understand the factors that influence coming together of people, or even the differences that may exist. The broader areas which this theme would cover are:

What factors influence the coming together of people (trade, ideas, socio-cultural influences, people movements – whether due to pilgrimages or deliberate/forced migrations) across time and their current practices? What has changed and what has remained constant over time? What are the political, economic (education of people, clothing, livelihood), and social-cultural (language, festivals, practices) components of cultures and what are shared? What positive effect does cultural interaction have? Answers to these questions cannot be sought in isolation, and hence the other themes must also be studied in conjunction.

Illustratively, working on this theme for Grade 6, the topics may cover the following content at local and regional level:

i. Topics that can be covered at local level:

1) What kind of changes have happened in the cultural life of the family and community in last three to four decades and what has continued? What are the reasons behind these changes and continuity? Such a topic could lead to a discussion of the role and importance of the family unit in Indian society.

2) What kinds of differences are observed in the beliefs and practices of members of the family? What is the basis of these differences?

3) What has been the migration pattern in the family over three to four decades? Who has migrated and where? How has it impacted the basic structure of the family?

ii. Topics that can be covered at regional level:

4) What are the major characteristics of the culture of the people of one’s own region?

5) What were the cultural practices of the people of the region in ancient times? What has continued over this period of time?

6) Which types of festivals are prominent in the region? What is its historical significance? What is the importance of festivals in bringing people together from different sections of society?

b. Livelihoods of People: Livelihoods remain at the centre of day-to-day activities of people and are also drivers of the cycles of interdependence in society. This in turn proceeds in defining the market dynamics, feeding the loop of demand and supply. For example, what goods and services does a society produce? Who controls the wealth and resources of a society? How and why have these changes occurred across time? What is the nature of the different markets (e.g., Haat, Bazaar, and Mandi)? Is it conceptually relevant to put Melas (fairs) as a form of market in India? How does the market influence the lives and occupations of the people? What and how are natural resources used and what is their effect on nature? What kind of governmental matters are linked to livelihood? This theme, thus, aims at enabling students to understand and interpret the dynamic relationship that the livelihoods of people have with the types of structures and institutions in the world, and their evolution. Finally, all of this must be understood in the context of the culture, aspirations of people, political environment, and more.

Working on this theme for Grade 8, the topics may cover the following content at regional and national level:

i. Topics that can be covered at regional level:

1) What do we mean by cottage, small-scale, and large-scale industries? How do geographical conditions define the possibilities of small-scale and large-scale industries in the region?

2) What is the share of small-scale and large-scale industries in economy of the region? How does it impact the standards of people’s lives?

3) How has industrial development taken place in the region in the last 30-40 years and what are the major reasons behind this change? How have traditional ways of conducting business been affected by this change?

4) What is the role of the state government in addressing the unemployment and poverty in the region?

ii. Topics that can be covered at national levels:

1) How do the climatic zones affect people’s lives and play a role in determining their livelihood in a particular zone?

2) Which types of agricultural practices and local industries develop in different climatic zones? How does it influence the livelihood of people?

3) What type of power sharing mechanisms and control over resources have developed over time in different regions of the country?

4) What are the impacts of globalisation on people’s lives? What kinds of changes can be seen in occupations and livelihood patterns?

5) Which types of occupations have emerged over a period of time? What is its impact on society? What is the role of different sections of society in economic activities?

c. Human-Environment Interconnectedness and Interaction: Individuals are shaped by and are an integral part of their social and physical environment. Everything that happens in society is influenced by its surroundings and its features, from what one wears, to what one eats, to what livelihoods thrive on. It is therefore important to know: How do humans adjust to the climate and terrain in which they live? How have changes in the natural world forced people to change their behaviour and practices? What positive and negative changes have people made to their environment? How has all this changed with time? What cultural factors have played a role and how? How are collective issues resolved? These questions are some of the key components for understanding the human-environment interaction. Working on this theme for Grade 6, the topics may cover the following content at local and regional level:

i. Topics that can be covered at local level:

1) What are the key physical features of one’s locality? Is it a plain, mountainous, plateau, or coastal area? How do the physical features of a place influence the living conditions of its inhabitants?

2) Understanding the relation between crop patterns in one’s locality and the physical features of that place.

3) How are land and resources distributed among the people in the locality? What are the reasons behind the disparity in the distribution of resources, if any? For example, in access to safe drinking water and school education.

4) What is a map? What are the key components of a map? What different kinds of maps are commonly made and consulted? What is the significance of a map in the lives of people? How do we make a map of one’s own locality?

ii. Topics that can be covered at regional level:

1) What are the key physical features of a region? What are the climatic conditions of the region and how do they shape the lives of the people in terms of occupation and livelihood?

2) What are the natural resources found in the region?

3) What are the major crops and horticulture of the region? What are the major flora and fauna of the region and their interconnectedness with the lives and cultures of the people in the region?

4) How does the environment affect people’s behaviour, such as language, food, clothing, and what is the kind of diversity found in different regions?

d. Democracy and Governance: Having understood human settlement and the multiple factors influencing the way people live, a certain kind of social and political order is required for a stable society. Governance attempts to ensure social order in society, along with taking care of the availability of resources and services for each member in the society. Democratic governance is one such form of a political structure that aims towards the inclusive and harmonious co-existence of diverse people in the society. Governance is shaped by the past experiences of the people. It is influenced by and influences social and cultural forces and trends and is deeply interconnected with economic well-being and the terrain of the place being governed. This theme focusses on understanding democracy and governance, how they have changed over time, and how this change has influenced and been influenced by technology and the economy.

Illustratively, working on this theme for Grade 8, the topics may cover the following content at national and global level:

i. Topics that can be covered at national level:

1) What is the process of government formation at union level? What are the roles and responsibilities of union government? What is its relationship with people?

2) How did India emerge as a modern democratic State? What are the values and principles that bind us together in the historical process? How does the Constitution of India address the aspirations of people and respects communities’ beliefs and practices?

3) What are the types of challenges that have been faced by Indian societies across periods of time? What are the processes, policies, and mechanisms developed by the government over the period of time to deal with these challenges?

4) What types of challenges are being faced by Indian democracy in recent times? How does the government tackle these challenges to bring social and economic prosperity in society?

ii. Topics that can be covered at global level:

1) What are the key features of U.S. democracy? How is it different from Indian democracy?

2) How has democracy evolved in the U.S. from its first freedom struggle to the civil war of the 1860s?

3) What are the major issues of American society and how has economic development shaped its society?

5.5.5 Content for Secondary Stage (Grades 9 and 10)

In Grades 9 and 10 of the Secondary Stage, the study of Social Science is organised within the disciplines of History, Geography, Political Science, and Economics. To operationalise the curriculum for the Learning Standards, the topics would be chosen in a manner as to develop depth in that discipline, including its methods.

Equally, the Learning Standards, Content, and Pedagogy will also ensure that at the level of detail the actual study of these particular concepts or matters, a complete picture is built by ensuring consideration from the lenses of other disciplines, including Anthropology, Sociology, Philosophy, Psychology, Linguistics, and others. This approach will build disciplinary depth alongside interdisciplinary, holistic perspectives, from granular details to an integrated worldview and the capacities to grow this worldview.

The content in History should guide the student to understand the evolution of human society. Content must be aimed at developing a holistic view of the human past by interpreting primary and secondary sources. The content must be based on different sources and is expected to help students arrive at various plausible interpretations backed by cross-validated evidence about a particular event or period. It must cover important phases of the past which have shaped the present. In addition, the content must familiarise the student with and explain the concept through multiple valid narratives.

For example, in Grade 9, while covering the topic ‘Nomadism to Settled Life in India and the World,’ it may cover core historical questions along with the related questions from other disciplines, such as:

a. Questions related to History:

iii. How did early humans live across the world? Which types of tools did they use?

iv. How did early humans transform from being hunter gatherers to living in a settled agrarian society?

v. What type of continuity and changes can be seen in the social structure from the beginning over different phases of history?

vi. How did the cultures of different regions interact? What are some items that cultures have passed on to each other over different phases of history?

b. Questions related to Geography:

i. How did early humans adjust to the climate and terrain where they lived? What were the geographical features which favoured the early agrarian settlements?

ii. How did the agrarian societies change their natural world?

iii. What positive and negative changes occurred to the environment with settling down of societies?

c. Questions related to Political Science:

i. What were the major factors behind one society heading their way to conquer the land and people of another society? How did one society gain control over others? How did a dominating society control and rule its subjects? What were the effects on conquered societies?

ii. How did the group or person in power keep or lose their power?

d. Questions related to Economics:

i. What were the types of changes seen in the production of goods and services with the shift from hunting and gathering to agrarian and settled society?

ii. Who had the control over the wealth and resources in nomadic society? Which types of new economic activities emerged in agrarian society and how did it change the relationship of humans with nature? Certain issues of history specific to the Indian context will need to be understood and discussed, often in an open-ended manner as they may not always lead to clear-cut answers, but always insisting on clarity of the concepts involved. For example:

iii. What are the different ideas of a nation?

iv. How does the ancient Indian concept of a desha/ rashtra/ mandala compare with the modern nation-state?

v. In the context of India, how relevant are the concepts of a nation or of a civilisation? What role does cultural continuity play in the concept of civilisation? vi. How to distinguish between political integration and cultural integration in the course of Indian history?

vii. In what ways did the British invasion and colonisation destroy India’s pre-colonial industrial and economic strength, and its indigenous educational and administrative systems? In what ways did it cause or greatly compound the severity of famines? How did it affect the vibrancy of India’s rich culture, including India’s languages, literature, art, philosophy, and heritage? Altogether, how did the British rulers, finding in the 17th century a culturally and economically prosperous India, leave it two centuries later in a weakened and impoverished condition? How has India recovered (and still is recovering) from this colonial experience and exploitation, economically and culturally, and what should India do to ensure its cultural (in terms of languages, literature, art, philosophy, heritage) and economic re-emergence?

In Geography, the content must focus on highlighting the interrelationship of human beings with their geographical environment and other life forms. Concepts highlighting the interdependence between humans and nature need to be at the core. The connection between various geographical phenomena and their socio-cultural effects must also be included. Knowing about, for example, various climatic zones across the world in Grade 10, questions from both Geography and other disciplines may be explored to understand the human-environment relationship. It can be done in the following manner:

*a. Questions related to Geography: *

i. What are the main factors that determine the formation of climatic zones on Earth?

ii. What are the characteristics and distribution of tropical, subtropical, temperate, and polar climatic zones, and how does this shape people’s lives and cultures?

iii. Discuss the role of latitude in shaping climatic zones and provide examples of how it affects temperature and precipitation patterns.

iv. How does human activity contribute to climate change? Provide specific examples of human activities that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

b. Questions related to History questions:

i. How have climatic/environmental changes influenced the rise and fall of civilisations throughout history? Explain how climatic changes were initially mostly natural, while environmental changes were either natural (e.g., caused by a long drought) or anthropogenic (e.g., caused by over-exploitation of natural resources in a given region). Provide examples of historical events where climatic/environmental factors played a significant role.

ii. How have human societies adapted to or mitigated the impacts of climatic zones throughout history? Discuss specific strategies or practices employed by civilisations in response to changing climatic conditions. Include cases where attempts at mitigation were unsuccessful, leading, for instance, to major social or political reorganisation or upheaval.

c. Questions related to Political Science

i. How does climate change influence international relations and diplomacy? Discuss the political dimensions of climate change negotiations, agreements, and conflicts over resources.

ii. Explain how political decisions and policies can shape the adaptation and mitigation strategies related to climatic zones. Provide examples of government policies or initiatives that address climate change and its impacts.

d. Questions related to Economics

i. Explain the economic implications of climatic zones on agriculture, tourism, and natural resource-based industries. Provide examples of how climatic conditions affect economic activities in different regions.

ii. Discuss the role of climate change in shaping global trade patterns and economic relationships between countries. How do changing climatic conditions impact international trade and economic agreements?

In Political Science, the content should include an in-depth understanding of the subject of Political Science in India’s history, from the Arthashastra of Kautilya to the modern Constitution of India. It should include democracy, its various definitions in ancient and modern times, and democratic life as the main concepts, while also familiarising students with other kinds of political structures and lives across the world. It should include the current-day, post independence working of the Government in India through its network of social and political institutions.

It should also include an understanding of inequity and discrimination in society, and its reasons, alongside the progress that has been made and the ways and efforts that have been made towards inclusion and justice and its successes, failures, and challenges. Students are expected to explore probable solutions to these challenges, including what people can do individually to address these issues. The importance of Constitutional values and our democratic commitment to ensure a dignified life for all in society should be highlighted. Along with it, the presence of other disciplines would ensure that the student understands an issue in an in-depth manner.

For example, while studying about the Constitutional provisions for ensuring equality in India in Grade 10, the following questions across disciplines may be dealt with:

a. Questions related to Political Science:

i. What are the varying inequities, social disparities, and harmful social practices prevalent in society based on identity? What are the reasons behind these?

ii. What have been the measures in our country to address these issues, and how successful have we become?

iii. What are the challenges in front of us for addressing such issues as a nation?

b. Questions related to Economics:

i. Is there any relationship between social inequities and disparities and economic status?

ii. What could be the Constitutional ways to address these gaps, which can lead to improvement in the economic status of these sections of society?

iii. Does the identity of a person influence the nature of livelihood and occupations they practice?

c. Questions related to History:

i. What Indian philosophical, historical, or ethical concepts have sought to counter inequities? What have been the major successes of these concepts in Indian society?

ii. Despite these successes, what are the causes of some of the inequities that currently exist in Indian society?

iii. What have been some of the measures that have been taken and can be taken, by individuals, society, and the nation, to address these issues?

d. Questions related to Geography:

i. What is the habitation structure of societies (rural, urban) where identity-based clusters are formed?

In Economics, an introductory understanding of economic activities and the interrelatedness of these activities with human life, the market, and money should be included. The content areas encourage the students to understand, observe, and interpret economic life in their immediate environment. With this, they would be able to make sense of the economy in India and in the global world. Aligning with the interdisciplinary approach, understanding economics through the lens of other disciplines would add to the knowledge of the student. Illustratively, while studying about the three sectors (primary, secondary, and tertiary) and organised and unorganised sector in Grade 9, questions from core Economics and other disciplines can be explored in the following manner:

a. Questions related to Economics:

i. What do we understand by primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors of an economy?

ii. How is each sector dependent on each other, contributing equally for running of the economy?

iii. What is the difference between organised and unorganised sectors?

b. Questions related to History:

i. What are the changes that have happened over time in trade patterns? (Will cover not only how initial trade was between primary products, but also how industrial revolution changed things at large)

ii. How did the difference between organised and unorganised sectors emerge historically? What has been and still is the special importance in India of the unorganised sector, both socially and economically?

c. Questions related to Political Science:

i. What is the role of the government to regulate and secure the running of the market?

ii. How does the government protect people in the unorganised sector through social welfare schemes?

d. Questions related to Geography:

i. How does a product reach you?

ii. What are trade routes and how are they decided?

iii. How does geography influence the nature of occupation of the people?

*5.5.6 Materials and Resources for the Content *

A Social Science classroom should include a variety of TLMs in addition to the textbook. Students must be exposed to social and cultural phenomena across time and space through sources such as local literature, folk songs, stories from one’s region, ancient monuments and documents, magazines and newspapers, films and documentaries, autobiographies, biographies, memoirs and travelogues, audio-visual aids, and maps of all kinds. They must make sense of their own lives, the society they live in, and its institutions.

a. Textbooks: Social Science textbooks should be made interactive by including reflective prompts for the students. These prompts must help with connecting concepts with the current lives of the students and suggest activities they can do to explore the ideas in their immediate surroundings. Textbooks must have a large number of illustrations and activities that make students think deeply. The textbooks must refer to some original sources that students should examine. Also, by design, they must use and link multiple other learning resources. The current, sharp distinction between textbooks and workbooks must be avoided.

b. Digital material: Content for Social Science should not be restricted only to textual forms. Students can engage with a concept through other mediums (songs, movies, documentaries, audio clips). Such diversity in content makes the class enjoyable through an enriched medium of learning. Unfamiliar content becomes easier to understand this way, and it becomes possible to give students access to a distant world (in time and space) virtually. National Curriculum Framework for School Education National Curriculum Framework for School Education

c. Maps and atlases: A geographical basis for understanding any social event makes the learning of Social Science rooted in the physical world. A Social Science classroom should always have maps, globe, and atlases available for students to refer to. The collection of maps should have physical maps, political maps, along with thematic maps (population density, distribution of minerals). These should be of the locality, region, country, and the world.

d. Literature: Works of literature (fictional and non-fictional) are a very good source for a Social Science classroom. Literature that is representative of identities, cultures, phases of history, personalities and forms, such as historical accounts, diary records, and folktales can be used to the advantage of the class. Oral traditions and narratives can be another rich form of literature.

e. Sources from the visual and performing arts: Art forms which depict culture and traditions are good sources of information and conversation in a Social Science classroom. These would enrich class discussions. In addition, field visits or digital content can be used to introduce the students to the arts related to Social Science ideas.

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Past-Present-Polity I teach Social Science to 36 students in Grade 6. It is easier to teach this subject if students are able to relate the content to their experiences/observations from life around them and establish connections between topics of different disciplines. Somehow understanding the interconnectedness of various parts of this subject makes it even more interesting! Hence, when we were working on a topic of History in which we were discussing about various ‘Sources in History’ and how we use them to understand the past and present and the concept of ‘continuity and change’; I planned a small discussion activity, keeping in mind the following objectives: a. The students should be able to interpret the sources keeping in mind the context of the society the source represent b. The students should be able to build a comparative understanding about past and the present and identify what things have continued from the past and what has changed. With these objectives in mind, I gave a small excerpt about the administrative system of Gram Sabha in Chola period in India. The excerpt highlights the qualifications a person must have, to be a member of the Gram Sabha. Along with the excerpt, a set of questions were also given. The students first had to work on those questions individually and then a classroom discussion was done around the questions. The excerpt: Who could be a member of a Sabha? The Uttaramerur inscription lays down: All those who wish to become members of the Sabha should be owners of land from which land revenue is collected. They should have their own homes. They should be between 35 and 70 years of age. They should have knowledge of the Vedas. They should be well-versed in administrative matters and honest. If anyone has been a member of any committee in the last three years, he cannot become a member of another committee. Anyone who has not submitted his accounts, and those of his relatives, cannot contest the elections. Set of questions: a. The record mentions the qualifications of the members of the Gram Sabha. Why do you think such expectations were posed for a member to qualify for Gram Sabha? b. There is no mention of electing common people and women as members. What would have been the reason for this? c. Interact with the members of your Gram Panchayat and find out what kind of qualifications are currently prescribed for the election of members? d. Which of these qualifications are such that cannot be applied to today’s Gram Sabha members and why? This activity took three periods to complete. In the first period I discussed what the students have to do and then gave time to read and respond to the first two questions. In the next period, a few members from Gram Panchayat were invited for a discussion in the classroom, in which the students had to come prepared for their questions about the present structure and rules of Gram Sabha. This discussion helped the students to discover the answers for the third and fourth questions. It was only in the third period that an elaborate class discussion was held and a shared understanding was built. We could draw some interpretations as a team about the Gram Sabha system in the Chola period, and how the concept of Gram Sabha has still continued, but the qualification expectations for joining the Gram Sabha have changed.

Section 5.6 - Pedagogy and Assessment

The approach, principles, and methods of pedagogy and assessment has commonalities across subjects – those have been discussed in Part A, Chapter 3, §3.3 and §3.4 of this document. This section focusses only on what is most essential for Social Science and humanities. Hence, it will be useful to read this section along with the above-mentioned section.

5.6.1 Pedagogy for Social Science

Social Science is often taught as a fixed set of facts without an understanding of how interpretations play a role in its construction. This has pushed students towards memorising facts and figures from a textbook, which is not an actual learning of Social Science. A Social Science classroom must be participatory and interactive in nature. It is only when students are allowed to immerse themselves in the process of Social Science thinking that they learn the subject better.

5.6.1.1 Pedagogical Considerations

The following pedagogical considerations should be kept in mind while planning for Social Science classes:

a. Classroom transactions should help students engage with the method of doing Social Science so that learners can appreciate the methods for knowledge creation in Social Science. For instance, students may be encouraged to notice patterns in the distribution of different forms of government, such as democracies, monarchies, and dictatorships across the globe and propose reasons (historical, geographical, socio-political, and economic) for the existence of those patterns.

b. Classroom teaching should inculcate an awareness and appreciation of normative concerns. Students should be given opportunities to reflect on various social and environmental issues in their own environment. This should lead to thinking and discussing of meaningful responses to these challenges.

c. Multidisciplinary thinking should be encouraged and supported to ensure that students develop a holistic and integrated understanding of concepts as they appear in society. Any event in history needs to be interpreted in the socio-political or economic contexts of its origin; any geographical phenomena should be evaluated from its impact on space and human lives and its influence on the economy and society. Similarly, any economic concept needs to be understood from its historical and socio-political contexts.

d. A Social Science classroom should be a place for contesting ideas, debating, and arguing with empathy and care. Students must be encouraged to share their diverse experiences and reasoning without the fear of being judged or ridiculed. The Teacher must refrain from imposing their own beliefs and biases on the students and should train students towards looking at one issue from several viewpoints. The entire pedagogy in a Social Science classroom should be an attempt to reveal newer dimensions of social reality and work towards creating self-awareness and introspection among Teachers and students.

e. Facts and concepts in Social Science should be made relevant to the students’ contexts and experiences. Such sharing and interactions must be respectful of the cultural and socio-economic differences and multiple perspectives among students.

f. Concepts in Social Science need to be clarified with adequate depth and rigour: In a Social Science classroom, adequate time and attention should be given to concept formation and clarity. For example, students need to understand the processes of weathering and erosion to see their impact on topography and human civilisation; they must engage with the meaning of different types of sources of evidence to frame meaningful interpretations of historical events; and develop a comprehensive understanding of concepts of plurality and democracy to appreciate the values enshrined in the Constitution and those stressed upon in NEP 2020. The overall classroom environment should encourage academic rigour in acquiring knowledge.

g. The opportunity to engage with various social-political and environmental matters through investigating and interpreting multiple sources of evidence available, such as documentaries, literature (books, local stories, travelogues), newspaper reports, and relevant films should be undertaken. Selecting materials that are relatable to students and help in developing curiosity about the discipline should be prioritised. At the same time, care should be taken to ensure that materials are taken from reliable sources of information and do not depict biases for or against a particular thought, philosophy, group, or people.

h. Authentic tasks/performance-based tasks, such as project-based learning activities and assignments, should be incorporated to give learners an opportunity to develop different types of capacities such as surveying, data analysis, problem solving, and collaborative skills to validate and investigate their assumptions and beliefs.

5.6.1.2 Pedagogical Strategies

To design lessons around these considerations, there are many strategies that Teachers can deploy. Illustratively:

a. Inquiry: Inquiry-based methods help students understand how social scientists generate knowledge. For instance, students can make and test hypotheses about factors that influence migration in their locality or region, the genesis of various settlement patterns in their region, why specific types of occupations are more prevalent in specific regions, and so on.

b. Issues-based learning: Issues-based learning can be a conducive tool for acquainting students with various aspects of social realities, integrating perspectives from different disciplines in investigating the causes of problems, and thinking about relevant social action. As a subject addressing normative concerns, it is also vital that students learn much of the Social Science content by engaging with real issues in their immediate/related context. For instance, students may consider the problem of drinking water shortage in their area, which may involve engaging with questions such as – What are the available sources of water? How does water consumption differ across different parts of the region/ locality? Are there wastages that can be avoided? How is water being made accessible to all sections of society? Is there unequal distribution? What steps are being taken to purify water? How is it being made available to the poorer sections of society?

c. Conversations, discussions, and debates: Conversations are extremely vital in a Social Science classroom. These conversations should lead to focussed discussions on concepts, ideas, belief systems, and value claims. Sometimes these discussions may turn into debates in the classroom. It is important to encourage such debates, as it provides students with the opportunity to put forth their perspectives, resolve conflicts, iron out contradictory ideas, and learn from each other. However, care must be taken that such discussions and debates do not hurt the sentiments of any social group. Some common topics for discussion could be on climate change, diversity in clothing and types of food as per historical and geographical reasons and practising democratic processes in schools.

d. Role plays and simulations: Role plays and simulations may help students explore decision-making processes and find means for conflict resolution. For instance, role plays of the Gram Panchayat/Corporation may be used as a vehicle to explain the functioning of a democratic institution.

e. Community service and field excursions: Community service is yet another engaging strategy in a Social Science classroom. It not only involves concrete experiences for learning concepts from the curriculum, but also enables students to develop the desired values. Students may take up various projects to work with local government agencies to acquire first-hand experience of issues and work with people in need. Similarly, field excursions are meaningful ways of engaging with the content, e.g., nature walks, heritage walks, food walks, and visits to police stations, museums, post offices, planetariums, and government and digital archives.

f. Reflective essays: Students can write reflective essays on various topics related to the curriculum. These essays can also be used by Teachers to assess the extent to which students have learnt the desired concepts and skills. For instance, a reflective essay topic could be, ‘How will dams transform agricultural productivity in India?’, ‘What are the issues and opportunities of linking rivers?’, ‘What sustainable agricultural strategies could a region adopt if its main river turns seasonal or dries up?’, or ‘Is waste management and disposal the sole responsibility of municipalities and other government agencies?

g. Project work: Effective Social Science teaching happens when students collaborate for a project or a specific task. These could be conducting surveys and interviews (e.g., household surveys, interviews with stakeholders of the society such as village sarpanch), drawing a map of their classroom, investigating historical sources in their region, tabulating the types of bazaars/marketsSuch projects should be collaboratively designed along with students with sufficient time given to collect data, analyse it, and present it in the classrooms.

h. Some specific opportunities for projects to create models and artefacts: Students should be given opportunities where they can apply their knowledge to create models and artefacts. These could be in the form of poster-making, collections (old coins, newspapers, stamps, types of rocks, leaves, flowers, photographs, pamphlets), models (2-dimensional or 3-dimensional, e.g., monuments, volcanoes, still scenes), videos of rallies/haat bazaars/ book fairs/any social events in their surroundings.

5.6.2 Assessment in Social Science

Some of the key principles having particular relevance to Social Science

a. Students must be assessed for their understanding of core ideas, facts, and concepts in Social Sciences and their ability to demonstrate an integrated understanding of how society functions through an interplay of historical, geographical, social, cultural, economic, political, and other factors. The ability to look forward and think out possible strategies to tackle current or future social, political, environmental issues should also be evaluated (not for the effectiveness of those proposed strategies, which often cannot be assessed, but for the thinking processes the students engage in and their use of a range of materials, factors).

b. They should be assessed on the skills and dispositions that foster inquiry in Social Sciences, e.g., sourcing and interpreting evidence, tracing continuity and change, recognising spatial patterns, respect for diversity.

c. Students must be assessed through a variety of ways, e.g., answering questions using reasoning and evidence, conducting field surveys, map reading and interpretation, developing geographical models, participating in debates and discussions.

A few Teacher Voices below illustrate assessment samples for Social Science.

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Different Types of Farming I teach Grade 7. I wanted to assess my students’ understanding of the difference between types of farming practised in India. Usually, I would ask my students to simply state the features of subsistence farming, commercial farming, plantation farming, and shifting cultivation, and their key differences. Both questions can be answered using rote memory. I tried something different this time. The question below is directly related to their understanding of types of farming, their differences, and how they appear in real-life situations. Read the information below and answer the question;

Meena and Ravi are friends. Their families practice farming in the following ways. Please read below: Identify the type of farming practiced by Meena and Ravi from the options given below. a. Meena practises commercial farming while Ravi practises subsistence farming b. Meena practises subsistence farming while Ravi practises plantation farming c. Meena practises shifting cultivation while Ravi practises commercial farming d. Meena practises subsistence farming while Ravi practises commercial farming e. Both Meena and Ravi practise commercial farming*

Applying Constitutional Provisions I teach Grade 8. I wanted to assess my students’ ability to apply their understanding of Constitutional provisions in an unfamiliar situation. Students tend to rote memorise and reproduce the conditions for contesting elections as seen in textbooks. This question presents a real-life situation where students must apply their knowledge. Read the following passage carefully. Ravi is 24 years old and comes from a poor family. He is a graduate and a citizen of India. He does not hold an office of profit under the Government of India or a State Government. He is physically and mentally fit and is planning to contest in the Lok Sabha elections. He filed his nomination papers for the election. However, his application has been rejected. From the above passage, why do you think Ravi’s candidature was rejected? a. He comes from a poor family b. He is just a graduate
c. He is 24 years old d. He does not hold any office of profit

Field Survey – Knowing your Local History I teach Grade 9. I find field surveys very useful for a comprehensive assessment of engaging with the history of one’s locality and using the process of inquiry in Social Science. The following survey enables the students to acquire first-hand experience using skills, like observing, recording, collecting sources, documenting, comparing, evaluating, and drawing conclusions. Working in groups also nurtures skills of communication, collaboration, and teamwork. Activity: I used the following instructions to describe the field survey tasks to my students: I used the following instructions to describe the field survey tasks to my students: a. Identify at least 2 popular historical sites in your village or town e.g., temple, mosque, church, gurudwara, well, bavar/bawri, palace, ruins, other places of historical importance. b. Collect information about these 2 sites using the following sources: i. Speak to at least 2 members from your family/neighbourhood about these sites — When was it built? What was it used for? Is there anything special about this site? And so on. ii. Visit these 2 sites in groups of 4. Observe and record the following: shape and form of the structure, type of materials used, anything special/peculiar about the site, e.g., inscriptions, carvings, folktales. c. After collecting information, I asked students to prepare a project report in the following way: Project Title: Use any imaginative title as per your group’s choice. Sites visited: You can provide photographs/sketches of the sites along with description. What did you learn about these 2 sites from the people you spoke to and your visit? Site 1: Site 2: What does this tell you about the history of your locality? Write down at least 3 conclusions based on the information collected. Write any funny incident/story/fact that you learnt about this site which is memorable to your group. I used the following rubrics to grade my students’ performance:*