Influence Of Direct Experience in Social Science Learning

Abstract

Social sciences, the study of human society and its behaviour, relations and social institutions, are critical in creating responsible citizens of high quality. It is very important but generally, when it is taught through a conventional approach by use of textbooks, the students consider Social Science boring and abstract. These approaches tend to restrict the communication between the students and do not create the significant correlations between the school materials and social life. This paper addresses the relevance of direct experience in learning in the social science area and how experiential learning promotes student interest, conceptual knowledge and skills in critical thinking. The paper takes a conceptual and pedagogical form of addressing how field trip, visits of historical sites, meeting community members and observing democratic institutions can make learning of Social Science to be a fun, as well as a worthwhile process. Emphasis is particularly laid on practical approaches to teaching the topics of the Freedom Struggle, democratic rule and natural and cultural diversity. Another important characteristic of inquiry-based learning as it is mentioned in the paper is the active investigation of the social reality by the learners as it is achieved through observation, interaction and introspection. Such students can be assisted by the learning experiences to get out of the rote learning and enhance their knowledge on social values, civic responsibility and cultural knowledge. The discussion has shown that experiential learning can be effective to improve academic knowledge or improve creativity, communicational skills and social interaction. The paper infers that teaching Social Science requires the integration of the direct experience so that learning process becomes more applicable, enjoyable and effective hence resulting in overall building of a learner and equipping him to be an active member of the society.