Reviewer in Strategies in teaching Political Science

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”- Nelson Mandela

What is Political Science?

Political science is the study of politics and power from domestic, international, and comparative
perspectives. It entails understanding political ideas, ideologies, institutions, policies, processes, and
behavior, as well as groups, classes, government, diplomacy, law, strategy, and war. A background in
political science is valuable for citizenship and political action, as well as for future careers in
government, law, business, media, or public service.

Evolution of Political Science as a discipline

Politics is an ongoing process which aims at achieving the well-being of individuals in the organized
society by solving their problems to the greatest extent possible. Aristotle called politics as a “master
science”.

Nature and Scope of Political Science

The nature of Political Science is dynamic as it includes the study of wide range of things so it keeps
growing and developing. It includes not only the study of the government and the state but also the role
of individuals in the state. By the term ‘scope’, we mean the breadth, comprehensiveness, variety and
extent of the learning experiences, the utility in the real life situations, provided through the teaching of
social science.

It includes the knowledge of every sphere of life as may be called social, political, economic, religious,
cultural, psychological, philosophical, etc.

Political Science, being a social science, is interdisciplinary by nature, which implies that it draws upon
other social disciplines or branches of knowledge and thus dependent on them in various ways. It
includes:

Study of Cause and Effect Relationship

Our social, economic, geographical, cultural and political conditions are the results of the human
activities as well as the environmental activities of the past and the working of today will affect the
conditions in the future. The chain of cause and effect will go on from decade to decade. Due to this
relationship, we can call it as a science because science also relates with cause and effect as well as what
is and what ought to be. In the same way with the help of social sciences, students will be able to
understand the present conditions and their cause and also to predict the future of the world.
ii) A study of Human Relationships

The relationship between the human beings can be studied under the following heads

a) People and People

b) People and institutions

c) People and earth

d) People and goods

iii) Study of human beings in their Surroundings

Social Sciences deal with the study of human beings, their way of living in the present and past, their
significant achievements, their institutions and problems of life they face with the increased amount of
information pertaining to new items and happenings reported in different media. It helps the learners
become proficient in identifying the places where the events take place.

iv) Study of Society

The subject matter of social sciences consists of different traditions, customs, rituals, and ideas of the
society developed from the ancient period to the present time. The society starts from the family and
goes on to the international level.

v) Functional Study of Natural Sciences

Social Science and Natural Sciences are interrelated and interdependent. Political science is related to all
social sciences. Its study is incomplete without realizing its relationship with other areas of social
sciences. While maintaining its separate identity, it works in close relation with other disciplines in social
sciences for successful outcome of educational efforts.

Political Science Curriculum

 Curriculum is the sum total of all planned and directed purposeful learning activities and
experience provided by the school to the learners for achieving the desired learning objectives,
Curriculum includes any materials or activities that affect the learning, development, attitudes,
skills and behavior of the children in the school.
 In the simplest terms, ‘curriculum’ is a description of what, why, how and how well students
should learn in a systematic and intentional way.

 “The curriculum is a plan incorporating a structured series of intended learning outcomes and
associated learning experiences, generally organized as a related combination or series of
courses.”
  The curriculum is the “inventory of activities implemented to design, organize and plan an
education or training action, including definition of learning objectives, content, methods
(including assessment) and material, as well as arrangements for training teachers and trainers.”
(CEDEFOP 2011).
 The curriculum can also be viewed as a political and social agreement that reflects a society’s
common vision while taking into account local, national and global needs and expectations.
 Curriculum in Political Science includes the subject matter and experiences which are
specifically intended to develop an understanding of the working of the state, the government
and various political and civic organizations. Curriculum is also intended to develop appropriate
skills and attitudes relating to human relations and social and political institutions.

Principles of Curriculum Construction

The following principles may be kept in view while constructing the curriculum of Political Science.

1) Child/Learner Centered Curriculum

The subject matter should not be selected at random. It should be age and stage appropriate taking into
consideration the background, diversity, interests and aptitudes of the students.

2) Inclusion of Direct Learning Situations and Activities.

Efforts should be made to include direct learning situations and activities in the course. Educational
trips, visits to various institutions of social interest as markets, panchayats at work, town hall, power
stations, dams, cooperative societies, places of historical importance... are more educative than verbal
lessons. Similarly, self-government in the school and various projects planned, executed and evaluated
by the adolescents themselves form the foundations of real learning for them.

3) Due Scope for Current Affairs

The curriculum must be flexible, to some extent, to accommodate the inclusion of current affairs which
are yet to happen. Sometimes, the current affairs are the most important for educational purpose:
current news may be exploited fully for giving comprehensive understanding of the environment.

4) Promotion of International Understanding

Modern inventions have practically removed the limitations put forth by time and space. The globe is so
contracted today that the whole world has come closer. No nation can afford to exist in exclusion.
Therefore, our children must have an understanding of their neighbours and their needs. We should
wipe out war itself from the minds of men and women.

5) Cultivation of the Critical and Constructive Attitude

In a democracy all citizens are masters of their fate individually as well as collectively. They have to
decide things for themselves so as to develop critical thinking. They should be able to make wise and
informed decisions and choices. They should be able to follow causal relations of events scientifically.
These relations should be kept in view while selecting the material for the curriculum.

Aims and Objectives of Teaching Political Science

 Develop a critical understanding about the aims and objectives of Political Science in a
Democratic and Secular country.
 Develop a critical understanding about the nature and philosophy of Political Science and its
interface with society.
 Engage with the classroom processes in Political Science.
 Understand the nature of Political Science curriculum and its Pedagogical issues.
 Understand the basic ideals of our constitution.
 Develop as responsible and active citizens in a democracy.
 Understand the significance of national integration.
 Understand the importance of international relations.
 Realize the significance of peace and the protection of basic human rights.
 organize co-curricular activities and use community resources for learning Political Science

EDUCATION

Education is the basic building block of every society. It is the single best investment countries can make
to build prosperous, healthy and equitable societies. Article 26 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of
Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to education.”

 “Education” has been derived from four Latin words these are –Educare, Educere, Educatum
and E-Duco
 The term ‘Educare’ means to train or mould or to raise or nourish. In other words, it means that
the child beside to be brought up according to certain ends and aim in view.
 Educere: ‘Educere’ means to lead out or to draw out or “bring forth what is within”. In other
words, it means to draw out the latent potentialities of the child.
 Educatum: ‘Educatum’ denotes the acts of teaching. It throws light on the principles and
practice of teaching.
 Plato view on Education: “Man as a combination of body and soul. Education has to develop the
physical and spiritual qualities of man”.
 According to Aristotle “Education is the creation of a sound mind in a sound body”
 John Stuart Mill: “The culture which each generation purposefully gives to those who are to be
its successors, To qualify them for at least keeping up, and if possible for raising the level of the
improvement which has been attained”.
 the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of
reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature
life.
 the act or process of imparting or acquiring particular knowledge or skills, as for a profession.
 “Education is the socially organized and regulated process of continuous transference of socially
significant experience from the previous generations to the followings. The main way to receive an
education is to take a course of training in the system of educational institutions.” (Naziev, A., 2017)

TYPE OF EDUCATION

 FORMAL EDUCATION
- School/institution involved
- Has hierarchal structure
- Uniform, full time, and proper
- Subject oriented
- Certification and degree

 NON-FORMAL EDUCATION
- Very long process
- Learning from experience
- Learning from home
- Learning from environment
- Learning from work

 INFORMAL EDUCATION
- Practical adult learning
- Diversity method and content
- Mobilizes local resources
- Built learner participation
- Real life example of learning

Teaching and learning process can be defined as a transformation process of knowledge from teachers
to students.

Learning

Can be considered as change that is permanent in nature because change is brought into students by a
teacher through techniques like developing specific skills, changing some attitudes, or understanding
specific scientific law operating behind a learning environment (Sequeira, 2012).

Teacher to Learning Facilitator

What is Facilitating Learning?

 A teacher operating under non-traditional concepts of teaching may be called a facilitator of

learning.
  A learning approach where students are encouraged to take ownership and control of their
learning process and the role of the teacher changes from supplier of knowledge to facilitating
the process of learning. This is done by providing learning resources and actively challenging
students through systematic problem- based learning and other active learning methods.

VARIED ROLE OF TEACHER

 Manager, Councilor, motivator, leader, model, facilitator, parent-surrogate, instructor, public

relation specialist.

Qualities of A Good Teacher

• Being good at explaining things

• Being a person who enjoys working with a wide range of people

• Being enthusiastic

• Having a strong knowledge of a particular subject area

• Being good at time management

• The ability to work in team and uses his own initiative

• Keeping cool under pressure

• Haing patience and a good sense of humor

• Being fair minded

• Coping well with change

• Enjoying challenge

UNDERSTANIDNG THE LEARNERS

How do learners learn?

 Prior knowledge can help or hinder learning.

It is important to know and address the misconceptions students hold, and to connect new
information they already possess.
 Motivation generates, directs, and sustains learning behavior.
Motivation influences the amount of time and effort students devote to learning and support
their continued engagement when difficulties arise.
 The way students organize knowledge determines how they use it.
Help students learn to organize knowledge the way experts do, around core concepts or big
ideas that guide expert thinking about our domain, and we need to identify and correct
students’ disconnected information and inaccurate links.
 Meaningful engagement is necessary for deeper learning.
 Meaningful engagement, such as posing and answering meaningful questions about concepts,
making analogies, or attempting to apply the concepts or theories to solve problems, leads to
more elaborate, longer lasting, and stronger representation of knowledge.
 Mastery requires developing component skills and knowledge, synthesizing, and applying
them appropriately.
Students must practice to gain proficiency, and must understand the conditions and contexts of
application and must practice applying skills and knowledge appropriately in new contexts,
otherwise they may have difficulty transferring knowledge and skills learned in one context or
another.
 Goal-directed practice and targeted feedback are critical to learning.
Goal-directed practice involves working toward a specific level of performance and continually
monitoring performance relative to clearly define goals.
 Students must learn to monitor, evaluate and adjust their approaches to learning self-directed
learners.
Students must be conscious of their thinking process. This is called metacognition.
 Because students develop holistically, their learning is affected by the social, emotional and
intellectual climate of the classroom.
Students are not only intellectual but also social and emotional beings, and thus all these
dimensions interact to impact learning and performance.

How do learners learn:

Its Implications to Learning

 We learn to do by doing.
 We learn to do what we do and not something else.
 Without readiness, learning is inefficient and may be harmful.
 Without motivation there can be no learning at all.
 For effective learning, responses must be immediately reinforced.
 Meaningful content is better learned and longer retained than less meaningful content.
 For the greatest amount of transfer learning, responses should be learned in the way the way
they are going to be used.
 One’s response will vary according to the learning atmosphere.
 One does the only thing one can do given the physical inheritance, background, and present
acting forces.

Multiple Intelligences
Visual and Spatial Intelligence

Learners tend to think in pictures and need to create vivid mental images to retain information.

Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence

These learners have highly developed auditory skills and are generally elegant speakers. They think in
words rather than pictures.

Logical/Mathematical Intelligence.
These learners think conceptually in logical and numerical patterns, making connections between pieces
of information.

Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence

These learners express themselves through movements. They have a good sense of balance and eye-
hand coordination.

Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence

These musically inclined learners think in sounds, rhythms and patterns.

Intrapersonal Intelligence

These learners have the ability to self-reflect and be aware of one’s inner state of being.

Interpersonal Intelligence

These learners try to see things from other people’s point of view in order to understand how they think
and feel. They have uncanny ability to sense feelings, intentions and motivations.

Multiple Intelligences: Implications for Teaching

Visual Learners: learn best through seeing

Auditory Learners: learn best through listening

Tactile/Kinesthetic learners: learn best through moving, doing and touching

3 LEARNING DOMAINS
A. Cognitive Domain

The cognitive domain contains learning skills predominantly related to mental (thinking) processes.
Learning processes in the cognitive domain include a hierarchy of skills involving processing information,
constructing understanding, applying knowledge, solving problems, and conducting research. There are
six levels of cognitive complexity: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis,
evaluation.

Categories of this domain are:

(Knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation)

B. Affective Domain

Most people think of learning as an intellectual or mental function. However, learning is not a just a
cognitive (mental) function. You can also learn attitudes, behaviors, and physical skills. The affective
domain involves our feelings, emotions and attitudes. The affective domain involves our feelings,
emotions, and attitudes. This domain includes the manner in which we deal with things emotionally,
such as feelings, values, appreciation, enthusiasms, motivations, and attitudes.

This domain is categorized into 5 sub-domains, which include:

(1) Receiving

(2) Responding

(3) Valuing

(4) Organization

(5) Characterization

C. Psychomotor Domain

Psychomotor objectives are those specific to discreet physical functions, reflex actions and interpretive
movements. It is interesting to note that while the cognitive taxonomy was described in 1956, and the
affective in 1964, the psychomotor domain were not fully described until the 1970s.

Teaching Assumption
 Persons at all ages have potential to learn, with some learning faster than others and individuals
vary in a way they like to learn.
 Learning is more comfortable and effective when environmental conditions support open
exchange, sharing of opinions, and problem solving strategies.
 Teachers facilitate learning by incorporating students’ experience, observation of others, and
personal ideas and feelings.
 Learning improves when the learner is an active participant in the educational process.

THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

• Physical Environment

• Intellectual Climate

• Social Climate

• Autocratic Climate

• Laissez Faire Climate

• Democratic Climate

• Emotional Climate

Factors Affecting Cognitive Development

• Biological Factors

• Senses – proper development helps in receiving correct stimuli for the formation of correct concepts
• Intelligence – the ability to learn about, learns from, understand, and effectively interrelate in one’s
environment

• Heredity – process of transmitting characteristics from one generation to the next, student
development is similar to their parents

• Maturation – learning to cope and respond in an appropriate way

Environmental Factors

• Learning Opportunities

• Economic Status

• Play (especially for children)

• Various Types of Stimuli

• Family and Society

FOUNDATIONAL PHILOSOPHIES OF EDUCATION

A philosophy is often defined as the foundation upon which knowledge is based. However,
when you break apart the actual word, a much different meaning emerges. Derived from the
Greek “philos,” which means love, and “sophos,” which means “wisdom,” the actual meaning
of tIdealism

• Idealism

is a school of philosophy that emphasizes that “ideas or concepts are the essence of all that is
worth know- ing” (Johnson et. al., 2011, p. 87). Based on the writings of Plato, this school of
philosophy encourages conscious reasoning in the mind. Furthermore, idealists look for, and
value, universal or absolute truths and ideas. Consequently, idealists believe that ideas should
remain constant throughout the centuries.

• Key Philosopher Plato, Socrates, Immanuel Kanthe word philosophy is “love of wisdom”
(Johnson et. al., 2011).

Educational Implications Of Idealism

• Within an idealist educational philosophy, the curricular focus is on ideas rather than the
student or specific content areas. Learning is also intrinsically motivated. Teaching methods
used within idealism include: lecture, discussion, and Socratic dialogue. Essential to these
teaching methods is posing questions that generate thoughts and spark connections.
Realism

Realism is a school of philosophy with origins in the work of Aristotle. This philosophy
emphasizes that “reality, knowledge, and value exist independent of the human mind”
(Johnson, 2011, p. 89). Realists argue for the use of the senses and scientific investigation in
order to discover truth. The application of the scientific method also allows individuals to
classify things into different groups based on their essential differences.

• Key Philosophers: Aristotle, Locke

Educational Implications

Within a realist educational philosophy, the curricular focus is on scientific research and
development. Outcomes of this thinking in classrooms today include the appearance of
standardized tests, serialized textbooks, and specialized curriculum (Johnson et. al., 2011).

Teaching methods used in realism include:

•Demonstration

•Recitation

•Critical thinking

•Observation

•Experimentation

Pragmatism
Pragmatism is “a process philosophy that stresses evolving and change rather than being”
(Johnson et. al., 2011, p. 91). In other words, pragmatists believe that reality is constantly
changing so we learn best through experience.

According to pragmatists, the learner is constantly conversing and being changed by the
environment with whom he or she is interacting. There is “no absolute and unchanging truth,
but rather, truth is what works” (Cohen, 1999, p.1). Based on what is learned at any point and
time, the learner or the world in which he or she is interacting can be changed.

• Key Philosophers: Charles Sanders Peirce, John Dewey

Educational Implications

A pragmatist educational philosophy calls for teachers who can support students learning by
promoting questioning and problem-solving during the natural course of lesson delivery. The
curriculum is also interdisciplinary.
Teaching methods used in pragmatism include:

• Hands-on problem solving

• Experimenting

• Projects

• Cooperative Learning

EXISTENTIALISM

• Existentialism is a school of philosophy that “focuses on the importance of the individual

rather than on external standards” (Johnson et. al., 2011, p. 93). Existentialists believe that our
reality is made up of nothing more than our lived experiences, therefore our final realities
reside within each of us as individuals. As such, the physical world has no real meaning outside
our human experience.

• Key Philosophers: Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzcshe

Educational Implications

 Within an existentialist classroom, the subject matter should be a matter of personal

choice as each student is viewed as an individual by the teacher. Furthermore, answers
come from within the individual in an existential classroom, not from the teacher.

 By examining students lives through authentic thinking, students are actively involved in
the learning experience. Existentialists are opposed to thinking about students as
objects to be measured, tracked, or standardized. “Such educators want the educational
experience to focus on creating opportunities for self-direction and self- actualization”
(Cohen, 1999, p. 1). Therefore, they start with the student, rather than the curriculum.