SS 111-Foundation of Social Studies Dr. Victoria R.

Arce
First Term/A.Y. 2023-2024 Instructor

Chapter V
Objectives of Teaching Social Studies
A. Objectives of Teaching Social Studies at the Elementary Level
The Social Studies educates students on citizenship, providing opportunities for
students development, the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will help them to become
competent and responsible citizens who are informed, thoughtful, participate in their
community and exhibit moral and civic virtues.

1. Knowledge and Continuous Learning

The primary purpose of social studies is to help students develop the ability to
make informed decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an
interdependent world.

2. Social Awareness and Critical Judgement as well as Critical Thinking

Social studies create awareness in students of the diversity and interdependence of
the world and helps them to recognize the challenges and benefits of living in a world
with multiple and ideologies.

3. Social Understanding
The subject also includes the study of interrelationship among people, as well as
the relationship between them and their environment.

4. Integrating Ideas
Social studies involve a number of subjects including history, geography and
economics. Elementary students learn how to integrate ideas from different disciplines to
come up with reasoned, decisions and to make the connections between related concepts
and ideas.

5. Self Confidence
Social studies will develop children’s self-confidence and initiative based on an
understanding of their own accomplishments and potential and their own worth.

The concepts of social studies revolve around certain objectives which include:
• Developing the ability to adopt to changing environment.
• Inculcating national consciousness and national unity.
• Becoming good citizens capable of and willing to contribute the developing of the
society.
• Inculcating the right type of value and attitudes.
• Acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities, and competence.
 Importance of Social Studies in Elementary Level

Social Studies is important in early childhood education because many valuable

components in supporting early learners as they identify real world problems and participate in
creating an inclusive and caring democratic society. Helps to understand the world they lived in.
Social Studies at the elementary level should provide students with purposeful and
meaningful learning experiences that are challenging of high quality, developmentally
appropriate, and reflective of contemporary social and diverse. Above all, it integrates these
skills and understanding into framework for responsible citizen participation locally, nationally,
and globally.
Teaching Social Studies at the elementary grade level is a challenging task to a classroom
teacher. A teacher must be articulate enough to visualize and materialize what is in the mind to
make the learner become an active and motivated participant in the classroom learning
encounter.
Specific objectives related to understanding and teaching Social Studies as a subject area.
1. Learn key concepts and ways of thinking to support Social Studies investigations.
2. Elicit, listen, notice, and respond to students’ thinking, particularly how students process
written and visual texts and think about social studies content.
Position on Powerful and Purposeful Elementary Social Studies
A. Meaningful
In social studies, as in any knowledge domain, learners benefit from having a
variety of ways to understand a given concept. Increasingly, elementary teachers have
students of diverse backgrounds and differing abilities in their classes, making
differentiated instruction and culturally relevant pedagogy necessary to meet individual
needs.
B. Integrative
Social studies is integrative by nature. Powerful social studies teaching crosses
disciplinary boundaries to address topics in ways that promote social understanding and
civic efficacy.
C. Value-Based
Young learners do not become responsible, participating citizens automatically.
They need to engage in frequent opportunities to make daily decisions about democratic
concepts and principles that are respectful of the dignity and rights of individuals and the
common good.
D. Active
In effective social studies programs, elementary teachers use a variety of
approaches, strategies, technology, and materials to support children’s interests and
abilities.
 Integrated Curriculum of Social Studies
Children go on field trips, conduct interviews, do research, examine artifacts, and collect
data to learn more about a social studies topic. They then process the gathered information
during social studies period through carefully planned learning experiences such as class
discussions, debating, writing books, creating art, making models, dramatic play, graphing data,
singing, planning campaigns, and organizing events.
B. Objectives of Teaching Social Studies at the Secondary Level
The intellectual development of the learner varies with age. At the Secondary Level, the
pupils are passing through a transitional period of adolescent. It is widely accepted that at such a
stage of growth Social Studies should constitute the core curriculum.
1. Cultivate a Spirit of Patriotism
 Patriotism and love of country must be cultivated and nurtured in the soul of
every citizen. Knowledge of the history of statehood will be able to build and
develop a strong identity. It is appropriate for students exposed to the basic theory
of political science to see the connection with the current political system.
2. Identify the cause and consequences of environmental problems.
 Social studies aimed at providing every person or student with the opportunities to
acquire the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes to protect and improve their
surroundings. Through such education, the behavioral pattern of the people
towards their environment will change for the better. Moreover, educating the
citizenry of the importance of clean and safe environment will lead to positive
manipulation of both and man-made resources for national development.
3. Technological Competence
 Students are technologically literate, understand and use various technologies and
demonstrate an understanding of the role pf technology in their lives, in society,
and in the world a large. Social students help to demonstrate understanding of
ethical issues related to the use of technology in local and global contexts.
4. Problem Solving
 Students know problem-solving strategies and apply them to situations they
encounter. They demonstrate critical thinking and inquiry skills in which they
process information to solve a wide variety of problems.
Example includes:
Acquire, process, and interpret information critically to make informed decisions.
Use a variety of strategies and perspectives flexibly and creatively to solve
problems.
5. Personal Development
 Students “grow from inside out”, continually enlarging their knowledge base,
expanding their horizons, and challenging themselves in the pursuit of a healthy
and productive life.
Example includes:
Demonstrate preparedness for the transition to work and further learning.
Make appropriate decisions and take responsibility for those decisions.
Work and study purposefully, both independently and in cooperative groups.
 In the case of Social Studies in the secondary level, a handbook of operation for
Makabayan was provided that contains the curriculum for Makabayan was provided that contains
the curriculum parameters of the said learning area. Surprisingly, Makabayan is presented not as
a holistic learning area, but each discipline under it was separately discussed. This kind of
presentation in the curriculum document makes it easy to distinguish Social Studies. According
to the handbook, the main goal of Social Studies in the secondary level is as follows:
“Pagkatapos ng apat na taon and mag-aaral ay inaasahang may sapat na kaalaman, kasanayan at
pananagutan upang aktibong makilahok bilang isang mamamayan ng isang malaya, maunlad at
mapayapang bansa at daigdig”
This goal contrasts with the lofty goal of social studies in the elementary level. Social
studies at secondary level aims the students to gain enough knowledge and competency to
actively participate in the nation and world. Actualization of this goal can be found in the scope,
content, and competencies of secondary Social Studies. Unlike the discipline-centered Social
Studies in elementary, the secondary presents Social Studies as a horizon, integrating geography,
history, economics and other social sciences into one horizons.
Goal of Teaching Social Studies in K-12 Curriculum
It is stated in Social Studies K-12 Curriculum Guide of the Department of Education that
the goal of teaching it is to develop student’s understanding, regarding primary ideas of
historical, geographical, political and economic issues. The curriculum gives emphasis on
understanding, rather than memorizing the concepts and terminologies. Thus. Students must
create their own meaning about the topics they are studying and to be able to contextualize it in
real life scenarios in making it meaningful and purposeful to themselves and to the society in
which they live.
Furthermore, Social Studies is study of people, group, community, members of the
society and the world in how they live, their relationship and interaction with the environment,
their beliefs and culture to build Filipino nationhood and to understand it by using the skills in
research, investigation, analysis, creative thinking, intelligent decision-making, ability to use the
natural resources and effective communication.
The following are the themes in said subject from grades 1-12: 1) people, environment,
and society 2) time, continuity and change 3) culture, identity and nationhood 4) rights,
responsibility and citizenship 5) power, authority and governance 6) production, distribution and
consumption and 7) regional and global relations.
DepEd formulated the most essential learning competencies where teachers are
prescribed to follow, these themes in social studies curriculum in basic education enumerated
above can be contextualized for students to connect to their personal experiences. In discussing
these historical, social, economic, and political issues, it is vital for student is to develop and
demonstrate the 21st-century learning skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and
communication skills on order to become functionally literate and developed Filipinos to become
nationally and globally competitive.
We can say that Social Studies is relevant in addressing the concerns of our time and
making sense of what is happening around us. Amidst all the issues we are facing, we all have a
responsibility towards it and Social Studies is a subject that will compel us to realize and do
something about it.
 C. Objectives of Teaching Social Studies at the Tertiary Level
At the tertiary level, Social Studies is focused on developing manpower with the
objective of realizing the goals of national development for the students to be trained, to
appreciate the need of unity in diversity, develop the spirit of togetherness and interdependence
of members of both local and national communities.

The Program Outcomes of Social Studies in Tertiary Level

1. Utilize appropriate various sociocultural and historical materials in explaining current
issues.
2. Organize communities towards self-reliance and self-sufficiency.
3. Demonstrate leadership skills that will help in teaching or training students who will
empower their communities.
4. Integrate local and global perspectives in teaching the principle of the common good.
5. Employ principles of sustainable development in teaching and learning.
6. Show leadership in research and further learning.
7. Display the qualities of an innovative teacher who has mastery of the subject matter.

Social Studies is a key tool in this changing world. The objectives of social studies
education are:
1. Acquisition of Skills
 The objective of Social Studies at the Tertiary level is the acquisition of both
physical and intellectual skills which will enable individuals to develop into
useful members of community. Thus, Social Studies education is known to
inculcate the abilities and skills that will make them become effective and
functional members of the society and by that it helps them to master their
environment explore and harness the available resources in their environment for
solving societal needs and bettering the lives of the people.
2. Environmental and Human Values
 The acquisition, development, and inculcation of proper value orientation for the
survival of the individual and society is another objective of Social Studies in
tertiary. Social Studies provides training ground for studies in the tertiary
institutions in inquiry, decision making skills, critical thinking, problem-solving
and rational social actions which are paramount for the progress and development
of the individual at the society at large.
 Social Studies education in tertiary level helps to impart into the students the
desirable habits and attitudes cherished by the society to enable them to live
useful and worthy lives in the society. The inculcation of appropriate values of
honesty, integrity, had work, fairness and justice at work are the contributions of
Social Studies education.
3. Acquisition of an Objective View of the Local and External Environment
 The study of Social Studies does not limit the students to mastery of their local
and national communities, rather it exposes them to knowledge of the wider
world. That is the international communities, thus give them the opportunity of
adapting and appreciating other people’s culture.
 Social Studies education at the tertiary level prepares the students for positive
relationship in the environments, the world of work and understanding of
everyday living problems they will face as adults in their communities.
4. Civic Competence
 Social Studies educates on citizenship, providing them with the knowledge, skills
and attitudes that will help them to become competent and responsible citizens
who are informed, thoughtful, participative in their communities and exhibit
moral and civic virtues.
In general, the objectives of Social Studies are:
1. Develop the ability of learners, old or young to adapt to changing environment.
2. Inculcate national consciousness and national unity in students/citizens.
3. Inculcate in students the right types of values and attitudes.
4. Understand our environment, its problems and be able to solve them.
5. Be able to think in a critical and logical way.
6. Help us understand the importance of hard work and honesty in the society.
7. Make students become good citizens who are capable and willing to develop the
society.
8. Understand the laws of our country and be able to obey them.
9. Promote understanding among students both nationally and globally.