Asheema Singh
In an attempt to make social science more relevant to the learner, National Institute of Open Schooling has developed learning materials that focuse on enhancing learners’ life skills. Here is a look at their new textbooks.
Category: 2018
From civics to social and political life – confronting ‘blunt situations’
Arvind Sardana
Writing political science textbooks is one of the biggest challenges there is today as teaching this subject involves confronting the conflicts inherent in it and this is something not many governments are willing to do.
Making civic education relevant
Usha Raman
We live in confusing times. While there’s no doubt that life is better on some counts (higher lifespan, more literacy, widening opportunities, more choice), it’s worse on others (climate change, socio-economic inequality, war). It’s hard to know who is responsible and how things can change.
Civic lessons from cinema
Sayali Tamane
Let your students learn civics by watching movies and making a few themselves.
Nurturing decision-makers
Ankitha Cheerakathil
School is a microcosm of the society. Training children while at school to work together and take decisions for the common good will help them participate responsibly in the society tomorrow. School Participatory Budgeting is an exercise that helps teachers achieve this.
Equity by design
Arundhati Tulpule
As the better-off citizens we have to be sensitized to the conditions and problems of those less privileged than us, only then can an equal society be truly achieved. Play this game with your students to help them understand why some of us need protective discrimination and advantages.
Electoral literacy clubs: preparing future voters of India
Simran Sachdeva
At 18 you are given the right to vote. Exciting experience definitely, but it is also an experience that young citizens are unprepared for. With no knowledge of what the election process involves, what their role is, they cast their first vote. In order to prepare young children to turn into thinking voters the Election Commission of India is starting Electoral Literacy Clubs in schools.
Engaging with politics: teaching democracy
Alex M. George
Civics is a living subject. Students need to constantly engage with it in order to understand the nuances of living responsibly in a democracy. Unfortunately our textbooks treat this subject as static knowledge that can simply be imparted through the text. We need to re-imagine civics education if we want active civic engagement in our societies.
The political classroom
Joel Westheimer
Why do we shy away from discussing politics in the classroom? When politics, political parties and their strategies are such a big part of democratic functioning of a government shouldn’t we be encouraging political discussions in the classroom? If we want politically aware citizens, who can participate in their democracies, this is a change that we must make to our pedagogy.
Educative engagements
Neha Pradhan Arora
Getting children to actively participate in community engagement programmes is a wonderful way to impart the knowledge of civics in children. Community engagement programmes call on children to scan the problems in their communities and use their knowledge of the subject to help solve problems such as a drainage system, drinking water, cleanliness , etc. When children see the change their involvement brings their learning is all that much more.