Question

In problem-based learning, the teachers present the problem to the students and encourages them to investigate and find solutions on their own. An atmosphere of intellectual freedom is fostered and students must be active participants in solving the problem. Why do you think more teachers do not use this approach to teaching social studies in their classroom? Post must be between 400-500 words

Answer 1

Instructing is a procedure by which one associates with someone else with the goal of affecting the learning of that individual. It is the interaction between the educator and the students. Instructing, as a helpful and commonsense workmanship calls for instinct, innovativeness, act of spontaneity and expressiveness. In spite of the fact that there are many encouraging strategies and procedures related with the incorporated Social Studies, there is no single method of instructing which fits all the learning circumstances. An educator of Social Studies must be side by side of the developments in instructing strategies. So as to be successful, an instructor of Social Studies must be a wellspring of data, and a guide, a coordinator of chances for learning and an individual who can invigorate any condition for viable getting the hang of utilizing the accompanying showing modes, among others, accessible to Social Studies educators.

Social Studies teachers do not adopt this kind of problem based learning even today due to certain limitations of this problem based learning and in the adoption of the same. If they want to adopt the problem based learning it would require a change in educational philosophy for the teachers who are taking the class. They might be new to this system as their classes or training was under the traditional class system where the students sit and listen while the teacher teaches.

And when they are adopting the new system they would need to undergo proper and extensive training for lecturing the students in the new style.

Another problem would be that this type of problem based learning would demand more number of teachers or instructors. This is because, in problem based learning, the students will have to work in teams and these teams should only hold limited number of wards. To take care of these teams and their works, there should be enough number of teachers. This will increase the cost for the school management which they would not support technically and this will again put the teachers at difficulty.

The next problem that are put forth by the social studies teachers are that, this kind of learning technique would need more class room space. This may not be applicable or available when there are limited class rooms or hall like spaces inside the school or college. Teachers find this also difficult to be sorted as there will be multiple grades and classes which would be having social studies classes mostly at the same time and shifting the same to another classes or halls will consume more time/even there won’t be classrooms available for the same.

There are also other teachers who resist and question the efficacy of this technique. They say that this won’t as effective as the normal or traditional technique of teaching as it will not cover all the points and would lack teaching or training in a tests point of view.