BASELIOS MARTHOMA MATHEWS II

TRAINING COLLEGE
KOTTARAKARA



ONLINE ASSIGMENT

Topic: Problem solving Method in Social
Science Education

Submitted to,
Smt. Nimmi Varghese
Submitted by,
Sruthi Vijayan
Reg. No: 13350010
Social Science


INDEX


Sl. No


Content

Page No.
1 Introduction 1
2 Why problem solving? 2
3 Instances of wide range of problems 2-3
4 Steps in Problem solving 3
5 Essential features of a problem 4
6 Merits of problem solving 4-5
7 Demerits of problem solving 5
8 Procedures in problem solving
Inductive Method
Deductive Method
5-6
9 Conclusion 7
10 References 8





Introduction

Problem solving may be defined as a planned attack upon a
difficulty or perplexity for the purpose of finding a solution. It is a
method in which a person uses his ability to solve problems which
confront him. It enables a person to exercise control over his activities
and environment. It is an instructional device where by the teacher and
the pupils effort to arrive at explanation or solution to some
educationally significant difficulty.

Problem solving is not merely a method of teaching. It is in fact a
method of organization of a subject matter. It is an approach to deal
with subject matter. The researches of Quitlen and Hanna reveal that as
compared to the chronological and topical treatment, problem approach
in social sciences is much more useful.





Why problem solving?
Life is full of problems and the successful man in life is he, who is fully
equipment with adequate knowledge and reasoning power to tackle these problems
successfully. There are problems and puzzling situations which are a normal
feature of a childs everyday life. These problems grow in complexity as he grows
older and older. The solution of these problems enables to have a mastery of the
environment. There fore if the function of education is to enable the child to
prepare him for life, problem solving must be encouraged in school life.
Children are curious by nature. They want to find out answers of many
questions which sometimes are puzzling even to the adults nevertheless they must
be helped to satisfy their curiosity, whenever possible, by solving various
problems. We must teach the pupils how to think so that they are able to transfer
these techniques to a vast number of varied problem situations.
Instances of wide range of problems:
a) For younger children:
To build a house of toy bricks, to make a toy stage. These are practical
problems and can be solved by trail and error methods.
b) For children of ten to twelve years of age:
To find out whether a given plant or a variety of cultivated vegetables
will flourish under given conditions of soil, water, etc. to reason out what
results are likely to accurate under certain conditions in History,
Geography, Civics, Science etc.




c) For older children
To decide whether India could grow its own food essentials; to reason out
why did Akbar succeed and Aurangzeb failed? Why is sky blue? Why is
coal black and paper white?
Steps in problem solving
The steps of problem solving are as given below;
1. Formation and appreciation of the problem
The nature of the problem should be made very clear to the students.
They must also feel the necessity of finding out a solution for the problem.
2. Collection of relevant data and information
The students should be stimulated to collect data in a systematic manner.
Full co-operation of the students should be secured. They may be invited to
make suggestions as to new they could collect the relevant data.
3. Organization of data
The students should be asked to sift the relevant material from the
superficial one and put it in a scientific way.
4. Drawing of conclusions
Discussions should be arranged collectively and individually with each
pupil. Care should be taken that judgment is made only when sufficient
data is collected.
5. Testing Concussions
No conclusion should be accepted without being properly verified. The
correctness of the conclusion must be proved.



Essential features of a problem
Following are the essential features of the problem.
1) The problem should be meaningful interesting and worth while for children
2) It should have some correlation with life.
3) It should have some correlation with other subject
4) It should arise out of the real needs of the students.
5) The children must possess some background of the problem which they are
going to discuss.
6) The problem should be clearly defined
7) The solution of the problem should be found out by the students themselves
working under the guidance and supervision of the teacher.
8) The problem must have some educational value.
Merits of problem solving
Following are the merits of problem solving:
1. It helps in stimulating thinking
2. It develops reasoning power
3. It helps to improve knowledge.
4. It helps in developing good study habits
5. It affords opportunities for participation in social activities. Problems are
solved with the joint effort of many student. The students learn to appreciate
the different points of view and thus become tolerant.
6. The students learn to be self dependence.
7. Discussions help to develop the power of expression of the students.
8. The method provides opportunities to the teachers to know in detain their
pupils.


9. Students learn facts which are meaningful and which have been discovered
by their own efforts.
10. It helps in the maintenance of discipline. The students remain busy in
finding out the answers to their own problem.
11. Knowledge is early assimilated as it is the result of a purposeful activity.
12. Learning becomes more interesting in place of a dread.
13. It gives the power of critical judgment.
14. IT helps to verify an opinion.
15. It statistics curiosity.
16. It helps to learn to act in a new situation.
Demerits of problem solving
The demerits are given below:
1. Generally speaking problem solving involves mental activity only. There is
less of bodily activity.
2. Small children do not possess sufficient back ground information and
therefore they fail to participate in discussions.
3. There is a lack of suitable reference and source books for children.
4. It involves a lot of fine and the teachers find if difficult to cover the
prescribed syllabus.
Procedures in problem solving
There are two procedures in problem solving and they are
1) The Inductive and
2) The Deductive.


Inductive method
The inductive method is a method of development. In the inductive method,
the child is led to discover truth for himself. The various processes in the inductive
method are;
1. Observation of the given material
2. Discrimination and analysis noting differences and similarities.
3. Classification
4. Abstraction and generalization
5. Application or verification
In The inductive method, the pupils are led form particular instances to general
conclusion. Concrete examples are given and with their help students arte helped
to arrive at certain conclusions or principles. In the teaching of science including
geography, mathematics and languages this method is very helpful.

Deductive method
Thus method is the other way round. In the deductive method rules generalizations
and principles are provide to the students and they are asked to verify them with
the help of particular examples. The students are told that places situated at these
attitudes are cold and then particular examples are taken to prove it. Such
examples can be multiplied.






CONCLUSION

Problem solving method links up the teacher and his pupils into an
organic relationship with constant mutual interaction; it reacts not only
on the mind of the students but on their entire personality; their
standards of work and judgment then intellectual and emotional
equipment, their attitudes and values. Thus method aim at developing
the capacity for clear thinking










REFERENCE

Aggarawal, J C (2003). Teaching of Social Studies: A Practical, Approach,
Mumbai: Vikas Publishing House.
Dash, B. N (1998) Content cum Methods of Teaching Social Studies
Ludhiana: Kalayani Publishers.
Pathak, R.P (2012) Teaching of social studies. Pearson, Delhi