ASIAN INSTITUTE FOR TEACHER EDUCATORS, - …

1 ASIAN INSTITUTE FOR TEACHER educators , QUUc (sponsored by unesco ) University of the Philippines, Quezon City THE TEACHING OF THE SOCIAL STUDIES IN PRIMARY TEACHER TRAINING INSTITUTIONS IN ASIA. EDWARD A. PIRES Dedicated by the author to International Education Year unesco REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EDUCATION IN ASIA BANGKOK, THAILAND 1970 Published by the unesco Regional Office for Education in Asia Bangkok, Thailand, 1970 Any opinions which are expressed or implied in this publication are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of unesco or of the Insti-tute.

2 No expression of opinion is intended herein concerning the legal status or the delimitation of the frontiers of any country or territory. QC/70/M/241-1100 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction 5 The objectives of teaching the social studies 9 Organization of courses 29 Composition of the content courses 42

3 Composition of the methods courses 68 Teaching methods and procedures used by TEACHER educators 79 Evaluation 92 Equipment and material facilities 99 Staff 108 Summary of conclusions and recommendations.

4 121 3 THE TEACHING OF THE SOCIAL STUDIES IN PRIMARY TEACHER TRAINING INSTITUTIONS IN ASIA Introduction Method used This comparative study was undertaken in order to get a picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the social studies programmes in the training of primary school teachers in the ASIAN countries with a view to suggesting de-sirable modifications and possible improvements. It was felt that, in this area of TEACHER training, there are considerable variations from country to country not only in the very concept of the social studies, and therefore in the organiza-tion of courses, but also in the methods and techniques of teaching and of eva-luation that are generally employed.

5 A detailed questionnaire was prepared and sent out to selected associa-ted institutions of the INSTITUTE in each of the ASIAN Member States of unesco except Mongolia in which the INSTITUTE has no associated institution. Replies were received, in some cases after several reminders, from all of the follo-wing countries : Afghanistan, Burma, Cambodia, Ceylon, the Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan (both East and West), the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and the Republic of Viet-Nam.

6 After the following brief analysis of the concept of the social studies that has been adopted by curriculum makers for the teaching of this subject at the school level in the different ASIAN countries, these aspects of the social studies at the primary TEACHER training level are examined in turn : 1. Objec-tives; 2. Organization of courses; 3. Composition of the content course(s); 4. Composition of the methods course(s); 5. Teaching methods and procedures used by TEACHER educators ; 6. Methods of evaluation used; 7.

7 Equipment and material facilities ; 8. Staff qualifications and responsibilities. The concept of the social studies as it is taught at the school level It was felt desirable to know how the makers of the curriculum at the school level in the different countries conceived of the social studies, because the training given to teachers would have to be in harmony with this concept and the consequential organization of the course(s) in this area. The respon-dents were therefore asked to explain whether the term 'social studies, ' as it 5 The social studies in primary TEACHER training is used in the context of the school curriculum, is (i) a collective name for the teaching of such distinct subjects as history, geography, civics, etc.

8 , or it is (ii) a combination of these subjects with, however, the constituent elements still retaining much of their individual identity; or it is (iii) a broad concept embracing the study of man and his environment and utilizing for such a study selected materials from a number of social subjects; or it is (iv) some other concept. The most common practice seems to be the first, where social studies is only a collective name for such distinct subjects as history, geography, ci-vics, etc. It is so in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, East Pakistan and the Republic of Viet-Nam.

9 In Burma, the Republic of China, Malaysia and West Pakistan, the position is the same except in the lower pri-mary classes : in Burma, in the infants' class and up to grade II (or standard II, as it is called there), Environmental Study (which is another name for the social studies) is taught with an attempt to combine all the subjects such as history, civics, geography, basic science, etc., as an integrated subject; whereas in the upper primary classes (that is, the third and fourth standards) these are taught separately.

10 In Malaysia, with the publication of a new syllabus under the heading, "Local Studies," for grades I to III, an attempt is being made to combine civics, history and geography in an integrated manner. Simi-larly, in the Republic of China and in West Pakistan, except in the lower grades in the elementary school, the social studies follow the traditional pattern and constitute only a collective name for the teaching of history, geography, civics, ethics, etc. In Ceylon and in the Republic of Korea, it is the second concept that prevails.