Teaching-Learning in a constructivist social science classroom

Social science as a school subject nurtures learners to deal with multifaceted social realities It is an ideal situation but many a time teaching of social science also works in favor of authoritative discourses through the medium of official curriculum along with its hidden execution. At the curriculum level, in India, new textbooks of 'Social and Political Life' tries to present social reality in its prevailing form, but how this curriculum is transacted, is a matter of inquiry. It was found in the first phase of the research that the teaching of social science is a reflection of teacher's own bias and beliefs; dominated by deficit model of thinking and learning. With the aim to challenge such practices and thinking, an alternative pedagogic setting was designed adopting the socio-cultural approach to learning. The execution of this alternative design indicated that students are cognizant of social issues such as class, caste, discrimination, poverty etc. They are capable of articulating their views/understanding on these issues.