Chapter 4.

Teaching Strategies, Selection and Classification of

strategies
Objectives: At the end of the chapter, you are expected to:

1. Discuss the different strategies in teaching social studies

2. Make a lesson plan using the different strategies in teaching Social Studies.

Introduction

There are many useful teaching strategies to support effective teaching in social studies.
Because of the nature of the course, which is inclusive, the teacher can just select among the so
many strategies depending on the nature of the topic. Considerations will have to be taken note
of, like the pre-learning, during learning and post learning of the teaching-learning phases:

Pre-learning:

What should students know prior to learning about this topic? How can students grasp
the overall essential idea of this topic? What connections from students’ ‘out-of-classroom’ lives
can teachers use to help students master the objectives? What teaching strategies should be
implemented to engage students from beginning to end?

During Learning:
What specific activities will help students demonstrate mastery of the objective? What skills
should be paired with this particular objective to help obtain optimum mastery? How are students
practicing mastery? What should they do with a partner? What should they do individually? How
are students being measured at this level?

Post-learning:
What teaching strategies should be implemented to ensure students have a ‘long-term mastery’
of the objective? How can the content and skills from this lesson be transferred to the next
lesson? While these are questions teachers ask themselves when preparing lessons for other
‘non-Social Studies’ classes, these questions can transform a Social Studies class from low-
engagement/low-mastery to high-engagement/high mastery!
So, let’s get to discussing some of these strategies! These pre-lesson strategies require teachers to
internalize the lesson, DAYS before the lesson is taught.

Lesson 1. Expository Method

Expository instruction involves an organized teaching method where information is

presented in a specific order. This helps to keep your focus and attention, and lays out all of the
information you need to know in a way that helps you to remember it.
 Expository teaching strategy is basically direct instruction. A teacher is in the front of the
room lecturing and students are taking notes. Students are being told (expository learning), what
they need to know. However, expository instruction goes beyond just presenting students with
the facts. It involves presenting clear and concise information in a purposeful way that allows
students to easily make connections from one concept to the next. The structure of an expository
lesson helps students to stay focused on the topic at hand. Often times, when students are
discovering information on their own, they can get distracted and confused by unnecessary
information and have difficulty determining what’s important. This is why expository instruction
is one of the most common instructional strategies. Most educators believe students learn new
concepts and ideas better if all of the information they need to know is laid out before them.
Expository teaching is a teaching strategy where the teacher presents students with the subject
matter rules and provides examples that illustrate the rules. Examples include pictorial
relationships, application of the rules, context through historical information, and prerequisite
information. Examples are provided to give contextual elaboration and to help students see the
subject matter from many different perspectives.

In expository teaching teacher gives both the principles and the problem solutions. In
contrast to his role in discovery learning, the teacher presents the student with the entire content
of what is to be learned in final form; the student is not required to make any independent
discoveries. The usual verbal instruction of the lecture hall exemplifies expository teaching. It is
sometimes called deductive teaching because the teacher often  begins with a definition of
concepts or principles, illustrates them, and unfold their implications.

Lesson 2. Inductive and Deductive

Two very distinct and opposing instructional approaches are inductive and deductive.
Both approaches can offer certain advantages, but the biggest difference is the role of the
teacher. In a deductive classroom, the teacher conducts lessons by introducing and explaining
concepts to students, and then expecting students to complete tasks to practice the concepts; this
approach is very teacher-centred. Conversely, inductive instruction is a much more student-
centred approach and makes use of a strategy known as ‘noticing’. Let’s take a closer look at the
differences between inductive and deductive instruction, and find out how noticing can be used
in the language classroom to better facilitate student learning.

A deductive approach involves the learners being given a general rule, which is then
applied to specific language examples and honed through practice exercises. An inductive
approach involves the learners detecting, or noticing, patterns and working out a 'rule' for
themselves before they practice the language.

Lesson 3. Lecture Method

Lecture is primarily used to introduce new topics, summarizing ideas, or reemphasizing

main points of instruction.  Lectures have several advantages in that it is adaptable to small or
large groups, can be used for introduction or conclusion, and can be combined with other
teaching methods to concentrate on an idea or meaning.
Lesson 4. Project Method

The project method is a teacher-facilitated collaborative approach in which students

acquire and apply knowledge and skills to define and solve realistic problems using a process of
extended inquiry. Projects are student-centered, following standards, parameters, and milestones
clearly identified by the instructor.

Project-based learning is similar to problem-based learning, and both can be referred to as

PBL, but in project-based learning, the student comes up with the problem or question to
research. Often, the project’s deliverable is a creative product, which can increase student
engagement and long-term learning, but it can also result in the student investing more time and
resources into creative production at the expense of the academic content. When assigning
projects to groups that include novice students, you should emphasize the need for equitable
contributions to the assignment. Assessments should address differences in effort and allow
students to contribute to the evaluations of their peers.

Lesson 5. Role Playing Method

Role-play is a technique that allows students to explore realistic situations by interacting

with other people in a managed way in order to develop experience and trial different strategies
in a supported environment.

Lesson 6. Debate

Debates can be an effective and engaging way for students to analyze different concepts
and to develop critical thinking and public speaking skills. They are also a useful technique for
achieving greater participation in class and for discussing controversial issues in a structured
environment. 

Using debates in the classroom can help students grasp essential critical thinking and
presentation skills. Among the skills classroom debates can foster are abstract thinking,
citizenship and etiquette, clarity, organization, persuasion, public speaking, research, and
teamwork and cooperation. 

Lesson 7. Modular

Modular approach is an emerging trend educational thinking that shifts

traditional method of instruction to an outcome-based learning paradigm. Modularization is
based on the principle of dividing the curriculum into small discrete modules or units ( learning
packets) that are independent, nonsequential, and typically short in duration.

A module can be defined as a unit, chapter, topic, or segment of instruction. It is a

standard unit or instructional section of your course that is a “self-contained” chunk of
instruction. A week is a common module length, but it can be shorter or longer depending upon
content and your teaching style.

A module structure is especially important in online learning environments, as it provides

an aid in the presentation and application of the online teaching and learning process. When
students are aware of the structure of the course, they spend less time guessing about what is
expected of them and more time focusing on the content and activities.

Lesson 8. Reporting

Another strategy to build the confidence of students is to let them talk in class by giving
them specific topics to discuss. Before the presentation, reporters need to study the topic
assigned to them, make an outline out of the lesson and present the topic in class.

Lesson 9. Discussion

One of the primary purposes of discussion-based learning is to facilitate students’

meaningful transition into the extended conversation that is each academic discipline.
Discussions allow students to practice applying their learning and developing their critical-
thinking skills in real-time interactions with other viewpoints. Often, the challenge for the
teacher is to get students to engage in discussions as opportunities to practice reasoning skills
rather than simply exchanging opinions. One tip for addressing this challenge is to create a rubric
for assessing the discussion and to assign certain students to act as evaluators who provide
feedback at the end of the discussion. Students rotate into this role throughout the semester,
which also benefits their development of metacognitive skills.

Lesson 10. Demonstration

The word demonstration means to give demos or to perform the activity or concept. In the
demonstration method, the teaching-learning process is carried in a systematic way.
Demonstration often occurs when students have a hard time connecting theories to actual practice
or when students are unable to understand applications of theories. In order to make the success of
the demonstration method, three things are necessary.

Activities:

1. Point out the advantages of the 10 strategies presented in this chapter: 5 pts. each

STRATEGY ADVANTAGES

2. Make ten semi-detailed lesson plans using the ten strategies. Choose your topics for each
lesson plan. 15 pts. each