D I S C I P L I N A R Y K N O W LE D G E A N D

PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES IN
S C H O O L SUBJECTS
INTRODUCTION

• Teaching is both a complex and an interesting activity.To become a teacher is

therefore, a challenging task.A good teacher needs to have both content knowledge
and pedagogical knowledge of the subject as well as the discipline that he/she deals
with.A true teacher needs to understand not only the subjects and contents what
he/she is supposed to teach but also the development and philosophy of those
subjects.
D ISC IPLIN A RY KN O W LED GE A N D PED AGO GIC A L
APPROACHES IN SCHOOL SUBJECTS

• Teacher education is one of the specialized areas of study in the discipline of

education. The main concern of teacher education is to prepare quality
teachers for the school education. Many factors are responsible for preparing
quality teachers especially for the school education.A teacher needs to
understand both disciplinary knowledge and innovative pedagogical practices.
 A teacher should understand both the disciplinary knowledge and the
pedagogical practices.
• National curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCFTE, 2009)
advocates shifting the focus from pure disciplinary knowledge and
pedagogical practices
• Pedagogical approaches to be used for teaching different segments of
disciplinary knowledge at different stages of school education
DISCIPLINARY KNOWLEDGE

The knowledge pertaining to a particular academic area forms the basis of

discipline. The academic knowledge deduced from that discipline constitutes

the contents for the subject of a school curriculum

CHARACTERISTICS OF A DISCIPLINE
• It is a recognised area or field of study
• It has a substantial body of knowledge founded on core concepts and theories
• It has critical inquiry methods for studying
• It has definite scope for research
• It is associated with learned societies and academic organisations
• It has its own intellectual history
Ped ago gic al A ppro ac hes A n d Their Implic atio n s
Fo r Teac hin g A n d Learn in g
1. B ehaviorist approach
2. Cognitivist and Early Constructivist
Approach
3. Social C onstructivist A pproach
1. BEHAVIO RIST A PPRO AC H

Pioneers
 I.P.Pavlov
 E.L.Thorndike
 J B W atson
 B F Skinner
• Concept

Behaviorism is a school of thought in psychology which is based on

the proposition that behaviour can be researched scientifically without studying
inner mental states.The changes or the modification of behaviour occurs when
the bonds of stimulus and response are established in the process of learning.
Implications for Teaching Learning Processes
• An emphasis on producing observable and measurable outcomes in students.
• Pre-assessment of students to determine where instruction should begin.
• Emphasis on mastering early steps before progressing to more complex levels
of
performance.
• Use of reinforcement to impact performance.
• Use of cues, shaping and practice to ensure a strong stimulus-respobse
association.
 C o gn itivist An d Early C o n struc tivist Approach

Pioneer
s
• Alfred Adler
• Sigmund Freud
• Gordon Allport • William James
• Albert Bandhura • Karl Jungs
• Kurt Lewin
• Raymond C attell • Jean Piaget
• Erik Erikson • Carl Rogers
• Wilhelm Wundt
• Hans Eysenck
Concept
Cognitive theories focus on how information is received, organized, stored, and retrieved
by the mind. It assumes that human brain is hardwired to perform complex cognitive tasks that
make human learning possible.An understanding of how cognitive tasks are accomplished
by brain and how mind mediates in performing those tasks. Such understanding helps the
pedagogues develop unique teaching learning tools for children.
Implications for Teaching Learning Processes
• Emphasis on the active involvement of the learner in the learning process.
• Use of heirarchical analyses to identify and illustrate prerequisite relationships.
• Emphasis on structuring, organizing and sequencing information to facilitate
optimal processing.
• Creation of learning environments that allow and encourage students to
make connections with previously learned material.
• D iscovery Learning
3. SO C IA L C O N STRUC TIVIST A PPRO AC H

Pioneers
• John D ewey
• Jean Piaget
• Jerome
Bruner
• Lev Vygotsky
Concept

Social Constructivism assumes that a child is an active constructor of his/her own

knowledge.Teachers help the students to construct their knowledge by using their
experience.The children cannot be coaxed to learn but to be motivated by meaningful
participation in the classroom discourse.The classroom pedagogy needs to encourage
students to ask questions, investigate and inquire individually and collectively the
questions, and reflect on their own solutions.The teacher’s role will be that of a
collaborator of mutual construction of meaning and not a dictator of
meaning.Textbooks play the role of a meditational tool for knowledge construction.
Implications for Teaching and Learning
• Developing a classroom discourse around the concept using children’s own experience and
knowledge at the beginning.
• Creating multiple contact points for the children with the classroom discourse.Taking help of
textbook, children’s own experience and innovative pedagogy to create these contact points.
• An emphasis on learner’s agency in the construction of his own ideas and knowledge.
• The need for information to be presented in a variety of ways so that children find multiple
scaffolds to their learning.
• Supporting the use of problem solving skills that allow learners to go beyond the information
given and develop critical learning tools for themselves.
• Assessment focuses on multiple ways through which the knowledge can be constructed and
contested.
• Use of critical pedagogy for development of reflexive engagement with oneself and knowledge.
D isc iplin ary Kn o w led ge An d Pedago gic a l
Approaches In School Subjects

• Discipline is defined as a particular subject based on the knowledge of

particular subject
• Discipline means the core of many subjects
• Disciplines are made as a result of revolution
• If knowledge is considered as a tree, every discipline is considered as it’s
branches.
School subjects Disciplinary knowledge Pedagogical approaches
Social science • Citizenship education • Reflecting on one’s own
experience of various social
• Reflective socio political enquiry and political situations
• Informed social criticism and • Observing various social and
ethical decision making to political
social issues situations and engaging in
• Social dynamism, mobility and critical political inquiry
transformation • Case analysis of individuals
• Believe in constitutional and institutions
values like democracy, • Field visit to places of
justice, and equality historical, social
• Personal engagement and political importance
and development • Classroom debate and discussion
• Culture- local, on concepts and ideas
National and global • Peer and group interaction
• People, place and • Individual and group projects
environment and assignments
• Individual development • Use of portfolios and
and identity maintaining
• Individuals, groups and rubrics for assessment
institutions
• Power, authority and
governance
• Production, distribution
S CIENCE • Scientific literacy • Scientific inquiry to
• Science in everyday understand everyday
situations experiences
• Understanding the • O bservation, discovery
world around the and experimentation
learners • Repeating classic experiments
• Socio-scientific issues in science and discussing
• Sources in and how inventors
outside schooling
thinking and acting • Engagement
encountered in the
novel
• Matters
Science as a way
in our of
surroundings Scientific ideas
discourse
• Atoms
knowing,and molecules • Contestation, investigation
• Diversities in living organism and evidence based
• Forces and laws of motion conclusions
• W ork and energy • Peer and group works on
• N atural resources and Scientific concepts, ideas
its management and methods
• Improvement in food • Scientific quiz and
resources workshop
• Acid and chemical • Visiting science labs
reactions located in institutions of
• Metals and nonmetals higher learning
• Life-processes
• Electricity
How do organisms
produce? research
• Scientific
• Heredity and evolution
LANGUAGE • Socio-cultural issues in • Use of communicative
language learning approach
• Construction of language • Use of narratives and story
knowledge during the early years telling
of life • Peer and group discussion and
• Age wise language development debates of academic and
• Multilinguality and language language issues
learning • Engaging learners in
• Usages
Differences between school
of languages appreciate
developing Language
language creations
• Language
and homedevelopment
language and and createskills
acquisition their own
cognitive skills • literature
Sensitising the learners to
• Language usages in diverse • Finding out the gap between
social households language usage at home and
• Development of languages school
• Skills development in language • Using free response formats
learning- speaking, listening, that allow for open ended and
writing, reading creative answers
• Teaching various texts of • Individual and group feedback
languages- drama, fiction, and assessment.
grammar, poetry, prose etc
• Creation and
appreciation of languages
• and
Multiliterature
and cross cultural
issues of languages
•
Pedagogic al C o n c ern s O f D isc iplin ary Kn o w led ge At
D ifferen t Stages O f Scho o l Education

Let us discuss the specific pedagogical approaches that need to be used for
transacting disciplinary knowledge as a part of teaching learning process at
different stages of school education.
1. ELEMEN TA RY S pecific pedagogical approaches
for transacting disciplinary
knowledge
• Interactive, participatory, and
S ubject collaborative methods
A reas
Languag • Use of narratives
es • Dealing with textual exercises
• Listening and producing oral discourses
• Interpreting tables, graphs, diagrams,
pictures, etc.
• Reviewing content of book/article
• W riting discourses and editing
• Use of dictionary, encyclopaedia, and
internet
• Theme based brainstorming
• Use of concept mapping
• Audio-lingual method,
communicative approach, teaching
diverse classroom- addressing socio-
psychological factors of language
learning
• Conducting seminars, workshops
for preparation of materials
S OCIAL
• Issue based dialogue, debate and discussions
S CIENCE
• Discovery, project, problem solving, narration,
comparisons, observation, dramatization and role
play
• Utilisation of the resources like audio-visual
materials, photographs, charts, maps, replicas, of
archaeological and material culture
• Practice of process skills- observations, classifications,
questioning, framing hypothesis, data analysis,
drawing inferences, interpretation of results,
reporting etc.
• Map reading, cartoon analysis, writing slogans etc.
• Conducting inquiry- discussion, field work, peer and
group activities, surveys, etc.
S cienc • Conduct of activities and experiments, observation,
• Interactive, participatory and collaborative methods
e classifications, inferences, discussion, conducting
inquiry, discovery, projects etc.
• Science museum, field trip, projects and
exhibition
• Probing, documenting and analysing children’s
ideas
• Science and society interface
• collaborative
Survey, organization and presentation of data
learning
• Use of concept
Engaging map, peer and group learning,
in joyful
MATHEMATICS • Inductive and deductive, problem solving
• Preparing mathematical models
• Use of concept map to
understand mathematics
• Interactive, collaborative and
participatory methods
• Understanding two and three
dimensional
shapes
• Analysis and synthesis, puzzles, play,
mathematical games, analysing
timetable, time- line, data handling,
etc.
• Representation and interpretation of
mathematical calculations
• Development of spatial reasoning
and visualization skills
 SECONDARY
Subject Areas Specific pedagogical approaches for
transacting disciplinary knowledge

Languages • Addressing multilingualism

• Gaps between home and school languages
• Classroom discourses – questioning, discussion,
debates, elocution, brainstorming,
communication, dramatization, roleplay,
language games etc.
• Analysing texts- expository vs. narrative,
transactional vs. reflective
• Note making, summarizing, connecting reading-
writing, process writing, writing to learn and
understand
• Analyzing texts across the curriculum
• Flow of communication in schools and the
society
S OCIAL
• Enquiry based and problem based learning
S CIENCE
• Methods of teaching- source, field study, folk lore,
oral history, balpanchayat, mock parliament, project,
story telling, exhibition, peer and group
discussion etc.
• Visit to historical, ecological, commercial, and
political places
• Organising awareness and other important
activities-
environment, social, election, blood donation etc.

S cienc • Use of science process skills

e • Understanding science and society
• Enquiry and problem based learning
• Use of integrated, ecological, inductive,
deductive, problem solving and Constructivist
approaches to learning
• Use of lecture, discussion, debates,
demonstration, field
trip, individual- peer and group
presentation, experimentation, Scientific
discovery etc.
MATHEMATI • Mathematical modelling, data analysis and
CS
interpretation, content analysis in
mathematics
• Exploring connections and
patterns, visualization and
generalization
• Problem solving, inductive-deduction,
analysis- synthesis, project,
demonstration, mathematical activities, use
of mathematical laboratories etc.
 CONCLUSION

The table depicts specific pedagogical approaches required for teaching at the
elementary and the secondary stages of school education. It is understood that most
pedagogical approaches suggested for teaching subjects at different stages of school
education are based upon the learner centered approaches to learning.
REFEREN C ES

• https://www.abjankari.in
• Understanding Disciplines and Subjects, Dr.T. Hallen, Kavya G
M Selvakumar,. Page.no. 1.2-1.3
• Understanding Disciplines and Subjects, Prof.K. Nagarajan,
page no. 2