The document discusses the meaning, nature, and significance of community resources for teaching social studies. It defines community resources as anything in the community that can illustrate concepts or help students apply skills. There are two main methods of utilizing resources: taking the school to the community through field trips and community service, and bringing the community to the school through celebrations, adult education, and parent-teacher associations. The teacher plays an important role in utilizing resources by fostering cooperation between the school and parents.
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1 Introduction 4
2 Community resources 4
3 Significance of the
Community resources
INDEX
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4 Classification of Community resources 5-6
5 Methods of utilizing Community
resources
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6 Role of teacher 9-10
7 Conclusion 10
8 Reference 10
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4. INTRODUCTION
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Community provides concrete, seeable and tangible resources which are
extremely dynamic, interesting and meaningful for the teaching and learning of
social studies. It is not enough for a child to have ‘knowledge’ about the factories,
farms, council sessions, and social agencies etc. He must have ‘acquaintance
with’ all these.
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A community is a child’s labortary for having first hand learning about the
ways of living. The community with its rich and varied resources can enrich and
supplement learning in social studies. A well planned programme can bring the
school and the community quite close to each other. So here we may discuss
about the meaning, significance and utilization of community resources in the
teaching-learning process.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Community resources that facilitate learning everything in the community
that can be used to illustrate a concept or generalization or to help internalize
a value, such resources include every community situation in which children get
opportunity to apply their intellectual, social or personal potentials and skills. It
also includes every experience that allows them to express their feelings and
clarity their values.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE COMMUNITY RESOURCES
1. Teaching and learning become relevant, because they can be performed
through the children’s social experiences.
2. The community provides excellent opportunities for social action and for the
development of intellectual and social skills.
3. The school and community can become closer to each other.
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4. The children learn more about the community, become involved in its affair
and they become better citizens.
CLASSIFICATIONS OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES
1. Place of civic interest: - These include the village panchayat, state, legislature,
high courts, assembly halls, parliament etc.
2. Place of culture interest: - These include art theaters, clubs, museums, radio
station, T.V. centers, etc.
3. Place of economic interest: - These include agricultural farms, banks,
commercial centers, factories telephone exchanges, railway, telegraph offices, etc.
4. Place of geographical interest: - These comprise dams, lakes, rivers, river
valley projects, rocks, tea gardens, waterfalls etc.
5. Place of historical interest: - These include caves, churches, excavations,
temples etc.
6. Places of scientific interest: - These consist of broad casting stations,
engineering institution, thermal and hydro-power generating stations, laboratories
etc.
7. Government buildings: - These include fire station, law courts, military
installations, police stations, public libraries etc.
8. Forms of social control: - These comprise attitudes, beliefs, customs,
ceremonies, rituals, traditions etc.
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7. METHODS OF UTILIZING COMMUNITY RESOURCES
There are basically two methods of utilizing community resources. They are the
following:
1. Taking the school to the community.
2. Bringing community to the school.
Both of these methods are explained below:
1. Taking the school to the community
a) Field trips
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Field trips to place of civic, cultural, geographical and social places are
very helpful in integrating diverse ideas presented at the time of classroom
instruction, stimulating imagination and for learning through sensory perceptions.
The pupils can observe vividly learn the art of living with others and expand
emotional and intellectual horizons.
b) Community service
It includes cleanliness of the community that is cleaning of public place,
attending the sick, social service in fairs, planting of trees; digging of manure pits
making of drains a sense of dignity of labor, fellow-feeling etc.
c) Social survey clubs
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Social survey clubs should be organized in schools which could undertake to
investigate some of the urgent needs and problems of the surrounding areas. The
study of the community will help much in the development of a child.
2. Bringing community to the school
Celebration of the school
Attempts should be made to celebrate National, local international
days, birthdays of eminent personalities etc. in the school primes so that the
parent may also be brought in to close contact with the activities of the
schools.
The school as a social, recreational and cultural center
Most of the village schools are the common meeting place in the
village especially for planning and conducting social service activities.
School ground may provide to local community for playing. The older
section of the community may also use the school ground to spend their
evenings and discuss problems of the day.
Adult education center
The schools should become centers of adult education both in rural
and urban areas. They should conduct regular campaigns against illiteracy
and educate the adults of the locality.
School library
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Efforts should be made to extend the services of the library to the
community by providing books to parents, availing library hours, or by
issuing books to secretary of old students association who may act as
librarian, to the old students and be held responsible for returning the books
to the school.
Resources visitors
Interested members of the community engaged in various walk of life
and professions, will be invited to the school from time to time to talk
about their particular work, to show its place and significance in the life of
the community, to discuss its difficulties as well as its rewards.
Parent teachers association
There should be a parent teachers association in the school to co-operate
in the common task of giving better education to child. Meeting
with parents of particular class, inviting parents to witness training
displayed by children, and participating parents in school programmes will
help in bring the community to school. Parents may associate in the
management of the school also.
Exhibitions
On occasions like ‘school days’ an exhibition may be arranged for the
benefit of the students and the public.
Career conferences
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Specialists in different field may be selected from amongst the parents
and their talks arranged on the various aspects of their occupations.
Educational conference
Educational conferences should be organized in which parents; teachers
and representative of the education department participate. These
conference help exchange of thoughts, opinion, experiences, stock taking of
the past and plan for future.
ROLE OF TEACHER IN UTILIZING COMMUNITY RESOURCES
· The teachers should show considerable patience and tact in dealing with
parents.
· He/ She should not mind facing a rebuff at the hands of parents.
· He should allow the parents to talk voluntarily.
· He should not let the parents has the idea that the teacher is prejudiced
against his child.
· He should offer suggestions to the parents in a polite and convincing
manner.
· He should make the parents realize that he is sincerely interested in the
welfare of the child.
· He should impress upon the parent that he is also an active partner in the
education of the child.
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11. CONCLUSION
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Community is a treasure house of rich and varied source. It can enrich
supplement learning in social studies. To fully utilize the community resources
and important role has to be played by the teachers, administrators, local citizens,
parents and pupils. Only a well planned programme can bring both the school and
community closed each other. The programme is planned in such a way that it
brings the school and community quite close to each other. The first hand
knowledge that the child acquires by his community experiences helps him in
becoming an intelligent citizens.
REFERENCE
1. “Teaching of social studies”- A.S.Kohli, Anmol publications, Pvt Ltd,
New Delhi
2. “Teaching of social studies”- J.C Aggarwal, Vikas publications Pvt Ltd,
New Delhi
3. http://www.jstor.org/stable/127766510
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