Course-5 Understanding Disciplines and School Subjects pmd

Check Your Progress - 1
Answer the following questions to understand the extent you promote the culture
of social justice in your school.
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1.
What is happening at your school to address social justice issues as a learning
community?
2.
What are you doing in your classroom to examine social justice issues?
3.
How might your school implement specific practices to address social justice
as an institution?
2.6.3.2. School Subjects and Social Justice
you are teaching one or two subjects in your school. You have understood the concept
of social justice. Think of some topics which you think have scope to develop awareness
and commitment for social justice among students.
Below are given some topics. Identify the topics that are more conducive to develop
awareness and commitment for social justice than others.
•
Types of democracy
•
Administration of Akbar
•
Properties of acids
•
Water resources
•
Social challenges of India
•
Economic challenges of India
•
Ration and Proportion
•
Simple interest
•
Compound interest.
It is interesting that school subjects can be very well utilised to develop awareness
among number of issues like gender related issues, population related issues etc. School
subjects prove to be very effective to teach social justice also. With such applications teaching
of school subject become more meaningful and creative for both students and teachers.
This demands a teacher who is resourceful, creative and innovative. A systematic and focused
planning will certainly help to develop the awareness, attitudes and values required to
achieve social justice.
As mentioned earlier, the schools should practice social justice within their system.
The practices, rules and regulations of school should be formed based on the principles of
social justice. Once students observe social justice within the system, they will realise its
meaning and get prepared to practise the same in the larger society.
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The teaching of curricular subjects should be planned in such a way that they reinforce
the attitude towards social justice which they have already observed in the school system.
Subjects like math, science, social science, languages have ample scope to promote the
value of social justice. Some topics lend themselves to teach social justice.
Let us take the examples of math classes. Topics like simple interest, compound
interest can be related to a larger context, it is, the community in which the students live.
The teacher can give a problem where a land lord lends money to the poor farmers with
very high rate of interest, and calculates compound interest for the same. The students can
be asked to solve the problem based on this situation wherein they are supposed to calculate
the amount to be returned by the farmer, based on compound interest.  After they finish
solving, the same problem can be extended to the community. The teacher can ask the
students, “do you see people taking loans with interest, as we saw in the problem just
now?” . If so, what will be the consequences? This situation can be used to teach about
social justice. Below are given the themes, focal points from the point of view of the subject,
focal point from the point of view of teaching social justice. Observe them. The teacher
should successfully lead the discussion to achieve the goal.