3. INTRODUCTION
By instructional materials we mean the tools of teaching instructional
materialwill generally start with the text books .A text book is a speciallywritten
book which contain selective and systematic knowledge regarding the
curriculum material prescribed. Every care is taken to maintain coherenceand
sequence in the presentation of information and learning activities.It ismade
simple to the degree that suits the intended learner.It would indicatevarious
teaching learning devices and a rich dose of pedagogy with all itsimplications
that is why a text book is said to be “the teacher in print “.A textbook differs
from an ordinary book mainly on the basis that it is basicallystudent friendly
and also reflects the anticipated instructional goals, teachingleaning techniques
etc.
4. TEXT BOOK
The text book constitutes an inseparable part of any system of education.In a
developing country like ours where even the minimum essentialrequirements of
class room are hardly provided,the necessity of quality text book is evident.
As far as social science is concerned, the text book is an aid which is
considered in dispensable in all methods adopted for its institution for the study
of the subject the role played by textbook is second only to that of the teacher.
It acts as the learners chief aid and support. Generally speaking, text book play a
more important role in high school instruction than in the elementary grades.
PURPOSE OF TEXT BOOK
The following are the major purposes served by text book:
1) To help the teachers:-It provides useful guidelines for day to day teaching,
suggestions for and serve as a reference book for the teachers time companion.
2) To help the pupil:-For pupil ,textbooks are must accessible guide,
reference books and all time companion.
3) To give minimumessential knowledge at one place: A textbook can be
constant standly of social studies teacher, as it gives the minimum knowledge at
one place.
4) To help in self teaching: The efficacy of the textbook lies in making self-
teaching a possible proposition through printed materials.
5) To provide logical and comprehensive materials: A good text book
provides material in a logical systematic and comprehensive form.
6) To provide both confirmation and sustenance: Text books can confirm
knowledge obtained elsewhere.
7) To ensure intellectual rapprochement of learners: It can co-ordinate the
activities and bring about the intellectual rapprochement of pupils.
5. CRITERIA FOR A GOOD SOCIAL SCIENCE
TEXTBOOK
To be an effective aid,it must contain all the qualities of an instructional
material.A good social science text book must satisfy the following criteria:
1) Text book should help in achieving the purpose of learning social science.
2) It should be child- centered.
3) It should contain fluent narration.
4) Text book should have a clear and self explanatory arrangement.
5) It should open up various avenus of thought study.
6) The language of the text book should be suitable for the reading age of the
pupils.
7) It should be well-illustrated.
8) It should be simple, interesting and attractive enough to take the form of a
self study material.
9) It should be free from indoctrination.
10) It should provide proper and adequate exercises and suggestions for
activities at the end of each chapter.
11) It must be up to date.
12) It should help in developing international understanding.
13) It should contain references for further study and reference for collateral
reading.
14) It should al so cater to the needs of backward people.
15) It should promote group effort.
16) It should contain a subject index at the end.
CAUTIONS IN THE USE OF TEXT BOOKS
6. 1) Text books to be subsidiary and supplementary, not primary and
fundamental.
2) Reading a unit of the text book in the class is not desirable.
3) The teacher should not be a mere uncritical mouth piece for what is
contained in the text book.
4) Do not expect pupils to know how to get the most out of texts with-out of
texts with-out help.
5) Do not use text book as a mean of avoiding hard work.
FUNCTIONS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE TEXT
BOOK
The social science text book serves the following:
1) In the primary classes,it can be relied up on the essential information,so
organised as to show order and continuity and so presented as to be lucid ,
interesting and attractive.
2) In the secondary classes,it should contain well-arranged comprehensive
knowledge required to enable them prepare for their successful adult life. The
text book should expand its scope and size to meet the changing conception of
what is considered educationally sound and desirable.
ADVANTAGES OF TEXT BOOK
1) Text book can be grate planning of courses, units and lessons.
2) They provide an organizations or structure for the course.
3) They provide selection of content that can be used as a basis for selecting
course content and determining emphasis.
4) They provide a certain number of activities and suggestions for training
strategies and tactics.
DISADVANTAGES
7. They are usually dull.
They tend to discourage real reading and studying.
They are liable to be superficial,because authors try to include something
about everything and so say too much.
They do not provide for differences in pupil ability or interest.
CONCLUSION
A properly evaluated, a wisely selected and correctly prescribed text book is
an asset-both for the students and teachers. Text book serve as the core of
instruction in many social studies programme and they are used in several
different ways. Some teachers use the adopted text books as the basis of
instruction, employee teaching procedures similar to those used in the reading
programme. Other teachers use a basic text book as a general guide but
supplement various chapters of the text with other reading materials and Audio
visual aids. This approach, a step beyond the sole reliance on a single text book
gives children opportunities to use materials on different readability levels and
to gather data from various sources. All instructional media including text book
are resources of information that must be geared to the capability of the student
and the nature of topics under study.
REFERENCE
1) “Social studies in the class room- Trends and methods”:-P.K Sudheesh
kumar and P.P Noushad, Scorpio Publishers and distributors, Kerala, India.
2)“The teaching of social studies”:- H.S.Sidhu, Tandon publications,
Ludhiana.
