FOCUS 2019:
General knowledge in
Social Sciences
By Jurie de Jager, Subject Specialist
The social sciences is an academic discipline concerned with society and the relationships among
individuals within a social order. In an ever-changing society where better decision-making and effective
interaction is at the order of the day, general knowledge about topics relating to the social interest of a
culture, community or country has become a vital aspect of human life.
We decided to make general knowledge a focus point of Social Sciences for 2019. This will promote aspects like socialisation,
interaction, analysis, awareness, vigilance, confidence, understanding cause and effect, community involvement and global
citizenship in our learners.
According to Michigan State University’s website (www.canr.msu.edu/), cognition and general knowledge skills come together
to form the building blocks for school readiness. These building blocks are logic, reasoning, mathematics, science and social
studies. General knowledge has two components, namely the details about the world around us, and social concepts. In
order for children to build their cognition and general knowledge skills, it is important for them to engage in a wide variety
of activities and experiences that promote learning through both open exploration and focused investigation.
Social Sciences has various branches to it and is offered as History and Geography in our schools. In addition to following
the curriculum guidelines, we encourage teachers to create general knowledge walls and reading areas in their classrooms
and to provide time in their lessons to incorporate activities that broaden learners’ general knowledge. Such activities could
include watching reputable news channels and documentaries, exploring apps like Google Earth, Google Maps and TED,
creating and playing quizzes and board games on trivia, and more.
The importance of general knowledge and awareness of current affairs stretches far beyond the ability to get good grades and
making a social impact. Having a good general knowledge leads to a greater understanding of facts and enables learners
to grow into leaders who are able to make wise and informed decisions.
Additional source: https://targetstudy.com
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