Hand book as instructional resources

 HAND BOOKS

Handbooks are instructional resources that help the teachers in their day to day classroom instructions.

They are prepared by educationists, experts and teachers together in workshops conducted by academic bodies.

Handbook provides necessary guidelines for effective instruction of Social Science.

Elements of a Hand Book

The following are the important elements

• A sound theoretical background of the Social Science Curriculum and Teaching.

A comprehensive view of the major theories and practices related to Social Science curriculum must be illustrated in a handbook. This may help the teacher for a better understanding of the curriculum.

• Objectives of Each Unit in the TextBook.

Curricular objectives must be clearly stated in a handbook. These objectives can act as a basis for planning instruction. Objective states must be clear and specific in terms of cognitive and behavioral outcomes.

• Prerequisites for Each Unit in the Text Book.

A good hand book indicates the prerequisite to learn a topic in Social Science. This will help the teacher take  necessary background to introduce a topic in the classroom.

• Content Analysis.

Textual content will be analysed thoroughly in a handbook. Terms, Facts, Concepts, Principles, Processes and laws of a unit must be clearly indicated in a handbook. In this sense handbooks can act as a reference material for teachers.

• Learning Activities.

Suitable learning activities for each topic in the textbook will be provided in a Social Science handbook. Hand books also provide solutions for the problems or exercises in the text books.

• Evaluation.

A good handbook clearly suggests ways to evaluate students' outcomes. Hand books will help the teachers to prepare unit tests and other practical tests in the classroom.

• Diagnosis and Remediation.

A hand book should provide an opportunity to diagnose the difficulties of the students. It will help to plan individual differences. Remedial teaching procedure for backward students is a part of handbooks.

• Plan of Work of the Year.

A good handbook will provide a plan of work for the entire course. This will act as a basis for teachers to plan his daily lesson.