NCF

REFLECTIONS   OF  NCF

1. What are the broad aims of education identified in NCF-2005? List any three.

(i) Independence of thought and action,

(ii) Sensitivity to others’ well-being and feelings,

(iii) Learning to respond to new situations in a flexible and creative manner,

(iv) Predisposition towards participation in democratic processes, and

(v) The ability to work towards and contribute to economic processes and social change.

1. List any three guiding principles for curriculum development proposed by NCF-2005.

(i) Connecting knowledge to life outside the school;

(ii) Ensuring that learning shifts away from rote methods;

(iii) Enriching the curriculum so that it goes beyond textbooks;

(iv) Making examinations more flexible and integrating them with classroom life;

(v) Nurturing an overriding identity informed by caring concerns within the democratic polity of the country.

1. What specific measures (with reference to examinations) are suggested by NCF-2005 to find a remedy for the growing problem of psychological pressure that children and their parents’ experience?

Specific measures include changing the typology of the question paper so that reasoning and creative abilities replace memorization as the basis of evaluation, and integration of examinations with classroom life by encouraging transparency and internal assessment

1. Why does NCF-2005 say that “we need to give our children some taste of understanding”?

They would be able to learn and create their own versions of knowledge as they go out to meet the world of bits, images and transactions of life.  Such a taste would make the present of our children wholesome, creative and enjoyable; they would not be traumatized by the excessive burden of information that is required merely for a short time before the examination

1. In addition to languages, mathematics, science and social sciences, NCF-2005 draws attention to four other curricular areas. List these areas.

1. Work,

2. The arts and heritage crafts,

3. Health and physical education, and

4. Peace.

1. Why should we link learning with work from the primary stage upwards?

 Work transforms knowledge into experience and generates important personal and social values, such as self-reliance, creativity and cooperation.  It also inspires new forms of knowledge and creativity.

7. According to NCF-2005 what should be the goal of art education?

The goal of art education is to promote

• Aesthetic and personal awareness and
• The ability to express oneself in different forms.
• Appreciate the importance of India’s heritage crafts, both in terms of their economic and aesthetic values

.

8. NCF-2005 recommended inclusion of Peace education as an area of study in the curriculum for teacher education. Comment.

Peace as a precondition for national development and as a social temper is proposed as a comprehensive value framework that has immense relevance today in view of the growing tendency across the world towards intolerance and violence as a way of resolving conflicts. The potential of peace education for socializing children into a democratic and just culture can be actualized through appropriate activities and a judicious choice of topics in all  subjects and at all stages.

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9. NCF-2005 opens with a quotation from an essay by Rabindranath Tagore. Analyze this quotation in about 50 words.

      The poet reminds us that a ‘creative spirit’ and ‘generous joy’ are keys in 

      childhood, both of which can be distorted by an unthinking adult world.

10. List any six position papers which form part of NCF-2005

(i) Teaching of Science

(ii) Teaching of English

(iii) Teaching of Mathematics

(iv) Teaching of social sciences

(v)Teaching of languages

(vi)Curriculum, syllabus and text books

Or any 6 of the remaining position papers.

11. What, according to NCF-2005, is ‘Child centered’ pedagogy?

Giving primacy to children’s experiences, their voices and their active participation.

12. What is learning from the perspective of Constructivism?

Learning is a process of construction of knowledge. Learners actively construct their own knowledge by connecting new ideas to existing ideas on the basis of materials / activities presented to them as experience.

13. What is the role of teacher in relation to the process of knowledge construction by children?

(i) Allowing children to ask questions.

(ii) Helping / guiding children to relate what they are learning in school to things happening outside.

(iii) Encouraging children to answer in their own words and from their own experiences.

(iv) Encouraging intelligent guessing as a valid pedagogic tool.

 14. What steps should be taken to make classroom activities effective?

Establish class room culture for activities.

Establish rules that govern the use of space and use of materials.

Planning  in advance.

15. What are the capabilities that children possess that form the broad basis for the development and understanding of values and skills?

Language, forming and relating shapes, capability for work and action.

16. What guidelines are given for the teaching of languages in schools by NCF-2005?

Language teaching needs to be multilingual not only in terms of the number of languages offered to children but also in terms of evolving strategies that would use the multilingual classroom as a resource.

Home language(s) of children should be the medium of learning in schools.

If a school does not have provisions for teaching in the child’s home language(s) at the higher levels, primary school education must still be covered through the home language(s).

The three-language formula needs to be implemented in its spirit, promoting multilingual communicative abilities for a multilingual country.

In the non-Hindi-speaking states, children learn Hindi. In the case of Hindi speaking states, children learn a language not spoken in their area. Sanskrit may also be studied as a Modern Indian Language (MIL) in addition to these languages.

17. What are the recommendations (by NCF-2005) with reference to language evaluation?

Language evaluation need not be tied to “achievement” with respect to particular syllabi, but must be reoriented to the measurement of language proficiency. Evaluation is to be made an enabling factor for learning rather than an impediment.

18. What life skills need to be developed in children for dealing with the demands and challenges of everyday life?

Development of life skills such as critical thinking skills, interpersonal communication skills, negotiation/ refusal skills, decision making/ problem-solving skills, coping and self-management skills are very critical for dealing with the demands and challenges of everyday life.

19.  List out the suggestions given by NCF-2005 for encouraging reading.

The classroom needs to provide a print-rich environment, displaying signs,

charts, work-organizing notices, etc. that promote ‘iconic’ recognition of the written symbols, in addition to teaching letter-sound correspondences.

There is a need for imaginative input that is read by a competent reader with appropriate gestures, dramatization, etc.

Writing down experiences narrated by children, and then having them read the written account.

Reading of additional material: stories, poems, etc.

First-generation school goers must be given opportunities to construct their own texts and contribute self-selected texts to the classroom.

20. Enumerate some problems in school Mathematics education.

1. A majority of children have a sense of fear and failure regarding Mathematics. Hence, they give up early on, and drop out of serious mathematical learning.

2. The curriculum is disappointing not only to this non-participating majority, but also to the talented minority by offering them no challenges.

3. Problems, exercises and methods of evaluation are mechanical and repetitive, with too much emphasis on computation. Areas of Mathematics such as spatial thinking are not developed enough in the curriculum.

4. Teachers lack confidence, preparation and support.

21. What are ‘narrow’ and ‘higher’ aims of school mathematics?

The narrow aim of school mathematics is to develop ‘useful’ capabilities, particularly those relating to numeracy–numbers, number operations, measurements, decimals and percentages. The higher aim is to develop the child’s resources to think and reason mathematically, to pursue assumptions to their logical conclusion and to handle abstraction. It includes a way of doing things, and the ability and the attitude to formulate and solve problems.

22. What should be the vision for school Mathematics?

Children learn to enjoy mathematics rather than fear it.

• Children learn important mathematics: Mathematics is more than formulas and mechanical procedures.

• Children see mathematics as something to talk about, to communicate through, to discuss among them, to work together on.

• Children pose and solve meaningful problems.

Children use abstractions to perceive relation-ships, to see structures, to reason out things, to argue the truth or falsity of statements.

• Children understand the basic structure of Mathematics: Arithmetic, algebra, geometry and trigonometry, the basic content areas of school Mathematics, all offer a methodology for abstraction, structuration and generalization.

• Teachers engage every child in class with the conviction that everyone can learn mathematics.

23. What are the challenges that we face in the implementation of IT / CS curricula in schools?

The paucity of technology resources for computer science. It is absurd to teach computer science (let alone computer usage) without access to computing resources.

Providing computer access and connectivity for all children is a tremendous  technological and economic challenge.

we need to address this infrastructure challenge seriously and explore viable and innovative alternatives with regard to hardware, software and connectivity technologies appropriate for rural and urban Indian schools.

OR

23. What are the recommendations of NCF-2005 regarding the physical environment of the school?

A place that is colourful, friendly, and peaceful, with lots of open space offering with small nooks and corners, animals, plants, flowers, trees, and toys. In order to attract and retain children, the school environment must have all these elements in and around them.

Classrooms can be brightened up by first ensuring adequate natural light inside and then made lively by displaying children’s work on the classroom walls as well as in different parts of the school.

Drawings, art and craftwork put up on the walls and shelves send out a powerful message to children and their parents that their work is appreciated. These must be displayed at locations and heights that are physically and visually comfortably accessible to children of various ages.

All schools must have playgrounds for outdoor learning activities

24. ‘Good science education is true to the child, true to life and true to science’. This simple observation led to some basic criteria of validity of a science curriculum:. Outline some of these.

1. Cognitive validity requires that the content, process, language and pedagogical practices of the curriculum are age appropriate, and within the cognitive reach of the child.

2. Content validity requires that the curriculum must convey significant and correct scientific information. Simplification of content, which is necessary for adapting the curriculum to the cognitive level of the learner, must not be so trivialized as to convey something basically flawed and/or meaningless.

3. Process validity requires that the curriculum should engage the learner in acquiring the methods and processes that lead to the generation and validation of scientific knowledge and nurture the natural curiosity and creativity of the child in science. Process validity is an important criterion since it helps the student in ‘learning to learn’ science.

4. Historical validity requires that the science curriculum be informed by a historical perspective, enabling the learner to appreciate how the concepts of science evolve over time. It also helps the learner to view science as a social enterprise and to understand how social factors influence the development of science.

5. Environmental validity requires that science be placed in the wider context of the learner’s environment, local and global, enabling him/her to appreciate the issues at the interface of science, technology and society, and equipping him/her with the requisite knowledge and skills to enter the world of work.

6. Ethical validity requires that the curriculum promote the values of honesty, objectivity,

cooperation, and freedom from fear and  prejudice, and inculcate in the learner a concern for life and preservation of the environment.

OR

24. What should be the objectives, content, pedagogy and assessment for different stages of the curriculum for teaching of science / evs ?

At the primary stage, the child should be engaged in joyfully exploring the world around and harmonizing with it. The objectives at this stage are to nurture the curiosity of the child about the world (natural environment, artifacts and people), to have the child engage in exploratory and hands-on activities for acquiring the basic cognitive and psychomotor skills through observation, classification, inference, etc.; to emphasize design and fabrication, estimation and measurement as a prelude to the development of

technological and quantitative skills at later stages; and to develop basic language skills: speaking, reading and writing not only for science but also through science. Science and social science should be integrated as ‘environmental studies’ as at present, with health as an important component. Throughout the primary stage, there should be no formal periodic tests, no awarding of grades or marks, and no detention.

At the upper primary stage, the child should be engaged in learning the principles of  science through familiar experiences, working with hands to design simple technological units and modules (e.g. designing and making a working model of a windmill to lift weights) and continuing to learn more about the  environment and health, including  reproductive and sexual health, through activities and surveys. Scientific concepts are to  be arrived at mainly from activities and experiments. Science content at this stage is not  to be regarded as a diluted version of secondary school science. Group activities,  discussions with peers and teachers, surveys, organisation of data and their display through exhibitions, etc. in schools and the neighbourhood should be important  components of pedagogy. There should be continuous as well as periodic assessment (unit tests, term-end tests). The system of ‘direct’ grades should be adopted. There should be no detention.

At the secondary stage, students should be engaged in learning science as a composite discipline, in working with hands and tools to design more advanced technological modules than at the upper primary stage, and in activities and analyses on issues concerning the environment and health, including reproductive and sexual health. Systematic experimentation as a tool to discover/verify theoretical principles, and working on locally significant projects involving science and technology, are to be  important parts of the curriculum at this stage. At the higher secondary stage, science should be introduced as separate disciplines, with emphasis on experiments/technology and problem solving The curriculum load should be rationalised to avoid the steep  gradient between secondary and higher secondary syllabi. At this stage, the core topics of a discipline, taking into account recent advances in the field, should be identified carefully and treated with appropriate rigour and depth. The tendency to cover a large number of topics of the discipline superficially should be avoided.

25. What did the National Focus Group on the Teaching of the Social Sciences propose?

Textbooks themselves should be seen as opening up avenues for further enquiry, and students should be encouraged to go beyond the textbook to further reading and observation

OR

25. What kind of methods should be adopted in the teaching of social sciences?

methods that promote creativity, aesthetics, and critical perspectives,

methods that enable children to draw relationships between past and present, to understand changes taking place in society.

Problem solving, dramatisation and role play are some hitherto underexplored strategies that could be employed.

RTE

Main features of the RTE Act, 2009	April 1 2010

RIGHT TO FREE AND COMPULSORY EDUCATION ACT, 2009

INTRODUCTION

The framers of the Constitution in their wisdom chose to include education in the Directive Principles of State Policy and not in the section on fundamental rights and correspondingly Article 45 stated that: “The State shall endeavour to provide, within a period of ten years from the commencement of the Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years.” However education remained a neglected area of state policy with universalization of elementary education continuing to be a distant goal. Efforts from educationists, academics and civil society groups that focused on a rights based approach finally yielded results in 2002, when the 86^th Constitutional Amendment was passed by Parliament and Article 21A, which makes right to education a fundamental right, was included in the Constitution.  In so doing it put the Right to Education on par with the Right to Life stated in Article 21.  Article 21 A states: "the state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of 6 to 14 years as the state may, by law determine".

Following from this a Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) was drafted and passed in Parliament on August 27, 2009 (notified on February 16, 2010 to come into effect from April 1, 2010).

MAIN FEATURES OF THE RTE:

1.       Makes Elementary Education Free

2.       Makes Elementary Education Compulsory for the State to provide

3.       Mandates education of children along their peer age group (“age-appropriate”); provides for “special training” to facilitate age appropriate education

4.       Sets quality norms for all schools

5.       Sets qualification  and working norms for Teachers in all schools

6.       Mandates curriculum in all schools to be in consonance with Constitutional Values

7.       Mandates  a system of evaluation that is free of the oppression of annual exams

8.       Enhances role of PRIs in implementation as well as grievance redressal.

9.       Mandates participation of civil society in the management of schools; makes teachers accountable to parents and the community

10.   Democratizes education delivery in the country by mandating 25% reservation for children from weaker sections in private schools.

11.   Protects children from labour, marriage, exploitation, discrimination, abuse, violence and neglect.

12.   Separates agency for  implementation of Act (Education Department) from agency charged with monitoring the implementation of the Act (NCPCR)

1. Free Elementary Education for ALL children in age group 6-14 years in a neighbourhood school.

What does “free” mean?

According to the Act, no financial constraints can “prevent” a child from a enrolling, attending and completing elementary education. In other words, if a child lives in a remote area, providing free transportation (or a residential facility or some other facility) will be part of the child’s entitlement to education; if a child is disabled and needs crutches to walk to school then crutches, or some other facility that enables him to go to school will be part of his entitlement under the Act. 

What is elementary education?

Elementary education is 8 years of education corresponding to classes 1-8. This in most cases includes children between 6-14 years, but in states that start at 5 years and go up to class7, RTE would still extend to class 8.

What is a neighbourhood school?

The neighbourhood has been given a wide definition in the Model Rules of the Act. Ordinarily it is 1 km walking distance from the habitation of a child at the primary level and 3 km for upper primary level. However, in areas with sparse populations, or those prone to natural disasters or with difficult terrain or civil unrest, this limitation may be changed and transportation or residential facilities provided to children so that their education is not interrupted or disrupted.

2. Compulsory  Elementary Education. The word compulsory has implications for the government alone.  In other words while it is the DUTY of the parent to send their children to school (Article 15k) it is the OBLIGATION of the government to ensure not just enrolment but attendance and completion of elementary education. This implies that the government
1. Must identify all children that are out of school or dropped out
2. Make sure that they are enrolled in school
3. Make sure they attend school on a regular basis
4. Make sure they complete the elementary cycle of education.
5. If parents are reluctant to send their children it is the responsibility of the government to find a way of convincing the parents, without use of force/ violence/pressure to send their children to school.

3. Age Appropriate Education.
1. This means that children will be enrolled in the class that corresponds to their age. In other words, if a 10 year old has not been to school or dropped out earlier, she will be enrolled in class 5.
2. To enable the 10 year to cope in class 5 “special training” will be provided on the premises to bring the child up to the age appropriate level.

4. Quality Norms for ALL schools. The Act lays out some basic norms for all schools (government and private):
1. Pupil- Teacher Ratio (cannot exceed 1:30)
2. Minimum days of school functioning in a year (200 and 250 for primary and Upper Primary, respectively)
3. Minimum hours of instruction in school (4 and 5 hours a day for primary and UP)
4. Minimum working hours for the teacher (45 hours a week)
5. Separate subject teachers and head-teacher
6. One room for every teacher
7. Separate and functional toilets; clean and adequate drinking water
8. Playground, boundary wall, library, kitchen

5. Qualifications  for Teachers.
1. Para Teachers banned
2. All teachers must subscribe to minimum qualifications and training norms laid out by Academic Authority within 5 years.
3. Teacher education and Teacher training institutes to be upgraded to enable fulfillment of quality and qualification norms for teachers.

6. Curriculum in line with Constitution.
1. This means that curriculum, syllabus and books must conform to Constitutional values. It implies that communal and harmful agendas cannot be part of the materials used and taught in ANY school of the country.
2. Syllabus and Books must also take into account age and learning levels of children

7. Evaluation system to be based on principle of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE).
1. No failure till completion of elementary cycle
2. Evaluation to be done throughout the year and not be based on an annual exam.
3. Teachers to maintain PUPIL CUMMULATIVE RECORD (PCR) for every child.
4. Evaluation to be on “comprehensive” performance of child, reflecting all facets, talents of the child and not be based on just a few subject areas. The PCR to include music, theatre, leadership skills, social skills etc., as well.

8. Role of Panchayati Raj Institutions:
1. The PRIs have been given a wide range of functions related to the implementation of the provisions of the RTE, such as identification of out of school children; neighbourhood-wise school mapping; maintenance of child records (child-tracking) public display of information; education of children from migrant families; participation in School Management Committees (SMCs)
2. PRIs have also been made responsible for grievance redressal in matters related to violations of the rights of the child under RTE.

9. Participation of Civil Society
1. School Management Committees consisting largely of parents (75%) and of PRIs officials and civil society partners have been given a wide range of functions under the Act, including the preparation of the School Development Plan
2. Teachers have been made accountable to the SMCs.

10. Reservation in Private Schools
1. All private schools are required to admit in their incoming class 25% children from weaker sections and socially disadvantaged groups from their neighbourhood.
2. Limits of definition to be extended if 25% seats are not being filled within the standard limits of neighbourhood.
3. Private schools to be reimbursed for these children by the government at the rate of per learner costs of government schools in the state.

11. Separation of Implementation and Monitoring Agency.
1. Implementation responsibilities lie with the education departments in conjunction with the PRIs
2. Monitoring role has been given to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the corresponding State Commissions.
3. This separation is very important and a first in the history of such legislations and allows for independent monitoring of the implementation of the Act.
4. NCPCR/ SCPCR have quasi-judicial powers and can function as a civil court. Complaints and grievances can be addressed to them as well.