Curriculum, Syllabus

1
Curriculum, Syllabus Textbook Revision - Bihar

• Presented by
• Rajesh Bhushan
• State Project Director, SSA, Bihar

2
Why a separate curriculum for Bihar?

• Theoretically from Kothari to Krishna Kumar a
  decentralized approach to curriculum design
  favoured
• Bihars conditions are unique and different from
  national general situation regarding education
• For contextual relevance, therefore, a distinct
  framework desirable

3
Bihar Curriculum Framework (BCF-2008)

• It is the first attempt at state-level curriculum
  design in Bihar
• Even syllabi not prepared for over a decade
• NCF 2005 was the immediate spur inspiration
• Made ample use of NCF position papers of its
  focus groups
• Apart from teachers insights, took into account
  several contemporary educational experiments

4
Some of other major sources used

• Kothari Report
• Yashpal Committee Report Learning Without Burden
• Green Curriculum of Prativesh
• NCF 2000
• NCERTs Curriculum on Environmental Education
  (2004)

5
The process

• Series of workshops held at SCERT involving
  experts, school teachers, social cultural
  activists and of course, faculty members
• Consultation with students parents
• Deliberations in SCERT and among members of
  curriculum committee
• Draft BCF discussed at district, division state
  levels before finalization

6
(No Transcript)
7
Comparative profile

• NCF
• 5 Chapters
• I Perspective
• II Learning Knowledge
• III Curricular Areas etc
• IV School Classroom Environment
• V Systemic Reforms

• BCF
• 8 Chapters
• I Background Perspectives
• II Child, Development Learning
• III Teacher-Role etc
• IV Curricular Areas etc
• V Curriculum for Rural Education
• VI Transacting Curriculum
• VII Schools Design of Curriculum
• VIII Systemic Reforms
• DRAFT BCF HAD 9 CHAPTERS

8
Guiding Principles of BCF

• Relating education to nature, society life
  outside schools
• Redesigning of textbooks and teaching-learning
  strategies for promoting a constructive critical
  outlook
• Re-inventing class rooms examinations to aid
  the process of learning
• All round development helping the child to
  realize her individual potential
• Nurturing a child to grow into an informed,
  capable and conscientious citizen imbued with
  social concerns

9
Some distinctive features of BCF

• Separate discussion on Child and Teacher
• Discussion on teaching Disadvantaged children
• A Chapter on Curriculum for Rural Education
• Advocacy and suggested guidelines for School
  level curriculum
• Renewed emphasis on environmental education,
  value education inclusive education
• Strong plea for Common school system, and
• Contextualising concepts practices for Bihar

10
Curricular areas Language

• Most important part of school curriculum
• Apart from communicative role, enables concept
  formation construction of knowledge
• Should begin with acceptance of mother tongue
  followed by linguistic skills, structures
  conventions in Hindi
• English from early classes with stress on teacher
  preparation

11
Curricular areas Mathematics

• Learning to value mathematics
• Becoming confident in one's own ability.
• - Beginners learns largely from their day
  
• to day experiences (Hat Bazar etc.)
• Leaning to communicate mathematically.
• Learning to reason mathematically.
• Becoming a mathematical problem solver

12
Curricular areas Science

• Introducing science as subject, method of enquiry
  and a value system
• Criteria of validity of science curriculum in
  terms of cognition, content, process, history,
  etc
• Integral with EVS at primary level science
  through familiar experiences at upper primary
  level as composite discipline at secondary level
  relating to society situations
  differentiation and rigour for academic pursuits
  at senior secondary level with stress on
  applications for vocational streams

13
Curricular areas Social science

• Includes history, geography, political science,
  economics, sociology etc
• Teaching should focus on concept formation,
  knowledge, skills abilities and values
• Integrated under EVS at primary level, gradual
  separation afterwards
• Should be more open connected with the reality
  around

14
Curricular areas Arts Crafts

• Education in arts crafts useful for all round
  development of personality, particularly for
  aesthetic sense
• Can be a resource as well as means of education
• Bihar has own unique cultural forms identity
  which should be used maximally

15
Curricular areas Environment Education

• Environment both as object of study source of
  knowledge
• For promoting value of harmony with nature
  holistic approach
• Involvement of head, heart hand
• Should be open innovative not confined to
  classrooms or textbooks
• Should be contextual action-oriented

16
Curricular areas Value Education

• Not as separate subject should permeate all
  curricular co-curricular activities
• Aiming at harmony with ones self and natural and
  social environment
• Personal ethical values plus values relating to
  ideals of citizenship in democracy like
  tolerance, appreciation of human rights,
  collective good etc

17
Work and Education

• Work may be defined in a broad sense including
  production of goods services, physical mental
  activities
• However dignity of manual work must be included
  in in teaching learning strategies both for
  pedagogic and normative reasons
• Learning by doing activity-based learning
  may be ways of introducing work in education
• BCF is inspired from the guiding principle of
  Gandhis Buniyadi Education.

18
Rural Education

• Modern system of education started in towns and
  travels to villages without shedding its urban
  bias
• Gandhis basic education
• Village not merely physical space or people,
  rather a distinct economic pattern social
  setting, which has undergone many changes today

19
Curriculum for Rural education

• Own strengths weaknesses of rural context in
  terms of linguistic abilities, proximity to
  nature traditional culture, level of exposure
  to media information, etc
• Curriculum must make full use of local
  resources-nature, people, culture economic
  activities

20
Development of the textbooks

• 12-15 members Resource Group was formed for the
  development of each textbook
• Regular capacity building of the Resource Groups
  at SCERT level.
• Regular Resource support and orientation provided
  to Resource Groups in collaboration with Vidya
  Bhavan, Eklavya and ICICI Bank.

21
Status of Text Books Development

• Consequent upon the formulation of NPE in 1986,
  Bihar syllabus for Elementary Education was
  revised in 1988 and Textbooks were
  developed/revised/adapted accordingly.
• Based upon the concept of MLL, competencies were
  developed by NCERT. MLL based Textbooks for
  Classes I - V were developed by BEPC under
  District Primary Education Programme (DPEP).
• Based on BCF 2008, syllabus for grade I to XII
  developed (2008), approved by Govt. of Bihar
  (Feb.,2009).

22
Status of Text Books Development

• Revised syllabus has been printed and provided to
  all BRCs/CRCs.
• SCERT in the state has taken the initiative to
  develop the textbooks on the basis of approved
  syllabus.
• The development of textbooks for elementary
  classes (I to VIII) is in progress and will be
  completed in three phases -
• 1st Phase Class I, III VI (Aug.,2009)
• 2nd Phase Class II, IV VII (Dec.,2009)
• 3rd Phase Class V VIII (April,2010)

23
Salient features of Text Books

• Child centred, activity based
• Free from biases, e.g. gender, caste, class and
  creed
• Contextual
• Local to Global
• Concrete to Abstract
• Continuous and comprehensive evaluation
• Exercises containing thought-provoking and
  open-ended questions.

24
Thanks