Issues of curriculum, pedagogy &TEACHER SUPPORT

1. Issues of curriculum, pedagogy &TEACHER SUPPORT The Context of Special Training - By Bodh

2. BODH’S ENGAGEMENT WITH SPECIAL TRAINING PROGRAM IN RAJASTHAN • Preparation of the special training material(condensed course) for SSA Rajasthan. • Preparation of the training module for the KRP’S. • Training of the KRP’S on special training material. • The non-residential bridge course project in four districts with 32 centers with SSA for field testing and refining the special training material, classroom practices and strategies.

3. LEARNER’S SCENARIO: THE CONTEXT OF OUT OF SCHOOL CHILDREN • Around 42% of the children is constituted of dropouts. • Adverse family and social conditions. • A significant number might be of working children. • Majority of children might be first generation learner’s. • Lack of basic skills of literacy and numeracy. • Limited exposure in terms school language used as medium of instruction(Prevalence of the local or regional language).

4. CONT. • Gradual emergence of a multi-level scenario takes place due to high differentials in individual pace of learning. • Greater challenges in terms socio-emotional adjustment. • Girl child also constitute a special category in terms of continuing their education. • Special needs in terms of adjusting in a school scenario.

5. EDUCATOR’S SCENARIO • Historically all the programs from NFE to other para-teacher programs had teachers, with lesser qualifications, experience, training and remuneration. • Greater complexity of the task compared to teaching in regular schools . • Traditionally quality aspect has been de-emphasized. • More skilled teachers required also in terms of community mobilization as well.

6. CONT. • Exclusively dedicated academic support system for the educator’s. • Still such programs are peripheral for the school and the consequent lack of ownership by school and department. • Insufficient/minimal trainings of the educators. • Need for development of the readiness of the schools to integrate these children with in the regular classrooms.

7. NECESSARY PREREQUISITES FOR QUALITY ENHANCEMENT & EFFECTIVE TEACHER SUPPORT • Provisioning of sufficient funds for training and support. • Evolving dedicated structures for academic support. • Research based academic support and quality enhancement . • Evolving contextual implementation plans of the policy keeping the nuances of the concrete situations of the educators and learners in mind. • Ensuring greater participation of the community and greater ownership by the schools and department.

8. CONT. • Fixing of accountability in performance/outcome based mode. • Evolving CTS as a live and continuous community/ habitation based tracking system which ensures effective planning and monitoring. (in the form of a habitation based child register). • Ensuring appropriate preparatory training(not less than 1 month). • Continuous on-sight academic support and periodic review and planning. • Evolving mechanisms for community based monitoring and support.

9. notions of special training & bridge course • Till now in the bridging process the emphasis has been on mainstreaming but with in the special training framework it seen as an integral part of the school it self. • Direct enrolment in the class which age appropriate. • Access to the school environment. • Lack monitoring and participation of parents/community members and teachers.

10. CONT. • Timings of the classes and time table. • The admission and promotion process followed the regular pattern based on academic session which has become flexible on the basis of learning levels. • No support mechanism after the mainstreaming . • The role head-master and SMC.

11. ASSUMPTIONS FOR CURRICULUM • It has to be seen in the spirit of the ‘Special Training’ provision of RTE. • Broad framework was derived from NCF-2005 & NCERT syllabi. • Older children can achieve comparable competencies and skills in a lesser duration. • Fundamental skills of literacy and numeracy needs emphasis in the beginning. • Integration and contextualization of subjects and their content is essential to the condensing process. • Task and activity oriented where the complexity and range mainly depends upon the age of the learner. • Condensing doest imply dilution. • Only text-books are not sufficient for the process and objectives of accelerated learning.

12. assumptions for pedagogy • The age appropriate specific socio-emotional needs of the children are very crucial. • Can become independent learners. • Higher level of meta-cognitive skills. • Greater ability to organize one-self and participate in the group activities. • Awareness of many content areas due to greater exposure and involvement in the society. • Higher ability to articulate one thoughts and learning's. • Integration of concepts within subject and between different subject areas. • Contextualization and addressing the previous knowledge is important.

13. BASIC PRINCIPLESFOR CONTENT and instructional DESIGN • Children of higher age need to know the reason for learning something (Need to Know) • Experience (including error) provides the basis for learning activities (Foundation). • Children of higher age need to be responsible for their decisions on education; involvement in the planning and evaluation of their instruction (Self-concept). • Children of higher age are most interested in learning subjects having immediate relevance to their work and/or personal lives (Readiness). • Children of higher age learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented (Orientation). • Children of higher age respond better to internal versus external motivators (Motivation).

14. principles for condensation • Some stages of learning processes can be excluded or it can be spread over many contents together. • Previous knowledge to be emphasized more rather then providing concrete experience in the classroom every time. • Exercises should emphasize higher cognitive skills. • Exercises should be designed in a manner that it serves dual purpose of assessment and learning simultaneously . • Contents/Activities can be arranged in a manner that more then single concept or skill is addressed simultaneously. (This principle is the basis for addressing the issue of condensation along with multi-grade classroom situation).

15. cont. • Maximizing the scope of contextualization. • Integration of concepts within and across the subjects. • Assessment as a part of teaching learning process. (CCA Design)

16. teacher training and support • Multi-grade and Multi-level teaching processes. • Understanding of the socio-emotional needs of the children. • Understanding of the higher order skills. • Understanding of the issues Androgogy and accelerated learning. • Continuous and comprehensive assessment processes. • Ability to use different types of materials and processes. • Contextualization.

17. Cont. • Continuous on sight support. • Strengthening the role of other teachers, evolving a school based support mechanism. • More broader community based monitoring systems. • Provisioning of addressing the needs of teacher at the block level onwards. • Use of technology. • Continuous exposure to effective and innovative practices.

19. Example mathematics • Relation of number of sides and with the shape and area. (Concepts) • Gives scope for creating different shapes it involves work and crafts. • Same activity can be adapted for different levels with inclusion or exclusion of angles. • Visualization of geometrical shapes. • Can be the starting point for being introduced to three dimensional geometrical shapes. • Scope for creativity and innovation. • Mathematical comparison between different shapes. • Mathematical communication

21. EXAMPLE MATHEMATICS • Currency is already their in the previous knowledge of the children. • Currency gives more abstract entity as a measurement unit. • The basic arithmetic operations can be addressed through the currency. • Place value system can also be addressed. • Skills of problem solving, estimation, approximation and optimization. • Easy availability of the material. • Provides basis for relating with other contents in EVS.

23. EXAMPLE ENGLISH • Finding a middle path between functional and syntactical approaches. • Conversations which can be situated in the real life situations. • Use of conversational language alog with reference to structures. (Also can be seen in the exercises). • The concepts of ‘that’ & ‘those’. • The use of present continuous verb forms. • Special emphasis on the development of functional vocabulary. (Words for different relationships)

25. EXAMPLE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES • CONTEXTUAL CONTENT • CRITICAL THINKING AROUND ISSUES OF ENVIRONMENT AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY. • ISSUES OF GENDER. • SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES LIKE ADOPTING A TREE OR TALKING TO THE ELDERLY CONCERNING THE DEFORESTATION ETC. • UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMS LOCAL VALUES CONCERNING ENVIRONMENT. • GIVING NOTION OF SANTURIES AND WILD LIFE RESERVES CAN BE RELATED WITH THE PROCESS OF DEFORESTAION, URBANIZATION ETC.

26. THANK YOU