| (Download) NCERT Revised syllabus Of History (Class 9 to 10 ) Posted: 16 Oct 2015 04:38 AM PDT  (Download) NCERT Revised syllabus Of History (Class 9 to 10 ) Overall Theme for Class IX & X: India and the Contemporary World Rationale In the history component of the Social Science Syllabus of the earlier classes (VI-VIII) students were introduced to the history of India from ancient to modern times. In Classes IX and X the attempt will be to study some of the diverse forces and developments that have shaped the history of the contemporary world. Developments in India will be located within this larger history. In both these classes the syllabus will consist of three separate units, each focusing on a different set of themes, all of them important to our understanding of the contemporary world. Each year one set of themes will deal with political events, processes and ideologies, one with livelihood patterns, and one with questions of culture, rights and identity. Objectives -
In discussing the political events and processes, the effort will be to see how developments in the west as well as in the colonies are significant in the making of the modern world. The ideas of liberty, democracy and freedom come up not only in the west but also in the colonies. Anti democratic ideas — fascist, racist or communal — similarly develop in different forms in different countries. -
In the unit on 'Livelihoods and Economies' the effort will be to understand how different social groups confront as well as shape the economic changes in the modern world. Each theme within the unit will be studied through a focus on one region, and in many cases through two appropriate case studies, one Indian and one from another country. The effort will be to give students some idea of the variety within seemingly similar processes and phenomenon. The general discussion of the issue will revolve around and will be drawn out from the case studies. -
In focusing on issues of culture and identity, the attempt will be to make students aware of the fact that everything — clothing or food, sports or leisure, print or books — has a history. These histories reflect cultural and political changes and are often linked to issues of identity and power. -
In discussing each theme the textual narrative will be supplemented by extensive use of pictures, photographs, cartoons, extracts from a variety of original sources — eye witness accounts, travel literature, newspapers journals, statements of leaders, official reports, terms of treaties, declarations by parties, and in some cases contemporary stories, autobiographies, diaries, popular literature, oral traditions. The effort will be again to make students read the sources, think of what they say, and why a thing is represented in a particular way. In many cases questions will be appended to pictures and extracts to allow a critical engagement with these. -
Each theme will be located in time and space through maps and timelines. Even in using maps the effort will be not simply to pass on a set of information but to persuade students to make inter connections, to read maps critically. CLASS IX: INDIA AND THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD – I Themes | Objectives read more  | | (Download) NCERT Revised syllabus Of History (Class 11 to 12 ) Posted: 16 Oct 2015 04:20 AM PDT (Download) NCERT Revised syllabus Of History (Class 11 to 12 ) Rationale These classes will introduce students to the idea that historical knowledge develops through debates and that sources need to be carefully read and interpreted. As the learners have been introduced to chronologically ordered histories of India in Classes VI to VIII, these histories will not be repeated within the same format in Classes XI and XII. Instead, the focus would be on certain select themes, which will be examined in some depth. Through a focus on a series of critical historical issues and debates (Class XI) or on a range of important historical sources (Class XII), the students would be introduced to a set of important historical events and processes. A discussion of these themes, it is hoped, would allow students not only to know about these events and processes, but also to discover the excitement of doing history. Objectives -
The effort in these senior secondary classes would be to emphasise to students that history is a critical discipline, a process of enquiry, a way of knowing about the past, rather than just a collection of facts. The syllabus would help them understand the process through which historians write history, by choosing and assembling different types of evidence, and by reading their sources critically. They will appreciate how historians follow the trails that lead to the past, and how historical knowledge develops. -
The syllabus would also enable students to relate/compare developments in different situations, analyse connection between similar processes located in different time periods, and discover the relationship between different methods of social enquiry within different social sciences. -
The syllabus in Class XI is organised around some major themes in world history. The themes ave been selected so as to (i) focus on some important developments in different spheres — political, social, cultural and economic, (ii) study not only the grand narratives of development — urbanisation, industrialisation and modernisation — but also to know about the processes of displacements and marginalisation. Through the study of these themes students will acquire a sense of the wider historical processes as well as an idea of the specific debates around them. -
The treatment of each theme in Class XI would include (a) a broad picture of the theme under discussion, (b) a more detailed focus on one region of study, (c) an introduction to a critical debate associated with the issue. -
In Class XII the focus will shift to a detailed study of some themes in Ancient, Medieval and Modern Indian history. The objective would be to study a set of these themes in some detail and depth rather than survey the entire chronological span of Indian history. In this sense the course will build on the knowledge that the students have acquired in the earlier classes. -
Each theme in Class XII will also introduce the student to one type of source for the study of history. Through such a study students would begin to see what different types of sources can reveal and what they cannot tell. They would come to know how historians analyse these sources, the problems and difficulties of interpreting each type of source, and the way a larger picture of an event, a historical process, or a historical figure, is built by looking at different types of sources. read more  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | (Download) NCERT Revised syllabus Of Psychology (Class 11 to 12 ) Posted: 16 Oct 2015 04:04 AM PDT (Download) NCERT Revised syllabus Of Psychology (Class 11 to 12 ) Rationale Psychology is introduced as an elective subject at the higher secondary stage of school education. As a discipline, psychology specialises in the study of experiences, behaviours and mental processes of human beings within a socio-cultural and socio-historical context. This course purports to introduce the learners to the basic ideas, principles and methods in psychology so as to enable them to understand themselves and their social world better. The emphasis is put on creating interest and exposure needed by learners to develop their own knowledge base and understanding. The course deals with psychological knowledge and practices which are contextually rooted. It emphasises the complexity of behavioural processes and discourages simplistic cause-effect thinking. This is pursued by encouraging critical reasoning, allowing students to appreciate the role of cultural factors in behaviour, and illustrating how biology and experience shape behaviour. The course while developing an appreciation of subjectivity, also focuses on multiplicity of worldviews. It is suggested that the teaching-learning processes should involve students in evolving their own understanding. Therefore, teaching of psychology should be based on the use of case studies, narratives, experiential exercises, analysis of common everyday experiences, etc. Objectives -
To develop appreciation about human behaviour and human mind in the context of learners' immediate society and environment. -
To develop in learners an appreciation of multidisciplinary nature of psychological knowledge and its applications in various aspects of life. -
To enable learners to become perceptive, socially aware and self-reflective. -
To facilitate students' quest for personal growth and effectiveness, and to enable them to become responsive and responsible citizens. CLASS XI Semester I: Foundations of Psychology - I (Total 90 Periods) Unit I: What is Psychology? (12 Periods) The unit seeks to develop understanding and appreciation of psychology as a discipline, its evolution, its applications and its relationships with other sciences through appropriate and interesting examples and analysis of everyday experience . What is psychology?; Popular notions about discipline of psychology; Understanding mind and behaviour; Evolution of psychology; Branches of psychology: Themes of research and applications; Psychology and other disciplines ; Psychologists at work ; Psychology in everyday life; Development of Psychology in India. Unit II: Methods of Enquiry in Psychology (18 Periods) The objective of this unit is to discuss methods of enquiry for collecting psychological data. Goals of psychological enquiry; Nature of psychological data; Some important methods:
Observational, Experimental, Correlational, Survey, Psychological testing, Case Study; Analysis of data; Limitations of psychological enquiry; Ethical issues. Unit III: The Bases of Human Behaviour (18 Periods) The unit will focus on the role of biological and socio-cultural factors in the shaping of human behaviour. Evolutionary perspective; Biological basis : Biological and cultural roots; Biology of behaviour: Structure and functions of nervous system and endocrine system; Relationship of nervous system and endocrine system with behaviour and experience; Brain and behaviour; Heredity: Genes and behaviour; Cultural basis : Socio-cultural shaping of behaviour (e.g. family, community, faith, gender, caste, disability etc.); Socialisation , enculturation and acculturation. Unit IV: Human Development (20 Periods) This unit deals with variations in development and the developmental tasks during the life span. Meaning of development; Factors influencing development; Context of development; Overview of developmental stages: Infancy, Childhood, Challenges of Adolescence, Adulthood and Old age. Unit V: Sensory, Attentional and Perceptual Processes (22 Periods) This unit aims at understanding how various sensory stimuli are received, attended to and given meaning. Knowing the world ; Nature and varieties of stimulus; Sense modalities; Adaptation; Attentional processes; Selective and sustained attention ; Perceptual processes; The Perceiver; Principles of perceptual organisation; After images; Perception of space, depth and distance; Perceptual constancies; Illusions; Socio-cultural influences on perception. Semester II: Foundations of Psychology-II (Total 90 Periods) Unit VI: Learning read more  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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| (Download) NCERT Revised syllabus Of Social Science (Class 11 to 12 ) Posted: 15 Oct 2015 03:21 AM PDT (Download) NCERT Revised syllabus Of Social Science (Class 11 to 12 ) Introduction The revised syllabus for the Social Sciences in Classes VI-XII attempts to advance an on-going process of assisting children and young people to understand that a healthy engagement with the world must come as much from the way society takes shape and functions as from a proper sense of its material and physical foundations. From this, it is expected, a vision will evolve that the Social Sciences provide both essential skills of comprehension that are fundamental to any activity, and a means of self-understanding and fulfilment that can be diverting, exciting and challenging. The syllabus assumes that the knowledge apparatus of the child and the young person is itself complex — both given the wide range of materials that the visual and print media have drawn into country and urban life and the nature of the problems of everyday life. To negotiate the diversity and confusion and excitement the world throws up itself requires activity and insight that the Social Sciences can substantially provide. To have a firm and flexible perspective on India's past and the world from which, and in which, the country develops, sensitivity to crucial social problems is essential. The syllabus attempts to encourage such sensitivity and provide it with the ground on which it may deepen — stressing that attention should be paid to the means through which sensitivity and curiosity are aroused as much as the specific information that stimulates it. The Social Sciences have been a part of the school curriculum before Class VI as part of the teaching of Environmental Studies. The revised EVS syllabus has attempted to draw the child's attention in Classes III-V to the broad span of time, space and the life in society, integrating this with the way in which she or he has come to see and understand the world around them. In Classes VI-X, this process continues, but with a greater attention to specific themes and with an eye to the disciplines through which Social Science perspectives have evolved. Up to a point, the subjects that are the focus of college-level teaching — History, Geography, Political Science, and Economics — are meant to take shape in the child's imagination during these years but only in a manner where their boundaries are open to dispute, and their disciplinary quality is understated. With such intentions, syllabus-makers have been more concerned with theme and involvement rather than information. Textbook writers will be concerned to ensure that understanding does not suffer through suffocation by obsession with detail. Equally, the themes and details that are brought before the child for attention and discussion are also meant to clarify doubts and disputes that take shape in contemporary society — through an involvement of the classroom in discussions and debates via the medium of the syllabus. With such a focus in mind, syllabus-makers for the Upper Primary and Secondary stages have sought to ensure that their course content overlaps at various levels, to strengthen understanding, and provide a foundation in detail from which natural curiosity and the capacity for investigation may evolve and develop. It is also anticipated that, in keeping with the spirit of the National Curriculum Framework the syllabus itself will promote project work that encourages the child to take stock of the overlap, to see a problem as existing at different and interconnected levels. Guides to this as well as specific instances will be provided in textbooks. read more  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | NCERT Doctoral Fellowship - 2015 Posted: 15 Oct 2015 02:54 AM PDT (Notification) NCERT Doctoral Fellowship - 2015 Applications are invited for the award of a maximum of 10 NCERT Doctoral Fellowships in the field of education and other disciplines directly related to education. The fellowships are intended for young aspirants to pursue doctoral work in a recognized university/research institution of their choice. Young scholars from different disciplinary perspectives will be encouraged to research in the field of education. It is to be noted that 4 out of 10 fellowships are reserved for 4 Regional Institutes of Education (RIEs), one each for Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar and Mysore . Fellowship will be given for research pertaining to the following priority areas: Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA): This scheme was launched in March, 2009 with the objective to enhance access to secondary education and to improve its quality. The implementation of the scheme started from 2009-10. The academic aspect of RMSA needs to be researched, which may among other things, include -issues of implementation; current problems of secondary education vis a vis RMSA activities; barriers in achieving RMSA; universal access of secondary education; equality and social justice; curricular aspects; challenges for teachers and administrators; opportunities for students and communities; improvement in education of students of weaker section of society; role in removing gender disparity; effect of RMSA on enrolments for the children from under privileged society and the children Below Poverty Line (BPL) families; indigenous knowledge and curriculum development; Language, Science and Mathematics Education at secondary level; Social science education and its contextualization; RMSA and environment management/sustainable development in schools; issues of arts and aesthetics in secondary school; monitoring and supervision mechanism; library and laboratories in schools; organic linkages between secondary and higher education; vocationalization and secondary education; issues of adolescence and guidance and counseling at secondary level of education; sports and physical education and RMSA; role of ICT in schools and RMSA; etc. read more  | | (Download) NCERT Revised syllabus Of Chemistry (Class 11 to 12 ) Posted: 15 Oct 2015 02:54 AM PDT (Download) NCERT Revised syllabus Of Chemistry (Class 11 to 12 ) Rationale Higher Secondary Stage is the most crucial stage of school education because at this stage specialised discipline based, content oriented courses are introduced. Students reach this stage after 10 years of general education and opt for Chemistry with a purpose of mostly for pursuing their career in basic sciences or professional courses like medicines, engineering, technology and studying courses in applied areas of science and technology at tertiary level. Therefore, at this stage, there is a need to provide learners with sufficient conceptual background of Chemistry, which will make them competent to meet the challenges of academic and professional courses after the higher secondary stage. National Curriculum Framework for School Education – 2005 recommends a disciplinary approach with appropriate rigour and depth with the care that syllabus is not heavy and at the same time it is comparable to the international level. It emphasizes a coherent focus on important ideas within the discipline that are properly sequenced to optimize learning. It recommends that theoretical component of Higher Secondary Science should emphasize on problem solving methods and the awareness of historical development of key concepts of science be judiciously integrated into content. The present exercise of syllabus development in Chemistry at Higher Secondary Stage is based on this framework. Salient features of the present syllabus are thus: -
Some background of Chemistry from secondary stage is assumed; however, no specific knowledge of topics in Chemistry is pre-supposed. -
The course is self-contained and broadly covers fundamental concepts of Chemistry. -
Attempt has been made to see discipline of Chemistry does not remain only the science of facts but becomes related to modern applications in the world around us. -
The syllabus provides logical sequencing of the 'Units' of the subject matter with proper placement of concepts with their linkages for better understanding. -
Emphasis has been on promoting process – skills, problem solving abilities and applications of concepts of Chemistry useful in real life situation for making learning of Chemistry more relevant, meaningful and interesting. -
An effort has been made on the basis of feedback, to remove repetition besides reducing the content by suitably integrating the different content areas. -
Practical syllabus has two components. There are core experiments to be undertaken by the students in the classroom and will be part of examination while each student will carry out one investigatory project and submit the report for the examination. With this background, the Chemistry curriculum at the higher secondary stage attempts to -
promote understanding of basic principles in Chemistry while retaining the excitement in Chemistry; -
develop an interest in students to study Chemistry as discipline; -
strengthen the concepts developed at the secondary stage and to provide firm foundation for further learning of Chemistry at tertiary level more effectively; -
develop positive scientific attitude, and appreciate contribution of Chemistry towards the improvement of quality of human life; -
develop problem solving skills and nurture curiosity, aesthetic sense and creativity; -
inculcate values of honesty, integrity, cooperation, concern for life and preservation of the environment; -
make the learner realise the interface of Chemistry with other disciplines of science such as Physics, Biology, Geology, etc; -
equip students to face challenges related to health, nutrition, environment, population, whether industries and agriculture. CHEMISTRY CLASS XI Theory Total Periods 180 Unit I: Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry (Periods 14) General Introduction: Importance and scope of chemistry. Historical approach to particulate nature of matter, laws of chemical combination, Dalton's atomic
theory: concept of elements, atoms and molecules. Atomic and molecular masses. Mole concept and molar mass; percentage composition and empirical and molecular formula; chemical reactions, stoichiometry and calculations based on stoichiometry. Unit II: Structure of Atom (Periods 16) Discovery of electron, proton and neutron; atomic number, isotopes and isobars. Thompson's model and its limitations, Rutherford's model and its limitations, Bohr's model and its limitations, concept of shells and subshells, dual nature of matter and light, de Broglie's relationship, Heisenberg uncertainty principle, concept of orbitals, quantum numbers, shapes of s, p, and d orbitals, rules for filling electrons in orbitals – Aufbau principle, Pauli exclusion principle and Hund's rule, electronic configuration of atoms, stability of half filled and completely filled orbitals. Unit III: Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties (Periods 8) Significance of classification, brief history of the development of periodic table, modern periodic law and the present form of periodic table, periodic trends in properties of elements – atomic radii, ionic radii, inert gas radii, ionization enthalpy, electron gain enthalpy, electronegativity, valence. Unit IV: Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure (Periods 16) Valence electrons, ionic bond, covalent bond, bond parameters, Lewis structure, polar character of covalent bond, covalent character of ionic bond, valence bond theory, resonance, geometry of covalent molecules, VSEPR theory, concept of hybridization involving s, p and d orbitals and shapes of some simple molecules, molecular orbital theory of homonuclear diatomic molecules (qualitative idea only), hydrogen bond. Unit V: States of Matter: Gases and Liquids (Periods 14) Three states of matter, intermolecular interactions, type of bonding, melting and boiling points, role of gas laws in elucidating the concept of the molecule, Boyle's law, Charles' law, Gay Lussac's law, Avogadro's law, ideal behaviour, empirical derivation of gas equation, Avogadro's number, ideal gas equation, deviation from ideal behaviour, liquefaction of gases, critical temperature. Liquid State – Vapour pressure, viscosity and surface tension (qualitative idea only, no mathematical derivations). Unit VI: Thermodynamics (Periods 16) read more  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | (Download) NCERT Revised syllabus Of Science (Class 9 to 10 ) Posted: 15 Oct 2015 02:49 AM PDT (Download) NCERT Revised syllabus Of Science (Class 9 to 10 ) Rationale The exercise of revising the syllabus for science and technology has been carried out with "Learning without burden" as a guiding light and the position papers of the National Focus Groups as points of reference. The aim is to make the syllabus an enabling document for the creation of textbooks that are interesting and challenging without being loaded with factual information. Overall, science has to be presented as a live and growing body of knowledge rather than a finished product. Very often, syllabi – especially those in science – tend to be at once overspecified and underspecified. They are overspecified in that they attempt to enumerate items of content knowledge which could easily have been left open, e.g., in listing the families of flowering plants that are to be studied. They are underspecified because the listing of 'topics' by keywords such as 'Reflection' fails to define the intended breadth and depth of coverage. Thus there is a need to change the way in which a syllabus is presented. The position paper on the teaching of science – supported by a large body of research on science education – recommends a pedagogy that is hands-on and inquiry-based. While this is widely accepted at the idea level, practice in India has tended to be dominated by chalk and talk methods. To make in any progress in the desired direction, some changes have to be made at the level of the syllabus. In a hands-on way of learning science, we start with things that are directly related to the child's experience, and are therefore specific. From this we progress to the general. This means that 'topics' have to be reordered to reflect this. An example is the notion of electric current. If we think in an abstract way, current consists of charges in motion, so we may feel it should be treated at a late stage, only when the child is comfortable with 'charge'. But once we adopt a hands-on approach, we see that children can easily make simple electrical circuits, and study several aspects of 'current', while postponing making the connection with 'charge'. Some indication of the activities that could go into the development of a 'topic' would make the syllabus a useful document. Importantly, there has to be adequate time for carrying out activities, followed by discussion. The learner also needs time to reflect on the classroom experience. This is possible only if the content load is reduced substantially, say by 20-25%. Children are naturally curious. Given the freedom, they often interact and experiment with things around them for extended periods. These are valuable learning experiences, which are essential for imbibing the spirit of scientific inquiry, but may not always conform to adult expectations. It is important that any programme of study give children the needed space, and not tie them down with constraints of a long list of 'topics' waiting to be 'covered'. Denying them this opportunity may amount to killing their spirit of inquiry. To repeat an oft-quoted saying: "It is better to uncover a little than to cover a lot." Our ultimate aim is to help children learn to become autonomous learners. Themes and Format There is general agreement that science content up to Class X should not be framed along disciplinary lines, but rather organised around themes that are potentially cross-disciplinary in nature. In the present revision exercise, it was decided that the same set of themes would be used, right from Class VI to Class X. The themes finally chosen are: Food; Materials; The world of the living; How things work; Moving things; People and ideas; Natural phenomena and Natural resources. While these run all through, in the higher classes there is a consolidation of content which leads to some themes being absent, e.g. Food from Class X. The themes are largely self-explanatory and close to those adopted in the 2000 syllabus for Classes VI-VIII; nevertheless, some comments may be useful. In the primary classes, the 'science' content appears as part of EVS, and the themes are largely based on the children's immediate surroundings and needs: Food, Water, Shelter etc. In order to maintain some continuity between Classes V and VI, these should naturally continue into the seven themes listed above. For example, the Water theme evolves into Natural resources (in which water continues to be a sub theme) as the child's horizon gradually expands. Similarly, Shelter evolves into Habitat, which is subsumed in The world of the living. Such considerations also suggest how the content under specific themes could be structured. Thus clothing, a basic human need, forms the starting point for the study of Materials. It will be noted that this yields a structure which is different from that based on disciplinary considerations, in which materials are viewed purely from the perspective of chemistry, rather than from the viewpoint of the child. Our attempt to put ourselves in the place of the child leads to 'motion', 'transport' and 'communication' being treated together as parts of a single theme: Moving things, people and ideas. More generally, the choice of themes – and sub themes – reflects the thrust towards weakening disciplinary boundaries that is one of the central concerns of NCF-2005. read more  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | (Download) NCERT Revised syllabus Of Science (Class 6 to 8 ) Posted: 15 Oct 2015 02:41 AM PDT (Download) NCERT Revised syllabus Of Science (Class 6 to 8 ) Introduction The exercise of revising the syllabus for Science – or Science and Technology – has been carried out with "Learning without burden" as a guiding light and the position papers of the National Focus Groups as points of reference. The aim is to make the syllabus an enabling document for the creation of textbooks that are interesting and challenging without being loaded with factual information. Overall, science has to be presented as a live and growing body of knowledge rather than a finished product. Very often, syllabi – especially those in Science – tend to be at once overspecified and underspecified. They are overspecified in that they attempt to enumerate items of content knowledge which could easily have been left open, e.g., in listing the families of flowering plants that are to be studied. They are underspecified because the listing of 'topics' by keywords such as 'Reflection' fails to define the intended breadth and depth of coverage. Thus there is a need to change the way in which a syllabus is presented. The position paper on the Teaching of Science – supported by a large body of research on Science Education – recommends a pedagogy that is hands-on and inquiry-based. While this is widely accepted at the idea level, practice in India has tended to be dominated by chalk and talk methods. To make in any progress in the desired direction, some changes have to be made at the level of the syllabus. In a hands-on way of learning science, we start with things that are directly related to the child's experience, and are therefore specific. From this we progress to the general. This means that 'topics' have to be reordered to reflect this. An example is the notion of electric current. If we think in an abstract way, current consists of charges in motion, so we may feel it should treated at a late stage, only when the child is comfortable with 'charge'. But once we adopt a hands-on approach, we see that children can easily make simple electrical circuits, and study several aspects of 'current', while postponing making the connection with 'charge'. Some indication of the activities that could go into the development of a 'topic' would make the syllabus a useful document. Importantly, there has to be adequate time for carrying out activities, followed by discussion. The learner also needs time to reflect on the classroom experience. This is possible only if the content load is reduced substantially, say by 20-25%. Children are naturally curious. Given the freedom, they often interact and experiment with things around them for extended periods. These are valuable learning experiences, which are essential for imbibing the spirit of scientific inquiry, but may not always conform to adult expectations. It is important that any programe of study give children the needed space, and not tie them down with constraints of a long list of 'topics' waiting to be 'covered'. Denying them this opportunity may amount to killing their spirit of inquiry. To repeat an oft-quoted saying: "It is better to uncover a little than to cover a lot." Our ultimate aim is to help children learn to become autonomous learners. Themes and Format There is general agreement that Science content up to Class X should not be framed along disciplinary lines, but rather organised around themes that are potentially cross-disciplinary in nature. In the present revision exercise, it was decided that the same set of themes would be used, right from Class VI to Class X. The themes finally chosen are: Food, Materials, The World of the Living, How Things Work, Moving Things, People and Ideas, Natural Phenomena and Natural Resources. While these run all through, in the higher classes there is a consolidation of content which leads to some themes being absent, e.g., Food from Class X. The themes are largely self-explanatory and close to those adopted in the 2000 syllabus for Classes VI-VIII; nevertheless, some comments may be useful. In the primary classes, the 'science' content appears as part of EVS, and the themes are largely based on the children's immediate surroundings and needs: Food, Water, Shelter etc. In order to maintain some continuity between Classes V and VI, these should naturally continue into the seven themes listed above. For example, the Water theme evolves into Natural Resources (in which water continues to be a sub theme) as the child's horizon gradually expands. Similarly, Shelter evolves into Habitat, which is subsumed in The World of the Living. Such considerations also suggest how the content under specific themes could be structured. Thus clothing, a basic human need, forms the starting point for the study of Materials. It will be noted that this yields a structure which is different from that based on disciplinary considerations, in which materials are viewed purely from the perspective of chemistry, rather than from the viewpoint of the child. Our attempt to put ourselves in the place of the child leads to 'motion', 'transport' and 'communication' being treated together as parts of a single theme: Moving things, people and ideas. More generally, the choice of themes – and sub themes – reflects the thrust towards weakening disciplinary boundaries that is one of the central concerns of NCF 2005. The format of the syllabus has been evolved to address the underspecification mentioned above. Instead of merely listing 'topics', the syllabus is presented in four columns: Questions, Key concepts, Resources and Activities/Processes. read more  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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