SEMINAR
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TOPIC: Aims and objectives of teaching physical science education with respect to NCF 2005
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Submitted to, Submitted by,
Simi miss Reshma.R.S
1st Sem. B. Ed
Physical science
INTRODUCTION
Education under the Indian constitution until 1976 allowed the state government to take decisions on all the matters pertaining to school education including curriculum. For the first time in 1986, the country as a whole had a uniform National policy on education recommended on a common core component in the school curriculum throughout the country. The policy also entrusted NCERT with the responsibility of developing the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and reviewing the framework at frequent intervals.
NCF 2005
The NCF 2005 document draws its policy from earlier government reports on education as “Learning without Burden” and national policy as education 1986-1992 and it focus group discussion. NCF aimed at making school education comparable across the country in qualitative and also making it a means of ensuring national integration.
Main features of NCF 2005
The document is divided in to 5 areas;
- Perspective
- Learning and Knowledge
- Curriculum areas- school stages and assessment
- School and Classroom environment
- Systemic reforms
Guiding principles of NCF 2005
- Connecting knowledge life to outside school.
- Learning away from rote
- Enriching curriculum
- Overall development of children
- No text book centric
- Reduces examination stress
- Curriculum from the context of universalization of flementary education
- Taking care of interests of social diversity
Aims of science education
The general aims of science education follow directly from six criteria of validity
- Cognitive Validity
It requires the content, process, language and pedagogical practices of the curriculum are age appropriate and within the cognitive reach of the child.
- Content Validity
It requires that the curriculum must convey significant and correct scientific information, simplification of content, which is necessary for adapting the curriculum to cognitive level to learner.
- Process Validity
It 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.
- Historical Validity
It requires that the science curriculum be informed by a historical perspective, enabling the learner to appreciate how the concepts of science evolve over time.
- Environmental Validity
It requires that science be placed in the wider context of learner’s environment, local and global, enabling one to appreciate the issues at the interface of science, technology and society and equipping one with the requisite knowledge and skills to enter the world of work.
- Ethical Validity
It requires that the curriculum promote the values of honesty, objectivity, cooperation and freedom from fear and prejudice and inoculate in the learner and preservation of the environment.
The content, objectives, pedagogy and assessment for different stages of curriculum are based on criteria mentioned above.
Curriculum at different stages
PRIMARY STAGE
- The curriculum designed as such that the primary stage, the child should be engaged joyfully exploring the world around and harmonizing with it.
- The objectives of this stage are to nurture the curiosity of the child about the world, to engage in exploring and hands on activities for acquiring the basic cognitive and psychomotor skills.
UPPER PRIMARY STAGE
- At the upper primary stage, the child should be engaged in learning the principles of science through familiar experiences.
- Scientific concepts are to arrive mainly from activities and experiments.
- Group activities, discussion with peers and teachers, surveys, organization of data and their display through exhibition etc in schools and neighborhood should be important.
SECONDARY STAGE
- At the secondary stage students should be engaged in learning science as a composite discipline in working with hands and tools to more advanced technological modules than the upper primary stage, systematic experimentation as a tool to verify theoretical principles.
HIGHER SECONDARY STAGE
- At this stage science should be introduced as separate discipline with emphasis on experiments, technology and problem solving approach.
Other features of science curriculum in NCF 2005
- Activity based teaching
- Emphasis of creative expression of students
- Avoid content dominated curriculum
- Encourage practical/ technological components of the curriculum
- Introduce some carefully designed experiments or technology based questions in the theoretical proof itself
- School library should be adequately equipped to meet the requirements to actively promote reading
- ICT in science education
CONCLUSION
The National Curriculum Framework is published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training in India. The document provides the framework for making syllabi, textbooks and teaching practices within the school education programmes in India.
NCF 2005 has been translated into 22 languages and has influenced the syllabi in 17 states. The NCERT gave a grant to each State to promote NCF in the language of the state and to compare its current syllabus with the syllabus proposed, so that a plan for reforms could be made. This exercise is being carried out with the involvement of State Councils for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET).
