online assignment

online assignment

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  ONLINE ASSIGNMENT TOPIC: CURRICULUM Submittedby, ASWATHY.T.NAIR B.Ed ENGLISH CHRIST NAGAR COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, THIRUVALLOM.
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  INTRODUCTION Education in itsgeneral sense is a form of learning in which the knowledge, skills, and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training, or research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of others, but may also be autodidactic. Any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational. Education is commonly divided into stages such as preschool, primary school, secondary school and then college, university or apprenticeship.In education, a curriculum is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student's experiences in terms of the educator's or schools instructional goals. Therefore there is a general demand to explain the social aims of a curriculum. A student who completes his/her school education is expected to be able to face any real life situation boldly and should be equipped to get employed at the time of completion of his course. This is the purpose of general education and not a mere internalization of academic subjects. A curriculum framework is an organized plan or set of standards or learning outcomes that defines the content to be learned in terms of clear, definable standards of what the student should know and be able to do. A Curriculum Framework is part of an outcome-based education or standards based education reform design. The framework is the first step, defining clear, high standards which will be achieved by all students. The curriculum is then aligned to the standards, and students are assessed against the standards. As compared with traditional education which is concerned only about delivering content, a standards based education reform system promises that all will succeed if all are held to high expectations. There are mainly five types of curriculum. They are: Traditional or Subject-centred Curriculum, Activity-centred Curriculum, Child-centred Curriculum, Experience-centred Curriculum, and Undifferentiated Curriculum.
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  CONTENT In education, acurriculum is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student's experiences in terms of the educator's or schools instructional goals. Curriculum may incorporate the planned interaction of pupils with instructional content, materials, resources, and processes for evaluating the attainment of educational objectives. Curriculum is split into several categories, the explicit, the implicit, the excluded and the extra-curricular. The word "curriculum" began as a Latin word which means "a race" or "the course of a race". The first known use in an educational context is in the Professio Regia, a work by University of Paris Professor Petrus Ramus published posthumously in 1576. The term subsequently appears in University of Leiden records in 1582. The word's origins appear closely linked to the Calvinist desire to bring greater order to education. By the seventeenth century, the University of Glasgow also referred to its "course" of study as a "curriculum", producing the first known use of the term in English in 1633. By the nineteenth century, European universities routinely referred to their curriculum to describe both the complete course of study and particular courses and their content. In the early years of the 20th century, the traditional concepts held of the "curriculum is that it is a body of subjects or subject matter prepared by the teachers for the students to learn." It was synonymous to the "course of study" and "syllabus". On the other hand, to a progressivist, a listing of school subjects, syllabi, course of study, and list of courses of specific discipline do not make a curriculum. These can only be called curriculum if the written materials are actualized by the learner. Broadly speaking, curriculum is defined as the total learning experiences of the individual. This definition is anchored on John Dewey's definition of experience and education. He believed that reflective thinking is a means that unifies curricular elements. Thought is not derived from action but tested by application. A curriculum may be partly or entirely determined by an external, authoritative body.
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  Crucial to thecurriculum is the definition of the course objectives that usually are expressed as learning outcomes and normally include the program's assessment strategy. These outcomes and assessments are grouped as units, and, therefore, the curriculum comprises a collection of such units, each, in turn, comprising a specialized, specific part of the curriculum. Core curricula are often instituted, at the primary and secondary levels, by school boards, Departments of Education, or other administrative agencies charged with overseeing education. A core curriculum is a curriculum, or course of study, which is deemed central and usually made mandatory for all students of a school or school system. Types of curriculum Corresponding to the differences in the nature of various educational systems there have been variations in the concept and nature of their curricula too. The modern concept of education is much different from that of the traditional one. In tune with this new types of curricula that would suit the requirements of the new educational system also have emerged. Some of the major types of curricula are: 1) Traditional or Subject-centred Curriculum: The traditional curriculum which was in vogue for a sufficiently long time is conceived of in terms of subjects of study. Such a curriculum is organized with the greatest emphasis on knowledge including facts, concepts, principles, processes and skills in the subject concerned. All stress was on the cognitive attainment of the learners rather than on their personal and social development. 2) Activity-centred Curriculum: Rousseau said, “Instead of making the child stick to his books I keep him busy in the workshop, where his hands will work to the profit of his mind”. In activity-centred curriculum, subject matter is translated in terms of activities and knowledge is gained as an outgrowth and product of those activities. Activity is used as the medium for imparting knowledge, attitudes as well as skills.
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  3) Child-centred Curriculum:This is the learner oriented. Subjects should be chosen and taught keeping in view of the social, emotional and intellectual needs of children as well as skills. 4) Experience-centred Curriculum: This lays stress on the experience which the individual is to get while participating in the process of learning. Under this pattern, experience of the individual is the starting point of learning and not the subject matter or the interest of the individual. 5) Undifferentiated Curriculum: This means a curriculum which does not aim at the specialized study of various subjects. Specialization should come at the Higher Secondary and College levels only. At the primary and secondary stages we should have undifferentiated or integrated curriculum. Development of all-round personality is possible only through integrated experiences and the only means of bringing about this integration is the unification of subjects. Principles of Curriculum Construction Educationists have laid down certain principles for developing curriculum. Some of the basic principles are: 1) The Principle of Child-Centredness: Curriculum should be child-centred. It should be based on the present needs, requirements and circumstances of the child. The child needs more experience than instruction. True education can be acquired only through activity and experience. Curriculum meant for any particular stage, therefore, should be framed in accordance with the child’s developmental characteristics and needs at that stage. 2) The Principle of Community: Centredness: Besides treating each child as an individual, we should also view him as a member of the community to which he belongs. In fact, the learner is going to be an active member of the community as a citizen. The child cannot be educated in a vacuum. He is to be educated in a school established by the society and by interacting with other members of the society. The goals formulated by the school which
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  depends upon thepurpose of the society determines the content of education, that is the curriculum. 3) The Principle of Activity: Centredness: Action is the sign of life. Man is an active being. Therefore, the curriculum should provide for a variety of activities both physical and mental in which children are naturally interested. The activity must be connected with the child’s desires and needs as well as societal requirements. Emphasis should be given to ‘learning by doing’ through the activities hand, head and heart. These may be play activities at the pre-primary stage, project activities at the primary stage and constructive and creative activities at the secondary stage. 4) The Principle of Integration: By integration we do not merely mean integration of subjects. What is required is the integration of the child’s needs on one hand and the needs of the democratic society on the other hand. In other words, integration warrants that activities carried on in a school and the experience thus gained should not be treated in watertight compartments. Instead, these should be so designed as to lead the child to establish a functional unity with the environment. Such a curriculum will safeguard the general and liberal aspects of education. 5) Forward looking Principle: The aim of education is to prepare the child for an effective adult life. Therefore, the curriculum should reflect an insight into the future life of the child. It should enable the child to prepare for a worthy life. It should prepare him for a vocation. It should equip him with the calibre to meet the challenges of life in future. 6) Conservative Principle: The curriculum should preserve and transmit the traditions and culture of human race. It should embrace such subjects, topics or activities by which students should cultivate a sense of respect for their traditions and culture. Selection of such material should, however, be made with great care, according to the mental development of children. 7) Renewal Principle: While conserving and transmitting the culture heritage, education should cater to renewal of the culture to suit the requirements of changing time. Hence curriculum should be so facilitate renewal of the society.
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  8) Creative Principle:God has created the universe and men have created other things in it. By nature man is creative. Therefore, education should be so moulded as to enable to develop one’s creativity. The curriculum should consist such subjects that would enable children to exercise their creative powers which in turn will enable them to modify their environment according to the needs of time. 9) Motivation Principle: The curriculum should be tailored to suit the needs and interests of the pupils. It must be goal directed. It should must motivate the pupils to actively participate in the learning process with an innate desire that is with intrinsic motivation. 10) Maturity Principle: The curriculum should be suited to the mental and physical maturity of the pupil. 11) The Principle of preparation for life: The school curriculum should include such elements that would prepare children for their future life. That is, they should be able to earn their livelihood sufficiently and adjust themselves with the society efficiently. 12) The Principle of Elasticity and Flexibility: Since the need of the individual and the society go on changing, a rigid and static curriculum cannot meet the requirements of the child or the society. Moreover, experience to be presented has to be modified to suit the environment, societal conditions, learning atmosphere, etc. 13) The Principle of Comprehensiveness: The curriculum must be comprehensive enough to conform to the needs of various individuals or communities. Comprehensiveness also has to be reflected in its potential to cater to the comprehensive or total development of an individual. 14) The Principle of Balance: Curriculum should maintain proper balance between direct and indirect experiences, liberal and professional education, individual and social aims, compulsory and optional subjects, etc. 15) The Principle of Utility: Curriculum should be of practical use to the pupil, and hence should maintain vocational and technical bias. Due emphasis should be given to work experience.
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  National Curriculum FrameWork 2005 The National Curriculum Framework (NCF 2005) is one of four National Curriculum Frameworks published in 1975, 1988, 2000 and 2005 by the National Council of Education Research and Training in India. The Framework provides the framework for making syllabi, textbooks and teaching practices within the school education programmes in India. The NCF 2005 document draws its policy basis from earlier government reports on education as Learning without Burden and National Policy of Education 1986-1992 and focus group discussion. After wide ranging deliberations 21 National Focus Group Position Papers have been developed under the agies of NCF-2005. The state of art position papers provided inputs for formulation of NCF-2005. The document and its offshoot textbooks have come under different forms of reviews in the press. Its draft document came under the criticism from the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE). In February 2008 the director Krishna Kumar in an interview also discussed the challenges that are faced by the document. The approach and recommendations of NCF-2005 are for the entire educational system. A number of its recommendations, for example, focus on rural schools. The syllabus and textbooks based on it are being used by all the CBSC schools, but NCF-based material is also being used in many State schools. NCF 2005 has been translated into 22 languages and has influenced the syllabi in 17 States. The NCERT gave a grant of Rs.10 lakh 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 future reforms could be made. Several States have taken up this challenge. 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]. Main Features of the NCF 2005 The document is divided into 5 areas: • Perspective of NCF • Learning and Knowledge • Curriculum Areas, School Stages and Assessment • School and Classroom Environment • Systemic Reforms
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  Kerala Curriculum Framework2007 Kerala’s effort to develop a curriculum framework is a turning point in the history of the state. It is for the first time that the state is making such an exercise and it is rooted on the ideas articulated in the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) -2005. Whenever curriculum reforms were taken up at the national level, the state responded to them in the past. After the formation of NCERT in 1961, Kerala has been following all the curriculum reform efforts initiated at the national level. For instance, the state initiated the process for reforming its curriculum following the National Curriculum Framework -1975. The state also took steps to implement NPE- 1986 and the Programme of Action (1992). It was in 1997, that an effort for the formulation of a comprehensive curriculum focusing on the process of teaching and learning was attempted in Kerala. Rooted in the emerging methodology and strategies, an integrated method of learning, a process- oriented-activity-based approach, viewing learner as a constructor of knowledge, recognizing the role of society in knowledge construction and the idea of continuous and comprehensive evaluation came into effect. However, the state’s curriculum reform effort gained further impetus with the formulation of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) -2005. NCF- 2005 and the position papers provided grounds for introspection and formulation of the Kerala Curriculum Framework (KCF)-2007. The curriculum revision programme in Kerala was conceptualized on the basis of the recommendations of the National Curriculum Framework (N.C.F-2005). The curriculum revision initiated in 1996 in Kerala had a strong influence in the formation of National Curriculum Framework. Kerala could display the active working model of a learning process that has its foundation in the principles of Constructivism and a learner-centred, activity-based and process-oriented pedagogy. Therefore, we must now envision educational reforms that go beyond the National Curriculum Framework, making it a springboard for further research.
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  CONCLUSION A curriculum frameworkis an organized plan or set of standards or learning outcomes that defines the content to be learned in terms of clear, definable standards of what the student should know and be able to do. A Curriculum Framework is part of an outcome-based education or standards based education reform design. The framework is the first step, defining clear, high standards which will be achieved by all students. curriculum frameworks have been adopted based on traditional academic standards rather than outcome-based constructivist standards, but many frameworks were originally or still based on student-centered learning and constructivism such as reform mathematics, whole language and Inquiry- based Science which have been controversial in some states and communities. High school graduation examinations tie awarding of diplomas to demonstration of meeting the standards set out in the frameworks. Curricula may be tightly standardized, or may include a high level of instructor or learner autonomy.[8] Many countries have national curricula in primary and secondary education, such as the United Kingdom's National Curriculum. UNESCO's International Bureau of Education has the primary mission of studying curricula and their implementation worldwide. REFERENCE • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/currikulum • http://en.wikipedia.org/National_Curriculum_Framework_(NCF_2005) • www.ssamis.com/web/downloads/KCF%202007.pdf