A curriculum framework is an organized plan or set of standards or learning outcomes. It defines the content to be learned in terms of class, definable standards of what the student should know and be able to do.
The national curriculum framework (2005) is one of the four national curriculum frameworks published in 1975, 1988, 2000, and 2005 by the national council of educational research and training NCERT in India. The framework provides the framework for making syllabus, text books and teaching practices with in the school education programs in India.
The NCF 2005 document draws its policy basis from earlier government report on education as learning without burden and national policy of education 1986 and focus group discussion. After wide ranging deliberations 21 national focus group position papers have been developed under the aegis of NCF 2005. The state of art position papers provided inputs for formulation of NCF 2005.
The document is divided into 5 areas:
- Perspective
- Learning and Knowledge
- Curriculum Areas, School Stages and Assessment
- School and Classroom Environment
- Systemic Reforms
1. Perspective
The major perspective of the national curriculum framework highlights strengthening of a national system of education with special focus on the constitution and the major challenging areas which need intelligent modifications. The guiding principles of curriculum development is also included in the framework. These perspectives are given below.
• Strengthening of a National system of education with special focus on;
- Values enshrined in the constitution of India;
- Reduction of curriculum load;
- Ensuring quality education for all (EFA) Systemic changes;
- Common school system
• Guiding principles of curriculum development;
- Connecting knowledge to life outside school;
- Ensuring that learning is shifted away from rote methods;
- Enriching the curriculum to provide for overall development of children rather that remain textbook-centric;
- Making examinations more flexible and integrated with classroom life; and
- Nurturing an overriding identity informed by caring concerns within the democratic polity of the country.
2. Learning and Knowledge
- Correspondence between learner development and learning is intrinsic to curricular practices;
- Knowledge is different from information;
- Organizing learning experiences for construction of knowledge and fostering creativity; and
- Plurality of text books
3. Curricular Areas
- Implementation of three language formula with renewed efforts;
- The idea that home language mother tongue as the best medium to build a foundation for education applies to tribal languages as well;
- The important areas like teaching of mathematics, science, social sciences, art, craft, etc. are to be considered the critical components of school curriculum.
NCF & SCIENCE EDUCATION
Good science education is true to the child, true to life and true to science.
This simple observation leads to the following basic criteria of validity of a science curriculum:
- Cognitive validity
- It requires that 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 the cognitive level of the learner, must not lead to conveying something basically flawed and/or meaningless.
- Process validity
- It requires that the curriculum should engage the learner in acquiring the methods and process that lead to the generation and validation of scientific knowledge
- The curriculum should nurture the natural curiosity and creativity of the child in science.
- Process validity is an important criterion since it helps the student in ‘learning to learn’ science.
- Historical validity
- It requires that science curriculum be informed by a historical perspective
- It enables the learner to appreciate how the concepts of science evolve over time.
- It also helps the leaner to view science as a social enterprise and to understand how social factors influence the development of science.
- Environmental validity
- It requires that science be placed in the wider context of the learner’s environment - local and global.
- It enables him/her to appreciate issues at the inference of science, technology and society and equipping him/her with the requisite knowledge and skills
- Ethical validity
- It requires that the curriculum promote values of honesty, objectivity, cooperation
- Freedom from fear and prejudice
- Inculcate in the leaner a concern for life and preservation of the environment.
The 3 Major issues faced by science education in India
- First, science education is still far from achieving the goal of equity enshrined in our Constitution.
- Second, science education in India, even at its best, develops competence but does not encourage inventiveness and creativity.
- Third, the overpowering examination system is basic to most, if not all, the fundamental problems of science education in India.
Suggestions by NCF to improve Science Education
- The science curriculum must be used as an instrument for achieving social change in order to reduce the divide based on economic class, gender, caste, religion and region.
- We must use textbooks as one of the primary instrument for equity, since for a great majority of school-going children, as also for their teachers, it is the only accessible and affordable resource for education.
- We must encourage alternative textbook writing in the country within the broad guidelines laid down by the National Curriculum Frame work. These textbooks should incorporate activities, observation and experimentation, and encourage an active approach to science, connecting it with the world around the child, rather than information-based learning.
- Additionally, materials such as workbook, co-curricular and popular science books, and children’s encyclopedia would enhance children’s access to information and ideas that need not go in to the textbook, loading it further, but would enrich learning that takes place through project work. There is a dearth of such materials with rich visuals regional languages.
- The development of science corners and providing access to science experimentation kits and laboratories, in rural areas are also important ways of equitably provisioning for science learning.
- Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is an important tool for bridging social divides. ICT should be used in such a way that it becomes an opportunity equalizer by providing information, communication and computing resources in remote areas.
NCF suggests science teacher need to be prepared to:
- Care for children and should love to be with them.
- Understand children within social, culture and political context.
- Be receptive and be constantly learning.
- View learning as a search for meaning out of personal experience, and knowledge generation as a continuously evolving process of reflective learning.
- Own responsibility towards society, and work to build a better world.
- Appreciate the potential of productive work and hands-on experience as a pedagogic medium both inside and outside the classroom.
- Analyse the curricular frame work, policy implications and texts.
4. School and Classroom environment
- Critical pre-requisites for improved performance – minimum infrastructure and material facilities and support for planning a flexible daily schedule
- Focus on nurturing an enabling environment
- Revisits tradition notions of discipline
- Discuss needs for providing space to parents and community
- Discuss other learning sites and resources like Texts and Books, Libraries and laboratories and media and ICT
- Addresses the need for plurality of material and
- Teacher autonomy/professional independence to use such material.
5. Systemic Reforms
- Teaching is a professional activity;
- Availability of minimum infrastructure and material facilities for improved teacher performance;
- Strengthening the Panchayat Raj institutions and encouraging community participation for enhancing quality and accountability;
- Examination reforms; and
- Teacher education programs to be recast to reflect professionalism in the Process of training and teaching.
Guiding Principles of NCF
- Connecting knowledge to life outside the School
- Ensuring that learning is shifted away from rote methods
- Enriching curriculum so that it goes beyond Text Book
- Making Examination more flexible and non-threatening
- Discuss the aims of education
- Building commitment to democratic values of equality, justice, secularism and freedom
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