New school textbooks to be based on practical learning

Mumbai: The state education department has revealed that the new textbooks of state board school students will be based on practical and conceptual learning, and in a manner that the students remember what they learn forever.

Sources said that presently, if a class VIII student studies a certain chapter, he/she may forget about it by the time he/she reaches class IX where he/she reads a new chapter on the topic.

To prevent such a situation, an “introductory system” will be initiated before beginning every chapter with a view to providing a quick revision for the student.

This, according to state education minister Vinod Tawde, will provide continuity and maintain an overall circle of education for every student. “In the new up-gradation of the curriculum, it will be based on the spiral methodology.

Here, it will maintain a continuous process where the student will remember what he or she learned in the previous academic year, thus creating a strong base for the students.”

Mr Tawde said that the idea was suggested by education experts and was approved by the board of studies which also includes teachers.

Department officials said that only the textbooks and manner of teaching will change and not the syllabus. Also, latest developments will be included in the chapters instead of old ones. “Students will find it interesting when they are given examples and chapters which they are familiar with,” said an official.

According to experts however, upgrading the curriculum alone will not be enough; what is required is a change in the assessment and evaluation process.

Fr Francis Swamy, joint secretary, Archdiocesan Board of Education (ABE), and former board member, said, “We are still stuck in the old procedure when what we need is an application-based curriculum. It should be in a way that the students are prompted to think and reflect. Instead of just learning and reproducing it in the exam, we should make the system action-oriented.”

Highlight of changes

• Subjects like History, Geography, Maths and Science will undergo changes.
• Recent examples and illustrations along with statistical analysis will be highlighted in the curriculum.
• Technological advancement, recent happenings in the country and abroad shall be used to give the students a better picture about the respective subject.