Concepts in Education and their Changing Connotations

Connotation is the tone or emotional association that a word has. It can be negative or positive, but is usually something seen by the population in general but in logic, the characteristic or set of characteristics that makes up the meaning of a term and thus defines the objects to which a term can be applied.

CURRICULUM

Cunningham :- “Curriculum is a tool in the hands of the artist (teacher) to mould  his material (pupils) according to his ideals (aim and objectives) in his studio (school)”

Curriculum is the core of an educational system. While education is a process, curriculum is a means to the process, while education is learning, curriculum signifies situations for learning, While education deals with ‘how’ and ‘when’, curriculum deals with ‘what’.

Brubacher has rightly compared curriculum with the ‘material’ in the construct of the ‘building of education’

Etymologically it is derived from the word ‘currer’ which means to run.

The ground on which the pupils and the teacher cover to reach the goal of education.

According to  Modalior commission :-  “Curriculum includes all the learner’s experiences in or outside that are included in a program which has been devised to help him  develop physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually and morally.”

 “Curriculum is the total effort of the school to bring about desired outcomes in school and out of school situations.”  Sayler and Alexander

Coles (2003) “A curriculum is more than a list of topics to be covered by an educational programme, for which the more commonly accepted word is a ‘syllabus’. A curriculum is first of all a policy statement about a piece of education, and secondly an indication as to the ways in which that policy is to be realised through a programme of action.”

OLDER CONCEPT OF CURRICULUM

1.       Narrower concept : Earlier Curriculum was considered as a body of subjects or  subject matter prepared by the teacher  for the students to learn it was synonymous to  ‘course of study’ or ‘syllabus’

2.       Priority to art and literature :

3.       Vague

4.       Teacher Centered

5.       Priority to mind and sense

6.       Philosophical approach

CHANGING CONNOTATIONS OF CURRICULUM

1.       Wide and comprehensive

2.       Experience centered

3.       Application of Knowledge and understanding

4.       Higher Position to Research

5.       Systematically Planned

6.       Based on Principle of utility

7.       Child Centered

8.       Psychological approach

9.       Community centered

10.   Interrelation of subjects

11.   Management of leisure

12.   Virtual learning

13.   Problem base curriculum

14.   Distance and correspondence learning

15.   Priority to Science and technology

16.   Co Curricular and Extracurricular activities

17.    All around development

SCHOOL

“Learning is the greatest game in life and the most fun. All children are born believing this and will continue to believe this until we convince them that learning is very hard work and unpleasant.” Gordon

“A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students (or "pupils") under the direction of teachers” Gilbert

The word school derived from Greek  (scholē), originally meaning "leisure"

OLDER CONCEPT OF SCHOOL

1. Religious Institutions

2. Residential Schools

3. Built by rulers

4. Religious education

5. Teachers as base

6.  Primary Concern of teaching

7. Rigid Discipline

8. Concise Curriculum

9. Only intellectual development

CHANGING CONNOTATIONS OF SCHOOL

1. Miniature Society

2. Demolished religious Institutions

3. Broad Curriculum

4. Discipline

5. Teacher as Facilitator

6. for Harmonious Development

7. Student as a chief concern

8. Empowerment of teachers

9. Management and administration

10. Technological advancements

11. New teaching & learning techniques

12. New developments in school buildings

13. Changes in society’s attitude towards learning/ learners

TEACHER

Among the greatest of all services that can be rendered by men to Almighty God, is the education and training of children, so that they can foster by grace in the way of salvation, growing like pearls of divine bounty in the shell of education and will be one day the jewel in the crown of abiding glory.

“A ‘teacher’ is a person who delivers an educational program, assesses student participation in an educational program, and/or administers or provides consistent and substantial leadership to an educational program.” Harmer

OLDER CONCEPT OF TEACHER

1.       Dominant Information Feeder

2.        Imparting instruction only

3.       Major source of Knowledge

4.       Syllabus Followers

5.       Technically handicapped

6.       Pre Service Training only

7.       Older Methods of Instruction

CHANGING CONNOTATION OF TEACHER

1.       Dominant Information Feeder to a Facilitator

2.       Adaptation of Instruction to developmental levels

3.       Friend Philosopher and Guide

4.       Adapting Holistic Approach

5.       A motivator and Encourage Feeder

6.       Emphasis on Learner’s Initiative

7.       Pre Service as well as In service Training

8.       Planner of the learning

9.       Moral Development

10.   Assess the students

11.   Freedom and Control

12.   Experimentation Opportunity

13.   Transforming Information into wisdom

14.   Identifier of Students’ Potentialities

15.   Reviewer and reinforce of students activities