NCF 2005 and Teaching –Learning
at Elementary Level
Sujata B. Hanchinalkar
Regional Institute of Education(NCERT)
Mysore
NCF –NCERT
1975
1988
2000
2005
NCF 2005
21 Focus group Reports
1. Perspectives
2. Learning and Knowledge
3. Curriculum Areas, School stage and
Assessment
4. School and Classroom Environment
5. Systemic Reforms
Guiding Principles of NCF 2005
-Connecting knowledge to life outside the school.
-Ensuring the learning is shifted away from rote methods.
-Enriching the curriculum to provide for overall development
of children rather than remain textbook centric.
-Making examination more flexible and integrated into
classroom life.
-Nurturing an over-riding identity informed by caring
concerns with the democratic polity of the country.
The period of elementary school-Class I to VIII
 Formal introduction-reading, writing and arithmetic
cognitive development, shaping reason, intellect and social
skills.
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Plurality and flexibility
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Child's language competence: issues related to articulation
and literacy, and the ability to use language to create, to think
and to communicate with others.
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Opportunities to study in their mother tongue.
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Diagnosing learning difficulties and addressing remedial work
in language and mathematics.
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Process oriented-approach to curriculum
School and classroom environment
 Children feel safe, happy and wanted
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Teacher a facilitator (learner centeredness)
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Cooperative learning/ collaborative learning
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Learning experience of learner-importance
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Interlinking the knowledge of learner with school knowledge
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Going beyond the textbook
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Learner autonomy
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Create knowledge-constructivist classroom
School environment
 Classroom space- windows, doors in learning Mathematics
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Outer space-trees helping in understanding seasons, Water
conservation concept-gardening, Water harvesting
Importance to child’s work- art, painting, poem on wall
Ratio 1:30
 Learner friendly classroom*(6hrs/day and 1000hrs/yr)
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Questions/talk/discuss/noise-self-confidence, self-esteem
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Opportunities for learner to construct knowledge
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Maximised use of A-V materials
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Decompartmentalising the subject boundaries
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Interdisciplinary approach
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Community participation-belongingness
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Plurality of textbooks but not at the cost of
quality……………….(authentic source of
knowledge?)accontability.
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Flexibility
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Textbooks are child friendly- ARE WE?
School subjects
 Languages- Multilingualism a resource?
 Studies-bilingual proficiency raises the levels of cognitive
 growth, social tolerance, divergent thinking and scholastic
achievement.
 Article 350A of our Constitution- instruction in the
mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to
children belonging to linguistic minority groups.

Emphasise on reading (with understanding?)
Primary stage, child‘s languages must be accepted as they
are, with no attempt to correct them.
 Class IV, if rich and interesting exposure is made
available, the child will acquire standard

Errors are a necessary part of the process of learning.
 Provide comprehensible, interesting and challenging
inputs.
 Speech and listening, reading and writing- children's
mastery over them becomes the key factor affecting
success at school.
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MATHEMATICS
 the child's resources to think and reason mathematically,
logical conclusion and to handle abstraction.
 Values inbuilt in examples.
 Teachers engage every child in class with the conviction
that everyone can learn mathematics.
 Visualisation and representatio Skill (at home).
 Interdisciplinary
SCIENCE
 Curiosity
 Observe
 Hypothesise
 Verify-experiment
 Conclude
 Universal truth- sunrises in the east- DOES HE?
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Cognitive validity 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 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 be so trivialised as
to convey something basically flawed and/or meaningless.
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Process validity 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.”LEARNING TO LEARN SCIENCE”
Historical validity 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 requires that science beplaced in the
wider context of the learner's environment, local and global
Ethical validity requires that the curriculum promote the
values of honesty, objectivity, cooperation, and freedom from
fear and prejudice, and inculcate in the learner a concern for
life and preservation of the environment
Social Science
 Sensitivity towards issues
 Non-utility subject Provide the social, cultural, and analytical skills to adjust to
an increasingly interdependent world
 Contextualization of content in the diversity/plurality
 Environmental Studies-sustainable development
 Reflect the day-to-day experiences
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ART EDUCATION-'useful hobbies
 Theatre, Music, Dance, Visual Arts in Education
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Role play,theatre exercises, body and voice control and
movement, and group and spontaneous enactments.
debate and discussion
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Interactive approach
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION
 basic needs like food, safe drinking water supply, housing,
sanitation and health services influences the health status of
a population, and these are reflected through mortality and
nutritional indicator
 Physical education and yoga contribute to the physical,
social, emotional and mental development of a child.
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WORK AND EDUCATION
Work -an arena for learning for children
Transform knowledge into experience
EDUCATION FOR PEACE
Intolerance, violence
living in harmony with oneself and with
others, including nature
Teaching –learning strategies
 Constructivist approach
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Cooperative learning
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Concept mapping
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Experiential learning
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Creative writing- Poster making, story board, story telling
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Thank You