Developing Curriculum for Children in Primary Classes

Incorporating the Child Friendly

Concepts.

Dr. Suranimala Lekamge, Director

Department of Early Childhood Development and Primary Education

National Institute of Education, Sri Lanka

National Institute of Education

Sri Lanka

Dr. Suranimala Lekamge

Director, Department of Early

Childhood and Primary Education

Developing Curriculum for Children in Primary Classes

Incorporating the Child Friendly Concepts.

Dr. Suranimala Lekamge, Director

Department of Early Childhood Development and Primary Education

National Institute of Education, Sri Lanka

This presentation consists two parts

1. The considerations in developing curriculum for young children. Teachers should understand those considerations clearly to implement the curriculum effectively.

2. Content, programmes and important activities in curriculum for providing quality primary Education.

UNICEF

Framework for Child Friendly Education System

Right based, inclusive, healthy, and protective approach

Ensures every child an environment that is safe, emotionally secure and psychologically enabling Place for Children

Children are natural learners.

Their capacity to learn should be strengthened. A child-friendly school recognizes, encourages and support child’s growing capacities as a

learner by providing school culture, teacher behavior and curriculum content that are focused on learning and learner.

Child friendly school aims to develop a

learning environment in which children are motivated and able to learn. Staff members are friendly and welcoming to children and

attend all their health and safety needs.

Children are Natural Learners,

They have inherent needs of learning .

All the activities of their world are directed to fulfill those Needs.

Children should be provided all the requirement for this

learning.

So School should develop a learning environment

in Which they are motivated and able to learn

The broad aim of primary education in Sri Lanka is

to provide quality primary education which would

support children to gain the maximum development in

this period.

The children in primary classrooms are passing

through a very important period of their development.

Specially, this is a critical period for cognitive

development

1. Experiencing success and pleasure

through learning activities

Experiencing success and

pleasure make an immense

contribution to the total

development of children.

Experiencing failure and

discontentment regularly

show many developmental

problems in the later stage

of life.

In primary classrooms it is essential to let students to experience the success

in their work. The Content of the subject is made suitable to the abilities of

the children in a specific stage of development.

Example

Children in grade one and two (pre-operational stage) need activities with

objects to understand the concepts. Children in grade three and four (concrete

operational) need activities to facilitate their imaginary thinking.

2. Children are natural learners. They

have an inherent need for learning

water and sand play, creative activities,

observing animals behavior who live in the

surrounding, , experiments to identify floating

and sinking objects,

Thus learning is a need which should be fulfilled to facilitate

their development. Their learning will take place through

interaction with the environment.

Children need various opportunities to interact with their

environment.

These opportunities should be provided in the curriculum

through different activities

Interaction with

Social environment

Interaction with

Physical environment

Group work, peer play, friendly discussions

with community etc

Students are active learners. They learn by doing

3. Fulfillment of the social-

Psychological needs of childrenPsychological needs of

children

Love, Affiliation,

Appreciation,

Acceptance, Feeling

safety, Getting

Attention, Showing

own ability,

are important for healthy

mental development of

Children.

In primary classroom, teachers role is important. Sometimes teacher

has to play a substitute mother’s role in the classroom. Through

teaching and learning in classrooms children should feel that they are

safe, accepted and reinforced.

4. Facilitating students to develop

strong self concepts.

Development of a strong self concept is

the basis for a good, and well balanced personality.

Curriculum and teaching learning activities should provide the

opportunities for the Development of a strong self concept. Strong

teacher-student relationships, fulfillment of psychological needs,

completion of activates which will fit their cognitive levels,

opportunities to take leadership etc will support in developing a

strong self concept

5. Play is a very strong tool for child

development.

It facilitates the development of physical skills as well as Language

skills, social skills and cognitive abilities of children.Play with sand, water, and the objects around them will develop students skills such as

Identifying similarities and

differences, classifying, symbolizing etc.

mathematical concepts like

capacity, weight, time, height, length etc.

Social play help children to develop skills such as

taking turns and sharing, listening to others and leading a group. So Organized play can be used effectively in classrooms as a teaching and learning activity.

In the present curriculum a prominence is given to play

activities to support children’s development

7. Considering the individual difference

Children are different in various ways

In primary stage children need to engage in the activities

according to their

interests, level of learning intellectual ability

Teachers should present their lessons in a variety

of ways to cater to the differences among children;

therefore, the

Primary Curriculum has a strong emphasis on Individualized learning.

Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligence (eight

different intelligences) had provided the basis for

organizing activities for primary classrooms.

8. Close warm and friendly relationship

with teachers

There are a variety of opportunities available in the primary curriculum to fulfill those requirements.

One teacher for one key stage and

interactive activities with grade six students are two of such activities included in the curriculum.

Children need close, warm and friendly relationship with

the teacher to gain their maximum development

9. Singing, drawing and dancing

Aesthetic Considerations

Singing, drawing and dancing are extremely useful for child

development. They contribute immensely to their emotional

development and cognitive development.

For instance, drawing helps children to

develop symbolic presentations, creative

expressions and imaginary thinking.

Children are doing aesthetic

activities in open space in the

schools

10. Close and continuous monitoring

towards the expected learning outcome

Children need immediate guidance and feedback when they face

difficulties and problems in learning.

So in classrooms children should be assessed, guided and

monitored continuously.

Many countries use formal national level assessment tests

to evaluate the performance of primary level students.

Sri Lanka follows a different system in which the

emphasis is given on informal assessment methods based

on teachers’ judgment.

In line with the above considerations,

a number of changes were introduced

to the curriculum.

as follows:

1. Mother tongue is the medium of

instruction of primary classrooms.

No doubt teaching in mother tongue is extremely important for children's development.

Children develop concept formation skills,

thinking and imaginative abilities and a strong self concept if they are taught in their mother tongue.

Therefore, in Sri Lanka,

Sinhala and Tamil students learn in their own language in schools.

This provides a foundation for their natural development.

2. Subjects and the contentThree core subjects First Language, Mathematics, and Environment-

related activities.

The content and the teaching-learning methodologies are organized to support the total

development of children and suitable for their developmental stage

Learning “First Language” not only for learning language

language development and cognitive development of children

are inter-related. It helps learning language and also their

cognitive development.

Learning mathematics in primary stage is not restricted to learning

numbers, concept and handling them. Learning mathematics

should support students to develop higher cognitive skills

occurring in that particular stages.

“Environment Related activities” is one of the most important

subjects. It is an integration of subjects :Natural Science and

Social Sciences. Teaching Mathematics and language skills are

also done through environment related activities.

3.Teaching and learning methodologies

Key Stage two

Desk work

Play

Activities

Key Stage one

Desk work

Activities

Play

Key Stage three

Desk work

Activities

Play

According to the development level of students, the

emphasis given for desk work, activities and organized

play are varied. The emphasis is indicated in the following figure

4. Identification of children at the

beginning of formal education.Two main objectives

1. To provide happy, interesting and joyful start for new students at

the first two weeks in the school and to provide a smooth transfer

from home to school.

2. Teachers are also benefited by getting an understanding of each

child’s interests and capacity of learning. It will support them to

prepare teaching and learning activities according to individual

differences.

This programme was introduced in 2005 for the first time and it is now

well accepted by teachers and the community.

Some of the examples of the activities are indicated below:

Activities in play houses

Independent work with the material found in the environment

Group play according to simple rules

Singing, dancing and playing with musical instruments

Activities related to fine –motor abilities such as painting and cutting

Creative activities using things in their immediate environment

4. Identification of children at the

beginning of formal education.

Some of the examples of the activities

are indicated below:

• Activities in play houses

• Independent work with the

material found in the environment.

• Group play according to simple

rules

• Singing, dancing and playing with

musical instruments

• Activities related to fine –motor

abilities such as painting and cutting

• Creative activities using things in

their immediate environment

It provide opportunities for

students.

Individualized activities

Opportunities for working

with own interests.

Opportunities to make

good relationship with

teacher and other

students.

Familiarize with new

environment.

Work according to their

abilities.

Aesthetic Considerations of

learning

5. Friendly welcome for K.S.2 and 3

After spending two

years of time with a

teacher in grade 1,

young children develop

a strong relationship

with that teacher.

So it is essential to

provide a smooth

transfer to them for

next key stage.

Interesting start for key

stage two” provides

interesting activities for

children at the starting

point of the Grade

three

It includes activities such as introducing himself,

listening to stories, singing and dancing, playing,

drawing and painting in and outside the

classroom.

Children are doing some activities with the new

teacher in grade three (key stage 2)

6. One teacher for one key stage.

In the primary Education, one teacher is responsible for

one key stage. (Two years)

This can be considered as an important step to provide

opportunities for children to maintain an interesting and

long relationship with one person close to them.

This close, warm and long relationship helps for

their development

7. Ensuring achievement of Essential Learning

Competencies in all children in each key stage.

• Essential learning competencies for all children were introduced

in 2001 for primary classrooms.

• Objective was to assure the achievement of essential learning

competencies for all children

• Under this programme a set of essential learning competencies

were identified for each key stage

• Teachers are made responsible for bringing students up to

essential levels of learning

Very important step to provide essential education for all children.

Teachers and administrators are accountable for taking

necessary action not to keep children behind the

essential competencies.

It is an important step for providing education for all

children in the country

8. Child friendly Assessment procedure

mainly used for guidance and monitoring purposes.

Assessment criteria have been developed in national level

and included in the teacher’s instructional manuals.

Teachers in classrooms assess student performance

continuously using the assessment criteria and provide

necessary feedback immediately

Informal assessment techniques such as questioning,

observing students while engaging in classroom

activities, discussing with them are highly encouraged.

Teachers understand student progress in line with those

techniques and don’t rely on formal national tests. They

are encouraged to use “Teacher made tests” .

9. Activities with grade six students and

co-curricula activities

Working closely with the grown ups in grade six will

provide opportunities to learn many social skills in this

stage. Within the primary curriculum there are

arrangements for Grade one students to engage in

activities with older students with the purpose of

improving social skills as well as cognitive skills.

Co-curricular activities for students to improve student

talents and working opportunities according to their

interests.

10. Basis for Developing Curriculum for Primary School Children

Total

Development

of Children

Fulfillment of

psychological

needs

Experiencing

success and

happiness

Aesthetic

Approach

Active learningPositive self

Concept

Effective

Interaction

with the

immediate

Environment

Play

Activities

Close and

friendly

Relationship

with teachers

Activities

with grade

six

students

Activities in relation to

the immediate social and

physical environment

Accountable for achieving

Essential Learning

competencies for each child in

every key stage

Friendly, interesting

start

and identifying children

at the entry

Criterion referenced,

Continuous, Authentic,

Informal assessment for

assessing students progress

Organized play, Activities

and desk work as the

teaching learning methods

Mother tong as the

Medium of instruction

Inclusive

all

children

in learning

Co-

Curricular

activities

One

Teacher

for one

key

stage

Thank you very much