Kaushal Bodh, an Activity Book of Vocational Education for Grade 6 is developed in alignment with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
In the National Curriculum Framework 2023 (NCT-SE 2023), work has been categorised under three broad forms: work with life forms, work with machines and materials, and work in human services. The intent at this stage is to provide vocational exposure to the students through a wide range of activities categorised into three forms of work. To achieve this, students are expected to take up nine projects across Grades 6 to 8, Le, three projects in each Grade and one from each form of work.
The textual material developed for the Middle Stage will take children well beyond the Preparatory Stage. Curricular goals, competencies, and learning outcomes have been the guiding principles while developing the textbook. The following Curricular Goals (CG) given in the activity book cover a range of competencies.
CG-1: Develops in-depth basic skills and allied knowledge of work and their associated materials or procedures;
CG-2: Understands the place and usefulness of vocational skills and vocations in the world of work;
CG-3: Develops essential values while working across areas; and
CG-4: Develops basic skills and allied knowledge to run and contribute to a home.
A variety of activities have been included in the Activity Book to cover the above curricular goals.
The Activity Book contains six illustrative projects, two for each form of work. One project maybe taken up by students or preferably. the school can design other projects based on local considerations. The illustrative projects are described as follows:
Project 1 is on developing a School Kitchen Garden. Students will engage in creating and maintaining a kitchen garden on school grounds or in pots. They will learn about the various agricultural practices through field visits and hands-on learning, with a focus on the importance of organic farming.
Project 2 is on preparing a biodiversity register. Students will be
studying a variety of life within the school premises or nearby areas and documenting the various living things. They will learn to identify different species of plants, animals, and insects, understanding their roles in the ecosystem. This project will enhance their observational skills, knowledge of biodiversity, and the significance of conservation. It will also instill a sense of environmental stewardship and the importance of protecting natural habitats.
Project 3 is on Maker Skills. In the Maker Skills project, students will explore various hands-on activities, such as making toys and maintaining a bicycle. They will learn to use tools and materials to create functional or artistic items, fostering creativity, problem-solving. and technical skills. This project will encourage innovation, critical thinking, and the practical application of theoretical knowledge, preparing students for potential careers in design, engineering, and manufacturing.
Project 4 is on Animations and Games. It will introduce students to the fundamentals of digital creativity. They will learn to design. and develop animations and games, gaining skills in coding, graphic design, and story-telling. This project will enhance their technological proficiency, creativity, and logical thinking.
The National Education Policy 2020 envisages a system of education in the country that is rooted in Indian ethos and its civilisational accomplishments in all domains of human endeavour and knowledge. while at the same time preparing the students to constructively engage with the prospects and challenges of the 21st century. The basis for this aspirational vision has been well laid out by the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023 across curricular areas at all stages. Having nurtured the students' inherent abilities and touching upon all the five planes of human existence, the panchakoshas, in the Foundational and the Preparatory Stages have paved the way for the progression of their learning further at the Middle Stage. Thus, the Middle Stage acts as a bridge between the Preparatory and the Secondary Stages, spanning three years from Grade 6 to 8.
The NCF-SE 2023, at the Middle Stage, aims to equip students with the skills that are needed to grow, as they advance in their lives. It endeavours to enhance their analytical, descriptive, and narrative capabilities and to prepare them for the challenges and opportunities that await them. A diverse curriculum, covering nine subjects ranging from three languages, including at least two languages native to India, Science, Mathematics, Social Sciences, Art Education, Physical Education and Well-being, and Vocational Education, promotes their holistic development.
Such a transformative learning culture requires certain essential conditions. One of them is to have appropriate textbooks in different curricular areas as these textbooks will play a central role in mediating between content and pedagogy a role that will strike a judicious balance between direct instruction and opportunities for exploration and inquiry. Among the other conditions, classroom arrangement and teacher preparation are crucial to establishing conceptual connections both within and across curricular areas. The National Council of Educational Research and Training, on its part, is committed to providing students with such high-quality textbooks. Various Curricular Area Groups, which have been constituted for this purpose, comprising notable subject experts, pedagogues, and practising teachers as their members, have made all possible efforts to develop such textbooks.
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