education, design research, experience design

Innovating an alternate curriculum through Design

Invention and Sustainability Curriculum

ISEC is learner-centered, inquiry-based curriculum and emphasizes the use of evidence in constructing explanations. Concepts and skills in Life Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, and Earth Sciences are presented with increasing levels of complexity from one grade level to another (spiral progression), thus paving the way to deeper understanding of the concepts.

It is a program run for Grade 6 to 8.Is.

Vision

ISEC envisions the creation and development of scientifically and environmentally literate productive members of society who manifest skills as informed decision makers, critical problem solvers, innovators, responsible stewards of nature and effective communicators who work on providing sustainable solutions to the prevailing problems of the society.

Invention

Invention refers to the act of creating something. It need not be the creation of a device or an object. It could range from a material invention to a system invention. It could also be the creation of a process or a means to reach out to people. The main aim is to train students to think like inventors, to work like improvers and become creators. For this, they either need to understand some concepts and principles, or just need a push to apply what they already know.

Sustainability

Sustainability is the ability to continue a defined behaviour indefinitely. Be it in the field of environment or be it in the socio-economic sense,sustainability is the demand of the day. ISEC focuses on both the aspects of sustainability and blends it through the curriculum. It makes children understand what a sustainable model of invention could be. It believes in the philosophy that there is no need of inventing something which is not sustainable as it will not last for long.

Problem Solving

Children are natural problem solvers, and early childhood settings - where children interact with one another and participate in decision making - offer countless opportunities for children to grow in their problem-solving abilities. These important experiences help children learn to value both logical and creative thinking, and to take an active role in their world.

• Outdoor games can also be used as an input and they relate to cartoon characters

• Grade 8 students need more attention and complexity in the their session

• Sessions need to be made small and effective 

• If things don’t change there will be no difference between a facilitator and government teacher

• Assessment needs to be made formative instead of summative

• Facilitators need to be less involved in the delivery of the content and directed in terms of how to take the ideas forward

• Parents are motivated if they see their ward's name on the top

Ways to do it

• Developing self explanatory kits for both; students and teachers

• Guidance notes for the teachers

• Developing invention and sustainable labs (low cost science centres/innovation hubs)

• Understanding principles/concepts through models and experiments

• Increase digital exposure of children so that they learn on their own at their own pace

• Building interactive solutions which promotes peer learning and interactive studies

• Mentoring system

Approach adopted

Content Finalising
Defining the learning objective
Dividing and spiralling of the content as per the grades
Flow of Class
Options to deliver the content
Assessment planning
Finalizing the technique
Output
Outcome

Modules

MODULE 1
Theme: Imbalance
Topic: Climate Change
MODULE 2
Theme: Material World
Topic: Chemistry in Daily Life
MODULE 3
Theme: Physical World
Topic: Electricity and Electromagnetism
MODULE 4
Theme: Living World
Topic: Interactions and Interdependencies

Pedagogies

• Experiential learning

• Activity based

• Socrates methods - Inquiry learning

• Blended Learning

• Flipped Classroom

• Learning by teaching

• Storytelling

• Project based

• Cooperative learning

• Scenario based learning

• Contextual learning

• Game and game design

Methodologies

• Peer instructions

• Outdoor games

• Toy making

• Nature walks

• Physical movement based Involvement

• Memory games

• Board games and Flash cards

• Interviews and Question boards

• Analogies

• Reading sessions

• Newsletters

• Pictorial Learning

• Audio Visual

• Role play