Curriculum
Curriculum plays a very important role as we at believe that learning is not just about teaching, books and lessons but much more than that.
Emphasis is more on the overall development of the child, as we understand that schooling is the time in the life of every child, which influences their future.
Gajera International School has a curriculum that is integrated. The curriculum is concept oriented rather than exam oriented, which caters to the overall development of a child. The integrated curriculum not only concentrates on the academics but also on the qualitative development of every individual child.
The medium of instruction at Gajera International School is English, and the curricula we follow are in accordance with the CBSE. However, the real crux of education at Gajera International School lies in how we choose to bring this universe of knowledge to our students. Through an environment that encourages a lightness of spirit. A hunger to discover. A desire to know through exploration, through experimenting, through debate and through interactions that encourage independent thought.
The pre-primary wing of the school comprises classes Nursery and Prep and caters to the needs and demands of early childhood learning. Bearing in mind that at this age the foundation of a child’s personality is laid and two third of his intellect is formed, we have created an environment and a system of teaching which is entirely child friendly. Here t they learn social skills, free-play, develop verbal ability and imbibe the skills and joy of creating things with their own hands through art and crafts which is an integral part of the curriculum. The curriculum is open-ended and the focus is on experiential learning. Formal learning of the three Rs is introduced in Nursery. It finds a more prominent place in the KG curriculum which includes recognition, reading and writing of the Hindi and English alphabet, small words and basic mathematical concepts. Environmental studies is taught with project based activities and Life Skills is taught to make Students more adaptable to different situations.
The focus in KG is on cognitive development and enhancement of the language and interpersonal skills. The children are sensitized to the social and cultural concerns and encouraged to think. The main objective behind the curriculum is to enable the children to communicate effectively and to develop integrated skills and creativity required for them to grow as confident and independent individuals.
Primary (Std 1 to 5)
The syllabus becomes more broad based at this level and gradually the young learner is exposed to a wide range of subjects and study material which is suitably graded. Apart from Maths, Science, English, Hindi, and Computer Education subjects like General Knowledge are also taught. As early as class I, students learn to work on computers in the Multimedia Lab which has been especially equipped to meet the needs of the young learners. From class IV onwards, the school offers the students Gujarati as Third Language. A plethora of choices are given to the students for their Work Experience classes ranging from pottery to public speaking, cookery to clay modelling. Last but not the least, in order to inculcate moral values and general awareness of the students, inter-active sessions are held in the Life Skills classes.
Middle (Std 6 & 8)
From Class VI to class VIII the curriculum of all the academic subjects as well as a variety of co-curricular activities encourages creativity, aesthetics and adventure. All students study English, Hindi, Mathematics, Science (Physics, Chemistry and Biology), Social Studies (History, Civics and Geography) and an optional language Co-curricular activities include Socially Useful & Productive Work (Art, Music, Dance, Electronics, Science Club, Geography Club, Literary Club), Physical and Health Education and Computer Education.
Secondary (Std 9 & 10)
The CBSE School Curriculum gets its lead from National Curriculum Framework (NCF 2005) and also from Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE 2009). The paramount guiding principles as proposed by NCF-2005 are:
• Connecting knowledge to life outside the school.
• Ensuring that learning is shifted away from rote methods.
• Enriching the curriculum to provide for overall development of children rather than remain textbook centric.
• Making examinations more flexible and integrated into classroom life.
• Nurturing an over-riding identity informed by caring concerns within the democratic polity of the country.
According to NCF 2005 the greatest national challenge for education is to strengthen our participatory democracy and the values enshrined in the Constitution. Meeting this challenge implies that we make quality and social justice the central theme of curricular reform. Citizenship training has been an important aspect of formal education. Today, it needs to be boldly reconceptualised in terms of the discourse of universal human rights and the approaches associated with critical pedagogy. A clear orientation towards values associated with peace and harmonious coexistence is not only desirable but also essential. Quality in education includes a concern for quality of life in all its dimensions. This is why a concern for peace, protection of the environment and a predisposition towards social change must be viewed as core components of quality, not merely as value premises.
Subject of Studies
The learning areas will include: (1) and (2) Two Languages out of : Hindi, English, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Marathi, Malayalam, Manipuri, Oriya, Punjabi, Sindhi,Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Lepcha, Limbu, Bhutia, Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish,Nepali, Tibetan, Mizo, Tangkhul and Bodo.
(3) Mathematics
(4) Science
(5) Social Sciences
(6) Work Education or Pre-Vocational Education
(7) Art Education
(8) Physical and Health Education
Additional Subjects
Students may offer any one of the following as an additional subject: Language other than the two compulsory languages (offered as subjects of study) OR Commerce, Painting, Music, Home Science or Foundation of Information Technology/Information and Communication Technology, National Cadet Corps (NCC).
Notes
(i) Hindi and English must be two of the three languages to be offered as stated in the note (i) above. Hindi and English must have been studied at least upto class VIII. (ii) Hindi and English must be one of the two languages to be studied in class IX and X. Hindi and English can also be offered simultaneously. In Hindi and English, two courses have been provided for class IX and X keeping in view the varying background of the student. A student may either opt Communicative-English (Subject Code 101) or English Language and Literature (Subject Code 184). Similarly, in Hindi, a student may either opt for Hindi A or Hindi B
