Contemporary Trends In Education : A Handbook For Educators

216 Pages·2011·1.707 MB·English

by  Saxena Vandana

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C T E
ONTEMPORARY RENDS IN DUCATION
A H E
ANDBOOK FOR DUCATORS
Edited by
Vandana Saxena
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ISBN 9788131759486
eISBN 9789332501287

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C
ONTENTS
Foreword vii
Acknowledgements viii
1. The Agenda: Nurturing the Expert Within 1
Vandana Saxena
2. Trends in Teacher Education 8
Alka Behari
SECTION I: UNDERSTANDING TRENDS IN PEDAGOGY
3. Emerging Pedagogic Practices in English,
with Special Focus on the English Lab 17
Geeta Sahni and Jyoti Kohli
4. Teaching of Social Science: History, Context and Challenges 27
Salil Misra and Ashish Ranjan
5. Emerging Pedagogic Practices in Mathematics 54
Jyoti Sharma and R.D. Mehta
6. Issues and Concerns in School Science Curriculum 73
Rumesh Chander
7. Environmental Education for Sustainable Development 78
Manisha Wadhwa nee Dabas and K. Kalyani
SECTION II: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN EDUCATION
8. Gender Bias in Education: Time to Create a
Gender–equitable Learning Environment 113
Fauzia Khan and Ambreen Yusufi
9. Adolescence Education 130
Pankaj Arora
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vi Contents
10. Effective Use of Educational Technology in the Classroom 140
Geeta Sahni
11. Understanding Inclusion: Resource Material for Teacher Educators 145
Anupam Ahuja and Els Heijnen
12. Education for Peace: Dialogical Explorations 179
Shweta Singh
The Editor and Contributors 203
Central Institute of Education: A Profile 207
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F
OREWORD
The quality perspective in education plays a pivotal role in the long-term development of the
nation. Hence, quality concerns prevail across the countries and are undoubtedly of global sig-
nificance. As the apex body at the national-level Ministry of Human Resource and Development
(MHRD), Government of India, has been concerned with ensuring quality in education at vari-
ous levels.
The commitment of our State-India-towards, quality education for all is undisputed. With
consistent striving, we are approaching the goal. However, a lot needs to be done for addressing
quality issues at all levels in education. Some focussed efforts have emerged in the past decades,
but their framework was too specific to the given context and it was difficult to implement them
in diverse socio-cultural and economic situations.
The concern for quality in education has been a constant endeavour at Central Institute of
Education (CIE), ever since its foundation. As a pioneering institution, CIE has been contribut-
ing in professional education and research. The institution has major contributions in inspiring
the educational scenarios across India. The 63 year’s Alumni are spread all over the globe facili-
tating the process in various capacities.
An in-depth understanding of the related issues was shared between CIE & MHRD India.
What emerged as a collective commitment was a will to contemplate upon the task in the most
appropriate way. While MHRD volunteered to support financially, the CIE assured of the vital
academic support. Six projects were conceived, worked upon and completed in due time by the
dynamic contributions of academicians across the country.
This handbook is the outcome of one of those six projects. The original research input by the
experts in respective fields is a unique feature of this handbook.
I compliment Dr Vandana Saxena, the coordinator of this project, for taking this laudable
initiative in bringing out the handbook in its present form and hope that this would inspire
many more minds to carry on the journey.
Prof. U.S. Sharma
Former Head & Dean
Department of Education
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A
CKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Compiling this handbook has been a journey. It would not have been possible without the
critical observations of many colleagues, who provided the much needed force to keep me out
of my comfort zones, as also of those who constantly lubricated to prevent abrasions.
An earnest thanks to Professor U.S. Sharma, then Head and Dean, Department of Education,
University of Delhi for considering me for this project and Professor Bharati Baveja, the next,
Head and Dean, Department of Education, for her continued support.
A special thanks to MHRD, India for funding the project and granting the permission to
publish it.
Loads of thanks to the following people:
Dr Alka Behari for her timely presence.
Dr Pankaj Arora and Dr D. Parimala for facilitating the data collection.
Dr Nirupama Jaimini for her ever-present help, support and wisdom, at a very short notice.
All the experts, who participated in the consultations during the National Seminar.
My fellow Teacher Educators, at various DIETs and Colleges of Education, who participated
in the follow-up discussions and data collection.
The authors of different chapters Salil, Fauzia, Ambreen, Shweta, Kalyani, Manisha, Prof.
Mehta, Jyoti, Dr Sahni, Jyoti Kohli, Pankaj, Alka, Rumesh, Ashish, Els, Anupam for their valu-
able contribution and unlimited patience with me.
Dr Geeta Sahni, for language editing.
Qudsiya Ahmed, from Pearson, for her unbroken support and endurance.
Vipin Kumar from Pearson, for his meticulous proficiency.
The team of research scholars who facilitated the data collection, coordination and
compilation
My parents for nurturing patience and passion through their unique parenting style.
And yes, of course, Neeraj, Adhish and Aaradhana who love me enough to allow me to work
continuously, uninterrupted.
Vandana Saxena
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Vandana Saxena
Education is a complex, multi-layered process. The multiple layers are so intricately woven that
it is almost unimaginable to develop frameworks and modalities for any one of the constituents
separately. If school is to be the name of the place where education occurs, then home is the
undisputed first school for all – although for many in India, it is also the only school (and, of
course, a large number of homeless children do not even have this option).
School as a place for providing formal, pre-designed and pre-conceived educational experi-
ences is a fusion of several animate and inanimate subjects with learning–teaching being the most
fundamental of all activities. While there are a number of other factors influencing this process,
visibly or invisibly, the regular participants here are the students and the teachers interacting
through course materials and assessment schedules. This interaction is pre-conceived, as what
the students need to learn is already decided, and it is pre-designed, as what they would be a llowed
to learn is also pre-determined, often even before most are born. It may be tempting here to
d iscuss how knowledge is culturally and institutionally controlled, but we would continue with
the p re-decided(!) mandate of reviewing the possibilities of enriching and maximizing the
outcomes within the existing scenarios.
Teachers play a central role in the process of school education. They have to be empow-
ered, i ndividually as well as institutionally, to facilitate the growth of each child and synergize
the entire system. They should be enabled to make informed pedagogical choices through a
w ell-thought-out scheme for continuous professional development. For this, the teacher e ducation
programmes, both at pre-service and at in-service level, should evolve a mechanism of capacitat-
ing themselves to address the constantly evolving state of the Indian school education.
Teacher education, like any other professional endeavour, is complex. The economic, cultural,
political and intellectual dimensions of the contemporary society are in a state of flux. They also
intersect with each other and admit few or no certainties. The classrooms are full of uncertain-
ties, the teachers are required to perform diverse roles in the schools, the teacher educator is
caught up between the debate of theory and practice, and the state is talking nationalism and
globalism through education and related policies. These multidimensional combinations place
infinite demands on the teacher and, thus, teacher education.
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