There are almost 15 lakh schools in India, about more than 1 lakh schools just in Maharashtra, and above 3 thousand schools in the city of Mumbai. All these schools follow different curriculums based on the type of boards like the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (SSC and HSE), Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), International Baccalaureate (IB) and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). Amongst these many schools in Mumbai, there is one diverse and special school- The Aditya Birla Integrated School (TABIS) located in the Fort area of South Bombay. It is a part of Aditya Birla Education Trust- founded by Mrs. Neerja Birla and led by a well-known, recognized, and recently rewarded as a Changemaker, Ms. Piya Marker.
According to David G. Armstrong (1989), “Curriculum is a master plan for selecting content and organizing learning experiences for the purpose of changing and developing learners' behaviours and insights.” That is, each school develops a strategy for determining how and what sort of information to convey to their pupils, as well as what kind of experience to provide so that the students mature into individuals who contribute to society in some way. There are many approaches to designing a curriculum, but the most common ones are subject-centered curriculum, problem-centered curriculum, and learner-centered curriculum.
In the first type of curriculum, the focus is on the content of the subject. Each subject has its own curriculum plan, and it has very little or nothing to do with the remaining subjects. For example, in an SSC board school, subjects like History, Geography, English, Chemistry, Mathematics, etc are not co-related. The curriculum in the next one organizes the topic around an issue that must be solved, real or fictional. We, at TABIS, follow the third type, i.e., the learner-centered curriculum. As the name suggests, the students are given more importance while designing a curriculum like this one. The focus here is shifted totally from the way a teacher teaches to the way a learner is meant to learn.
We are a school for students with special needs. For us, everything revolves around our students. Following the learner-centered curriculum, we consider the three most important things, they are:
We design our curriculum to meet the needs of the learner according to their stages of growth and development, keeping in mind their interests, strengths, and abilities by providing them opportunities to participate, construct and experience the new learning.The school uses a multidisciplinary approach in setting the goals at both the group and individual levels of the learners. Besides the academic and co-curricular activities, all the students have access to occupational therapy and speech and communication therapy as a part of their weekly schedule. Every day at TABIS, everyone is learning something new. The students learn new concepts, the teachers learn new methods and techniques, the therapists learn new strategies and we are able to model our learnings in one form or the other.
We know that the main parts of a curriculum design include setting objectives in all areas, defining the content and the method to implement the lessons, and finally evaluating and reflecting upon the outcome to identify that the learning is in alignment with the constructed design of the curriculum. In addition to this, as a special school, we also make regular adaptations to our unique curriculum design. We make adaptations in the following ways:
And based on the Curriculum design, the teachers at TABIS, along with all the other stakeholders like Parents, Therapists, Medical Director of the school, and the leadership team, construct an Individualised Educational Plan (IEP) for each student. Most of the teachers at TABIS are special educators. Our curriculum demands to make the learner the centre of instructions. Teachers are not just sharing knowledge, they also serve as a guide, a mentor, a resource, and a facilitator for all students. A students’ error or failure is considered as a reflection in the learning process at our school since it advises us to modify the instructions for that specific student in order for them to attain their individual goals.Continuous formative evaluations are included in our curriculum to help students learn more effectively. Our curriculum integrates all areas of growth and development like conceptual knowledge, physical movement, and growth, creativity in the form of art and music, computer skills, life skills, socioemotional skills, vocational skills, behaviour modification strategies, and all of this keeping in mind the sensorial needs of the students.
Overall, TABIS' curriculum design is in line with the school's and instructors' visions. The students' intellectual, creative, emotional, and physical growth are all balanced. It is well-organized and creates clear links between the many subjects and experiences that the students have had. It is designed to teach the most key principles in each area. The curriculum is vertically and horizontally linked, with a focus on advancement through careful sequencing of the information and matching the degree of challenge to the student's existing knowledge level. Finally, it is equally relevant to enable the students in making informed decisions on their own.
Author: Charmy Adhia,
Coordinator- DLP
The Aditya Birla Integrated School
Also read:
https://www.adityabirlaintegratedschool.com/blog/how-is-the-curriculum-of-inclusive-schools-in-mumbai-different-from-normal-schools
https://www.adityabirlaintegratedschool.com/blog/how-a-special-needs-school-can-help-children-in-achieving-success-beyond-studies
https://www.adityabirlaintegratedschool.com/blog/get-set-and-go-motivating-children-with-learning-difficulties
