CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND PEDAGOGY

CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND PEDAGOGY SYLLABUS

(These syllabus may change from time to time. Please check with the relevant websites for any changes in the syllabus)

Paper I
a) Child Development (Primary School Child)
Concept of development and its relationship with learning 
Principles of the development of children 
Influence of Heredity & Environment 
Socialization processes: Social world & children (Teacher, Parents, Peers) 
Piaget, Kohlberg and Vygotsky: constructs and critical perspectives 
Concepts of child-centered and progressive education 
Critical perspective of the construct of Intelligence 
Multi Dimensional Intelligence 
Language & Thought 
Gender as a social construct; gender roles, gender-bias and educational practice 
Individual differences among learners, understanding differences based on diversity of language, caste, gender, community, religion etc.  Distinction between Assessment for learning and assessment of learning; School-Based Assessment, Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation: perspective and practice 
Formulating appropriate questions for assessing readiness levels of learners; for enhancing learning and critical thinking in the classroom and for assessing learner achievement.

b) Concept of Inclusive education and understanding children with special needs
Addressing learners from diverse backgrounds including disadvantaged and deprived 
Addressing the needs of children with learning difficulties, ‘impairment’ etc. 
Addressing the Talented, Creative, Specially abled Learners

c) Learning and Pedagogy
How children think and learn; how and why children ‘fail’ to achieve success in school performance. 
Basic processes of teaching and learning; children’s strategies of learning; learning as a social activity; social context of learning. 
Child as a problem solver and a ‘scientific investigator’ 
Alternative conceptions of learning in children, understanding children’s ‘errors’ as significant steps in the learning process. 
Cognition & Emotions 
Motivation and learning 
Factors contributing to learning – personal & environmental

Paper II (for classes VI to VIII) Elementary Stage:
a) Child Development (Elementary School Child)
Concept of development and its relationship with learning 
Principles of the development of children 
Influence of Heredity & Environment
Socialization processes: Social world & children (Teacher, Parents, Peers) 
Piaget, Kohlberg and Vygotsky: constructs and critical perspectives 
Concepts of child-centered and progressive education 
Critical perspective of the construct of Intelligence 
Multi Dimensional Intelligence 
Language & Thought 
Gender as a social construct; gender roles, gender-bias and educational practice 
Individual differences among learners, understanding differences based on diversity of language, caste, gender, community, religion etc.  Distinction between Assessment for learning and assessment of learning; School-Based Assessment, Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation: perspective and practice 
Formulating appropriate questions for assessing readiness levels of learners; for enhancing learning and critical thinking in the classroom and for assessing learner achievement.

b) Concept of Inclusive education and understanding children with special needs
Addressing learners from diverse backgrounds including disadvantaged and deprived 
Addressing the needs of children with learning difficulties, ‘impairment’ etc. 
Addressing the Talented, Creative, Specially abled Learners

c) Learning and Pedagogy
How children think and learn; how and why children ‘fail’ to achieve success in school performance. 
Basic processes of teaching and learning; children’s strategies of learning; learning as a social activity; social context of learning. 
Child as a problem solver and a ‘scientific investigator’ 
Alternative conceptions of learning in children, understanding children’s ‘errors’ as significant steps in the learning process. 
Cognition & Emotions 
Motivation and learning 
Factors contributing to learning – personal & environmental

CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND PEDAGOGY ANSWER KEYS

1. Participatory approach of child rearing where children are helped by parents/teachers on taking decisions about various things
(A) Permissive pattern (B) Democratic pattern      (C) Authoritarian pattern (D) Submissive pattern
Ans: B

2. Language development in children is promoted through
(A) Solitary play    (B) Parallel play      (C) Story telling    (D) Sleeping
Ans: C

3. Immunization given to children against Tuberculosis
(A) BCG     (B) DPT   (C) MMR (D) HTB
Ans: A

4. Which among the following is not a reflex present at the time of birth ?
(A) Rooting reflex    (B) Sucking reflex      (C) Moro reflex    (D) Knee- jerk reflex when tapped
Ans: D

5. Physical and psychological readiness of the children to enter school is necessary as it
(A) Affects the parent’s economic capacity    (B) Aesthetic values      (C) Affects his personality    (D) Affects the education system
Ans: C