Primary School Programme - Scholastic

Steps done with heart, soul, mind & strength

The school curriculum features the interactive learning system for effective implementation of the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE). The prime focus of the curriculum is to innovate teaching-learning methodologies by developing paradigms that are conducive for students. The school provides a balanced educational program within a safe and stimulating environment so that each child embarks on a physical, intellectual, emotional and social journey of curiosity and reasoning. The aim of the school is to provide the essential skills that a child needs to cope with the changes in the world. While encouraging positive individual characteristics, it promotes a child’s responsibility, co-operation, creativity, respect for individuality and equality. It enhances learning by establishing and maintaining a high level of academic and behavioral expectations. OWS thus has designed a curriculum to make learning enjoyable, activity-based and experimental, preparing every student for global expectations

TEACHING PEDAGOGY

The Primary School recognizes the link between development and learning. The Experiential inquiry-based curriculum focuses on the child as a learner. The CCE pattern of assessment introduced takes the students through a journey of activity / Experiential -based learning.

The following teaching pedagogies are effectively implemented by the educators to ensure effective teaching & learning among the learners.

Experiential Learning

Art-Integrated Learning

Inter-Disciplinary Approach

Activity -Based and Joyful Learning

Integrating Life Skills

The above teaching pedagogy involves the enhancement of 21st century skills viz.,

3Ls: Learning Skills, Life Skills & Literacy Skills
4Cs: Critical Thinking, Creativity & Innovation, Collaboration, Communication
IMT: Information Literacy, Media Literacy, Technology Literacy
FLIPS: Flexibility and Adaptability, Leadership and Responsibility, Initiative & Self – Direction, Social and Cross- Cultural Interaction

lead to higher levels of learning which shift the focus from need for learning to love for learning.

PRIMARY SCHOOL PROGRAMME- CLASSES I–V

HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT

Holistic education is a philosophy of education based on the premise that each person find identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the community, to the natural world, and to humanitarian values such as compassion and peace. Holistic education aims to call forth from people an intrinsic reverence for life and a passionate love of learning.”” — Ron Miller- Pioneer in Holistic Education

OWS FOCUSES ON

The primary school (Classes I – V) follows a customized syllabus based on American psychologist Howard Gardener’s theory of Multiple Intelligences & Dr. Benjamin S. Bloom’s Blooms Taxonomy. The interdisciplinary approach acknowledges the existence of multiple types of intelligences and its diverse expression in each student; and the curriculum is designed to address all the versatile forms intelligence viz., Spatial, linguistic, logical-mathematical, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalist elements are incorporated into a well-rounded curriculum, such that every student can excel at whatever he or she does best, while improving any under-developed areas.

The curriculum at Primary school is not just textbook and knowledge but is holistic learning which focuses on value systems to sensitize young minds to the environment around them. Interdisciplinary activities (Art Integrated Curriculum -http://cbseacademic.nic.in/web_material/Circulars/2019/art_integration.pdf) are commonly used.

The key areas that the primary school curriculum addresses are

Children are encouraged to develop good study habits.
Honing of LSRW skills i.e. listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, (English, Hindi and Marathi), Compulsory Library sessions, dictation (word power) and handwriting classes every week. Special emphasis is given on acquiring language skills through active reading and listening programmes, and development of creative and artistic expression.
Building a strong foundation in mathematics (Mental Math, Vedic Math). Primary mathematical concepts are developed, focusing on numeracy skills and reasoning ability.
An introduction to the subjects of Science and Social studies (EVS) Inquiry sessions, Buddy system pedagogy, Collaborating learning, Subject Enrichment Activities.
Nurturing an interest in General Knowledge, Current Affairs etc.,
Visual Art & Craft, Yoga, Performing Art Vocal Music (Indian & Western), Theatre and Dance (Indian and Western)
An emphasis on Health & Physical Education & Sports.
Basic of Computer Tech- Focus on Microsoft Office, Linux.
Guest lectures, Field trips and Nature walks add to Experiential Education. Children are exposed to new realms of knowledge, new places and learning experiences through educational excursions and field trips.
Essential Life Skills Sessions like folding clothes, serving water, cooking without fire, sewing etc.
At this stage the emphasis is on experiential learning through experimentation, observation, analysis, drawing inferences, and discovery, to develop scientific temper.
Children are introduced to new learning experiences and challenges through graded exercises, work sheets, group learning and assignments.
Primary School curriculum places special emphasis on teaching children computer skills.
Children are provided opportunities to learn music, dance, drama, painting, etc. to nurture multiple intelligences.
Children’s creative talent is nurtured through participation in a variety of co-curricular activities and events.
The importance of service to community is instilled in children by developing in them the value of empathy and the spirit of sharing.

CLASSROOMS

A typical classroom at Primary section at Oxford World School is a vibrant and enriched learning space. What strikes you at first glance is that our class sizes are intimate – restricted to a small group of 30 -35 students and 3 sections.

Every day begins with morning assembly and circle time: Here the educators discusses with the learners Life skills and values which need to be reinforced time and again to ensure good behavior and attitude in children.

ASSESSMENTS

From Class I onwards, we introduce a system of Class Assessment, slowly acclimatizing students to write examinations.

At Oxford World School, we follow a system of continuous multi-disciplinary assessment, which could be formal or informal. We also follow a differentiated system of assessment to cater to the varied needs of children. OWS has been, and will continue taking initiatives to make education competency based. It focuses on the student’s demonstration of desired learning outcomes as central to the learning process. Therefore, the focus is on measuring learning through attainment of prescribed learning outcomes, rather than on measuring time.

Experiential and active learning are the best pedagogies for CBE. The School advocated introduction of Experiential Learning as mandatory pedagogy to promote critical thinking, creativity and effective study skills among students. OWS has also displayed the Learning Outcomes approach developed by NCERT for classes I-VIII and encouraged the educators to direct their teaching-learning in the light of these outcomes.

The child seeking entry into Oxford World School is evaluated on his/her skills and abilities in order to determine the level in comparison to the expectation of the class into which admission is sought. This helps the teacher to modulate the classroom transaction in order to meet the child’s needs. With the firm belief that education touches the mind as well as the being and each influences the other, information regarding each student is collected, considering their ability to apply knowledge, their learning process and how they conduct themselves in different situations. These findings form the basis of a continuous feedback process to the student and parents. A systematic follow up Programme is built around these evaluations, be it on the scholastic, co-scholastic or value/attitudinal front.

We recognize that the larger objective of the Academic Programme is to open minds and steer a child towards critical thinking and application. To this end, we administer assessments that are generated by our educators, keeping in mind the acceptable academic levels globally. Children experiment through and find their feet, thus honing critical life skills and sharpening their academic prowess. The curriculum is therefore designed to ensure that children are in a state of perpetual academic readiness.

Tasks could be varied within a class, homework, class work, projects, presentations- each lends to assessment, projecting a different aspect of the child’s learning. Much of the assessment conducted is diagnostic, but we also take Formative & summative assessments as per the Academic Planner.

The Academic Year is divided into 2 terms for Class I – V follow a continuous assessment pattern using the above methods with a summative assessment at the end of every term. The marks are published on the student ERP page. The students of Class I – V are evaluated by a 9-point grading system. Each grade, given on the basis of both formative and summative Assessments will correspond to the range of marks indicated below:

Grade	A1	A2	B1	B2	C1	C2	D	E1	E2
Marks	91-100	81-90	71-80	61-70	51-60	41-50	33-40	22-32	0-21

PLANNED SCHOOL HOURS

Classes I to V – From 8:30 am to 3:00 pm (Monday to Friday)