Drawing family tree to mapping weather changes: Govt schools tweak homework

GURGAON: The directorate of school education has this year decided to do away with the usual summer homework for government school students of primary classes.
Instead, the department has directed district officials and school heads to assign a series of fun-based and observational assignments that not only engage students but also the community as part of the Nipun Haryana mission.
The activities that students have to do tthis summer include spending time in the fields and observing different crops and their growth pattern, sitting with elders and chalking out their family tree, observing weather patterns and noting them down, reading electricity meters, making a list of utensils found in the kitchen and writing about the material used to make them, and measuring the amount of water that flows from a tap in three minutes, among others. Students have also been asked to practice yoga and write about the new exercises they learned.
“Under the mission, we have completely overhauled how students are taught and evaluated. Students are being taught using new-age pedagogy which is activity-based and focused on experiential learning rather than rote learning. This cycle would be incomplete if we do not overhaul how students are given homework during the summer break. So, from this year we are working toward assignments based on experience and observation,” said an official from the senior elementary education department.
“The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) has changed the way homework for summer vacations are to be given. Under the new guidelines, this homework has to be done along with the family and community members so that the students learn about the world around them. We have created four different categories under which detailed activities have been listed,” said Pramod Kumar, the state programme officer (directorate of elementary education) and nodal officer of the Nipun Haryana mission.
For instance, students in rural areas have exposure to agricultural fields, so they have been told to ask their parents about the crops that are being sown, how it develops, and the mechanisms used to ensure better yield, Kumar added.
“Students also visit their relatives and attend various functions during this time. So, students will speak with their family members and write about the tradition, folklore, origin of traditional dresses and delicacies,” he said.
“Moreover, we want to create awareness on the environment and bring behavioural change. For this, we have included tasks like observing days where students refrain from social media and TV.,” Kumar added.