CONCENTRIC SPIRAL AND TOPICAL APPROACHES

SUBMITTED  BY      : ABIDA

OPTIONAL SUBJET : SOCIAL SCIENCE

REG.NO.                      : 16914387001

INTRODUCTION

Curriculum is intimately related with all aspects of education.  While education is a developmental process towards a converted goal, curriculum is the input goal oriented direction to that process curriculum is the plan for guiding the goal – oriented educative process.

After topics have been selected according to the relevant fundamental principles described above, they have to be systematically arranged so as to facilitate meaning full and effective transaction.  The content show be arranged in a systematic manner.  In order to realize the objective it is inevitable to organize the curriculum in the most psychological and logically coherent manner.  Different approaches for organizing the curriculum.  They are spiral, topical, concentric, an unit approach.

Content

Different Approaches

A discussion on the general approaches being adopted for organizing curriculum was made earlier.  The approaches are

a.     Spiral approach

b.     Concentric approach

c.      Topical approach

The Spiral Approach

The spiral approach is nothing but devising a strahatergi that   fosters continuous un broken learning of the subject matter of social science through the various wages of education.  According to this approach, children in a primary classes being to develop simple generalization about man carrying of his everyday activities. They work with more and more complex items of information and as a result deepen and reshape the dimension of the related generalization already developed earlier for examples, it is very important that children should know our freedom struggle in the primary classes the information about this unit will be imparted through the life o some of the great leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Balagangadhara Thilakan, and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.  In the middle stage the information will be imported through event the formation of he Indian National Congress partition of Bengal, Civil Disobedience, Quit India movement etc.  In the secondary stage, the pupils still learn to compare and contrast the freedom movement in our country with other countries of the world and analyses them scientifically by establishing cause effective relations.

Merits of the Spiral Approach

Application of this approach will make social science a subject of immediate and real interest for the average pupil.  It will be the basis of correlating phenomena and happening with the immediate life of humanity and for those who are more intellectual it will be the basis of which academic insights and specialization in the discipline concerned can be attempted.

Limitations

1.     If proper care is not taken by the curriculum farmers in gradually expending the martial without mere repetition and if teachers do not carefully increase the scope of study in psychologically sound and natural way, this approach may cause monotony and lack of interest because of the repetitions of information.

2.     At the initial stage it will be difficult to give a clear picture of problem by presenting all the relevant details and by considering it in its totality.

3.     It is difficult to develop a sense in the pupils.

Concentric Approach

The whole curriculum is spread over a number of years.  Quite often a general treatment of almost all the topics are attempted at the beginning and it is developed in successive year according to the mental development of the pupil in the beginning of the pupil in the simplified way.  In the next years more and more details of its parts are gradually added.  If follows the maxims of teaching such as form whole to part simple to complex easy to difficult etc.  Among educationalists of modern times.

Bruner is the main exponent of this approach as he thinks that discovery learning is only possible only of this approach is maintained sometimes this approach is referred to as concentric approach.

Concentric Approach

Concentric approach is continuous steps by step.  1^st Year, 2^nd Year, 3^rd Year, 4^th Year etc.  The content is studding step by step.

Topical Approach

In this approach, selected topics of study suitable for the age ability and interest of children are included in the curriculum and each topic is dealt with completely in the class where it is first introduction of each topics are linked together by the teacher with the help of link lessons for the children of the age group 13+ (above 13) this approach is quite possible.

The curriculum maker takes particular topics as the central theme of social science learning at different levels of instructions.  At each stage the topics vary in accordance with the ability and interests of the children.  In the primary classes, the child may start the study of the development of concrete and familiar thing such as food, clothing, shelter and means of transportation.  In the middle classes, he may be introduced to more important and more difficult topics like history of instructions and of government.  In the secondary classes the student may be provided with ideas about ideologies like communism, socialism capitalism etc.

In this approach, we can deal with all the aspects of a problem and give an overall view of that particular problem.

Merits of Topical Approach

1.     This approach provides an action plan for dealing with vast material in a logical and rational way.  It helps the pupils to understand the facts of their developmental setting.

2.     This approach can be adapted according to the age ability and aptitude of the children.

3.     It imparts a sense of purpose to the pupils because of the total perception attempted.

4.     This approach enables the teacher to control the subject matter and adapt it to the varying needs of the children

Limitations

1.     It destroys the continuity of subject matter

2.     Since may aspects involved in a topic may be beyond the cognitive competencies of pupils in lower classes a complete study of the topic will not be possible because of the above reason.

Generally speaking, when a topic is complex and very large and involve units posing varied levels of difficulty ti will be advisable to have the unit approach.  The only thing is that care should be taken to effectively link all the units of the same topics as and when opportunities arise.

Conclusion

There are several approaches to the curriculum development.  They vary in their major focus.  Concentric and spiral curriculum is concerned with the mental development of pupil.  After topic have been selected according to the relevant fundamental principles described above, they have to be systematically arranged so as to facilitate meaningful and effective transaction.  The content should be arranged in a systematic manner.

References

v Methodology of teaching and pedagogical analysis D.K.Sivarajan

v www.wikipedia.com

v the structure of social stratification in CIS, Allign and Bacon

v Social Science Education – Dr. A. Antony

v Educational Technology – Dr. Vanaja