Sardana, Arvind
(2019)
Textbook development processes – some reflections
and learnings.
Learning Curve (3).
pp. 3-6.
Abstract
One of my colleagues of many years recently
remarked in a conversation, ‘You still believe in
textbook development with Governments?’ This
was partly in jest and partly serious. The serious
part was that, even after three decades of work
in Madhya Pradesh (MP), there appears to be no
institutional memory that experiments such as
HSTP, Social Science and Prashika had taken place.
They are all buried, having been formally closed
in 2002. The current textbooks often reflect what
it was like in the 1980s. For a while we appear to
be standing in the same place again. The curricular
choices and presentation reflect similar views on
knowledge, pedagogy and role of teachers that
we had once sought to change. However this is
not true for other states and also for the efforts
at the national level. We have been invited by
many other state governments for being part of
teams initiating curricular renewal processes at
the state level. Similarly, textbooks especially in
science and math prepared by NCERT in around
2005 are being used by other states. MP too, has
also adopted these textbooks. Hence similar ideas
have come around in a different way, probably in a
more lasting manner. This could be debated. But no
effort at contextualising for the state, my colleague
may retort. Social science is left out, reflecting the
priority usually allotted to be subject.
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