Unit IV-UNDERSTANDING DISCIPLINES AND SUBJECTS -
SCHOOL SUBJECTS: PATTERNS OF CHANGE- Part 2- BEd notes
Prepared by
Sabarish P
Contents
- Inclusion of near subject areas such as Sex education, Horticulture, Hospitality, Life skills, Health care.
- Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection.
Inclusion of near subject areas
Sex Education
Sex education is instruction on issues relating to human sexuality, reproductive rights and responsibilities, sexual abstinence, and birth control. Common avenues for sex education are parents or caregivers, formal school programs, and public health campaigns.
Information on sex teaches young people the life skills necessary to assume responsibility for their own behaviour and to respect the rights of others.
Sex education may be taught informally by means of conversation with a parent, friend, religious leader or through the media. It may also be delivered through sex self-help authors, magazine advice columnists, sex columnists, or sex education web sites.
Formal sex education occurs when schools or health care providers offer sex education.
Sometimes formal sex education is taught as a full course as part of the curriculum in junior high school or high school. Otherwise it is taught as just a unit.
Some schools offer no sex education, since it remains a controversial issue in several countries.
Horticulture
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of vegetable garden plant growing.
Horticulture includes the cultivation of medicinal plant, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and non-food crops such as grass and ornamental trees and plants.
Horticulture also includes plant conservation, landscape restoration, landscape and garden design and arboriculture. Horticulture contrasts with extensive field farming as well as animal husbandry within agriculture.
Horticulturists apply their knowledge, skills, and technologies used to grow intensively produced plants for human food and non-food uses and for social needs.
The work of horticulturists involves plant propagation and cultivation with the aim of improving plant growth, yields, quality, nutritional value, and resistance to insects, diseases, and environmental stresses.
Hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between the guest and the host, or the act or practice of being hospitable. This includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.
Hospitality is derived from the Latin hospes, meaning host, guest, or stranger. Hospes is formed from hostis, which means stranger or enemy, the latter being where terms like hostile derive.
Hospitality is more associated with etiquette and entertainment. However, it still involves showing respect for one's guests, providing for their needs, and treating them as equals.
Hospitality may also refer to good caring.
Life Skills
Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life, in other words psychosocial competency.
Life skills are a set of human skills, acquired via teaching or direct experience, that are used to handle problems and questions commonly encountered in daily human life.
The subject varies greatly depending on social norms and community expectations.
Some of the important life skills are Decision making, Problem solving, Creative thinking, Critical thinking, Effective communication, Interpersonal relationships, Self awareness, Assertiveness, Empathy, Coping with stress, trauma and loss, Resilience, etc.
Life skills curricula often emphasise on communications and practical skills needed for successful independent living.
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in human beings.
Health care refers to the work done in providing primary care, secondary care, and tertiary care, as well as in public health.
Access to health care varies across countries, groups, and individuals is largely influenced by social and economic conditions as well as the health policies.
Countries and jurisdictions have different policies and plans in relation to the personal and population-based health care goals within their societies.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a well-functioning health care system requires a robust financing mechanism; a well-trained and adequately-paid workforce; reliable information on which to base decisions and policies; and well maintained health facilities and logistics to deliver quality medicines and technologies.
Health care is conventionally regarded as an important determinant in promoting the general physical and mental health and well-being of people around the world.
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Sustainable development contain two key concepts namely the concept of needs and the idea of limitations.
Sustainable development envisions the world as a system that connects space and a system that connects time.
The decisions made by ancestors about how to farm the land continue to affect agricultural practice today. The economic policies that are endorsed today will have an impact on urban poverty in the next generation.
The concept of sustainable development helps in understanding the self and the world. The complex problems can be addressed with innovations for a healthy and meaningful future.
Environmental protection
Environmental education comprises of education about the environment, for the environment and through the environment.
Environmental knowledge contributes to an understanding and appreciation of the society, technology and productivity and conservation of natural and cultural resources.
Environmental education is a process that aims at the development of environmentally literate citizens who can compete in global economy, who have the skills and knowledge to make well informed choices concerning the environment.
Environmental education has an ability to solve the societal needs, the needs of a community problem and their solutions.
The textbooks lay emphasis on raising awareness levels and sensitising children about environmental concerns.
The textbooks represent relevant ideas commensurate with the age and developmental level of children so as to provide them the necessary understanding about their immediate environment.
However, there is a scope for inclusion of more activities to enable children to translate awareness into effective behavioural action.
Prepared by
Sabarish P
(MSc Physics, MEd, NET)Contact: pklsabarish@gmail.com
