Unlock Boundless Opportunities: Academic Framework at Chitkara International School, Panchkula
Education is about far more than the marks fetched by a student. It’s about understanding right from wrong and having the current and comprehensive knowledge required to stay afloat in today’s society. Therefore, Chitkara International School helps the children to develop a perception of the world around and push their thinking both creatively and conceptually in many subject areas. Small group instruction, personalised attention for all the learners, flipped classrooms, blended learning, and self-directed learning allow teachers to thoroughly assess students during their work. The curriculum is developed keeping in mind all the three types of learners namely visual, auditory and kinaesthetic thereby touching the learning needs of a learner. We believe that each child rises to meet high expectations. Teachers encourage them to take intellectual risks, stretch socially, expand their ideas and investigate central issues.
Programmes available at CIS
This is a school with a long tradition of academic excellence and creativity within an exceptionally warm and supportive environment.
Our spacious and innovative early years centre offers a perfect, safe and stimulating environment for our youngest boys and girls whom we call Chicklets (2-3 years), Nestling (3- 4 years). Fledgling (4-5 years) and Cygnets (5-6 years)
Our Primary Program from Grade 1 to Grade 5 (6 years onward) offers a comfortable transformation from the colourful world of kindergarten to an equally colourful world of primary learning.
Our Middle and High School Programme offers an effective transition from middle to high school and then to higher education programmes in various colleges and universities.
All the objectives are merged providing every student with an individualised learning environment where the students learn at self-pace and attain mastery in learning. As far as pedagogy is concerned, it starts from inquiry, moves into the stage of presentation and then controlled practice and thereafter graduates to the stage of free practice. Thus, the ultimate goal lies in the fact that the learning process should be student-friendly, interesting and must ensure learning of the concepts easily by our students.
The academic framework begins with the Annual Blueprint which is the entire year’s draft of how the child‘s year would shape up academically. The framework is like an umbrella which encompasses three learning processes that revolve around the child and that are Teaching, Learning and Assessment embedded with Technology.
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The Teaching Framework
The teaching framework is quite vast and meticulous and revolves around the learner and his needs. We at Chitkara International School aiming to prepare the children for future take a careful hand towards creating a flexible yet a resourceful teaching framework incorporating unique processes of inquiry, eliciting, presentation, controlled practice, free practice (The 3-P Pyramid used at Chitkara International School), Weaving, Chaining, Drilling, Error Correction, Feeding etc. as part of the teaching process for which the faculty is rigorously trained. Starting from planning a lesson to ensuring that the child has been able to learn a concept, the teaching framework is centred on the children belonging to Generation Z (children born after 2003) and Alpha Generation learners (children born after 2010).
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The Learning Framework
The learning framework has been designed after an attempt to study the psychology of varied learners and their possible learning styles. The learning involves a unique blend of teacher talk time (TTT) and student talk time (STT) where the TTT is 30% and the STT is 70%. Every attempt is made to elicit information from students rather than directly feeding it. That is how a lesson is planned and the final output is achieved by ensuring that the learner has been able to absorb the concept. Also, various learning patterns and styles are studied before the child becomes part of the Chitkara family. Introducing and designing the concept maps for each and every lesson help the students to assimilate the concept thoroughly. Also, there are ample opportunities for children to experience group work, role plays, peer learning, self-study etc. so as to adapt to various learning situations.
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The Assessment Framework
Again, the assessment framework is designed not to test the child but as a great learning experience to the child and value addition to what he has learnt so far. Also, the assessment framework includes the scholastic as well as co-scholastic areas of learning with innovative practices and the latest trend in the field of assessment. Under the scholastic domain, assessment is divided into the assessment of learning and assessment for learning. Every attempt is made to find the true score of the child with the use of software and analysis is done on the basis of Classical Test Theory, Item Response Theory, Partial Credit model, Scoring Weight Scores (SWS), Confidence Level Rating etc. so as to know the true score of the learner. Also, diagnostic assessments are done to diagnose the gaps (if any) in any concept that the child has learnt. Once these gaps are identified then the learner is given feedback on the same and that’s how smooth learning is ensured at our school. With the co-scholastic areas of assessment, appropriate grading scales are made and outline of the dimensions to assess like health, personality, social skills, attitudes etc. are laid to study the child as a whole thereby ensuring holistic development of the child.
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Technology Framework
The technology is embedded in the entire process of teaching, learning and assessment at Chitkara School and that is what makes it a school of 21st-century learners. The technology framework is spread all over the school whether academically or otherwise. It not just covers the scholastic part but also extends its scope beyond academics thus becoming a powerful catalyst for pedagogical change by introducing TEK -8 a complete hands-on technology curriculum comprising of 7 modules namely Computer Science, Electronics, Mobile technology, Automobiles, Robotics, Household technology, Energy Management. This innovative curriculum has collaboratively designed by the Subject Matter Experts and Faculty Members of R&D Team (Research & Development) of Chitkara University and Chitkara International School.
The modules are well researched and mapped according to the present and futuristic needs of each and every learner, thus making him/her a part of the hi-tech world and according to the future industrial needs. The Technology framework for the academic areas also involves digital learning through various aids like SchoolPad, ExtraMarks etc. Thus, the technology is like an umbrella that cushions the teaching, learning and assessment at Chitkara International School.
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E-Learning
Virtual connectivity is of paramount importance for Chitkara International School (CIS), and the school’s stakeholders remain well-connected, throughout the year, via the school’s ERP system, SchoolPad. Also resources like DATs, Revision Schedule, Important Circulars, Date sheets, Home Timetables, Anecdotes, PPTs (with narrations), Worksheets, Video links, Home Learning Sheets, Textbook PDFs, E-links, Assessment Sheets, Planners, Practice Logs, etc. are shared through SchoolPad.
