An Overview
The 21st Century is characterized by a dizzying pace of change and enormous competition. DPS helps students handle these challenges through a well-designed curriculum that is a right mix of academics, creativity and character building. This also makes learning enjoyable and brings out the best in our students. Emerging technologies or relevant issues like Biotechnology, Internet, Ecology, Entrepreneurship, and Bio-diversity are integrated into the curriculum. Community-based activities are included, to build qualities like citizenship, compassion, and empathy.
Dealing with the Modern Child
Children nowadays, therefore, are exposed to a lot of information from a very young age. They have well-developed personalities and pre-set preferences of their likes and dislikes. With the amount of time being invested in the young ones at home before they even start formal schooling, we do not get access to young impressionable minds that can be molded as required. They have their own personalities that are pre-developed to a large extent and need to be handled gently and patiently. Schools, therefore, have the formidable task of ensuring that each child gets the space required for his/her growth. It is imperative that modern education provides an environment of learning that is suited to the pace of the individual learner Skills and attitudes developed in these very early childhood years form the basis for life-long learning. We are committed to providing a happy, secure and stimulating environment in which pre-schoolers will experience expert care and attention appropriate to their age and stage of learning. Developmentally based programs encourage children to become active learners and communicators, realizing their potential as an individual and member of a group as they mature and discover the world around them through a combination of creative free-play, structured activities, and social interaction. Indoor and outdoor activities are balanced throughout the day to further encourage skills development in cognitive, social, emotional, gross and fine motor areas.
Learning Beyond the Three R’s
Apart from learning the three R’s (reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic), DPS ensures that children put under our care grow up to be smart, confident and honest citizens of the world. We lay equal emphasis on life skills and inculcation of values such as good citizenship, honesty, compassion, integrity, harmony, religious tolerance as well as respect for other races, tradition, and history. An equal amount of stress is also laid on physical development and a wide range of extra-curricular activities is available to the students.
The aim in the early years of schooling is to establish a firm foundation of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values necessary for further learning. Our particular emphasis is on students achieving high standards in literacy and numeracy, thereby establishing skills essential for success in all areas of learning. Language and mathematical skills, concepts and processes are developed through the various Programs. Of the utmost importance is to ‘spark the fire’ for love of life-long learning.
The curriculum at DPS Pathankot is organized into five key areas of learning
- Language Development
- Numeracy
- Science and Social Studies (Inquiry Units)
- Personal, Social and Physical Education
- Creative and Performing Arts
The DPS Academic Programme
The entire academic programme is planned to encourage the spirit of inquiry and self-learning. The curriculum at DPS Pathankot is designed for holistic education which motivates our students to become lifelong learners and seek true knowledge which is experiential and transformational.
An International Outlook
The broad-based curriculum is designed to stimulate the inherent capacity of children to think research and acquire cognitive skills needed to navigate challenges that they will face in the real world. DPS Pathankot is possibly the first school in the area to offer an exclusive curriculum of international standards. Through this curriculum, children will develop understanding, gain relevant knowledge, acquire necessary skills and cultivate positive attitudes.
Each Child is Different
Our commitment to each child as an individual; combined with a dedicated professional staff, extends an affectionate and stimulating environment where children feel safe and free to explore the world around them. Our preschool classrooms are well equipped with material that encourages imagination and socialization-including books, blocks, paints, and dramatic play. Hands-on experiences and opportunities for children to repeatedly try new skills and experiments with new knowledge are the goals of each teaching-learning moment. It is made sure that children feel safe to take risks as they explore the world around them.
At the primary level, there is an emphasis on development-based curriculum and students learn the essential concepts of each subject. Special stress is laid on inculcating optimistic attitude and healthy habits for positive self-esteem. Foundation in reading, creative writing, communication, science, and mathematics are strengthened in a well-planned learning process that makes teaching-learning personalized and meaningful. In the primary school, we focus on developing skills so that the students seek to foster academic achievement and stimulate critical thinking. Students are encouraged to constructively question for things around them. Each child’s progress is closely monitored and regularly reported to parents, enabling them to work together in partnership with the school.
While English is the language of instruction, students are also offered the option of learning additional languages like Hindiand Punjabi.
A CBSE Based Curriculum
For the enquiring parent, our proposed curriculum will be based on CBSE pattern, with a blend of international curriculum a system of exploration, research and project work – all guided by expert staff who will inculcate in the growing child an independent approach to learning. Our Junior School is based on small classrooms, with specialist primary year’s teachers who know their students well.
Curriculum Bandwidth
CBSE: Offers an enriched National Curriculum -Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) pattern, New Delhi.
The prime focus of the Board is on
- Innovations in teaching-learning methodologies by devising students friendly and students centred paradigms.
- Reforms in examinations and evaluation practices.
- Skill learning by adding job-oriented and job-linked inputs.
- Ensuring that students develop good communication and social skills
- Regularly updating the pedagogical skills of the teachers and administrators by conducting in service training programmes, workshops etc.