Syllabus Review
The syllabus review is necessary to develop an understanding and correlate the
efforts with results and identify areas that need attention. A critical, objective
and exhaustive review, when school is not in session, alone can provide an
opportunity for teachers and departments to critically review designs, strategies,
goals & objectives and overall learning opportunity it provided for the students.
It also lays foundation for new designs and alternative strategies and routes to
learning.
It is thus important that teachers and departments understand that this is
their opportunity of critical appraisal, not of individuals but of the systems,
structures, processes and practices. The teachers may be reassured that
academic supervisors understand and appreciate that as in all situations,
mistakes are inevitable, but they must always be recognized and addressed.
This appraisal shall not be used for any personal rewards or consequences for
or against any member of the faculty and shall be used exclusively for the
school improvement program with a view to improve school effectiveness.
Design
Objectives, state objectives
Declarative & procedural knowledge; skills building, if any. Give details
What will the students know and be able to do?
Units Plans
Covered, extent and depth; discuss adequacy with reasons;
Deviations from the planned syllabus, if any. Discuss why?
What were the lessons learnt?
How do you intend to incorporate these in the next syllabus & unit plans?
Transaction
Classroom management; check parameters
Teacher effectiveness; lesson plans; creation & delivery?
Use of multimedia, presentations?
Student participation?
Innovations?
Activities, visits or any other non conventional methods that create links
between students. prior understanding and new knowledge
Extend the learning environment beyond the class room to include the
media center, computer lab, community service, Worksheets etc..?
Create a classroom atmosphere that fosters students using each other as
sources of knowledge, listening to, and showing respect for others.
contributions
Skill building / Procedural Knowledge
State skills sought to be built
Results achieved
How measured?
Achievements, failings?
Lessons learnt?
Declarative Knowledge
Information base sought to be created
Results achieved
How measured?
Achievements, failings?
Lessons learnt?
Resources
Departmental infrastructure and classroom makeup; does it conform and
contribute to subject learning and create the desirable ambience
Time; was enough time available for meeting departmental goals and
student practice?
Text: books prescribed; check if appropriate, changes suggested for the
following year
Reference books recommended for the library; why? Department to
unanimously agree on text and reference books and any other multimedia
or video or visual resources.
Digital: any websites, videos, multimedia presentations or any other
digital resource
Homework
How often given? How checked?
Quality of compliance?
Alternative strategies?
Student achievement
State class achievements; (see format; >80, >60, >50, >40, <39, compare
with previous year of the same class;
Reasons for underachievement. Identify areas of weakness. (e.g. writing,
reading, listening comprehension, or speaking in case of English)
Remedial interventions
Discuss structure of remedials. What was the criterion for referring
students for the remedial interventions? How many participated? How well
was it received? How benchmarked? Results? Improvements recorded in
case of each child.
Mistakes, inadequacies, achievements of the previous year. How would
you incorporate these in the design, structure and transaction in the
coming year?
Assessments
Assessment models?
Formal & Informal
Discuss frequency, methodology, unit tests
Check progression of the class averages, or group averages
Efficacy of the assessment models
Changes for the following year?
Opportunities for students to summarize/reflect on what they have
learned and extend their thinking
Conclusions
What will the students know and be able to do?
Critical analysis and evaluation
Recommendations
Action plan
Vishal Jain
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