Academic Department Details

Department:Art School

Subject:Art

Curriculum:ICSE

Course Content

Learning Objectives

• Understanding of two-dimensional form
• Understanding of colour
• Familiarity with ceramic material and basic methodology
• Understanding of sculptural quality in three-dimensional objects

Skills Acquired By Students

• Material Handling and manipulation
• Colour application and manipulation of surface
• Manipulation of clay as a material to incorporate three-dimensional forms

General Comments

The course is aimed to provide a basic understanding of the media and method. Students explore all the mediums to give expression to their ideas and create a variety
of art work within a specific set of methodology. In D Form, they work mainly on developing their drawing skill.

In C Form, emphasis is on helping boys develop their skills and learn material handling. In this Form, students are also introduced to Digital Media, especially
Photoshop.

Academic Department Details

Department:Department of Computer Science

Subject:Computer Science

Course Content

Word Processing, Presentation Graphics, Spreadsheets, Photo Editing using Adobe Photoshop, Web Designing (HTML, JavaScript, WYSIWYG Editors, Image Processing), Animations using Adobe Flash, Basic Action Scripting, Scratch, Code.Org

Learning Objectives

In the modern world, the knowledge of computer science and its applications is essential. At the school we realized its importance early to make our students ready for future challenges. The aim of introducing the subject is to make students use it as a tool to enhance their knowledge and creativity, to communicate for better understanding in an increasing smaller world and design applications.

Skills Required to Learn

The students become complete end users of computer systems. They hone their designing, programming and problem-solving skills, learn to code and learn to use computers effectively.

General Comments

This subject is extremely popular among D and C formers as they find freedom to create and control. Each lesson is taken in the computer laboratories and students relate what they study in their classes. The syllabus has been reviewed with greater emphasis on learning through Web 2.0 technologies and visual environments like scratch and Code.Org. The students are highly interested in the activities which are organized by the subject teachers like web designing, flash movies, power point slides, basic animations, Scratch etc. The students participate in various competitions in the city and in Cyber Olympiads as well. There are no term end examinations in the subject but it is mandatory for the students to make projects in the classes using the skills learnt. Although the subject has applications in almost all fields, it especially helps students to make a career in Automobile Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Animation & Graphic designing, Armed Forces, Computer Engineering, Information technologist, Multimedia, Programmer, System Analyst, Software Engineering, and Telecommunication etc.

Academic Department Details

Department:Department of Design and Technology

Subject:Design and Technology

Course Content

Learning Objectives

• To equip students with furniture making skills with the help of power tools, design development and construction techniques
• Building full-scale furniture with actual materials for better understanding of scale, proportion, ergonomics and materials properties, strengths and weaknesses
• Better knowledge of design and improvement in quality of design through a deep understanding of materials properties, joints, finishes and construction techniques

Skills Required to Learn

• Ability to analyze the colour and material combinations
• Creativity

General Comments

The process of the Design and Technology begins with the teaching of healthy and safe work habits, and using many different hand tools and machine tools. Students will go through a hands-on experience of working with materials and processes in which they will be exploring and making their final product in actual material.

Academic Department Details

Department:Department of Modern Foreign Languages

Subject:French

Course Content

Learning Objectives

• Linking of languages with another culture
• Appreciation of different points of view in different cultures
• Develop intercultural understanding
• Promote tolerance of other cultures, a must in the youth of today
• Helping them appreciate art, literature, cinema and music in other cultures

Skills Acquired by Students

Students get an introduction to the language at the initial stages. They learn a wide range of vocabulary and basic grammatical structures. The skills developed are:

• Interactive skills – Students learn to converse a basic conversation in the target language. They can ask questions and reply.
• Productive skills – They are able to describe their houses, their families and pets, their activities and their school and daily routines.
• Research skills – Students are able to search for stories and vocabulary on the net and in other books and dictionaries.
• Receptive skills – They can understand basic instructions in the class and do listening comprehension exercises on the done topic.

General Comments

At this beginning stage the students have a marked excitement for new languages, they have less burden of other subjects and have rapid processing in their brains in the linguistic seat and what they learn now, they can use it later for higher skills. Learning a foreign language also gives them a deeper understanding of their own language and develops linguistic skills and finesse which is a lifelong utility. More and more students should be encouraged to learn a foreign language at this stage. The English language has borrowed heavily from the French vocabulary; hence the students make the connections easily, and this is useful in their careers as well.

Academic Department Details

Department:Department of Humanities

Subject:Geography

Course Content

Learning Objectives

• To create awareness of the various aspects of geography and their relations to the development of societies
• To provide training in understanding and reading maps and doing map work
• To inculcate among students a deeper appreciation of the inter-relationship between man and his environment at a personal as well as at a global level
• To inculcate an interest in the subject

Skills Acquired by Students

• Understanding of the nature of the subject
• Ability to recall information and facts and present them in a coherent manner
• Apply the learning to similar situations outside the curriculum taught
• Analyze and interpret data to come to viable conclusions

General Comments

This curriculum is designed to lead the students to explore the physical as well as human aspects of our environment. It is interactive in approach and engages the student in participating as engaged learners who will thus develop an interest in the subject. The topics begin with focus questions, and in the course of the lessons, students are familiarized with key terms and facts. There are topic-related activities that focus on particular geographical features of a region, familiar to individual students, and encourage them to link these to similar features in other regions of the world. Extensive use of maps, photographs and infographs is designed to catch and hold the students’ interest and help them develop a clear understanding of the concepts and themes specific to the subject.

Academic Department Details

Department:Department of Foreign Languages

Subject:German

Course Content

The course involves various aspects of the language and has been structured as per the IGCSE guidelines. They have a textbook ‘Studio D A1 and A2′ which includes workbooks as well. The teaching learning process is highly interactive so that oral skills may be strengthened, and students are highly encouraged to talk amongst themselves in German. The basic concepts of grammar are interspersed in between and they learn more through speaking and listening and then understanding the grammar. The syllabus covers the following topics which are spread over two years.

• Travelling and eating (Food and meals)
• Taking a city tour and visiting places in Germany
• Professions
• Hobbies and leisure time activities
• Talking about home towns and homes
• Your family
• Animals
• Festivals
• Places in a town
• A school day
• Vacations

Learning Objectives

The teaching of German in the Doon School has been a very exciting activity, always taught outside the curriculum. For students interested in Foreign Languages, studying German and learning how to speak the language is something that they tackle with a lot of enthusiasm. It opens them to new cultures and promotes tolerance and understanding in their minds. The contents of the syllabus are interspersed with oral activities, presentations, listening DW Channel, role plays, songs, watching films, making it a complete learning experience. Learning German, as a foreign language, instills in them an interest for traveling, for discovering new venues, understanding the German philosophy and becoming more aware of different cultures.

General Comments

In D and C forms there are internal examinations which are graded. These are not affiliated to any external examination board. In D and C forms, the assessment is done by the teacher. They have trials at the end of the term and the allocation of the marks is divided. 80% marks are from the written examination and 20% of the marks are for oral skills. The marks are converted into grades and they appear on the reports as an activity grade.

Academic Department Details

Department:Department of Hindi and Sanskrit

Subject:Hindi and Sanskrit

Learning Objectives

• Understanding of language
• Enhancement of linguistic aptitude
• Introduction to the culture of the target language
• Introduction to the literature of the target language

Skills Required to Learn

• Reading
• Writing
• Comprehension
• Speaking

General Comments

Sanskrit

We start Sanskrit in D form where students are introduced to the basics of Sanskrit language. Students are taught basic grammar, vocabulary and construction of simple sentences. Some boys join school in C form and they are kept in one stream and they begin their language learning in C form. We follow the NCERT syllabus in D and C forms.

Hindi

There are two categories of students who join school in D and C forms:

1. Beginners

2. Students with some prior knowledge

We run separate curriculums for beginners in D and C forms with the aim to bring them at par with other students by the time they appear in ICSE. All beginners study Hindi in the place of Sanskrit in D and C forms.

Academic Department Details

Department:Department of Humanities

Subject:History

Course Content

Learning Objectives

• To familiarize students with the major landmarks in the history of mankinds
• To create an appreciation, understanding and respect for other cultures across time and space
• To learn objectivity in history writing
• To inculcate a love for the subject

Skills Acquired by Students

• Developing research skills
• Reflection
• Analytical abilities

General Comments

This curriculum is designed to give a foundational understanding of the major developments in human history, along with the understanding of various perspectives and approaches to history. Students will learn to interpret and analyze sources, as well as to evaluate their reliability and context. The thrust is not on memorizing dates but rather on developing a broad sense of chronology, along with the ability to draw linkages across time and space. The various aspects of development will be examined. This will also provide for a concrete foundation for the study of the subject at higher levels in the subsequent years, leading up to the final, external examination at the end of Year 10.

Most of all, the curriculum is intended to provide a holistic understanding of the subject, encouraging enquiry, research and analysis, while taking the process as an academically fulfilling and enjoyable exercise and helping students develop a love for and an understanding of the subject.

Academic Department Details

Department:Department of Counselling

Subject:Life Skills

Course Content

Learning Objectives

The objectives of the Life Skill Programme and SEAL in school is to strengthen the students’

• Thinking skills
• Reflectiveness
• Understanding
• Empathy
• Self-awareness

Skills Acquired by Students

• Active listening
• Respect
• Enquiry
• Purpose
• Rational thought processing
• Sense of self

General Comments

The students are introduced to concepts that best prepare them to manage their feelings and be motivated. The SEAL programme encourages the children to develop in five key aspects self-awareness, empathy, motivation, managing feelings and social skill. The Life skills programme also draws on from the TGelf in honing leadership qualities and developing an all-round student.

TGelf: The Global Education and Leadership Foundation (TGelf) is an organization that endeavours to shape youth to aspire to be leaders of quality by running different modules to promote social service and service before self.

SEAL: This is a life skills programme that has been introduced in the U.K. to promote an awareness of self and their environment among secondary students. SEAL is an acronym for Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning. Thus the school endeavours to dovetail life skills the academic as well as non-academic curricula to help the students to link aspects and draw perspectives of all they learn in order to deliver a well rounded individual after 6 years in Doon.

Academic Department Details

Department:Department of Mathematics

Subject:Mathematics

Course Content

Learning Objectives

• To give students an understanding of fundamental concepts of Mathematics suitable to their age group
• To build inductive and deductive reasoning of students
• To bring awareness in students about role of Mathematics in everyday life thus building the awareness of applications of Mathematics in various other fields
• To prepare students for ICSE curriculum of B and A forms

Skills Acquired by Students

• Knowledge of basic concepts of Mathematics
• Performing simple calculations correctly and learning of basic formulas of Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry
• Understanding of simple applications of the above-mentioned topics in daily life

General Comments

Mathematics is a subject in which children take a lot of interest from the primary classes and with growing demand of innovations in teaching techniques worldwide, new ways of teaching Mathematical concepts are implemented to avoid restricting Mathematics to a rote learning subject.

The Mathematics syllabus of C and D forms is designed and taught in such a way that

• It strengthens the understanding of concepts already studied by the students up to Grade 6.
• It develops the interest of students in studying Mathematics as a subject and motivates them to think independently, approach any problem with a logical reasoning, frame a method to simplify the problem, obtain a desired result, analyze and cross-check the result obtained.
• It enables students to correlate their knowledge of different topics and thus come to the conclusion that they have to combine the understanding of these topics to solve a high order problem.
• It enables students to understand the relation between Mathematics and its importance in the modern world.
• It also creates a fun-loving approach to the subject and encourages students to pursue it at higher level.

Academic Department Details

Department:Department of Music

Subject:Hindustani Classical and Western Classical

Course Content

Learning Objectives

The course will develop in students an understanding of the key elements of music, viz. melody, harmony and rhythm. The understanding will, at every stage, be translated into practice through voice culture, and learning how to play melodic and percussion instruments.

General Comments

In C and D forms, there are internal examinations/assessment. These are not affiliated to any external examination board.

In D Form, assessment is done through examinations which test individual vocal ability in the following: accuracy of pitch, rhythmic perception, memorization of given lyrics, and communication and interpretation in performance. Each of these components carries 25%, with a total of 100% as the maximum marks possible.

In C Form no examinations are held. Assessment is done on the basis of progress observed in technical and musical skills, through an ongoing series of tests through the academic year and through performance at school music productions.

Academic Department Details

Department:Department of Physical Education

Subject:Physical Education

Course Content

Theoretical base, practical session and interpretation of rules of the following games:

• Cricket
• Hockey
• Soccer
• Athletics
• Basketball

(14-16 lessons of each game of 30-35 minutes of skill learning and development; and 20-25 minutes of fitness training before every games lesson)

Learning Objectives

• Students’ health, physical, mental and social well-being
• Academic success (As healthy and physically fit student is likely to be more academically alert, motivated and successful)
• Students will be able to identify the proper warm-up, conditioning and cool down techniques and its importance
• Students learn to abide by the rules and accept and respects decisions made by officials; become cheerful loser and calm winner

Skills Acquired by Students

• Movement skills
• Game skills
• Fitness abilities
• Social qualities

General Comments

A well-planned Physical Education programme considers the importance of rapid physical growth and development of this year (age) group students. It also considers the social development and emotional changes occurring at this level. Students are beginning to exhibit sense of belonging, peer group and team. They are becoming confident in individual activities. They show eagerness to test themselves both individually and in groups.

Physical Education curriculum provides individual and team activities in a safe and supervised environment. Students of this year (age) group learn skills of games, importance of conditioning, participate in organized tournaments both within and outside school, and learn to follow rules and regulations that govern these games.

The Physical Education programme not only lays emphasis on physical and health aspects but also provides sufficient opportunities for socialization and learning of social values. Students learn to adjust well in society, and develop problem-solving skills. Thus, Physical Education prepares young students for a lifelong commitment to physical activity, health and well-being.

Academic Department Details

Department:Department of science

Subject:Physics

Course Content

Learning Objectives

• Acquiring scientific knowledge and knowing scientific methods
• Application of knowledge and methods
• Acquiring skills in handling instruments

Skills Acquired by Students

• Understanding and analyzing scientific data and methods
• Hands-on experience with instruments
• Critical thinking and problem-solving
• Use knowledge, apply techniques and analyze information

General Comments

The study of Physics at The Doon School has always been very exciting for the students in D and C Forms as the course involves hands-on-lab work for students. The teachers believe that ‘learning by doing’ develops skills and knowledge required for the growth of scientific temperament. The content in D and C Forms is appropriately punctuated by activities to enhance problem solving and scientific communication while at the same time addresses the greater challenge to prepare responsible citizens of the world.

In the past few years the course work has been revised to provide exposure to Indian scientists and their work in several fields of study. This has been specially done to promote national identity and pride among young students for our great scientists.

Any coursework is incomplete if the question paper based on the curriculum doesn’t challenge a student. The question papers in the subject are designed to test knowledge, application, analysis and understanding at the right level. This way students are not only tested on memory but their basic understanding of the concepts.

Academic Department Details

Department:Department of Yoga

Subject:Yoga

Course Content

Learning Objectives

• Keep oneself fit and healthy at physical, mental and spiritual level
• To understand more about self
• To know more about Indian culture and its values
• To overcome tiredness and day to day stress
• To prevent diseases and deformities

Skills Acquired by Students

• Learning about self while performing yogic exercises
• Improvement in the confidence level by doing yogasanas
• Correlating yoga with modern science
• Leadership quality by performing yogasanans in front of the class and explaining the benefits
• Improvement in physical fitness leading to better result in sports

General Comments

Yoga is not a subject but a way of life. Students in D and C Forms are in the right age to start practising yoga for their healthy and meaningful future. The yoga syllabus is designed to help students understand the importance of the asanas and practice them well.