FLN Development Goals and Competencies – A Detailed Approach
Explore a comprehensive guide on FLN Development Goals and Competencies, diving deep into the mission’s structure, and the three core goals that nurture foundational literacy and numeracy skills in children up to age 8.
“There are many red roses in this garden.”
“इस बगीचे में बहुत सारे लाल गुलाब हैं।”
“Despite a consistent enrollment rate of over 95% for the 6-14 age group over the last 15 years, substantial deficits in learning levels persist, with over 75% of Grade 3 learners lacking Foundational Skills.” which means that around 80% 3rd graders cannot read what the text you just saw at the beginning!
India has been in a consistent foundational skills crisis over last many decades. With more than 25 crore school going children and achieving phenomenal enrollment rates,students still struggle with basic reading, writing and mathematical skills. Hence, it has become imperative to focus on early learning-foundational skills in order to ensure relevant and age appropriate learning at later stages.
Understanding the importance of early years’ foundation, NEP 2020, focused on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) skills development. Thus, launched a formal curriculum called the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for the same.
The NCF clearly outlines the FLN development goals and skills that an early learner should acquire by the time they reach age 8. According to Nipun Bharat Mission, “The highest priority of the education system will be to achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy in primary school by 2025. The rest of this Policy will become relevant for our students only if this most basic learning requirement((i.e., reading, writing, and arithmetic at the foundational level) is first achieved.”
What is Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN)?
Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) refers to basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. It is the ability to read and understand a basic text, write and perform simple mathematical operations. This encompasses children from the age of 3-8. It also serves as a foundation for various developmental goals and learning outcomes envisioned by the Nipun Bharat Mission. Although the term FLN looks focused only on basic reading and writing, mathematical skills, it is much beyond it and encompasses many skills. We would be understanding the same in detail in this article.
How is the FLN Mission structured?
NCF has structured FLN in a manner where one aspect leads into another. At the base of this structure are Aims of education which lead to FLN Development Goals.These goals are like major milestones that early learners should be able to achieve by 8 years of age. Thereafter from Developmental Goal, curricular goals, domains,competencies/skills and learning outcomes are derived.
Let’s understand all these terms in detail:
- Aims of Education:Aims are educational vision statements that give broad direction to all deliberate efforts of educational systems – curriculum development, institutional arrangements, funding and financing, people’s capacities and so on. Aims of Education are usually articulated in education policy documents
- FLN Development Goals: Developmental goals are broad milestones that an early learner should achieve by the age 8.
The Three broad FLN Development Goals as follows:
Developmental Goal 1: Children Maintain Good Health and Well being
This FLN development goal focuses on developing competencies related to physical, socio-emotional, and psychological health and well-being of early learners for life. This goal continues to provide experience for health and well-being, socio emotional development, health, nutrition, hygienic practices, and safety.
Developmental Goal 2: Children become Good Communicators
This FLN goal focuses on enabling early learners to orally communicate with ease and competence in the preschool or school language, become print aware, understand, or make a meaningful connection with reading and writing in familiar contexts, develop interest in books and in learning to read is essential.
Developmental Goal 3: Children become Involved Learners and Connect with their Immediate Environment.
This FLN development goal focuses on enabling early learners to form concepts related to the world around them through direct experience and interactions with the physical, social, and natural environment through language, mathematical thinking, and environmental awareness.
3. Domains/Subjects: The broad FLN development goals give way to domains. NCF identifies five clear domains which are aligned to these broad developmental goals and aims of education. The inspiration for these domains has also been taken from the ancient Indian traditions:
FLN focuses on Physical development or Annamaya and Pranmaya Kosha, Socio-emotional and Ethical Development or Manomaya Kosha, Cognitive Development or Vijnanmaya Kosha and finally Aesthetic and Cultural Development or Anandamaya Kosha.
4. Curricular Goals: Curricular Goals are statements that give directions to curriculum development and implementation. They are derived from Aims and FLN development Goals and based on domains.
5. Competencies: Competencies are learning achievements that are observable and can be assessed systematically. These Competencies are derived from the Curricular Goals and are expected to be attained by the end of a Stage.
6. Learning Outcomes: Competencies are attained over a period of time. Therefore, interim markers of learning achievements are needed so that Teachers can observe and track learning and respond to the needs of learners continually. These interim markers are Learning Outcomes. Thus, Learning Outcomes are granular milestones of learning and usually progress in a sequence leading to attainment of a Competency.
What skills and competencies does the FLN focus on building in the early learners till the age of 8?
3-8 is the age that FLN focuses on and lists out a clear competency/skill sets that an early learner should be able to manage within this age bracket. These competencies are derived from various listed curricular goals and ensure all round, holistic development of an early learner. The major skills and competencies that FLN focuses on are as follows:
Developmental Goal 1: Children Maintain Good Health and Well being | Domain: Physical Development
Skills/Competencies to be developed:
- Awareness of cleanliness of self and environment
- Understanding of nutritious food and learning to avoid wastage of food.
- Understanding safe and unsafe use of materials and situations and ways to deal with issues.
- Differentiating between shapes, colours and shades
- Developing sense of touch, smell, taste,sound patterns and symbolic patterns
- Developing balance, flexibility and precision in various physical activities
- Developing precision and control while using hands to work.
Developmental Goal 1: Children Maintain Good Health and Well being| Domain: Socio Emotional Development
Skills/Competencies to be developed:
- Builds awareness of self and family members
- Builds awareness of emotions and learns how to regulate them
- Learns the importance of cooperative behaviour and team play
- Understands the importance of different preferences, thoughts and hence develops an inclusive mindset
- Understands societal norms
- Builds willingness to indulge in age appropriate physical work to help others
- Shows joy and care for all life forms
Developmental Goal 2: Children become good communicators| Domain: Literacy and Language development
Skills/Competencies to be developed:
- Understands oral instructions and comprehends the narrated stories and rhymes
- Enjoys simple rhymes, stories, poems and songs
- Develops Phonological awareness, alphabetic awareness, learns word blends,reading capability of words, sentences and paragraphs
- Develops writing skills
- Develops an interest and habit of reading books
Developmental Goal 3: Children become involved learners and connect with their immediate environment| Domain: Cognitive Development
Skills/Competencies to be developed:
- Development of grouping, sorting, classifying, differentiating things, animals, birds etc. on the basis of colours, shapes, patterns and many other such aspects.
- Understanding of patterns
- Development of Mathematical skills like counting-backward, forward, skip, ascending descending orders,place value systems etc.
- Development of Mathematical operations skills like addition, subtraction(upto 2 digits) multiplication as repeated addition and division as equal sharing
- Development of understanding of basic geometrical skills
- Development of concepts of measurement
- Development of concepts of days, weeks,time, months, currency and money.=
- Use of appropriate tools and technology
- Develops the knowledge and awareness of life forms in our environment: Animals, birds,seasons, festivals,transport, natural elements etc.
Developmental Goal 3: Children become involved learners and connect with their immediate environment|Domain Aesthetic and Cultural Development
Skills/Competencies to be developed:
- Understands, enjoys and uses art to express oneself
- Learns use of craft activities to express oneself
- Works collaboratively in arts
- Understands and appreciates our culture and heritage
For each of these competencies, a detailed learning outcome list is detailed out. These Learning outcomes are markers which exactly help a teacher/educator/parent to evaluate and assess early learners’ progress and learning curve.
Overall, it presents a plethora of skill sets that a child could and should achieve in these formative years.
Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) in the New Education Policy stands as a cornerstone ensuring every learner’s right to a strong, holistic and all round foundation. If followed to the core, the competencies and skills listed out in the National Curriculum Framework can turn out to stepping stones to what could turn out to be a great future for students and for our country, alike!
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