Physics Syllabus For Ordinary Secondary Education Form I-IV

This Physics syllabus is a revised version prepared to replace the 1996 syllabus, which has been phased out. The revision focused on a paradigm change from a content-based curriculum to a competency-based one. Moreover, the revision was inevitable because the 1996 syllabus did not sufficiently consider the current social, cultural, global, technological, and subject biases and cross-cutting issues worldwide, particularly in Tanzanian society.

The revision also considers the requirements for the Secondary Education Development Plan (SEDP). This syllabus was introduced for implementation in January 2007.

Aims and Objectives of Education in Tanzania

The general aims and objectives of education in Tanzania are to:

1. guide and promote the development and improvement of the personalities of the citizens of Tanzania, their human resources, and effective utilization of those resources to bring about individual and national development;
2. promote the acquisition and appreciation of the culture, customs, and traditions of the people of Tanzania;
3. promote the acquisition and appropriate use of literacy, social, scientific, vocational, technological, professional, and other forms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes for the development and improvement of the condition of man and society;
4. develop and promote self-confidence and an inquiring mind, an understanding and respect for human dignity and human rights, and readiness to work hard for self-advancement and national development;
5. promote and expand the scope of acquisition, improvement, and upgrading of mental, practical, productive, and other skills needed to meet the changing needs of industry and the economy;
6. enable every citizen to understand and uphold the fundamentals of the National Constitution as well as the enshrined human and civic rights, obligations, and responsibilities;
7. promote love and respect for work, self, and wage employment, and improved performance in the production and service sectors;
8. inculcate principles of national ethics and integrity, national and international cooperation, peace, and justice through the study, understanding, and adherence to provisions of the National Constitution and other international bare charters;
9. enable a rational use, management, and conservation of the

Aims and Objectives of Secondary Education

The aims and objectives of secondary education are to:

1. Consolidate and broaden the scope of baseline ideas, knowledge, skills, and attitudes acquired and developed at the primary education level;
2. enhance further development and appreciation of national unity, identity, and ethics; personal integrity, respect for and readiness to work, human rights, cultural and moral values, customs, traditions, and civic responsibilities and obligations;
3. promote the development of competency in linguistic ability and effective use of communication skills in Kiswahili and at least one foreign language;
4. provide opportunities for the acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and understanding in prescribed or selected fields of study;
5. prepare students for tertiary and higher education, vocational, technical and professional training;
6. inculcate a sense and ability for self-study, self-confidence, and self-advancement in new frontiers of science and technology, academic and occupational knowledge, and skills.
7. Prepare the students to join the world of

General Competences

By the end of the four-year course, students should have the ability to:

1. use Physics knowledge, principles, and concepts in daily life;
2. apply scientific methods in solving problems in daily life;
3. apply technological skills in interacting with the environment;
4. manage simple technological
5. use the language of Physics in communication.

General Objectives

By the end of the four-year course, students should be able to:

1. develop knowledge of concepts, laws, theories, and principles of Physics;
2. understand procedures of scientific investigation;
3. acquire technological skills to interact with the environment;
4. develop the language of communication in

Structure of the Syllabus

This physics syllabus has a slightly different structure from that of 1997. The following changes were added for improvement:

1. General competencies for the whole
2. Competences for each class.
3. Suggested areas for
4. Number of periods per sub-topic.

Class Level Competences

Competences have been stated for each class/level of the Physics course. The class-level objectives are derived from these competences.

Class Level Objectives

The general objectives for each class are stated in general terms to indicate the scope of content to be covered within each level.

Topics

The topics have been derived from the class-level competencies and objectives. Some topics in the 1997 and 2005 Physics syllabus have been retained. Also, some content from cross-cutting issues (CCI) has been integrated. Topics have been rearranged to attain a logical order, from the simple to difficult ones. Both block and spiral arrangements of topics have been adopted.

Subtopics

Topics have been divided into subtopics. Each subtopic comprises a portion of the topic’s content. The subtopics have also been arranged in logical order.

Specific Objectives

Each subtopic has one or more specific objectives. These objectives are the expected outcomes in classroom instructions and reflect the process of attaining competencies within the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains.

Teaching and Learning Strategies

The column on teaching and learning strategies indicates what the students and teacher are expected to do in teaching and learning. Students are encouraged to work in small groups for maximum participatory and cooperative learning. The teacher shall be a facilitator to promote, guide, and help students’ teaching and learning activities. The whole teaching and learning process should be participatory and interactive, where students learn by doing a series of logical activities.

Teaching and learning (T/L) strategies are not exhaustive. Students and teachers may use any other T/L strategies that suit the T/L environment and the available T/L resources to learn/teach a particular topic.

Teaching and Learning Resources

Physics teaching requires a variety of quality and quantity of teaching/learning resources. If commercial teaching/learning resources are not available, the teacher should work with students to collect or improvise alternative resources available in their environment.

 Assessment

• Both formative (assessment for learning) and summative (assessment of learning) assessments should be done to check for understanding of the stated objectives in a particular topic/subtopic. This will, in turn, reflect the competencies expected to be met at a particular level/class.
• By the end of each lesson, the teacher should use assessment tools to support the teaching and learning process. Examples of these tools are exercises, tests, quizzes, examinations, role plays, project work, experiments/practicals, and portfolios.

Likewise, in the assessment column in the scheme of work, a teacher should use these assessment tools instead of writing the question asked in the said column.

Number of Periods

The number of periods is an estimated time to teach a given topic/subtopic. Each period is 40 minutes. The number of periods has been considered for the time needed to cover a particular subtopic adequately. Some topics need more time than others, depending on their nature and weight. The teacher is advised to make maximum use of the time allocated in classroom instruction. Lost instructional time should always be compensated for.

DECLARATION

Ordinary-level secondary education is a four-year course designed to prepare students for advanced or other tertiary education. A student will be recognized as a Form Four graduate when he/she successfully completes and passes secondary education examinations conducted by the National Examination Council of Tanzania.

This document is declared the Syllabus of Physics for ordinary-level secondary education courses.

Commissioner for Education

Ministry of Education and Vocational Training

FORM ONE

CLASS LEVEL COMPETENCIES

Students should have the ability to: –

• practice safety rules in daily life;
• apply laws and principles of Physics in daily life;
• make appropriate measurements of physical quantities, and
• use scientific skills to identify the nature and properties of

CLASS LEVEL OBJECTIVES

By the end of Form One course, the student should be able to:

• demonstrate laboratory practice and safety;
• demonstrate laws and principles of Physics;
• develop skills for making physical measurements and
• recognize behavior and properties of

FORM TWO

CLASS LEVEL COMPETENCIES

Students should have the ability to: –

• apply electricity and magnetism knowledge in daily life;
• apply the concepts of turning forces in daily life.
• apply laws of motion in dealing with moving objects;
• use simple machines to simplify work and
• apply environmental knowledge in interacting with

CLASS LEVEL OBJECTIVES

By the end of the Form Two course, the student should be able to: –

• understand concepts and principles of magnetism and electricity;
• develop knowledge of force in equilibrium
• comprehend the laws of motion;
• understand the principles of simple machines and
• understand the concept of temperature.
• Develop knowledge of environmental conservation.

FORM THREE

CLASS LEVEL COMPETENCIES

Students should have the ability to: –

• apply knowledge of vectors in daily life;
• apply rules of friction in daily life;
• use the understanding of light in the construction of optical instruments;
• apply the concepts and laws of heat in daily life and
• manage the use of current electricity in daily life.

CLASS LEVEL OBJECTIVES

By the end of the Form Three course, the student should be able to: –

• develop knowledge of vectors
• realize the importance of friction in daily life;
• understand the principles of construction of optical instruments;
• understand the mechanism of heat transfer and its measurement;
• promote knowledge on the thermal expansion of matter, and

understand the effects and uses of current electricity.

FORM FOUR

CLASS LEVEL COMPETENCIES

Students should have the ability to: –

• apply concepts of waves and electromagnetic induction in daily life;
• use the knowledge of thermionic and radioactive emission in interacting with the environment;
• design and implement the simple electronic circuits;
• apply theories of the solar system and other celestial bodies;
• describe the occurrence of environmental disasters.

CLASS LEVEL OBJECTIVES

By the end of Form Course, the students should be able to: –

• understand the laws and principles of waves and electromagnetic induction;
• realize the importance and hazards of thermionic and radioactive emission;
• understand basic building units for electronic circuits;
• promote knowledge of the solar system and relationship with other celestial bodies;
• develop knowledge on the occurrence of environmental disasters.

Complete PHYSICS SYLLABUS in PDF Format

PHYSICS SYLLABUS FOR ORDINARY SECONDARY EDUCATION FORM I-IV

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