LEARNING RESOURCE CENTER

In many states across India, children have just moved into a new class. The excitement of a new school year is still in the air. New textbooks are being distributed; notebooks and stationery are being bought. Summer vacations have begun. On the eve of these new beginnings, hopes run high for all that children will learn in another year of school. But how much can we expect that they’ll actually learn? All current available data on student achievement suggest children are performing far below the level that is expected of them. Take a typical standard five class. The estimates from the oft quoted Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012 suggest that of all rural children enrolled in standard five, only half can fluently read text from a standard two textbook. In arithmetic, only half of all standard five children can do a basic two-digit subtraction problem with the arithmetic operation of borrowing—a skill that is expected in standard two. Of the children who have these basic skills, many have higher-level capabilities too. But for the half who have reached the fifth standard and do not have the fundamental skills of reading or arithmetic, there are very serious risks of not gaining much from continuing in school and completing eight years of schooling.

SWADEEP’s approach to bridge basic learning deficit covers the state’s curricular objectives, for primary grades, in Language and Math and is run by youth volunteer teachers from the community/neighbourhood of the school. These volunteer teachers are specially trained and supported to achieve the desired outcomes. The package comprises of:

• ·       A one-year instructional plan, divided into two six months packages
• ·       Orientation and training of the volunteer teachers and school teachers
• ·       A defined set of teaching strategies and TLM for Language & Math
• ·       Classroom organisation and transaction designed for effective learning outcomes
• ·       Continuous assessment (baseline and final assessment, along with monthly progress report)
• ·       Continuous enhancement of ASPIRE’s Resource teachers’ skills through on-the-job training
• ·       Weekly Review and Monitoring of classes and tracking of the individual child. 

The whole process exposes children to multiple sources of learning and steers them towards self-directed learning. It helps children use a variety of learning materials and sources, not remaining confined merely to text-books.

• ·       Improved learning achievements of children having major learning deficits, especially in language and mathematics. 
• ·       Children able to make use of the inputs provided to them by the regular teachers in their classrooms, and moving towards self-directed learning 
• ·       With the bridging of the learning gap, increased self-confidence in children, leading to their improved participation in classroom activities as well as retention in schools.