Download - Sajeevta Newsletter 11July2012

7/31/2019 Sajeevta Newsletter 11July2012

1/4

July 2012 update

Promoting equality with life-changing

learning for disadvantaged groups

Children of disadvantaged and lower-

income groups are more likely to fail in

formal education, and are then more likelyto stay on the same bottom rung of society.

To reverse this situation, these children

require learning experiences that will give

them equal opportunities to succeed in life.

The balance of equality in society can be

changed by preparing children of

disadvantaged families with deep learning

experiences that are truly transformational,

with:

KNOWLEDGElinked to their context and

helpful for future employment.

ABILITIESin communication, analysis,

exploration and creativity.

ATTITUDE

to positively work for life goals

with persistence, intelligence

and self-improvement.

BELIEF

in equality of human existence

with dignity and without

subservience.

A love for learning:

During the school vacation we proposedstudy-free weekends, instead childrenarrived in the mornings demandingMaths puzzles and English practice.

Making learning visible:

When children present their learning back

to the group their level of understanding is

directly visible.

Inspiring a positive attitude for learning:

Shifting to a school with higher standards

was a significant challenge: we created aformat together with the children to

express feelings, so we can deal with them.

.Strengthening social skills:

A first visit to a restaurant to understand socialexperiences and behaviour in various settings.


2/4

LIFE-CHANGING LEARNING FOR DISADVANTAGED GROUPSIn low-income families, children often have limited time with adults for developmental interaction.

Parents have to work long hours and household tasks require greater time as they do not have

facilities like 24-hour water supply, electrical appliances and personal vehicles. Home Learningis

additional to school hours for children who live with the least, giving them a regular chance to

experience the best learning.

In the mornings four younger children

come, 5 times a week.

In the evenings ten older children come, 5 times a week.

We provide additional individual support on weekends

and late evenings when required.

COOPERATION A shared expectation that we all will work hard together to learn.LEARNING GOALS Clear guidance and regular specific feedback to guide progress.

PASSION Freedom to follow individual interests and inquiries.FOCUS Small groups work with an adult to focus on Maths, Science and other subjects.

DISCUSSION Group discussion with newspapers, magazines, queries and presentations.

INCLUSIVE LEARNING One child has serious learning difficulties and behavioural issues, we work to

include him in the group and sensitively differentiate his learning.

HEALTH, HYGIENE

AND NUTRITION

Regular snack of milk and oats with a nutrient supplement. Basic first aid and care for personal health and hygiene.

About the LearnersThe children and their families live in staff quarters attached to a house or in hu ts without electricity and

water connection. Their parents are mostly illiterate and are employed as cleaners, auto-rickshaw drivers

and shopkeepers. There was a problem in enrolling girls and keeping them engaged in learning. In July

2011 we only had 1 girl attending; with the childrens help in recruitment we now have 6 girls attending

regularly. We plan to engage up to 5 more pre-school level children (age 3-5 years old) for the morning

classes.

Working with Chaitanya School, GandhinagarChaitanya School, managed by Sree Vidya Niketan Trust (a registered

charitable Trust) have generously enrolled seven of our children with

the Trust covering the school fees, and Sajeevta Foundation funding the

non-fee costs of transport, uniform and books for each child and

providing home learningsupport. This is a unique opportunity for ourchildren to learn in a high-quality school that their families otherwise

would not be able to afford. Awards Function at Chaitanya School


3/4

DEVELOPING THE LEARNING EXPERIENCEWe work with experts in India and other countries and explore new approaches

to create learning experiences that can change lives.

Inclusive learning through differentiated teaching

Learning often means small shifts and changes in understanding that happen through the day.However, the typical end of unit and end of year tests measure learning outcomes, and leave the

learning process invisible, by which time it is too late to remedy flaws and gaps.

If every child can easily see what they are learning and understand how they are learning best,

then they will become active in managing their own individualised learning process. Effective

learning happens when you push the child outside (but only just outside) their comfort zone, to do

this requires really detailed feedback on where each individual child is, allowing appropriate

learning activities to be planned. If every childs learning is visible and regularly reviewed with the

child then there will be active reflection to constantly improve the learning experience. This active

feedback, involving the child, is the backbone of differentiated teaching, as it helps shape and craft

the right inputs for each childs learning experience.

A Sajeevta Workshop onDifferentiated Teaching for Inclusive Learningwith Teachers at Chaitanya School, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, June 2012.

Understanding Core ConceptsSometimes there can be greater focus on memorising information without understanding the

meaning, with a focus on preparation to pass formal examinations. Our approach is to prepare

children with abilities that are essential for their learning in preparation for a full life:

POSITIVE

ATTITUDE

ABILITY TO

COMMUNICATE

ABILITY TO

ANALYSE &SOLVE

PROBLEMS

ABILITY TO

EXPLORE &

UNDERSTAND

ABILITY TO

OBSERVE &

EXPRESS

Principles,

Values, and

Cooperation

English, Hindi,

Gujarati,

Letters, and

Presentations

Mathematics,

Financial Literacy

Science,

Geography, and

History

Art,

Craft, and

Story-telling

These Core Concept Modules are being created in partnership between the ground-levelpractitioners in Gujarat, national and international subject experts and the feedback from thelearners. All partners have volunteered their time in giving high-quality inputs which has meant asignificant cost-saving without compromise on the quality of the learning experience.


4/4

HOW THE LEARNING INITIATIVE DEVELOPED

FEBRUARYtoDECEMBER

2010

We began with 5 boys reading and drawing with us, which quickly expanded to over 30children attending irregularly. We realised that by giving little guidance meant thatprogress in learning was not clear. We then experimented with approaches being used byother alternative and experimental learning centres in India and in other countries.

JANUARY

toDECEMBER2011

With the support of expert advisors in India and the UK we structured learning sessions tosuit the individual needs of the different children. We secured regular attendance of 15

children through creating engaging and meaningful learning experiences and withworking with the parents to build positive aspirations.

JANUARYtoMARCH

2012

The children developed a strong commitment to progress and enjoyment in learning. Weintroduced a number of learning tools including mind-maps, planning work in advance,and making story-paths. We began the process to register as a not-for-profit company soas to expand the initiative to support many more children.

APRILTO JULY2012

Children and families are committed and engaged by a sense of real progress in learningthat is visible for all. Seven children have shifted to a private school with high standards.This is a community of children, their families, practitioners, experts and funders, allcommitted to working together for learning to promote equality.

Essentially there has to be a

voluntary partnership between

those with wealth and expertise

and those in poverty, where all are

voluntarily committed to a society

with equality. To ensure people

will make such a commitment a

proven model is needed that

shows a learning experience thatsuccessfully jumps the poor up to

a level of equality. The essential

components of this model are:

GROUND-LEVEL

TEAM

Practitioners working directly in the local

context with children and families and

experts.

ENGAGING

CHILDREN AND

FAMILIES

Commitment is secured by making life-

changing learning constantly visible: the love

of learning is the real and constant reward.

EDUCATION

EXPERTS

Linkages to voluntary experts at the local,

national and international level provide

required professional inputs.

HIGH-QUALITY

AT LOW-COST

Experts will volunteer time and supporters

will provide materials and resources. There

will be efficient use of resources through

linking many centres.

Funding and expensesFunding has been kindly and generously given by many individuals who have come to know about the

initiative. We have been operating on approximately Rs.10,000 per month (120) which has mainly been

used to purchase books, training resources, stationery and the daily breakfast snack for 15 children. The

initiative requires funding to support more children:

To establish more home learning centres we will need at least Rs.120,000 per centre, per year. Fundingis also needed for building up a team to operate the centres with the approach we are using anddeveloping.

To cover non-fee schooling expenses for three children at Chaitanya School, this includes books,uniforms and transport costs that total about Rs.10,000. To date costs have been kindly covered by oursupporters, for four of the seven children that we have enrolled at Chaitanya School.

To know moreIf you are interested in knowing more about the initiative or if you want to share your ideas and support

we would be very happy to hear from you. Please do email us:

Krutika Patel: [email protected] Patel: [email protected]

Online: www.Facebook.com/Sajeevta
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.facebook.com/Sajeevtahttp://www.facebook.com/Sajeevtahttp://www.facebook.com/Sajeevtamailto:[email protected]:[email protected]