Chimpanzee Club

1Chapter

ZAINAB RUPAWALLA

JournalCHIMPANZEE CLUB

CLUB

CHIMPANZEE CLUB // Journa l

ZAINAB RUPAWALLA

JournalCHIMPANZEE CLUB


01 CHALLENGE 08–29

Contentsenglish education

public & private

income inequality

Table of Contents

02 APPROACH 30–143 03 DESIGN OUTCOME 144–29

identify the audience

qualitative and quantitative research

key insights

develop concepts and tests

refine and repeat

chimpanzee club


ChallengeThe Issue at Hand

01

7Chapter


How can we build English language skills for public school students?

9The Chal lenge


11The Chal lenge

How can we help public school students achieve the level of learning of the private school?


language. In the past, many rural areas attracted industries that required a reliable source of low-wage workers. Today, however, a low-educated labor force poses a challenge for many of the areas seeking greater economic development. Many rural jobs held by workers with limited English education are lost to rapid improvements in production technology or changing consumer demand. Regardless of geography, an unpre-cedented level of workers equipped with English speaking skills is needed to compete in the global market. International business is conductedin English.

The city of Mumbai has a huge population of 12.5 million people, over half of which, about 6.5 million people, are living beneath the poverty line. The public education system educates children living below the poverty line. Compared to the private schools, the public education system offers a low level of English education. The inequality of the education system creates a vast difference in income generated by different sectors of society. Developing better public English education will improve the standard of living within these poorer populations and accelerate the development of the marginalized population in India.

BACKGROUND

India’s economic policy went through many changes after independence in 1947. Today, the focus is towards privatization and globalization. This new policy has an excessive dependence on market forces. This leads to the increase in regional, rural-urban income disparity and consumption differences. Over 65 years later, this issue is still under debate by various economists.

At the national and state level, income disparities between the rural and the urban sectors have increased due to the lack of education in the English

The Challenge

My goal is to improve the level of English language education available to public schools thereby increasing the English proficiency of children in the public school system.

english education

13Chapter

Projected population obtained from the government of Maharashtra {2009}.

POPULATION OF MUMBAI: 20.5 million

10.5 million people live on less then $3.5 a day

1.7 million children attend public school and 53% students drop out between the ages 10–16YRS

20,000 drop out each year

TREND IN EDUCATION

60% Girls

40% Boys


DELHI (CAPITAL)

MUMBAI (BOMBAY)

1,000 PUBLIC SCHOOLS

650,000+ STUDENTS

15Chapter


public & private

Education in India is provided by the public and private sectors, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state and local.

01. PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Policy Framework1 India’s constitution aims to provide free and compulsory education for all children until the age of 14.The elementary education system in India is the second largest in the world with 149.4 million-children enrolled between the ages of six and 14 years and 2.9 million teachers. This is about 82% of the children in the age group.

Structure of Education The grade 10+2 system has been adopted by all the states in India. However, within the states, there is variation in the execution of the system. For example, the number of classes constituting the various school stages differ, as do admission standards, medium of instruction, public examinations, teaching of Hindi and English, etc. The primary school level consists of grades one through five. The middle school level consists of grades six through eight. The secondary school level consists of grades nine and ten.

Education System in India

1. Department of Secondary & Higher Education

Empowering the children who attend public schools in the underdeveloped regions of Mumbai through English language education as a primary source.

English education, the source of human capital in today’s economy, can affect social issues—income inequality being one of them.

17The Chal lenge

Most public schools in Mumbai are affiliated with the Maharashtra State Board of Education, which follows the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) curriculum. This curriculum is prominent in schools run by the governmental Municipal Corporation of Mumbai where education is free. It is also widely employed in government-aided schools run by religious bodies, charitable trusts and the like where education is subsidized.

Medium of instruction The mother tongue, or regional language, is the medium of instruction at the primary stage of education in most of the states.

Teaching of English Teaching of English is compulsory in grades six–10: however, the curriculum is not conducive to the western way of learning. It encourages learning by rote (memorization), the educational material is not regularly updated, and students are not given the opportunity to understand the practical aspects of learning.

Public Examinations In all states, public examinations are conducted at the end of 10th and 12th standard classes by the respective state boards of secondary and higher secondary education. The in-school examinations are not monitored and as a result the students develop only the skills needed for the final board examination.

Free Education/Tuition Fees The majority of states have free education from grades one–12. In the states where it is not free for grades 11 and above, a variable annual fee ranging from Rs.360 ($ 6.83) to Rs.48($0.91) is assessed each month.

02. PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Board3 All private schools in Mumbai are affiliated with either the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education Board (ICSE) or the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). In contrast to public schools, their curriculum is regularly updated according to the latest global trends. The primary teaching language is English. Students have a wide choice in subjects and the liberty to choose the books that they read. The ICSE and CBSE syllabus also focuses on practical application.

Medium of Instruction English taught in ICSE and CBSE schools are of a world-class standard, and more importantly, their syllabus has world-wide recognition.

Examinations The examinations for public schools are taken yearly and an average score of 35% in all subjects is required to move to the next grade. Students who need more attention receive extra help and classes.

Tuition Fees The fees ranges from $5,000 USD to $8,000 USD annually, which only wealthy families can afford.

2. A 2003 NCERT study shows that

English is introduced in grade

one or grade three by 26 states or

union territories out of 35. Only

seven states or union territories

introduce it in grade four five

(Khan 2005).

3. Each state has its own education

board. Most of the public schools

follow the State’s Education Board

curriculum. The private schools, on

the other hand, follow the Central

Board {Delhi Board} curriculum,

which is regularly updated to meet

the current needs.

4. Everyone demands English

language education at the

initial stage of schooling and its

impact is visible by all members

of the society.


TEACHERS’ ENGLISH PROFICIENCY

PUBLIC SCHOOL

40%

Hindi/ Other Languages

English

19The Chal lenge

TEACHERS’ ENGLISH PROFICIENCY

PRIVATE SCHOOL


English

85%


35%PUBLIC SCHOOL TENTH GRADE AVERAGE GRADUATE RATE

21The Chal lenge

80%PRIVATE SCHOOL TENTH GRADE

AVERAGE GRADUATE RATE


PRIVATE VS PUBLIC

1,000 PUBLIC SCHOOLS

MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION

Marathi(State language)

Rs. 700 ($13.3) TUITION

1:55TEACHER STUDENT

RATIO

TEACHER'S ENGLISH PROFICIENCY

EXPOSURE TO ENGLISH OUTSIDE SCHOOL

40%

10%


English

Outside

School

35%INTRODUCING ENGLISH AT GRADE 5


5

PUBLIC SCHOOL

The critical aspect of Indian public education system is its low quality. The actual quantity of schooling that children receive and the quality of teaching are not on par with that of a private school education. The common features in all government schools are: the poor quality of education, lack of course variety, inconsistent infrastructure and inadequate teacher attention due to class size. The underdevelopment of English language skills at the primary level makes learning other subjects harder as the child moves on to the secondary level.

Marathi {State language}Hindi {National language}xyz {Mother tongue}

English

LANGUAGES SPOKEN

85%

25% 65%

100%

EMPLOYMENT AND INEQUALITY OUTCOMES IN INDIA Amitabh Kundu Jawaharlal Nehru University P. C. Mohanan Indian Statistical Service

23Chapter


EMPLOYMENT AND INEQUALITY OUTCOMES IN INDIA Amitabh Kundu Jawaharlal Nehru University P. C. Mohanan Indian Statistical Service

250 PRIVATE SCHOOLS


English

Rs. 263,625 ($5,000) TUITION

1:30TEACHER STUDENT

RATIO

TEACHER'S ENGLISH PROFICIENCY

EXPOSURE TO ENGLISH OUTSIDE SCHOOL

85%

50%

80%


English

Outside

School

INTRODUCING ENGLISH AT GRADE 1


1

PRIVATE SCHOOL

Marathi {State language}Hindi {National language}xyz {Mother tongue}

English

LANGUAGES SPOKEN

80%100% 90%

50%


BACHELOR DEGREE IN COMMERCE (HINDI)

$ 1,200

$

ANNUAL INCOME

25The Chal lenge

$

BACHELOR DEGREE IN COMMERCE (ENGLISH)

$ 8,000

$

ANNUAL INCOME

$


AGE

LOCATION

LANGUAGE

EDUCATIONQUALIFICATION

ANNUAL INCOME

DAYS WORKEDEACH WEEK

HOURS WORKED EACH DAY

26

MUMBAI

ENGLISHHINDI

BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN COMMERCE(IN ENGLISH)

$ 8,000

5

8

27

MUMBAI

BACHELOR’S DEGREE

IN COMMERCE(IN HINDI)

$ 1,200

7

12

vòcòmlòs!HELLO!

The difference in the income of an English speaking graduate and a non-English speaking graduate

LIVING ON $3.5 DOLLARS A DAY

27The Chal lenge

income inequality

Since the neo-liberal economic reforms were introduced in the country, India has faced a dramatic increase in income inequality. It is shocking to see the enormous increase in consumption by the rich(including the upper middle income group) and how the lives of the poor have become even more vulnerable due to the increasing difference in income generation.

“Over the years there has been a remarkable increase in the consumption by the 20% of rich urban and 20% of rural population. By contrast, 40% of the urban population has relatively little increase in per capita consumption compared to these other groups, at

only around 14%.

But the most dramatic evidence is for the bottom 80% of the rural population—well more than half of India's total population. For these people, who now number nearly 600 million, per capita consumption has actually declined. In other words, even the official statistics of the government still show that more than half of India has lower consumption per person than over 10 years ago, after a decade when national income was supposed to be growing at around 6%.

The Wide Gap

1. An Essay on Income Inequality In India by Jayati Ghosh / People's Democracy / 17 February, 2004

The official statistics of the government still show that more than half of India has lower consumption per person than over ten years ago.


All through history, sharp increases in economic inequality of this order of magnitude have been associated with massive social unrest, and even with cataclysmic changes in society.”1

THE VICIOUS CIRCLE

The vicious circle, of substandard English language education leading to low paying jobs reinforces itself through a feedback loop leading to greater instability.

Macroeconomics Effect The focus of macroeconomics is on the movement and trends in the economy asa whole. Macroeconomics examines a wide range of phenomena such as changes in employment rates, national income generated, rate of growth, gross domestic product, inflation and price levels.

Microeconomics Effect The focus of microeconomics is placed on factors that affect the decisions made by firms and individuals. Macro and micro economic factors will often influence each other. For instance, the current level of unemployment in the economy as a whole will affect the supplyof workers that a company can hire from.

Low Production

Low Output Low Income

Low Quality

Low Investment

Low SavingLow Productivity

Low Income

29The Chal lenge

200

0

200

1

200

2

200

3

200

4

200

5

200

6

200

7

200

8 INCOME

535

“If India continues to grow by 8.6% per annum, it will take India 104 years to reach the current level of per capita income of The United States.”

CURRENT CRISIS

The world economic crisis continues to affect the Indian economy, damaging both its immediate and long-term prospects and increasing job losses in a country where there is, for all intents and purposes, no social safety net.

The government concedes that half a million jobs have been eliminated in recent months in “globalized” sectors of the economy, including textile, gems and jewelry, business processing and auto industries. India is the most important site of IT-enabled offshore operations for the US and British banks that have been at the center of the world financial meltdown.

Commerce Secretary Kamal Nath has warned that 1.5 million jobs in export-oriented industries could be eliminated in the first six months of this year. Fearing the social- political impact of the rise in unemployment, Indian voters are to go to the polls in a multi-stage general election this April and May 2011. The acting finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, recently urged employers to slash wages and reduce hours in preference to job cuts. “Jobs,” said Mukherjee, “must be protected even if it means reduction in compensation at various levels.”

—Raghbendra Jha, Professor of Economics at the Australia South Asia Research Centre

State Language

English Language


Problem Solving

DEVELOP CONCEPTS AND TESTS4

REFINE AND REPEAT5

User CenteredApproach

02

31Chapter

IDENTIFY TARGETAUDIENCE 1

QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

2

KEYINSIGHTS3


identify theaudience

1

33Ident i fy the audience

The focus of this thesis is on the town of Goregaon, in the suburb region of Mumbai. Specifically, the Nandadeep Public High School. The school divides their education into two groups: in one, the few well performing students get to learn three or more subjects in English. In the other, the majority of the students learn subjects in the state language only.

01. PRIMARY AUDIENCE

Public school children 6–12 years old who live close to the school

Region Mumbai, Suburban location: Goregaon

School Nandadeep Vidyalaya High School

Age 6–12 yrs

Instruction period 10 months (August-May)

Income Low Income Groups ($140–$200/month)

Number of Students 10,000 +

Medium of Instruction The majority of the students study in Marathi. Only a few students who perform well move to the semi-English level where geography, science, history and math are taught in English.. Only 17% of students get this opportunity. The rest study all subjects in Marathi.

Parents with low-income government jobs live in government housing. These parents are not educated. Most cannot converse in English or help their children with studies. This forces students to get tutoring outside school which bears an extra burden on the parents.

02. SECONDARY AUDIENCE

College student volunteers

Teachers

Goregaon

step 1Target Identification

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“17% of the 35,000 studentscan study four subject in English. The rest study in Marathi”

35Ident i fy the audience

PR

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step 2Advisory TeamI have assembled a team of five–ten people who have expertise in various disciplines and different educational backgrounds to help me find solutions to complex problems and difficulties. Through this team, I had a chance to explore unexpected solutions brought in from each member’s unique experience.

RAJ PAL SINGH

Professional Tutor

of America.

Educator for Pratham Education

Foundation

VIJAY BASAK

Education Head at Smile Foundation,

India (Non-profit organization)

MADHURI PAI

Pratham Education Foundation,

India. Her team focuses on

teaching English to students and

slum children.

Educator in The United States Educational Non-Profit Members AAU Design AdvisorPublic school teachers Non-formal educators (Home schooling)

37

MANOHAR WAKODE

English teacher at Nandadeep

public high school

SUJAY M

Home Tutor for Nandadeep

public high school

MICHELE RONSEN

Directed Study Advisor

AAU

AD

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OR

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EA

M

I dent i fy the audience


step 3Identifying People to TalkTo inspire different ideas, it was helpful to find people who held extreme opinions both in favor of and against learning English in public schools. These participants helped me discover the needs, desires, and beliefs that lead to meaningful solutions for the rest of the school population. Including people from various spectrums and conducting group sessions was a good way to identify the part ic ipants for individual interviews and observations. These individual sessions helped generate key insights for the challenge.

39

PERSONAS

LIST OF PEOPLE WHAT THEY BRING TO THE PROJECT

Raj Pal Singh

Vijay Basak

Madhuri Pai

Simiran Makwana(Program Administrator)

Vijaya Shetty

Curriculum development/ resource/ enhancing the understanding of the target group

Narrowing the region and understanding the market scenario.

Understanding the programs that are run by Pratham Eduction Foundation to teach English to students in Mumbai on a large scale. The success and failures of many projects (rural and urban educational projects)

Works with teachers to teach 5th grade students English Language

English curriculum developer for students in the 4th grade

Running an independent organization

Understanding the difficult and limitations faced by teachers in the public eduction system

Understanding the lack of motivation to teach and the lack of support (financial and academic)

Looking at many ways to fund an organization and maintain the funding to ensure the effects are ongoing

Geeta Potay

Suvarna

Manohar Wakode

Sawati Pillay

NandkumarTalwalkar

Ident i fy the audience

IDE

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Runs the English language call center for adults


qualitative & quantitative field research

2

41

Design research is very useful in understanding individual behaviors in the community. For the purpose of my thesis I adopted various methods of research

01. INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEW

Several individual interviews were conducted with students, teachers and members of the various non-profit groups. These interviews were very crucial in the design research process. The interviews enabled me to gain deep views into the reasoning and the choices people make in their daily lives. All the interviews were conducted on Skype at the student’s house. This helped me see the space and objects they referred to during the interview.

step 1Qualitative Research

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Attending an English classwith the students

43Research

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Student: Dhananshree Aawahad Age: 10 yrs

Grade: 5th Fees: $15/yr

Family members: 5 Father ’s income: $120–$220/month

Interests: Painting. Favorite subject in school: Math

After school activity: Tuitions Weekend activities: Go to relatives’ place

“I l isten to English music with my brother. He is a very good singer”

STUDENTS AT NANDADEEP PUBLIC SCHOOL

Q1. How many family members do you have?

kóÀs ófkóÀlóvós Hóófjkóój kóÀs móom³ó nw?

I have four family members- dad, mom, and two older brothers. One brother is in school and the other is in college.

Q2. Do you like learning English language? Can you understand the language? How well can you read and write in English?

kóÀ³óó DóóHó Dóbc>óspófó Yóó<óó mófóKóvóó Hmóbo kóÀjscós? DóóHó Dóbc>óspófó

mócóPó mókóÀlós nw?

I like English and would like to learn the language as it will help me communicate with other people and get a good job. I can speak a little and my writing and reading is very poor.

Q3. Outside school is there any exposure to English? Through the television, internet or radio?

mkótÀuó kóÀs yóónj Dóbc>óspófó kóÀó óqkóÀmófó H>ókóÀój kóÀó DóvógYóJó?

ìsuófóófJópóvó, Fbìjvósì, ³óó jsóf[³óós kósÀ cóóO³ócó mós?

No but my brother knows English. However, we hardly speak English at home.

Q4. What do you parents do and do they help you with your homework? Do they know English?

Dóóhó kósÀ cóólóó-ófhólóó kóÀ³óó kóÀjlós nQ Dóósj Jón DóóhóófkóÀ nóscóJókóÀ cós

cóoo óÀjlós nQ? Jón Dóbc>óspófó póóvólós nQ?

My mom is a homemaker and my dad works for the dairy. They encourage me to study but cannot help

45Chapter

“I have to take tutoring in English because I don’t understand my teacher in school.” IN

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me since they do not have advanced English language education. My brother helps me with homework at times.

Q5. Do you have access to the Internet?

kóÀ³óó Dóóhó kósÀ hómó Fbìjvósì kóÀó Ghó³óóscó kóÀj?

I use the Internet on my dad’s phone and at school.

Q6. Would you like to learn English in a non-formal setting or in school?

Dóóhó Dóbc>óspófó hólóMóóuóó cós ³óó DóvóówHó®ójfókóÀ JóólóóJójvó cós óqmókóÀvóó

Hómóbo kóÀjscós?

I would like to learn English in school. I like learning with my friends. It is more fun and I feel they help me to learn better.

Dropout student: Vikas Katara

Age: 13 yrs

Dropout grade: 5th

Fees: $10/yr

Family members: 10

Father ’s income: $50–$100/month

47Research

Q1. Tell me a little about yourself? Which was your favorite subject in school?

Dóóhó mkótÀuó kóÀs yóónj ì³ótMóvó uóslós nw?

I work as a chaiwalla (tea boy) for a small cafe at the Ashirwad Industrial Estate. I work seven days a week. I dropped out of school in 7th grade since it was hard for me to study. Also we were financially challenged. I needed to get a job to provide for my huge family of ten.

I really liked to study in school. Sanskrit was my favorite subject and I enjoyed learning it.

Q2. Were you interested in learning English in school? Do you think it would have benefited you in any way?


In school I did not think about learning English. We didn’t even have that language as a choice. But at work I see a lot of people speaking it and I feel a bit stupid at times not being able to understand them.

Q3. Would you like to go back to school if you could?


No. I feel it will be very hard for me to get back to school and take up studying again.

Q4. Q4. Would you like to learn English outside school? Would you like to learn to read, speak or write in English?


If I had the means and the time, I would like to learn conversational English outside school. I would like learning through games. In school that’s how we learned Sanskrit.

Dropout student:

Age: 16 yrs

Dropout grade: 7th

Family members: 6

Income: $125–$200/month

“I dropped out of schoolto help my mother financially.”

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49Research

Q1. Tell me a little about yourself? What do you do on weekends when you dont have school?

DóHóvós yóójs cósb yólóó³ós? DóóHó móHlóónóbló Hój kóÀ³óó kóÀjlós nós?

I like rock climbing and painting. I went to Bangalore through school to compete in a rock climbing tournament and won a trophy.




I do like English as it will help me get a better job when I finish my education. At the moment, I am struggling with my English but I take classes outside of school to improve.

Q3. Which is your favorite subject? Do you enjoy reading books for that subject?

DóóHókóÀó kóÀósvómóó Hómóbofóoó ófJó<ó ³ó nwb? kóÀ³óó DóóHó Gmó ófJó<ó ³ó kóÀs

I like math because of my teacher, Mrs Parulekar. She makes the subject very interesting and easy to learn. I do read books in English and enjoy stories.




No. I don’t have a computer at home.

Q5. Do you take tutoring outside school? Why do you feel the need to do so?


I take outside classes in English, math and science. Studying on my own is hard since there is not much help from my teachers in school.

Student: Ravindra Hegad Age: 13 yrs



Interests: Rock climbing and drawing Favorite subject in school: Math

After school activity: Tuitions Weekend activities: Relatives Place

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Student: Balaji Wagmarey Age: 13 yrs



Favorite subject in school: Math & drawing After school activity: Play

Weekend activities: Travel to the vil lage Interest: Kho-Kho (team caption)

“Knowing English language will help me get a good job.”




I know learning English will benefit me in many ways, but it’s hard since I don’t understand when my teachers teach me in English and no one at home speaks English either.




I use the internet on my cell phone and in school we have computers. I also like English music and watch television a lot.

51Chapter

“I am the captain of the kho-kho team in school. And my team brought back a trophy last year.”

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“This is a diwali greeting card I made for you.”

53Research

Student: Mohini Gunjahal Age: 12 yrs



Favorite subject in school: English After school activity: homework

Weekend activities: Relatives Place Interest: Stamp collection

“I l ike to read English story books. I want to learn English language

because it will help me become an engineer.”

Q1. What are your hobbies? What do you do after you finish school?



I like drawing and painting but now I have become interested in stamp collecting. Usually I come home after school and do homework since I do not get tutoring.

Q2. Do you like reading?



I enjoy reading story books. I also like Shakespeare.



Yes. I use the Internet on the computers in school.

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Student: Akshay Aawade Age: 13 yrs



Favorite subject in school: Marathi After school activity: Play

Weekend activities: Play Interest: Sports (Kho-kho)

“I want to be like Michael Jackson. I love his music.”



I have five family members—Dad, Mom, and two older brothers and one younger sister.




I would like to learn English as it will help me get a good job. My mom and dad always tell me that I should improve my English skills.




Outside school, the exposure to English is limited to television.




My dad works for the dairy and we get free accommodations from the government. My mom collects all the milk bags and resells them.



I use the internet on my dad’s phone and in school.

55Research

“I want to be likeMichael Jackson.”




I would like to learn English in a different environment. I feel school is very boring and I don’t understand what my teacher teaches.

Q7. Do you take tutoring?

Dóóhó Dóbc>óspófó hólóMóóuóó cós ³óó ?

Yes I get tutored in math, science and English on weekends.

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“I want to teach and provide good, free education for all student.”

57Research

Student: Rahul Kokari Age: 11 yrs



Favorite subject in school: Science After school activity: Play

Weekend activities: Tuitions Interest: Painting and cricket

“English is a very hard subject but I want to be able to teach and provide free and good eduction for all.”



I have six family members.




No. I do not understand it very well. I find it very difficult to learn English.




No.




My mother speaks English well.



Yes. We have a computer at home.




I would like to learn English from a teacher who helps me understand it. I don’t feel I get that from school.

6. How many hours do you spend doing homework?


I spend less than two hours a day doing homework.

Q7. If you had a chance to improve your school, what would you change?


I would like better teachers who explain the subjects and teach well so that students like me can learn and improve.



Yes. I have to since the teachers in schools don’t teach well.

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Student: Saurabh Kutwal Age: 13 yrs



Favorite subject in school: Geography After school activity: homework

Weekend activities: Relatives Place Interest: Rock climbing and music

“My parents are going to buy me a computer soon!”

“I like cricket.”




Yes. I am interested in learning English and my mom always encourages me to study further because she knows the importance of education since she is an educator herself. I can understand spoken English but my speaking is a bit broken and unconnected. I have difficulty speaking and feel embarrassed if make a mistake. Many students in school make fun of my English and this demotivates me.




My parents are willing to buy me a computer which

will make it easy for me to use the Internet.




My dad is the supervisor for the dairy and my mom teaches the 4th grade in school. They both encourage me and my sister to study very hard.



Yes. I get tutored in math and English.

59Research

“I like cricket.”

Student: Prajacta Dawade Age: 15 yrs



Favorite subject in school: English & Marathi After school activity: Study

Weekend activities: Play Interest: Classical dance

“My father can speak English but we only communicate in Marathi”



I have four family members: Dad, Mom, and one older sister who studies at the University.

Q2. Do you like learning English? Do you see any benefit in learning English?



No. I don’t feel learning English is important. I am a good student over all in Marathi.

Q3. Do you take tutoring outside school?


Yes I get tutored in math and English.

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Student: Mayuree Pawar Age: 11 yrs



Favorite subject in school: English After school activity: tuitionss

Weekend activities: Mostly at home Interest: Playing Kabadi sports

“I l ike Shakespeare.”

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Student: Nikhil Ganglades Age: 11 yrs



After school activity: Tuitions Weekend activities: Play

Interest: Painting and Kho-Kho

“I don’t l ike English. It is so hard to understand that language.”

“English is very hard to learn.”

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Student: Bhusan Manohar Age: 10 yrs



Favorite subject in school: Science After school activity: Tuitions

Weekend activities: Play Interest: Cricket

“I don’t l ike English, I dont l ike to learn English in school.”

“I don’t like English.”

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“I don’t like English.” Student: Prathem Vijay Dalay Age: 13 yrs



Favorite subject in school: English After school activity: Studying

Weekend activities: Drawing classes Interest: Playing Goti

“I dont l ike taking extra classes to learn the same thing I learn in school.”

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“Learning English will help me get a good wife.”

Student: Rohit Bapudevir Age: 14 yrs


Family Members: 5 Father ’s Income: $100–$150/month

Favorite subject in school: Sience After school activity: Studying

Weekend activities: Playing Interest: Cricket

“I l ike to browse the Internet on my phone.”

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02. GROUP INTERVIEWThe group interviews were mainly conducted with the public school students and their parents to gain insight on the general community issues they face in their daily lives and to let them voice their opinions. These interviews were conducted with students and their parents on Skype.

Dates: 26th February, 11:00 am Indian Std Time.

Duration: 2hrs 30mins

Dates: 12th March, 10:00 am Indian Std Time. Duration: 2hrs

Dates: 29th March, 9:00 am Indian Std Time. Duration: 50mins

Dates: 9th April, 8:00 am Indian Std Time. Duration: 1 hr 30mins

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03. COMMUNITY IMMERSION

Meeting the students and their parents at their homes, socializing and immersing myself, revealed new insights into the problem I was working on. Through this method, I was really able to understand the people I would be designing for on an experiential level. Spending days with the families and seeing how they conduct their daily activities first-hand, gave me a better understanding of the barriers and constraints they face. Putting myself in their shoes gave me the empathy of being the person in a real setting and doing things they do daily. This method gave me the perspective of the participants and I was able to use that to make certain design decisions.

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“My elder brother makes bangles at home.”

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“My mother re-sells the milk bags to get rice in the house.”

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“Thirteen of us live in a one room apartment.”

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“My dad is going to buy me a computer soon!”

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“My mom wants me to have the opportunities she never had.”

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“Playing Lagori with Zainab didi.”


04. EXPERT INTERVIEWS

Interviewing experts from different non-profit organizations was helpful to get a large amount of information in a short amount of time, as others have already researched on the topic at hand. Experts provided in-depth and technical information. This method was helpful in learning the history of public education and understanding regulations that affect the target community. Speaking to experts in the field of education gaveme an understanding of what would be feasible and viable.

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Trustee: Nandkumar Chintaman Talwalkar

Q1. Can you tell me a little about your role at Pratham Pune? How do your programs differ from those of the other organizations?

I work here as a trustee for Pratham and have been with them since September of 2000. We go out into the communities and work with a group of peopleby educating and training them to be teachers. Oncethey have completed the learning and teaching program, which is about a year long, they are qualified to teach in their communities according to the state education standards. We work with them to teach and run educational programs for their communities. This gives them a chance to be role models for many other people. Pratham creates a system that will educate the masses at a very low cost. This is achieved by educating people in the community who will continue to teach others. Currently, we have 200 classes running each month.

That other thing that is very successful is the funding which lets us cover more students. Most of our funds are through foreign donations. The United States is one of the major donors.

Q2. How much emphasis is given to English learning in the various programs taught by Pratham?

We are in the process of introducing English in many programs but that is not our main focus. We focus more on general studies in the state language. Many techniques and methodologies have been adopted to make the learning experience more beneficial for the students. The biggest hurdle is to develop interest in the students to learn English. Their parents also need to be convinced, since many see it as an additional class to participate in. We conduct several surveys to inquire what the community’s requirements are.

Q3. What are the difficulties Pratham faces with introducing English on a large or a small scale?

As you know, English is not spoken by the low-income communities because they are not exposed to it. We go into the communities and educate people who will run classes to educate other children. It is hard to raise their English skills to those of a private school teacher. That will require some time.

Q4. Can you tell me about the library project at hand? What does success of a program look like and how do you define it?

We cover 40,000 children in our libraries. We have 200+ libraries and on average, we have 125 children using it a week. There are various programs cover under the library project such as learning to read, story telling and many more.

Q5. Do the teaching methods differ in different states where Pratham’s programs are present?

The programs differ depending on the requirements of that area. The teaching and the programs are the same. The idea is the same. The members of the society who are lacking should be brought to the same level as the other students. Mumbai is the main branch for designing the curriculum that needs to be taught and then is given to other states.

Pratham creates a system that will educate the masses at a very low cost. This is achieved by educating people in the community who will continue to teach others.

PRATHAM EDUCATION FOUNDATION (PUNE)

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Head of the English Program across India: Madhayuri Pai

Q1. There are many programs run by Pratham, can you share the success behind the English language programs?

At Pratham we want to make everything as efficient as we can. We not only support students in public schools and teachers, we also focus on self sufficient classes for people in the community. We have many classes like math and English. And all these services that we provide require the students to pay a small fee, which makes them take things more seriously rather than it being a free service where they miss classes. Last year we had 500 English classes in Mumbai for grades one–four. We had a pre-test to determine the level of English competency and found that it was hard to distinguish between a first grade student and a fourth grade student. To overcome this, we used the Phonic technique since all the other languages are phonic languages. We had the monthly English calendar made to teach speaking the language. The materials were attractive and easy to teach from and the teachers liked them. Along the way, the parents wanted some text book learning as well, since the students had to pass exams in schools. The problem here was that the teachers we have are not qualified enough to know the difference between teaching a language and teaching the content. Therefore, we are trying a pilot program to build only the students’ text book skills for the classroom, and we currently have six classes. For the sake of argument let’s take a class that is two hours long. Knowing that the students have a short attention span, we take 40 minutes of textbook learning and the rest is phonic learning. Our teacher coordinates with the schools and finds out what the current lesson is. Based on the four skill learning, we teach the same lesson in our own method that is developed by the curriculum department.

Q2. Can you explain the teaching methodologies ?

While teaching, we look at the basic problems that the students face which is that they don’t understand what is being said. For example, while teaching a poem, the teacher recites the first four lines and then asks the students to underline all the words they didn’t understand. This process allows the students to hear and then scan the passage and mark all

the words. This keeps them in sink with what is happening. After this, the teacher writes two to three letter words on the board and reads them aloud. The students follow and repeat after her. The next step is to have the students write the wordsin their notebooks. This method involves all four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. After this activity, the students are asked to read the words they did not understand. The teachers encourage and help the students pronounce the bigger words. Along the way, they explain the meaning of all the words except for the linking words (is, the, that etc.) We are hoping that if this method is followed for three months, by the end of that period the student will be accustomedto the process. After this, we do an interactive activity which involves the students is drawing a conversation or playing a game etc.

The other activity we have is called Magic Box. This activity is for teaching syntax and grammar. The way it works is that a word goes in the Magic Box and something else comes out. For example, one pen goes in and two pens come out. This is how we teach them about singular and plural. This activityis to give them an idea of how to attach an “s” behind a word to make it plural.

For vocabulary building, we have an activity called Garden of Words. The teacher writes all the new words and reads them aloud. The students repeat. Then the students take the lead and repeat the activity. The teacher asks the students to read the first and the last letters, and then try to come up with another word with similar starting and ending letters. Every other day, the activity is repeated to reinforce what was taught the previous day. The basic objective is the same, only we have linked them to the text books.

Q3. Why does Pratham work with students from 1–4th grade?

Among young adults in urban settings, everyone knows the very basics such as “hello” and “how are you.” The idea is to go beyond that. There are many ways to communicate; our basic objective was to have a strong, clear, conversation with confidence.

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so they get a feel for the work environment.

Q6. What is the Read India Program and what age group is the program for?

The Read India program is for students that are lagging behind. It covers students in grades one through seven. The basic activities that are covered in the program are very simple things like teaching them to read basic English and basic math.

Q7. What method really works with the students and encourages them to learn better?

We had a program called the Reading Mela. The students we worked with in previous programs were asked to come with one family member who would help our Pratham team judge. We wrote several sentences and asked the students to reada sentence. If he could not read a sentence, he was asked to then read a word. If the child fluently reads a sentence, he gets a badge that says “I CAN READ ENGLISH.” This program took a lot of momentum. All of the students would try to collect all of the badges which required them to try harder each time. A small reward at the end of the program makes the students excited and builds confidence.

Q8. How many years have you been with Pratham Mumbai?

I will be completing my tenth year soon.

Teaching them about casual conversations with each video that had a specific objective was very successful. We had clear objectives, activities and learning materials made specifically for each video.

Module One only shows different ways to say “hello!” I’m not saying that one is better than the other but these are the different replies one may get. For the young adults, we created video that would appeal to them. We shot 27 videos that were four minutes each. The videos taught them about casual conversations with each video having a specific objective. This was very successful because we had clear objectives, activities and learning material specifically made for each video.

Q4. Can you share with me the difference in the urban and rural education programs?

The students in the rural areas do not have permanent houses since majority of their parents are farmers or work for factories in the regions. Once the students reach the age of 14, they are expected to work in field and help generate income to support the family. Many students who begin work at an early age do not wish to go back to school and learn. That transition is very hard for them. Most of our programs in rural regions have younger students of five to 10 years old.

Q5. What does the Talk Center for professionals focus on and what is the objective?

We have an urban learning program in Satara, where there is a hospitality center where we teach English. This center is run in association with the Taj Hotel. The higher end training happens when the hotel trains them to become front desk operators or managers. We offer services to the lower end of the spectrum that includes the housekeeping staff, waiters and so forth. At the end of the day, Taj will employ them. The challenge for us is to give them good English conversation skills since most of the students are from rural regions that don’t have any English exposure. For this group of students, we have the Hospitality English Training which happens in Satara and Aurangabad. The program runs for three months. In these three months, we have to teach them good conversational skills and the build confidence to communicate effectively. Towards the end of the program, we also help the students with interview training so they understand the questions asked at the interview. We have one hour of English learning and a talk center class that alternate every day to help them practice. This continues even after the three-month program is completed.

The other advantage to the program is that we take the hospitality students to the places they will work

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Talk Center Coordinator: Simran. N. Makwana

Q1. Can you tell me a little about yourself and what got you interested in working for Pratham ?

I have been working with Pratham since 2009. Before that I had been in the social studies field since I graduated with my P.H.D in Human Rights.

Q2. What is the idea behind this program? Can you share the objectives?

Talk Center is just the reverse of a call center. The student registers, pays fees and one person from the Talk Center is assigned to make calls to that student every other day. We have a list of topics to be covered and a set of questions that require the student to answer in more than one syllable. The staff will explain and help the student understand and answer the questions. After the completion of the conversation, there are follow up questions for the next topic so the student can prepare. We wanted the students to talk more so we challenged them by asking for information about things they like, their families, work etc.

Q3. What is the age group that you work with? On a daily bases how may calls would you make or receive?

Most of the students are in the working field so the age group would vary from the twenties to

the forties. Its gets harder to teach students who are in their fifties but we do have a few students enrolled. Twenty classes a day for a period of three months.

Q4. What are some of challenges you face in the Talk Center Program?

The main challenge is the technology. Many of the students are in rural areas where the network service is weak. This affects our teaching capability and their understanding due to the lack of clear communication. From the psychological point of view, if for some reason we are not able to teach the students at the designated time, they loose focus since their environmental interaction is changing all the time.

The other part is that many students lack the motivation to learn. We have to constantly remind them that this program is for their benefit and that they should spend a few minutes preparing the answers to the questions given the previous day.

Q5. Do you feel learning on the phone is less effective than learning in person?

A lot of learning takes place through body movements and actions. Learning on the phone eliminated the visual learning factor. In my experience, phone

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learning is one way to get to students who cannot get to our classrooms and study. We can reach more people through this program. However, lack of concentration is another challenge. As teachers, we must work hard to hold their concentration.

Q6. Is it possible to have a Pratham instructor present with a group of students who receive the calls?

We have an instructor present for the hospitality group. However, for the other students who are mostly working in different locations, it is very difficult to get them all in one place at a given time. We are working on this aspect as well. We are working on this aspect as well. We want to provide them with the learning material so they have some reference to go back to, once the call is completed. Having study material increases the participation form the students’ side.

Q7. How does this program benefit the students?

Through repetitive learning, the students make good progress in three months. Repeating the topic makes them familiar with the content. My team and I constantly help the students understand the content of the topic covered. Having said this, the level is still very low. It is not enough training for them to speak English fluently. That would require on-site classes.

Founder: Smitha Awade

Q1. What programs do you run for SMM?

SMM runs a lot of programs for Pratham. We run the Urban Learning Center (ULC) together. We provide advanced education for slum children. The concept behind the UCL is to clarify the concepts behind learning. For example, when teaching math we teach what fractions are and how they form. These classes run on a fee of Rs. 20.

The Scholarship Program is run for forth grade students. We also have eight computer centers associated with a company that helps us with funding. We take Rs. 250 for six months. We have a program run for students who drop out of grades five and six. We tutor them and get them ready for the tenth grade board examination.

Q2. How many years have you been with SMM? How does working for a non-profit benefit you?

I have been working with them for eleven years. There are many advantages. We are establishing ourselves together and working as a group to bring about change. The three of us have found a way to sustain ourselves and help others at the same time.

Q3. What made the three of you come together and form SMM?

Initially, we ran programs for students in schools with Pratham Pune. We wanted to expand and help the communities who do not send their students to schools. We started the reading classes in the communities and we were teaching simple reading to students. There was a phase when we did not have enough funding and the teachers started running classes from their homes. This took great momentum.

Q4. How do you generate the funds that are needed to run the program?

The majority of our programs have a nominal fee that fee is collected to run other programs. Most of the educational programs, except for the health program, have a fee. We have 200 English classes and the fee is Rs. 10 per/0.187 cents per child. That way we have 4,000 children and that amounts to a lot of money that we can put into another program.

Q5. Is there any other source of funding?

We had a government project we were running but it closed last year. It was a SCC program for the tenth grade drop out students, and it lasted for three years. That project was funded by the government. We have the chairman for Pratham, Baba Kalyani, who is a big business man. He provides a lot of support for educational programs for students. City Bank in India also funded our programs many times.We get funds from outside of Pune. If we run outof funds, then Partham Mumbai helps and supports SMM. The funding is easy if you work with an existing organization.

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Q1. You are involved with many organizations. Can you tell me a little about the role you play in each?

I am an educator for Professional Tutor of America. I teach math and English. I am involved with Crisis Center in Concord and I teach the immigrant’s communicative English. I also volunteer for Pratham and Mahila Mandal and have taught English to teachers and students. I have been working with them for five years. There is a huge difference in teaching adults and children. Adults are shy and children learn more quickly.

Q2. Knowing the education pattern in India, how would you go about build a curriculum for students in grade six. How would you start?

In the public school, there is hardly any standardization in the level of English. There are twelve year old children who cannot speak or understand any English. I would suggest you create standardization that will give some structure to refer to. Research the different education boards in India and work with one that will match your need. Research the Delhi Public School, which is different than the other public schools. They create their own curriculum which is more advanced and updated.

Q3. Per our discussion about building English education for public school children in Mumbai, I have four concepts that I developed after doing all my research and interviews: an English learning club, internet classes, home schooling and library on the move. Which one out of these is the most feasible and viable, and why?

I feel the activities you discussed with me hold a lot of merit. They should be explored further for the English language club.

Q4. Who would you picture teaching at the English club?

People who are passionate about helping others should teach. Their age and qualification should be secondary. You would need one teacher and one administrator.

Q5. Where would you see a club set up of this nature? How close should the club be to the public school to ensure the students attend regularly?

Transportation is a huge problem. Keeping the club close to the students’ homes would be beneficial. What Pratham does is select a person within the community to be in charge of the students. He makes sure they attend classes regularly. You will require a support system and someone who is from the community itself who knows the children. There are many temples and mosques that rent places for classes. When you go to India you can inquire about it. There are many community places that are offered at a minimal rent. If you are lucky, you might get some volunteers who will open their homes to teach marginalized children. The third important thing is getting the right learning materials. If you want to focus on verbal skills then get material for that skill set. Put the emphasis on what is important.

Q.6 What skill out of the four skills should be taught first?

I would say you need to have a balance between verbal skills and grammar usage. They should not be taught separately. The main thing I teach is how

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to say the sentence correctly. You will have to be very flexible, since the resources are very limited. In India, the grammar is emphasized a lot in schools. Teach the grammar and make the student talk.

Q7. You have been an educator in India as well as here in the United States. What are some of the learning techniques you can share with me that would be beneficial for students in India?

You should have a very concise goal. There are many techniques of teaching. Pick one to focus on and work with it. We grade the students at three levels: spelling, words and complete sentences. Evaluation of the skill sets before and after the pilot program is very important. Say, hypothetically speaking, I was going to teach the students spelling. I would test them with a few spelling words before and after to see their progress. This will help you determine if your teaching is effective or not. Every topic we have has specific formats.

Q8. What format should the teaching materials take? Can I leverage the use of the Internet or technology?

I would deliver the material in person through a teacher. We don’t have advanced technology. We do not need computer.

Q9. How successful has the student volunteering been in India?

Student volunteering is very successful in India. There have been various experiments that have been successful. One of the most popular ways to volunteer is to go to the educational institute and offer students a semester’s worth of credit for them to teach. I would encourage you to keep this component in your organization. The program is called Teach India.

Q10. Would collaborating with other existing non-profits be more feasible and viable?

This is a good concept to expand. You can focus on the teaching and the partner organization can take care of other factors. Pick an organization working with children in a field other than education. It can be a sports organization or health organization. It can be an organization giving meals. It canbe an organization giving books. You will need to figure how many people you will need and the

scope of the project. Determine the focus, the school, number of students, the location and who will support your organization. You should give some rupee value to the project so that you know it will cost you X rupees from point A to B. What are your manpower needs? Determine the number of staff members and the number of volunteers needed.

Q11. How long do envision a program of this nature lasting? Weeks? Months? When will this program run? During holidays or along with school? On weekends?

Based on all the information you have provided, I see this program running for three months.The program can even go longer, say six months or so. You have to make sure you cover the subject well and the program continues to show good results.

Q12. What would be the cost of printing a book in India?

US $4.47-7.46 /piece. Pratham has books that are 50 cents each since they have their own press in Delhi.

Q13. What will it take to start each of these projects? Can you estimate the resources, manpower and funds needed?

I would suggest you look at other organizations and see how many students per class you will have. It also depends upon the number of teaching staff andtheir salaries as well as help from volunteers and other supporting members. I would look at around $5,000 for 15 children for a three month program.

Q14. Q14. Who do you think would be interested in providing support?

Pick an organization that works with children in a field other than education. It can be a sports organization or health organization. It can be an organization giving meals. It can be an organization giving books.

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TEACHER AT NANDADEEP PUBLIC SCHOOL

English teacher for grade 7: Manohar Wakode

Q1. Can you tell me a little about yourself and your education?

I completed tenth grade at a school in my village. I got my basic education in the state language. Then we moved to the city of Aurangabad where I pursued my B.A degree. After completing my Bachelors in Arts, I enrolled to get my Masters in the same city. I completed a year but was not able to appear for my second year examination. I did continue my M.A. but instead I completed a four year diploma in elementary education (B.EI.Ed). After I received my teaching certificate, I left Aurangabad and came to Bombay during summer vacations. Then I started applying for a teaching position in the government schools and got selected by Nandadeep High School.

Q2. Why did you decide to teach English at this school? How many years have you taught English at this school?

While I was pursuing B.EI.Ed, I had English as one of my optional subjects and I fared quite well. We usually have two optional subjects to take. Mine were English and Physical Education. So based on our subject matter expertise we are given teaching positions and subjects. I have been teaching English at Nandadeep for almost 16 years.

Q3. What would you say about the level of English that is taught at this school? Are the teachers able to cover the entire syllabus on time?

We are able to cover the syllabus on time. The biggest challenge the students face with English is their weak foundation since they do not have a lot of exposure to the language. The meaning and what I am teaching in the lessons comes much later. I too have come from a similar background. I was thought in Hindi, the state language. Therefore, I try to figure out ways to get the message to my students. However, since I teach higher grades, I cannot waste time brushing up their basics. I have to cover my designated syllabus within a given time frame.

Q4. Do you think your students are able to understand English? If so, how well do they understand it?

I feel they can understand but the results of our teaching only manifest much later. When my students have finished school and I happen to bump into them on the road, a small conversation reveals that they are successful in their engineering and medical careers. At this moment, it is impossible to tell which students will do well outside school or not. Sometimes we feel that certain students will not accomplish anything based on his/her current performance but we never know when his talents will overflow and change the course of things. They are able to groom themselves after they go to college.

Q5. If a child in class is lacking behind do you help him/her after school? Does the school encourage this? How many hours a week would that be?

After the students complete the unit tests, we are ableto judge which children need help for the final exams. We help these children prepare for the final examination. Usually on Saturday we work a half day. We spend an hour to an hour and a half per week with the students helping them with subjects where they need to improve.

Q6. Do you think it is important to learn English language? Why? Do the students show an interest in learning English?

It is very important to learn English since it is the global world language. The children are very interested. It depends on the teacher to make the subject interesting to his students. What method does he use to convey the meaning of a lesson?

When I was in school, I found it very difficult to learn English until eighth grade. Even today, I remember my eighth grade teacher who sparked my interest in learning English.

What did your eighth grade teacher do differently than the others who taught you English?

He made the subject interesting by bring humor into our classroom.

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17,000 STUDENTS FROM GRADE 1ST-7TH

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6 out of 55STUDENTS CAN READ WITHOUT

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All the facts and numbers provided by Nandadeep High School staff members.

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This step involves collecting data and facts. Looking at the problem through the lens of numbers and statistics is astonishing to see the number of students who go to school but still have a very low learning ratio. All the facts are provided byNandadeep High School. I worked with the teachers and the staff members to get the data. I also looked at regional and international competitors and their teaching methodologies and program structure to gain insights.

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PRATHAM EDUCTION FOUNDATION

Every child in school and learning well

Focuses on reading instruction • Pre-school education • Libraries • Read India Program • Education of vulnerable and working children• Classes conducted in the community • Computer Aided Literacy • Early Childhood Care and Education Centre.

EKLAVYA

Primary education program

Engaged in primary school curriculum • Concerned for Working Children (CWC) • Developing materials, training and evaluation of systems for primary schools in the rural and tribal areas • Changing teacher student relationships and allowing peer learning • Financial commitments being met

by a sponsor.

ALARIPPU

Art and Culture, Child Welfare, Education

Increase confidence and social awareness through education, theatre and other communication methods in development process • Ran a library

in Delhi.

05. REGIONAL COMPETITIONS ANALYSIS: NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

In looking at various organizations that already exist and work with education related issues in India, there are reasons why some of the organizations were not successful:

1. Most of the efforts made were on a small scale with the exception of the Pratham Education Foundation.

2. When the supporting organization leaves so does the support for the program. There are no records for future reference. Systems of interaction between the government and these efforts are not well established. They lack long term impact.

3. The organizations are time bound and run on limited funds. They are short lived.

4. Lack of documentation of ideas and successful efforts that could be put to use in a different region with slight modification.

5. Lack of additional space for teachers to work within the school system.

6. Lack of groups providing support to teachers in the form of resources, materials and ideas.

7. Government policy at the state and local level determine the involvement and the spread of the NGO.

Successful Non-Profit Organizations

Unsuccessful Non-Profit Organizations

IMPROVING GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS: WHAT HAS BEEN TRIED AND WHAT WORKSResearch paper by Mandira Kumar & Padma M. Sarangpani

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PRAGAT SHIKSHAN SANSTHA

Every child in school and learning well

Reading curriculum • Literacy class for out-of-

school children, focus changed to enrolling such children in school, helping them to stay in school and succeed • Providing medical assistance when necessary • Women’s Sewing And Literacy Classes • Birth And Death Reporting Services • Women’s Self Help Groups • Environmental Awareness • Art Education • The Computer Lab • Work Experience • Mobile Slide Library Program • Navneet Back Cover( student art).

THE INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH

ORGANIZATION

Promoted the broadcast of educational television into classrooms

UTTARAKHAND SEVA NIDHI

Environmental education programmes

Supply of teaching/learning materials • Village and school visits for on-the-spot guidance and problem solving • Encourage them to organise themselves to deal with environmental problems that affect their daily lives.

CENTRE FOR LEARNING RESOURCES

Teaching of english as a second language

Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) - developing and broadcasting interactive radio courses for teaching English to elementary school students • Bilingual Learning Materials.

VIGYAN ASHRAM Rural development education system

Learning while doing • Education through Development and Development through Education • Multiple experiences helps in developing child’s personality.

SMILE FOUNDATION

Health and Education

Social equality • Innovative healthcare • Women empowerment to achieve large-scale penetration and highest social return • Working withthe government to bring educational reforms.

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06. INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS ANALYSIS: SCHOOL SYSTEMS AROUND THE WORLD

The Finnish education system ranks as one of the best systems in the world. It is worth looking at what makes their education system more successful than those of other countries.

1. Education fits the culture and history of the country.

2. The Finnish education system looks at the requirements and bases their level of education offered to match what is required to ensure good, sustainable jobs. .

3. The Finnish education success is partly homemade. Even before school starts, the parents inculcate a culture of reading with their children at age four. Furthermore, they work closely with the teachers at school to ensure the children learn well.

4. Their policy is that no child should be left back. Extra support is given to both the weak and the talented students. Their schools produce high results with the fewest number of classroom hours. .

5. Building an attitude of giving back to the society. Education is equal to pride.

6. Group learning helps motivate the entire class to learn faster and better.

7. Children in Finland start school at age 7. The idea is that the children learn best when they are keen to start learning.

8. The classes start with a play activity to let the child become more relaxed with the learning process.

FINNISH EDUCATION SYSTEM

Opportunities

Encouragement

Community DevelopmentEducation

101Research

CHARTER SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES

1. Charter schools can choose their own curriculum.

2. They can control their own budget.

3. They are not automatically subject to the teachers’ union contract. This means they can base hiring decisions on performance.

4. Charter schools are granted a charter only after a rigorous review process. There are two organizations in New York State that are allowed to provide charters – these are called charter authorizers. Every five years, the charter authorizer for a given school determines whether to renew the charter agreement.

5. Charter schools are required to administer the same state tests as traditional zoned schools but are held to much higher standards of performance on these tests.

6. Charter schools do receive a per-pupil allocation from the state to help fund their operations, but this is generally 75% of the allocation provided to a traditional public school.

7. Enable educators to be more creative and innovative in their instructional approach.

8. Provide options for parents, particularly in communities that lack enough high-quality educational options.

9. Allows parents to choose a school based on the kind of approach that would work best for their child.

CHARTER SCHOOLS

www.summitprep.net and www.kipp.org

KIPP Academy

Harlem Success Academy

Summit Prep

Bronx Academy of Letters

Teach for America

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06. LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION: LA PETITE BALEEN SWIM SCHOOL

Michele (advisory team member) introduced me to a swimming school she had heard about. This swim club is very popular with the students. Every child wants to go there. This made me curious so I called the club to find out about their unique program methods.

1. The reward system, in the form of ribbons, makes the student want to excel. Getting more ribbons is like an acknowledgement for the skill sets they have acquired. This acts as an incentive for students to stay in the club.

2. Game learning, related to what skill they need, is an engaging way to teach young learners.

3. Healthy competitions helps the entire group to learn and perform better. They are challenged to get better each time.

4. Having parent and children classes together makes the learning process more comfortable for the student.

5. The staff and the crew work on creating a warm and loving environment for the student to excel.

6. The teachers build a friendly relationship with the students and encourage them to do well.

103Research

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key insights3

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Key Ins ights

Synthesizing the DataDistilling and condensing all the information gathered throughout the process will help in creating solutions. Uncover insights is about bringing visibility and clarity to the challenge at hand.

01. OBSERVATIONS

1. Students learn English better in small groups of friends who help each other.

2. Kinesthetic learning improves the learning process and improves memory. Real life experiences get the students more involved in the subject matter than learning from books.

3. Using the four language learning skills (reading, writing, oral and listening) to teach a lesson makes the learning more effective.

4. English fluency can improve learning other subjects.

5. Students like to learn in a non-formal setting.

6. Reward systems encourage and challenge the student to perform better.

7. A warm and friendly environment builds student self-esteem and reduces the fear of learning a new language.

8. The successful education system looks at what the requirements are and bases their curriculum on that requirement to ensure good, sustainable jobs.

9. Most of the students are compelled to take private tutoring classes because the school-teacher fails to help them. This means more financial pressure for the parents.

10. The majority of the students live away from the school location and commute via the public transportation system.

11. The majority of the students have access to the Internet.

step 1


PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS

Identify Patterns and Themes

Questions to answer

1. Do their priorities differ from one another?

2. Are their interests different?

3. What is the motivating factor?

4. What are their household activities?

5. What are the opportunities and barriers?

step 2

The priority is to finish school and even get a job to sustain their families.

Outdoor activities.

Easy accessibility and interactive learning.

Playing games all day, watching television.

The priority is to be able to settle down and get married as per their parents’ wishes.

Mainly indoor activities, a few involve themselves outside their homes.

Interactive and competitive learning.

Housework and helping mom cook

BOYS GIRLS

02. INSIGHTS

1. Non-formal school setting

2. Group learning

3. Internet access

4. Dislike self-study

5. Members of various sport clubs

107Chapter

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN ENGLISH?

I want to be a teacher and provide free and good education for all

To get a good wife

I like Shakespeare

To communicate

To be an engineer

To study further and get a good job

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develop concept and tests

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109Developing Concepts and Tests

Once the key insights were gathered, I started creating areas of opportunity for moving from the current state and envisioning a future possibility.

Statement: How will I better educate the students through a non-formal school setting? What teaching methodology should be used? Can we leverage the Internet to connect the students and the teachers?

step 1Create Opportunity Area

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step 2Four Concepts

AN ENGLISH CLUB

Just like we have a cricket club or any other club in the city of Mumbai, why not have one that focuses on speaking and using English? This English languagelearning club would help everyone who wants to be a part of it but will focus on getting children who go to government schools from the ages of 6 to twelve. The club would build skills such as writing, reading and speaking. There would be field trips where they could interact with people and see how English plays a role in the professional world. In addition, there would be movie and music nights on weekends.

Membership cards

Jersey

Textbooks

Advertising materials


Advertising materialsWebsite

ONLINE ENGLISH COURSE

The students all have access to the Internet and therefore a complete online course, where the student can interact with the teacher online, learn and have quizzes.

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HOME SCHOOLING

Many women who are homemakers like to tutor students. After conducting my research, many women expressed a desire to volunteer from home to help teach students in English for five to six hours a week. I can design workbooks for students and teacher training materials for this concept.

Workbooks Worksheets

Teacher training manuals

115

LIBRARY ON THE MOVE

Many students take public transportation and travel for an hour to get to school. A library with learning material for the students could help utilize the traveling time to learn English. For this concept, the deliverable can be a public campaign that would help raise books for the library.

Jersey Advertising materials

Advertising campaign Website

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Deve loping Concepts and Tests


step 3Chosen Concept

After the concepts were developed, they were tested with the target audience and the advisory team to choose one solution that would both appeal to and encourage the students to learn, as well as be viable and feasible.

TARGET AUDIENCE ADVISORY TEAM

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AN ENGLISH CLUB

Developing Concepts and Tests


MUMBAI’S CLUB

MUMBAIS ENGLISH CLUB

THE ENGLISH CLUB OF MUMBAI

THE ENGLISH CLUB

THE LANGUAGE CLUB

THE CLUB

THE LETTER CLUB

THE GRAMMAR CLUB

SPEECH CLUB

THE ALPHABET CLUB

THE CHIMPANZEE CLUB

THE MONKEY CLUB

step 4Design Direction01. NAMES FOR THE CLUB 02. INSPIRATION


03. THREE DIRECTIONS

Mumbai’s ENGLISH CLUB

Movie Night We are Proud to present you with Our very special Movie nights

Date: 24th May 2:00 PM - 5:30 PM

HOME EVENTS EVENTSEVENTS

EMPOWERMENT AND LEADERSHIP

The elephant is the symbol of knowledge and leadership; therefore this option has the symbol of a elephant and a shield.

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COMMUNICATION

Using speech bubbles in various styles to communicate the message of the club.

THE ALPHABET CLUB

Mumbai’s English ClubEmpowering the youth with English Language

My name is MOHINI SHAH and I am a part of the club and I am in the 2nd semester. I was born on the 1st of April.

Date: 12.01.2011–25.12.2011

Empowering public school students with strong english skills

SHARE COMMON


IDEAS


Mumbai’s English ClubEmpowering the youth with English Language

HOME/OUR PROGRAM/TOUR/FIELD TRIPS/VOLUNTEERS/CONTRIBUTE/MEMBERSHIP/TOUR

CONTACT

MENU

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LEARNING

The students were exited about having names of animals as the name of the club. The chimpanzee also resembles the Hindu deity Hanuman who holds divine powers. He symbolizes strength and power.

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step 5Validated Final Identity

TARGET AUDIENCE

125Chapter

CLUB

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refine and repeat

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127Ref ine and Repeat

The plan for the summer was to implement a pilot project for seven days. For the pilot, I had to take into consideration the resources I would need to test the idea. And most importantly, how I would measure the success of this pilot.

01. PRE-PLANNING

For the pilot I had to take into consideration the resources I would need to test the idea. And most importantly how would I measure the success of this pilot.

Location Goregaon, which is close to school

Transportation Bus

Things to bring Everything will be provided at the club

Length 2–3 hours a day for 7 days

Who will teach A private school teacher

Number of Students 6 +

Who will help One additional teacher and a administrator

Curriculum ICSE English for 3rd grade

Format worksheets, flash cards, field study

Finance Self

step 1Pilot Program

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step 2Validated Pilot Structure for the English Club

05. CURRICULUM: ICSE BOARD

06. TEACHING METHODOLOGY

03. FUNDING

04. TEACHERS AND STAFF MEMBERS

07. STUDENT

1. Maintaining the Indian Council Secondary Education Board Standards to ensure the best level of English skills are taught.

2. Working with a curriculum developer to design the teaching and learning materials to enhance the learning experience.

3. Covering lessons from the classroom.

4. Game based learning.

5. Cultural learning.

1. Kinesthetic learning by doing2. Natural language learning3. Visual learning with images4. Pair learning with others5. Game-based learning

1. Sappi Grant

Six sutdentsAge: 10–13Grade: 6–7

Susan D’souza English langauga educator at Jamnabai Narsee school (private school teacher and outside school tutor)

Parvati (Helper)

01. CONDITIONS

1. Close to the homes of the children

2. Limited students (five to six)

3. A one to three teacher student ratio

4. Started in the morning. Included learning and play time.

5. Comfortable environment

6. Lessons were planned and timed according to the attention span of the children.

7. Personal attention given to children who needed help

8. Encouraging them to try, even if they got it wrong the first time.

9. Rewarding them for good work

10. Learning by doing exercises

11. Limited days

12. Focusing on sentence structure, vocabulary building, correct pronunciation, oral communication.

02. RESULTS

1. Built confidence and the kids found it easy to learn and understand a different language.

2. The before and after tests showed significant amount of progress.

3. The kids like the experience of real world application and how English is used.


step 3Pilot Program Activities

4th June 9:00am–12:00pm

DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 DAY 4 DAY 5 DAY 6 DAY 7

25th July 2011

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Here students learn about Easter and make their own Easter eggs.

Students learn about Halloween.

131Chapter

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What’s in a bag of chips? Here the students uncover the secret ingredients.

Learning about different currencies and in which countries they are used.


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Students learn about America’s Independence Day

Saurabh makes a greeting card on India’s Independence Day for President Barack Obama

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137

Students learn the use of common and proper nouns in a sentence.

Saurab and Balaji interview a contractor for a project on professions for the pilot program

Ref ine and Repeat

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These insights form the pillars for the curriculum developed for the Chimpanzee Club.

1. The students have a very short attention span so the learning part had to be completed during the beginning of the session. Their attention span was 20–30 minutes long.

2. Students were interested in learning things they had never heard of or seen before. They enjoyed learning about different countries and customs.

3. Constantly speaking to them in English and having them reply back in the same made them want to try and attempt to get better.

4. Rewarding the students with pencils/ pens/ books upon completing the task helped the students perform better and challenged them to try and work hard.

8. Having a free service is taken for granted. A nominal fee of 10-20 Rs ensures that the program is taken seriously.

9. Exposing the kids daily makes them learn quicker.

10. Personal attention and motivation instills a more serious attitude.

11. Students conducted some activities. Verbal presentations (all spoken in English) installed a level of confidence.

12. The kids said it was helpful to learn in a small group where everyone helped each other.

13. They wanted to come home and get help with their English homework after the pilot program was over.

14. The students liked to learn by doing activities.

15. The students wanted me to focus on spoken language more than on written and oral.

16. Infrastructure: The students lived far from school and would take the public transportation to travel to school.

17: Parents: The parents were uneducated so couldn’t help the students with their homework.

step 4Insights

139Chapter

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT ENGLISH CLUB?

I scored a 10/10 on a schools test because we covered that activity at the Club

Did Obama also have to study English?

“Eat” and “it” sounds the same!

I want to come back and learn more things with you

I understand what I learn

I learn by singing songs

I learn and understand better when I do the activities with my friends

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step 5Repeat the Use Center Design Approach Several strategies were explored to determine

which would be the best way to connect what the Club has to offer with the public school children.

1. The Chimpanzee Club will run a partnership program with the private schools/existing

non-profit organization. Private school students who are fluent in English will be motivating

for English students and, in return, the affluent students can build positive leadership skills.

2. The Club provides lessons and training for public school teachers to help them sharpen their skills and to make the lessons fun for children. This would be accomplished by providing downloadable materials and lesson plans for teachers online.

3. The Club would motivate students from literature and art colleges to volunteer to teach at public schools. In return, they get credit and work experience.

4. The Chimpanzee Club will be a program that is run with an existing non-profit/student league.

5. The advisory team helped me determine that collaboration with existing nonprofit organizations and encouraging English majors from colleges and private schools to volunteer and participate was most feasible financially and in terms of resource availability.

1. A ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLUB

141

1. ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLUB

This club will be associated with the government school to encourage children to participate but it is run and promoted independently off site.

COMPONENTS

1. . Business plan

2. A new non-profit (identity) Promotional pieces (Print/web/ interactive) Blogs for students to connect with teachers from the club. Downloadable lessons/quiz /practice manuals.

3. Course outline Learning and teaching tool kits

(training and recruiting materials) Lessons based on the school textbooks Field trips Learning and making instruction manuals (Sport/art/movie) Activities

4. Funding Donations Fundraisers

2. STUDENT VOLUNTEER

Students from literature and art colleges volunteer to teach at public schools. In return, they get credit and work experience.

COMPONENTS

1. Business plan

2. A volunteering community Campaign to seek volunteers (Print/web/ interactive)


(training and recruiting materials) Lessons based on the school textbooks Field trips Learning and making instruction manuals (Sport/art/movie) Activities.


5. Working with the Graduate education board to have a credit program in universities.

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3. A PROGRAM RUN BY AN EXISTING NON-PROFIT

The Chimpanzee Club can be a program that is run with an existing non-profit.

COMPONENTS

1. Business plan

2. A volunteering community Campaign To seek volunteers (Print/web/ interactive)




5. Working with the Graduate education board to have a credit program in universities.

4. ONLINE LESSONS

Forming a new non-profit that provides lessons and training for public school teachers using online downloadable materials and lessons plans.

COMPONENTS

1. Business plan

2. A volunteering community Campaign To seek volunteers (Print/web/ interactive) Blog(student-teacher interaction.




143

step 6Validated Approach

ADVISORY TEAM

A PROGRAM RUN BY AN EXISTING NON-PROFIT

Advantages1. Assets are available 2. Funding can be easier than when starting your own organization. 3. Resources and manpower 4. Won’t have to waste time in setting up the organization. You can focus on the

teaching.

Disadvantage

1. Hard to work within the rules and laws 2. Compatibility with the working staff

Social service leagueA student-run body that conducts events focusing on social service, we are an NGO operating within, and sometimes beyond, St. Xavier’s College.

JWS. (sports, art and culture) JWS would strive to achieve sustainable development in all spheres of life including education, health and livelihood, promotion of arts and culture, environmental protection, and sports.

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Design OutcomeThe deliverables

03

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LEARNING

Using the infinite monkey theorem: If you give a bunch of monkeys a typewriter eventually they will learn Shakespeare or create a new language to communicate.

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+ +

Design Outcome


chimpanzeeclubSummary

The Chimpanzee Club will help public school children in Mumbai to build strong English language skills. The goal is to help them understand a new language in a different light, since they fear English language in school and find it very hard to learn. The learning process at the club will be interactive and engaging, compelling students to think, experience and reason as they learn. They will study various topics through various hands on activities, making materials, and participating in field trips. Through these experiences they will be exposed to the practical application of the English language in different areas. The Chimpanzee Club will serve as an English language club open to every child who would like to be a part of it for a nominal fee. The Club follows the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) curriculum. This curriculum is prominent in schools.

The Club’s goal is to raise the standard of the English language for children who attend the public schools in Mumbai, India. Thus making the students more proficient and enabling them to pursue higher education and better career opportunities

149

CLUB

Building English Language Skills

Design Outcome


151Des ign Outcome


Success Measures

Challenges

1. Children performing very well in school. Communicating thoughts and ideas well.

2. Increase interest in the activities of the club. 3. Motivating other students/friends to join.4. Better English skills and satisfaction with

personal performance. 5. Parental involvement. 6. Other non-profits wanting to become partners.7. Volunteers learn something valuable from this

experience and would like to return. 8. Growing the number of participants9. Expanding the club to various regions in India10. Increasing volunteers from the private schools.

The important challenges to consider:1. Lack of government support to improve education.2. Encouraging public school children to join the

Club.3. Building trust in the minds of the parents who

must spend a nominal fee to send their children to the Club .4. Encouraging students to volunteer for a long

period of time.5. Working within the boundaries of the partnership

agreement with the non-profit. 6. The possibilities of expanding the Club7. The source of funding.

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Chimpanzee Club

Merchandise: Jersey, membership cards, buttons, journals, caps and bottles.

Educational materials: Flash cards, work sheets, teachers manual

Web site

Advertising Materials: Posters (interactive) and banners

Material Matrix


Design Outcome


THAT CAR COST ME AN ARM AND A LEG!

CLUBwww.chimpanzeeclub.org

The Chimpanzee Club helps public school children to build strong English language skills by helping them overcome challenges to learning English in school. The Chimpanzee Club’s learning process is interactive and engaging, compelling students to think, experience and reason as they advance. Through these hands on experiences the students are exposed to the practical application of the English language in different areas and in fun and meaningful ways.

cósjfó cóó[fó kóÀs uófó³ós cógpós nóLó Dóówj Hówj yós®óvós Hó[s!

Empowering students with strong English skills

ADVERTISING MATERIALS

Poster that promotes the Club. The posters have funny English idioms that bring humor into the learning process.

155Chapter


157Des ign Outcome


INTERACTIVE POSTERS

Poster that engages the students and allows them to interact.

159

Register today to learn English at chimpanzeeclub.org /student

CLUBwww.chimpanzeeclub.org

The Chimpanzee Club helps public school children to build strong English language skill by helping them overcome challenges to learning in school. The Chimpanzee Club’s learning process is interactive and engaging, compelling students to think, experience and reason as they advance. Through these hands on experiences the students are exposed to the practical application of the English language in different areas and in fun and meaningful ways.

THE MANDescribe him kóCó&vó kófÀópó ³ós

Design Outcome


161Chapter


FLASH CARDS

A series of flash cards that replace the old textbook learning. Flash cards help to learn and recall words effectively.

163Des ign Outcome


165Des ign Outcome


WORKSHEETS

167Chapter


JERSEYS

169


BUTTONS

171Des ign Outcome


TEACHER’S MANUAL

173Des ign Outcome


175Des ign Outcome


special thanksI would like to acknowledge everyone who has contributed towards making the project real and tangible.

MY PARENTS, KAKA, KAKI AND MY SISTERFor their encouragement and never-ending support.

MICHELE RONSEN My directed study advisor for her expertise and enthusiasm for my work.

PHIL HAMLETT Academy Director for his support and time.

HUNTER WIMMERAcademy Professor for his advise and critique.

MICHAEL KILGORE Academy Professor for his expertise and knowledge.

HEENA DWIVEDY For proof reading my book.

VIKKI GOLDMANFor copy and language edits.

ALPA MHATREFor working on the back end and coding for the Web site.

NANDADEEP HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTSAksah, Rohit, Balaji, Saurabh, Mohini, Jenny, Kavita,

Dhananshree, Raj, Varun, Nikhil, Mayuree, Prathem, Bhushan, Prajacta, Rahul and the other students who participated in the surveys and the interviews after school.

RAJ PAL SINGH Professional Tutor of America. Educator for Pratham Education Foundation.

VIJAY BASAK Education Head at Smile Foundation, India ( non-profit organization).

MADHURI PAIPratham Education Foundation, India and her team that focuses on teaching English to students and slum children.

THE ENTIRE TEAM OF SSM, PUNE

SMILE FOUNDATION

PRATHAM PUNE, EDUCATION FOUNDATION

ENGLISH TEACHERS Susan D, Vidhya Shree, Vinessa Menon.

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© 2012 Zainab Rupawalla, all rights reserved.

The Chimpanzee Club Journal documents the process of the MFA thesis from the challenge to the final solution. All parts of the book are original, with original photography, illustration and content.

Written, designed and produced by

Zainab Rupawalla

www.zainabrupawalla.com

[email protected]

ProjectMFA Thesis

SemesterSpring 2012

InstructorsPhil Hamlett and Michele Ronsen

BinderyABC Imaging

Text StockNeenah Classic Crest 80 lbs

TypefaceGotham and Sentinel

Documents

Chimpanzee Club