[Research] Feedback from government aided high schools (Bengaluru) including quick survey + open learning activities

[Guru]

Dear all,

Yesterday Anusha, Girja and I had a 1 hour interaction ("Chintan
Manthan") session with teachers of a Hombe Godwa Aided Boys High School.
This was the second such interaction. In the first interaction (20.09
mail below), teachers shared their experiences/views relating to the
pandemic and read aloud the research brief, which they found useful.

 1. Yesterday, we discussed their experiences in teaching last 1.5
    months after schools opened. Teachers also responded to the "*short
    survey - are students at grade level?" *questions.
 2. With respect to their  class 8 students, teachers felt that  20% or
    lesser students were at grade level. Maths and Hindi teachers felt
    only 5% were at grade level.
 3. Teachers also mentioned that students were not able to pay
    attention/listen to what  was being said and remember what was
    spoken to them.
 4. Teachers agreed that focus on language skills and number systems was
    most crucial now as the learning in other subjects depended on
    language competencies
 5. In this school, 40% students speak Kannada, 40% Urdu, and remaining
    Telugu and Tamil. The school offers Kannada and English medium
    instruction and this presents complex challenges.
 6. Teachers were happy to hear that we were discussing possibilities
    with SCERT about 'open learning' for this year and relieving
    teachers of data entry (they have to enter daily attendance in the
    SATS system and assessment results also). They felt the 'No Board
    Exam' suggestion would be most useful (though they agreed this was
    an uphill ask)
 7. *Teachers felt that syllabus completion was explicitly and
    implicitly expected of them. FA timetable had been given to them by
    department*
 8. Few teachers felt that around 10-20% students would not be able to
    catch up at all and nothing could be done.
 9. Teachers were positive to engaging students through 'open learning'
    activities including library activities, games, films/videos. peer
    and group activities. They were keen to ask for resources/sources.
    But it is clear they will need hand holding to take on these
    pedagogical approaches.


 1. In St Euphrasias Government Aided Girls High School, too, teachers
    agreed that grade level textbook teaching was not useful/meaningful.
 2. The Sister of the school felt that teachers  were keen to proceed
    with syllabus/ examinations due to fear of department expectations.
    She strongly advocated for 'bringing children into learning'
    processes rather than textbook teaching, and encouraged us to have
    teacher sessions. Here too we are planning to have 3-4 one hour
    interaction sessions to understand their thoughts/views.
 3. In this school 60% speak Tamil, 20% Urdu and 20% Kannada. English is
    medium of instruction. Students English skills is quite poor and
    textbooks will be incomprehensible to most.


In both schools IT for Change had conducted 2 day '*back to school*'
camps, where we included games, library activities, puzzles, craft and
art activities (*photos in the slides attached*). Students responses
were quite positive (obviously). Yet we could also observe that there
was learning regression. Students struggled and gave up much more easily
even on simpler fun activities like Tangrams and needed encouragement
and support. (Every school we approach to conduct such camps, is keen to
take it up, they do see the value of these approaches but do not know
how they can initiate it and how the syllabus completion expectation
would be met in such a case)

regards,
Guru


On 20/09/21 6:45 pm, Guru wrote:
> Just as an update
>
> We had a small workshop with a government aided high school we have been
> working with, for last 4 year. We discussed  teachers feelings and
> thoughts on COVID, school opening and student contexts.
>
> We also shared and had a reading of the research brief. The teachers
> found the session and the research brief useful!!
>
> thanks to research team for preparing the research brief and Brinda for
> the Kannada translation.  We also plan to meet Karnataka education
> department officials on Saturday to discuss LPS opening and will share 
> the research brief  with them as well.
>
> regards
> Guru
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