A teacher from Teach for India describes teaching 29 underprivileged 2nd grade students with low language and math skills. Through testing at the beginning and end of the year, the teacher found that while the students made progress, there were still large gaps between their achievement levels and what is expected for their grade. The teacher is requesting funds to purchase a projector to use innovative audio-visual teaching methods to try and bridge this 1.5 year achievement gap in the coming school year.

1. A Voyagers’ JourneyJourney of “Class Voyagers” in a yearAcademic year 2010-2011

2. A Quick PreambleI, a TEACHFORINDIA 2010 fellow was given this great opportunity, last year to teach 29 adorable 2nd Graders in SavitriBaiPhule, at Pune, India.A short not about my kids ; They all come from a underprivileged community for whom we try to give the highest quality education possible to bridge the educational inequity between our folks and the privileged kids in the elite schools.When I entered my class, to my surprise the speaking & listening skills of the kids were at par to normal 2nd grade class. However the Writing & Reading skills were at Pre-Kg level. Means they could hardly read or write anything other than alphabets, and in some case not even that.So, we set a goal for the class, pulled our sleeves and started working on developing the math and language skills.At the end of the year everyone grew from their levels, but not at the expected levels. There were lots of gaps from their grade level even after a year of hard-work. In this PPT I tried to explain what kind of work we did past one year and what support from you, we are looking for, in the future to bridge this gap

3. MethodologyWe measure the level of the kids at the very beginning of the year and accordingly we set the target/goal, which is ambitious, feasible, measurable and student friendly for the kids.These Beginning of the Year (BOY) tests are based on Language - Speaking & listeningLanguage - GrammarLanguage - Reading ComprehensionLanguage - WritingLanguage - Reading FluencyMathematicsAt the End Of the Year (EOY) we give a set of test which will test the mastery level of the kids at the end of the year on the above ground.The data is plotted in graphs and the growth is measured in a Continuous Evaluation Method through out the year.

4. Beginning Of the Year (BOY) & End Of the Year (EOY) Data AnalysisBOY - Beginning of the Year ScoreEOY - End of the Year TargetYTD - Year till date ( what we scored at the End)RC – Reading Comprehension represented in Percentage %S&L – Speaking & Listening - Represented in Grade level Kids moved from Grade 2 to Grade 2.5

5. Beginning Of the Year (BOY) & End Of the Year (EOY) Data AnalysisRF – Reading Fluency represented in Grade Level Kids moved from Kg to Grade 1Writing - Represented in Grade level Kids moved from Pre-Kg to Grade 1

6. The GapThe Gap as you can see it is very huge. The kids who are supposed to be in beginning of the 3rd grade level are now in grade mid 1st grade. There is a gap of 1.5 years.And this year I`m taking over the same class and trying to bridge this 1.5 years achievement gap in one year. So at the end of Grade 3 , we should`ve improved by 2.5 years growth in a year, which is very ambitious. But we don’t want to give up. For this I need to use innovative teaching methods. What I`m planning is to introduce More Audio Visual Learning with projector in the classWith this projector I can teachMath Skills - Visually showing them all the critical mathematical concepts such as Place values , mental math, Number sense, operations, measurement & geometry.Language skills - in a much more efficient manner, catching every kid’s attention(which is the key to bridge the gap) teaching them through Movies & videos. I strongly believe through Movies & Videos , we can teach language to a greater practical extent.

7. The Adorable Voyagers !

8. How can you supportRight now I`m trying to raise funds toBuy a used projector for the class. (Rs. 10,000 / $230)Or If you can lend your old one from your conference room, if you got any Buy some classroom supplies for this year – Story Books & Worksheets to practice the skills ( Math & Language)(Rs.5,000-10,000 / $100-$200)Also if possible, Please spread the word and forward us to the right people who can support us. Your small support mean a lot to us.Please contact me at pradeep.rajendran2010@teachforindia.orgPhone : +91 96654 74332For more details on TEACHFORINDIA, visit www.teachforindia.orgNote : I will keep you posted with the regular updates in the class & necessary bills for the purchasePlease support us with any amount of fund you can!

9. Below you can find the Bank account details where you can transfer the cash online or of any sort.HdfcBank... & its detailsAccount Number : 07941140082912Account Registration Name : Pradeep RBranch : Hdfc , HINJAWADI BranchBranch Code ( If needed, Just in case )Micr Code 411240018IFSC Code: HDFC0000794Note: This contribution goes directly to my classroom and hence my bank account.How to contribute