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Domlur school children do well in Sikshana’s assessment of language and arithmetic skills

Children studying in Sikshana adopted Primary schools are evaluated on a regular basis through Sikshana Basic Assessment module, which is based on *ASER. The objective of this evaluation is to understand the level of learning among children and undertake measures which would help them better their skills. Basic Mathematics and Kannada skills are assessed among children studying in 7^th standard. All the 24 students studying in 7^th standard who took the test are able to read simple sentences in Kannada (**ASER level) and 19 of them are able to read complex sentences in Kannada (***above ASER). 16 students out of 24 are able to solve basic mathematics problems (addition, subtraction, multiplication & division). The eight students who lack these basic skills are monitored and mentored to improve the skills.

Domlur school children improve their handwriting

The handwriting quality of every child studying in 7^th standard is being monitored through the Sikshana ‘Writing Book Program’. Under this Program, the handwriting quality is assessed and documented through the sheets provided by Sikshana. A preliminary evaluation was conducted in the month of August to assess the speed and quality of writing among children. 24 students of 7^th standard underwent the Program and their work was documented. Based on this assessment, children who lacked in speed and quality were given attention and monitored. The assessment was repeated in the month of September and a comparison of both assessment showed that there was a drastic improvement in the quality of writing among children.

‘Star badges’ and ‘Learning tree’ stickers provided by Sikshana prove to be good incentives for children to improve their learning ability

Time and again, Sikshana’s star badges, an incentive given to children to encourage learning, has proved to be an effective motivational tool. Categorised coloured star badges (for academics, extra-curricular activities and personal/school hygiene) are awarded to children to motivate them to learn. Children feel proud to display the badges, which boosts their morale to excel further.

Sikshana diaries, which are given to every child studying in Sikshana adopted government schools, help them to document their work and keep a tab on the progress of their work. In addition, these diaries have useful information, interesting facts and figures, which create interest in the child to learn. Sikshana introduced ‘My Learning Tree’, a tree picture puzzle, where each part of the tree is associated with one concept of learning (mathematics concepts and language skills). The parts of the tree (each concept of learning) are in the form of stickers, given by Sikshana to all the teachers of Sikshana adopted schools. The child will have to stick a part of the tree after demonstrating the concept in front of the teacher. The enthusiasm to complete the picture is pushing the children to learn all the concepts thus improving their learning ability.

 A little encouragement makes a lot of difference

Shobha (name changed), a student studying in 7^th standard in Appareddyplaya Government Primary School, was constantly chided by her friends and teachers for being a dull student. She was encouraged by Sikshana mentor to overcome the fear of reading. This encouragement boosted her confidence and improved her skills further. She was enrolled in the Sikshana Reading Program, a month long Program where children who lack basic reading skills are tagged with one of their peers who are good at it and who can help them improve their reading. After a month’s time, Shobha is able to read Kannada fluently, which is ***above ASER level reading. 

*ASER (www.asercentre.org) is a national standard created by Pratham, an organisation, which has data (since 2005) on two metrics namely Arithmetic skills (ability to solve two digit simple division problems) and Kannada language skills, which are assessed in children studying in classes 4^th to 7^th across all states in the country. The ASER report shows the learning level of children studying in 4^th to 7^th standard.

** Students falling under ‘ASER level’ category are able to solve basic Arithmetic problems (two digit division and subtraction) and read basic Kannada (simple sentences).

*** The students falling under the category of ‘Above ASER’ level are able to read class-appropriate Kannada language text and solve fractions and decimal system based Arithmetic problems.

1. Reading Program

 A month long reading program was conducted in Domlur schools in June 2013. This initiative is aimed at improving Kannada language reading skills among students of 7^th standard who are lagging behind. This program has proved to be successful tool in improving the learning abilities among children. Out of the 30 students studying in 7^th standard, 11 were identified to be lagging behind in basic Kannada reading skills.

 In this 30-day program, the *11 students were tagged with their peers who are good in Kannada language reading skills. At the end of the Program, 9 children were able to read ASER level Kannada text (simple sentences) and at it. 3 out of the 9 students were also able to read Kannada, a level higher than ASER based level (reading complex words and sentences). Overall, it has helped in improving their reading skills.

* Out of the 11 students identified, 10 of them regularly participated in the Program.

2. Activities to encourage children in learning

 As an incentive to improve interest levels in academics, star badges are awarded to students. In Domlur schools, 25 students were awarded with star badges as a token of appreciation for their interest and performance in academics and extra-curricular activities. 120 diaries were distributed to children studying in 4^th to 7^th standard in Domlur schools. Children are encouraged to document their day-to-day activities in the diary to keep track of their work. In addition the diary has additional information including child’s rights, important facts and figures and quick references which help the children in their academic work. The diaries have enabled the children to systematize their work.