Caring with Color
Ground Zero
With the National Education Policy 2020 emphasizing the importance of turning classrooms into experiential learning spaces, CWC believes that it is imperative to revisit teacher training frameworks to bridge the gap and deliver on the promise of improved learning outcomes for students. The team spoke with stakeholders across the Education Department – at the levels of districts, blocks, clusters and schools - to integrate experiential learning. They first determined the specific subjects that primary schoolteachers are either teaching or are interested in teaching. Then they identified the difficulties teachers face in three critical subjects - Mathematics, Science and English. The team prepared 20 experiential training modules in these three subjects for teachers. Then they reached out to more than six thousand teachers in Tumakuru and Ramanagara districts. CWC designed a new method of teacher training that is aimed at equipping teachers with the knowledge, skills and perspectives they require to transform their classrooms into experiential learning spaces. In the face of the pandemic, the team used technology platforms that helped primary school
teachers in these districts to remotely engage with training programs. The training was held in close collaboration with the District Institute for Education and Training (DIET) in both the districts. Resource persons and trainers in the DIETs were identified and trained to deliver live online training sessions in collaboration with CWC teacher trainers. The online teacher training modules were supplemented with pre and posttraining assessments, reading materials, assignments, and projects, through which teachers could further deepen their understanding. CWC also developed an android app called ‘Teachopia,’ through which the training programs, as well as experiential teaching content, can be delivered to teachers across these districts. The team also tries to ensure that all the government functionaries across the board come together for the transformation of the entire district in a sustainable way. Rajeev Annaluru, Chief Operating Officer of CWC shares that, “It was important to integrate ourselves with the rest of the Education Department, because a government schoolteacher does not operate in isolation.
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