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This project aims to motivate children at the Base of the Economic Pyramid (BOP) with child-driven English learning system that would implement their current study. Through English, we hope to enable children to obtain a wide range of educational resources online.
For detailed information about this project, please visit our website <raasta.build-it-box.com>.
PASSWORD: raasta
Project Team: Ishan Bhalla, Parminder Kaur, Collin Smith, Chia-ling Yu
Field Partners: Bhavya Raghunath, Tracy Kunichika, Operation Shanti
Faculty Advisors: Patrick Whitney, Kevin Denney
Key Role: research, analysis/synthesis, develop and prototype plans for testing, project script writing and video production
Project video illustrating the purpose of this project, our primary and secondary research approach and initial prototyping activity learnings.
Partnering with Operation Shanti, we conducted remote research with field volunteers and 8 Indian children in Mysore, India.
Initial observation photos and video clips were gathered by field volunteers. Videos were translated for us to better understand the current tutoring dynamic, kids' behavior and Indian culture. The team then asked the children to draw their favorite things, acting as a probe tool for the Skype call. We used the drawings as conversation starter and talked to each child individually on Skype as a way to build rapport and get to know them on more personal level prior to the prototyping sessions.
Research Methods:
• Observation through photos and video clips.
• Ideation workshop & test workshop
• Secondary research
• 3 short prototyping activities and 3 week long prototyping activities
• various smaller activities/exercise
• Conduct prototyping via video recording and/or Skype live
To understand current best practice, we researched into areas of Language Teaching, Child-driven Learning, and BOP Education. From our learning, we developed design principles for each.
English Teaching Methods:
• Use physical activity to engage kids and increase memory of things being learned.
• Allow children to learn through peer interactions.
• Allow children to make decisions to increase engagement.
• Create a comfortable learning environment by allowing kids to choose when to use the native or target language based on their confidence level.
Child-Driven:
• Leverage intrinsic motivation
• Activities should be based on what kids want to know
• Customize activities for familiarity and build on preconceptions (age, culture, etc.)
• Base activities on how kids prefer to learn: Collectivity + Personally
• Tailor fit to how individual kids learn: Verbal, visual, tactless, etc.
• Provide a variety of engagement points and types of activities to match kids to their preferred learning style.
• Provide materials and circumstances to allow children to create meaning through manipulation.
• Push toward free choices by allowing kids to pursue their own interests
BOP Education:
• Embed learning into everyday life
• Create missions for kids as a way to engage
• Model should focus on“localized” spreading instead of scaling
• Montessori approach: use natural abilities and interests
• Peer to peer mass learning by having children teach others what they have learned
• Help children gain confidence in their ability through encouragement and practice
• Content should be relevant to children
• Accelerate learning through exposure to multiple stimuli
• Leverage the value of curiosity
Through several iterations of prototyping activities with kids in Mysore, India over the course of 2 semesters, we developed a service blueprint with key principles for building an active child-driven English learning system at various touch points.
Download Raasta Service Blueprint
Overarching Principles:
• Enable children to take more ownership and control
• Motivate children to choose to use English
• Use curiosity and game mechanics to drive engagement
• Utilize open ended activities that promote discovery
between Volunteers & Raasta Mentor
Indian culture views adults as authority figures. It is important to make sure the philosophy of Child-Driven Learning is understood by the volunteers facilitating the activities, allowing children to open up and be autonomous.
between Volunteers & Raasta Mentor
Architecture is our framework for the Child-Driven English Learning system.
Learning Goals: set goals such as engagement, speaking, comprehension. etc.
Activities: pick from a set of activities that match specific goals, modify as needed.
Motivation: adapt persuasive methods like challenges, autonomy, and mastery. leverage team based game, competition, prize and role models.
Feedback: solicit direct feedback from children after each activity to keep refine activity and improve learning.
between Volunteers & Raasta Mentor
Design principles for co-developing child-driven activity plans.
Leverage the momentum build-up in high engagement activity to carry through low engagement activity.
Vary/Mix activities to build on interests and learning.
interactions between Children & Volunteers
Understand the importance of communicating the activity clearly to the children. Be aware of the physical environment, team structure and dynamics that can help/detract from children's engagement and learning.
interactions between Children & Volunteers
Ways to conduct the activities and keep children engaged.