The numbers were so baffling that I had to read them over and over again to convince myself that in fact, they were true, and no it was not time yet to change my specs again….
521 entries from 61 countries… And the MAKE A DIFFERENCE project has been picked as one of the 15 finalists…
After convincing myself, (and reading again), I realized that this was no fluke…
We were finally being accepted for the work that we do…
The Staples Youth Social Entrepreneur Competition’s purpose is to discover and recognise creative, inspiring ways in which young people are changing the world….
And as a BHUMIan, the fact that we got picked from among several hundred deserving nominations from around the world, is a matter of immense pride… If you’re a Bhumi volunteer, I’m pretty sure you’re feeling euphoric too…
Anyhow, the competition isn’t done yet.. Go to http://changemakers.net/en-us/competition/staplesyv to vote for the most deserving candidate….
Check out MAKE A DIFFERENCE, COCHIN's Voting Made Easy section for more detailed info on how to vote…
Three Cheers for everyone at MAD Cochin & MAD Pune as well :)
Showing posts with label Make A Difference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Make A Difference. Show all posts
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Speak Out: Flash Card Games
1.Crisscross Bingo:
Materials Required:
1.Bingo board - a grid with:
Rows - Verbs from the verb set assigned;
Columns - Subject (I/He/She/It/We/They)
2. Pair of dice –
Verbs and Subject on each
How to Play:
Step 1: A child rolls the dice
Step 2: He/She makes a sentence with the combination
Example:
Dice 1: He; Dice 2: Walk
Sentence: He walks to school
Step 3: On the bingo board, the child needs to write his/her name in the grid that corresponds to He and Stand. The first child to make a straight line (like cross and naught) is the winner.
The dices and board are available on:
http://www.toolsforeducators.com/crisscross/
2.Memory game: Cards placed face down.A child tries to match a picture with its corresponding flash card.Kids were so excited that they decided to complicate it further by shuffling the order after each chance!! So it took some time to finish the game.
After making a right pair, the child has to say the substitution chart with actions for that verb.
3."Stop!! Thats mine!": This game is played one at a time. A child is given a picture card. The remaining cards (9) are put down one after another by the moderator. The child needs to hit and say STOP when his/her picture's flash card is put down.
4. "Make your pair": Picture cards (P) should be separated from flash cards (F) and shuffled. Every child is given 1P and 1F.A child starts the game by putting down a F card.The next child, picks it up, chooses to retain, drops another/same F card.The game goes on till one manages to find his/her pair.
NOTE: The picture card should be retained throughout the game!
During all games, children were asked to make sentences with a subject(he/she/you) + verb.
Cross posted from the BHUMI, Chennai Blog
Materials Required:
1.Bingo board - a grid with:
Rows - Verbs from the verb set assigned;
Columns - Subject (I/He/She/It/We/They)
2. Pair of dice –
Verbs and Subject on each
How to Play:
Step 1: A child rolls the dice
Step 2: He/She makes a sentence with the combination
Example:
Dice 1: He; Dice 2: Walk
Sentence: He walks to school
Step 3: On the bingo board, the child needs to write his/her name in the grid that corresponds to He and Stand. The first child to make a straight line (like cross and naught) is the winner.
The dices and board are available on:
http://www.toolsforeducators.com/crisscross/
2.Memory game: Cards placed face down.A child tries to match a picture with its corresponding flash card.Kids were so excited that they decided to complicate it further by shuffling the order after each chance!! So it took some time to finish the game.
After making a right pair, the child has to say the substitution chart with actions for that verb.
3."Stop!! Thats mine!": This game is played one at a time. A child is given a picture card. The remaining cards (9) are put down one after another by the moderator. The child needs to hit and say STOP when his/her picture's flash card is put down.
4. "Make your pair": Picture cards (P) should be separated from flash cards (F) and shuffled. Every child is given 1P and 1F.A child starts the game by putting down a F card.The next child, picks it up, chooses to retain, drops another/same F card.The game goes on till one manages to find his/her pair.
NOTE: The picture card should be retained throughout the game!
During all games, children were asked to make sentences with a subject(he/she/you) + verb.
Cross posted from the BHUMI, Chennai Blog
Training for Speak Out Volunteers
Make a Difference (MAD), Cochin has played an invaluable role in shaping Speak Out. While BHUMI identified orphanages to start this project at, MAD brought The Teacher Foundation (TTF, Bangalore). The aim was to equip Bhumians with methodologies, ideas, and tips to make these English classes interactive and energetic. Little experience in teaching made this training mandatory for all our Speak Out volunteers. BHUMI will always be grateful to MAD for bringing one of the best and experienced trainers in the country.
Due to a large strength, the trainers decided to split the group into two batches (of 30 each). The two-day training programme was nothing like long, monotonous lectures. Volunteers were on their feet throughout the session, playing every activity that we would be taking back to our classrooms. In the 8-hour classes, volunteers dirtied their hands with fabric paint, composed jazz tunes, mimed short plays, and actively participated in group discussions. This way they were able to relate to the possible outcomes of implementing these activities with their batch of children.
http://picasaweb.google.com/BhumiChennai/TTFTraining1Aug9102008#
http://picasaweb.google.com/BhumiChennai/TTFTrainingSecondSession#
Feedback from a few volunteers:
“I honestly thought it would be some kind of theory session where someone would teach us how to teach! I had loads of fun and felt really childish after a really long time!! Plus learnt and lot and got a better perspective to the classes.”
What the training could have offered in addition: “A syllabus, in the sense, in school we were taught nouns first and then verbs and so on. So, a certain order alone can be given. Otherwise, it was great! :)”
- Uma Sekar, Volunteering at Dr.P.V.Rao School
“I expected to get a lot more ideas on teaching and handling overactive kids! It would be great if we got a syllabus from TTF or we could have a discussion with them about how much our children know and we can accordingly get a syllabus for each standard.”
- Deepthi Ravichandran, Volunteering at Avvai Home
“I hoped the training will be fun, because I was apprehensive that it was two full days, also being weekends. But, the class was actually lot of fun as well as learning! It was a good experience; It gave me an opportunity to learn the teaching methods.”
- Karthik Venugopal, Teach India Volunteer, Avvai Home
Unfortunately, we had a few practical difficulties in implementing this system. Most of our children, both from lower and higher classes, lacked basic knowledge in the subject. A small percentage of children (age no exception!) had problems identifying alphabets. Such a scenario compelled a change in the direction we had planned to adopt.
In addition, a syllabus was necessary to take structured classes. Two teachers with decades’ experience – Ms. Malathy and Ms. Prema, were introduced to BHUMI. The first workshop conducted by them provided volunteers with not just more tools but also a syllabus that revolves around ‘Drilling and Repetition’. The academic year has now been split into terms (3 months each). Starting from simple present and past, the course would gradually roll out into a more advanced one. Care has been taken to ensure that volunteers retain the original ‘learn-through-activities’ system.
Every term ends with a feedback session to discuss problems faced by volunteers during the term and syllabus for the next. The terms to come will start focussing on content from school textbooks, so that children start experiencing the benefits as soon as possible.
Cross posted from the BHUMI, Chennai Blog
Due to a large strength, the trainers decided to split the group into two batches (of 30 each). The two-day training programme was nothing like long, monotonous lectures. Volunteers were on their feet throughout the session, playing every activity that we would be taking back to our classrooms. In the 8-hour classes, volunteers dirtied their hands with fabric paint, composed jazz tunes, mimed short plays, and actively participated in group discussions. This way they were able to relate to the possible outcomes of implementing these activities with their batch of children.
http://picasaweb.google.com/BhumiChennai/TTFTraining1Aug9102008#
http://picasaweb.google.com/BhumiChennai/TTFTrainingSecondSession#
Feedback from a few volunteers:
“I honestly thought it would be some kind of theory session where someone would teach us how to teach! I had loads of fun and felt really childish after a really long time!! Plus learnt and lot and got a better perspective to the classes.”
What the training could have offered in addition: “A syllabus, in the sense, in school we were taught nouns first and then verbs and so on. So, a certain order alone can be given. Otherwise, it was great! :)”
- Uma Sekar, Volunteering at Dr.P.V.Rao School
“I expected to get a lot more ideas on teaching and handling overactive kids! It would be great if we got a syllabus from TTF or we could have a discussion with them about how much our children know and we can accordingly get a syllabus for each standard.”
- Deepthi Ravichandran, Volunteering at Avvai Home
“I hoped the training will be fun, because I was apprehensive that it was two full days, also being weekends. But, the class was actually lot of fun as well as learning! It was a good experience; It gave me an opportunity to learn the teaching methods.”
- Karthik Venugopal, Teach India Volunteer, Avvai Home
Unfortunately, we had a few practical difficulties in implementing this system. Most of our children, both from lower and higher classes, lacked basic knowledge in the subject. A small percentage of children (age no exception!) had problems identifying alphabets. Such a scenario compelled a change in the direction we had planned to adopt.
In addition, a syllabus was necessary to take structured classes. Two teachers with decades’ experience – Ms. Malathy and Ms. Prema, were introduced to BHUMI. The first workshop conducted by them provided volunteers with not just more tools but also a syllabus that revolves around ‘Drilling and Repetition’. The academic year has now been split into terms (3 months each). Starting from simple present and past, the course would gradually roll out into a more advanced one. Care has been taken to ensure that volunteers retain the original ‘learn-through-activities’ system.
Every term ends with a feedback session to discuss problems faced by volunteers during the term and syllabus for the next. The terms to come will start focussing on content from school textbooks, so that children start experiencing the benefits as soon as possible.
Cross posted from the BHUMI, Chennai Blog
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Learning from the learner group
"Teachers should encourage students and children to ask questions and develop the spirit of enquiry, so that they blossom into creative citizens.”
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Until a few years back, I found children annoying! Their constant need to talk, urge to ask questions, eagerness to know minuscule information put me off.
Nevertheless, today I think for hours on how creative one can get to make ‘Speak Out’ classes interactive, special, and memorable!
An unforgettable incident at one of our centres, Welfare Education Trust [Pallavaram] - One day as I was narrating Cinderella, Sudha from my class stopped me to ask "Akka, if the spell broke at midnight, why is her shoe still in good shape? That should have disappeared too!?!"
I was perplexed. Having read the story innumerable times, never have I given this a thought!!
Questions are no more maddening! They are enlightening!
Cross posted from the BHUMI, Chennai Blog
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Until a few years back, I found children annoying! Their constant need to talk, urge to ask questions, eagerness to know minuscule information put me off.
Nevertheless, today I think for hours on how creative one can get to make ‘Speak Out’ classes interactive, special, and memorable!
An unforgettable incident at one of our centres, Welfare Education Trust [Pallavaram] - One day as I was narrating Cinderella, Sudha from my class stopped me to ask "Akka, if the spell broke at midnight, why is her shoe still in good shape? That should have disappeared too!?!"
I was perplexed. Having read the story innumerable times, never have I given this a thought!!
Questions are no more maddening! They are enlightening!
Cross posted from the BHUMI, Chennai Blog
Monday, September 1, 2008
BHUMI's Speak Out
“I am running late to work, AGAIN! And my 6 foot tall – stern faced – I can’t smile boss is not going to pardon me this time! Stuck in a traffic jam that is as long as a giraffe’s tongue. I see a mason’s daughter by the pavement making a beautiful sand castle. If only she could afford Education!! Sigh… Will the current situation ever change? Will
Oh, the signal just turned green. Now, vehicles are gonna crawl like ants! If only Batman’s utilities were applicable in the real world. Sci-fi has never impressed me, nevertheless…”
Such writing would make this blog usual!
Welcome to BHUMI!
From a small group of friends teaching at a school in 2006, BHUMI is now a guild of 250 students and young professionals. While educational projects target children of all ages, our environmental and societal initiatives focus on improving the current conditions of the local community.
Our volunteers hope to share their personal experiences and special BHUMI moments on this blog. Kicking off with how our English Teaching programme evolved.
Successful completion of KANINI (our e-literacy initiative) at Anbu Karangal and
Even though the children took time to open up, we bonded within weeks. During the course, I learnt that children here did not have answers to many questions: why am I at HOPE, why do I need to pop in capsules day and night, why do I feel drugged all day, how does it feel to be with ‘family’, and many more.
My outlook with respect to the World and its People changed. I realised how one’s hasty decision/action can change the life of another (unintentionally). Tears trickle down every time I think about the quality of life such boys and girls, in contrast to us, lead.
Unfortunately, their level of English was a barrier in proceeding further. That was when BHUMI started discussing the possibility of teaching our children English.
Make a Difference (MAD) an NGO based in
Now Bhumians are actively teaching at three orphanages and one community centre in Chennai. Trained by The Teacher Foundation (
If you want to be part of this initiative, visit us at www.bhumichennai.org and register!
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