UDAAN APPROACH

1. UDAAN APPROACH Supported by CARE India

2. The objectives Break social and psychological barriers which made girls believe that education is unimportant and irrelevant Provide a competent system equivalent to primary education. Develop independent and critical thinking abilities. Develop analytical skills and a spirit of inquiry Equip girls with relevant information, skills and attitudes that would enable them to deal with the world from a position of strength Provide a joyful learning environment and enhance their interest in continuing education.

3. Achievements • Since 1999, 15 Udaan camps held (UP, Orissa, Bihar, Mewat) • 1500 girls graduated • All cleared state board exam • 2010 survey of 195 UP Udaan graduates show only 10 married • 80% continued education • Many working as teachers

4. Follow up on graduates UP

5. Follow up on graduates ORISSA

6. Achievement: Impact on Cognitive learning Ability to think, understand, form concepts & ideas in formal cognitive tasks related to language, maths, EVS: comparison between Udaan educated girls & formal school (6-10 grades)counterparts* • Findings: Environment & practices in Udaan, through its curriculum & transactional strategies, provided a strong scaffolding base which helped to enrich cognitive abilities, even after a gap of 1-5 years, specially in language and EVS. * Ranganathan, N & Jaimini N, 2005, Towards the psychosocial empowerment of adolescent girls: An impact study of Udaan

7. Achievement: Impact on Cognitive learning Language: articulation, expression, vocabulary • Udaan girls faired above the formal school/non-lierates(fig of speech, handwriting, letter writing attempted, articulation, vocabulary, grammar, awareness of local context, divergent thinking) • Class VI Udaan girls matched Class X formal school girls performance Mathematics: computational skills, ease with measurement units, interconversions, handling digits, place values, fractions, decimals, %, area, volume… • Response pattern of Udaan girls class VI girls comparable to class IX in formal school group • Udaan girls performance in each grade better EVS: sensitivity to living & non-living resources, interrelationship between objects, environment phenomenon, conservation, relate effectively to physical & social environment • Success rate of Udaan girls higher in discrimination based tasks, reasoning, factual information, nutrition etc.

8. Achievement: Academic performance/Psychosocial Academic Performance • Questioning behaviour: curious/eager to learn more • Learning styles: self directed, inquiry oriented, less dependent on textbooks • Articulate & expressive Psychosocial • Confidence, boldness, communication skills • Competence in discharging work, deal with issues beyond traditional domain of women • Enhancement in early age of marriage of girls, resistance to dowry

9. Achievement: Personal Identity • Self & Identify: holistic sense • ambitions, aspirations, personal qualities, career ambitions • Gender Identity: gender equity, androgynous, positive towards social change, personal satisfaction/meaningfulness rather than desired by others • Group work, work in team, democratic participation, decision making Source: Ranganathan, N & Jaimini N, 2005, Towards the psychosocial empowerment of adolescent girls: An impact study of Udaan Evaluation of Girls’ Primary Education Project, MWCD.

10. What Worked! A careful planning and conception coupled with rigorous implementation without compromising on any basic principles made it happen

11. Key Features • Residential bridge course for 11 months • Open to girls between 10-14 years, who have dropped out of school or never been to school • Teacher pupil ratio is 1 : 25 ( 6 teachers for 100 girls) • Fear free environment, practice and behave non-stereotypes • Grade wise accelerated curriculum – Language, Mathematics and science. • Social learning curriculum to enable to • make informed decisions, solve problems, • think critically and creatively, • communicate effectively, • build healthy relationships, empathise with others, • cope with /manage their lives in a healthy & productive manner. • Active community school engagement • Follow up of girls after the camp at school and home

12. Preparatory activities • Safety and security measures for the girls are put in place • A warden and the teachers are expected to stay within the campus. • A system of running the camp with respect to boarding, lodging and other logistics is detailed out and put in place. • Community mobilization and sensitization to the need of educating girls. • enrolment drives, discussions with the community, families, leaders • Around 100 girls are enrolled in a residential camp for 11 months. • girls from the most marginalized communities and poor. • The teachers make visits to the villages to understand the context of these girls, their family and community. • A three-day familiarization exercise conducted in which parents, students, teachers, and organizers participate.

13. Essentials for effective learning Teaching learning processes to be • Experiential, building on girls experiences and relevant • Learner centered • Open to learner’s views • Planned mix individual, small group and whole class activities to have • Motivated, co-operative, collaborative learners • Teaching as per learner’s level to get Learners • get a sense of achievement/success • move to self-directed learning • find education useful for their daily lives and future • feel confident about accomplishing “abilities” to handle their future by themselves in the situation that they live in ……..appreciate the skills they accomplish or strengthen!

14. Facilitating Learning • Belief in girls and teachers that All CAN learn • Learning is meaningful, if contextual • Follow Multilevel approach • -Sequential and progressive approach • Follow Activity based pedagogy • Build Social skills • Regular assessment With the Objectives to: • Complete primary education through bridge course and continueeducation • Build social opinion & consensus on the need to respect & give voices to girls • Girls get a space for themselves and take positive actions/decisions in their lives

15. Curriculum • Eight hours of planned learning on week days • Language – to use it effectively to negotiate for themselves • space for home language, • reflective, imaginative and communicative aspects of language built in. • Mathematics – looking at the world quantitatively, enabling tool • about discovering relationships, • understanding logic, • application in real life situation. • EVS – Explore and construct knowledge • Social Learning – Content not dealt in other subjects, within a broad framework of relationships • girls learn about self, family, institutions, ecology and economy • themes which lend themselves to promoting the broader objectives of rights and equality • Provide an opportunity to develop a questioning mind. • Local medium of Language

16. Planning the learningAchieve the essential basic competencies at the end of ANY 5 yrs primary schooling, with inputs spread over 11 months time, following an accelerated learning approach. 2 4 hr lgsituation, collective attempt to learning 6 teachers, 100 students, 4 groups Focus from illustrations to written concepts grow slowly but steadily Activity oriented pedagogy No text books, Curriculum planned as session cards with specified time Projects built in all subjects(e.g. Camp Dictionary, Election, My book or budget) Teachers plan a variety of activities as per session card 2 hour sessions with 4 sessions in a day Unit cards General progression in learning, spiraling pattern Variety of materials e.g. children literature, science kit, news paper, magazines etc Horizontal linkages across subjects/co curricular Cycling, sports, students cabinet, Open session, Morning assembly etc optimize on residential situation Learning with out being heavy

17. Weekly Planning Every moment is for learning in direct or subtle ways 2 hrs 2 hrs for each Week plan for 5 days Planning for Saturday Last day is totally unstructured for girls and teachers

18. Methods of Assessment • In-built in teaching learning process • Daily observations , recorded on weekly basis • Challenging tasks to those who are learning comfortably, helping those who need to be helped • Game like activities are conducted • Non-cognitive aspects also evaluated ‘Learning is a lot more than passing a few tests’

19. Teacher and Teachers’ Development • A sensitive graduate female candidate from the community • Develop teachers understanding on • background of learners • pedagogy and content (theoretical) • multiple teaching method with learner centered approach. • Annual 20 days training on curriculum and pedagogy • On job support • Flexibility to choose teaching methods and materials • Regular review and planning meetings • Exposure visits to other programs that involves residential courses “In Udaan teachers synthesize the roles of mothering, guiding, counseling, teaching, mentoring, and organizers “

20. Forward linkages/ follow up after the camp • Follow up of the girls after the camp • school for next level - teachers • home - parents and community • with peers and teachers of Udaan for sharing, to relive enjoyable experiences - in short-term camps • to support admission, motivation and retention; girls to continue a dialogue amongst each other for peer support; Working with parents, teachers and other members of the community.

21. Challenges • Identification of sensitive & trained local teacher • Sustainability of teachers • Challenges in mobilizing community