Room to Read Blog

Photo Blog: Teacher Training Transforms Classroom in Rural Nepal

As nineteen hands shoot up in the air, third grade teacher Indra Bhandari can’t help but smile. She calls on one student for a response to the question she’s posed, and a chorus of voices meets her ears, providing the answer in unison. It’s a pattern that continues throughout the lesson, with the student that has been called upon straining to be heard over the commotion.

The events of the day are a common scene at Shree Krishna Nepal Rastriya Primary School, which launched a partnership with Room to Read in 2008. Since that time, Room to Read has worked with the community of Pyuthan to establish a school library, construct new classrooms and provide support and materials for literacy instruction. The classrooms now teem with eager students, many of whom walk for more than two hours to school each day.

“The materials from the Reading and Writing Instruction program have helped us a lot,” says Ms. Bhandari.  “The word pinwheels, alphabet cards, consonant-vowel charts and posters help the students to grasp the fundamental aspects of Nepali language and the subtle nuances sprinkled throughout it.”

Today she is preparing the class for a group exercise that involves the word pinwheels, which have different letter combinations on each layer that can be lined up to create a full word or sentence. “I separate the class in groups,” explains Ms. Bhandari. “Afterward, I have them recite the words and sentences they made using the tool.”          

She has introduced activities like the pinwheel game in an effort to make the classroom more interactive and lively—a concept she learned during her in-service training, provided by Room to Read.  The training has led to a fundamental shift in Ms. Bhandari’s teaching methods, and in three short years she has already seen impressive results. “My students are actively participating in class now,” she says. “They are no longer passive listeners as before.”

See more photos of Ms. Bhandari's classroom:

Learn more about our work in Nepal.

Preschool Teacher in Bangladesh Goes the Extra Mile to Help Her Students Succeed

Gorachora Government Primary School is one of thirty schools to have been selected in 2011 for the launch of our Reading and Writing Instruction program in Bangladesh. After a year of research, material development and program design, our team began to work with first grade teachers from all thirty schools—providing professional development, updated materials and hands-on support.

This year, as we continue to refine our first grade curriculum, the program has expanded to include the second grade classrooms at the same thirty schools. Already, many teachers have started to see the positive impact of their new teaching methods and materials, and they are not the only ones to have noticed.

Ms. Anwara Begun is the preschool teacher for Gorachora Primary. A fairly new endeavor in Bangladesh, preschool has been implemented by the government for all primary schools in recent years. In order to get a sense of what her students have in store for them next year, Ms. Begun decided to visit the first grade classroom and sit in on a few lessons with the Bengla Language teacher.

After experiencing the Room to Read lessons firsthand, Ms. Anwara decided to adopt some of the concepts for her own classroom. She closely observed the pre-writing and pre-reading exercises that the Bengla Language teacher had learned from Room to Read. Designed to help children develop fine motor skills, an awareness of print and book-handling skills, these exercises are perfect for a preschool classroom, and will prepare her students well for the first grade curriculum.

In order to teach these new concepts effectively, Ms. Anwara even replicated some of the materials on her own. She spoke with the Room to Read Field Facilitator assigned to her school and the first grade teacher, training herself on the updated teaching methods for literacy skills.

After employing some of what she’s learned in the classroom, Ms. Anwara is confident that this year’s batch of preschoolers will enter first grade better prepared than those that came before them. And with a teacher as dedicated to her students as Ms. Anwara, we don't doubt it.

Learn more about our work in Bangladesh.

New School of Thought Helps Promote Literacy in Nepal's Classrooms

The moment she enters her first grade classroom, Amrita Thapa heads straight for the supply cabinet tucked away in the corner. She shuffles through the myriad of educational materials stored there, and arranges a few of them in a neat pile, ready to begin the day’s lesson.

“What is this letter?” she says, holding up the first card.

The students recognize the consonant immediately. “Ka,” they respond excitedly in unison. Increasing the degree of difficulty, Ms. Thapa pulls two other cards from the pile, and holds them up with the first letter.

“What is this word?” she asks with a smile.

“Ka, Ma, La,” the students respond in chorus, pronouncing the letters one at a time. And then—after a brief pause—“Kamala!”

“What is a Kamala?” challenges Ms. Thapa.

“Kamala is a flower!” one student chimes in; “I have seen it!” says another. “It was in the pond, and very big,” adds the first grader, stretching out her hands for effect.

At this point, the students are instructed to write down the spelling of their new word—Kamala—in their workbooks, and the room goes silent, except for the furious rustling of paper and pencils.

This is how Ms. Thapa’s class begins each day, ever since she started participating in Room to Read’s Reading & Writing Instruction program. 

“Back when I started teaching,” she says, “teachers generally sped through the course. The lessons were not enjoyable for the students and most had trouble catching up. We lacked the essential resources to make learning enjoyable.”

In addition to changing her approach to teaching, Ms. Thapa says the program has helped her—and others at Shree Jwalamukhi Lower Secondary School—focus more on outcomes. Before the training from Room to Read, she says, “rarely was the question asked: Were the students learning?”

As it turned out, many were not. When Room to Read began its intervention at Shree Jwalamukhi, located in Nepal’s Dhading district, most first grade students were struggling to keep up with the curriculum, and many were reading below grade level. Studies of the surrounding area confirmed that the problem was widespread.

Through in-service training, material development and the assistance of on-site literacy facilitators, Shree Jwalamukhi is steadily adding more innovative teaching methods to its literacy curriculum. “We have learned to center our teaching around the students and not the other way around,” says Ms. Thapa. “With resources like the word charts and alphabet cards, the lessons have become more interactive and fun for the students.”

And she is already seeing results. “Students are finding it easier to associate letters with their respective sounds and vice versa,” she says. “After every lesson, I devise a game, a song or a story to reinforce it—their knowledge builds with each passing day!”

Reflecting on her experience so far, Ms. Thapa says, “my favorite part of the program is the creative freedom it gives to teachers. It inspires me to give my very best.”

Watch a video about our Reading & Writing Instruction program, or learn more about our work in Nepal.

Dino's Story: Going the Extra Mile to Help Young Readers Succeed in Cambodia

“I work as teacher because I love children,” says Kea Dino, a bright 22-year-old from Kampong Thom, Cambodia.

Her enthusiasm for teaching is palpable immediately as is her dedication. In addition to working as a teacher and librarian at a local school, Dino is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Accounting at nearby Kampong Thom University.

Given all of her existing commitments, Dino knows that her decision to join Room to Read earlier this year as a field facilitator for the School Library program might come as a surprise to some. “I want to share my experiences and knowledge with other librarians,” she says of her newest endeavor.

Born one of three children to an illiterate mother and a father who works as a soldier, Dino knows first-hand the power of a good education. Despite her full schedule, she remains optimistic about her work, calling each of her jobs in its own way an “agent of country development”.

In her new role as field facilitator, Dino’s primary responsibility is to follow up with completed libraries that are under Room to Read’s three year period of support—providing both technical assistance and training to ensure the project’s long-term success. As an added bonus, the site visits provide an opportunity to see up-close the impact each library is having on students’ reading habits. “I am happy when I hear them telling stories and singing songs, and especially to see them able to read,” she says.

Before starting as a facilitator Dino had her share of doubts. “I was really enthusiastic to start the job, but worried about failing—thinking I might be unable to do the work well,” she recalls. “I was also concerned about my personal security traveling long distances to visit many schools in the area.”

As time went on, though, encouragement from her parents and extensive training from Room to Read gave Dino the confidence she needed, and “my fondness for children,” she says, “gave me courage.” She is now an extremely successful facilitator and relishes the opportunity to use her personal experience as a librarian to help the communities she works with.

“This is my dream—to help young children develop a habit of reading,” says Dino confidently, and it seems she’s already on her way to making that dream come true.

Learn more about our School Library program and our work in Cambodia.

In Honor of World Teachers' Day: Celebrating One Teacher's Success Motivating Young Readers in Laos

World Teachers' Day, celebrated each year on October 5, was established by UNESCO in 1994 to recognize the vital contribution that teachers make to education and development.

In honor of World Teachers' Day today, we bring you the story of one teacher in Laos dedicated to ensuring her students gain the literacy skills necessary to succeed in the classroom and beyond. She is one of hundreds of teachers participating in our Literacy Instruction program across Asia and Southern Africa, all of whom we celebrate today.

******

In many cases, our Literacy Instruction program finds teachers a little nervous to break away from established teaching methods and experiment with something new—especially given the existing academic targets they are already working towards for the year. There are exceptions to every rule however, and Phoukham Bounthavy is one of them.

Ms. Bounthavy is a teacher at Sengsavang Complete Primary School in an urban village of northwest Laos, and since her very first Room to Read training session has been enthusiastic about participating in the program.

Having joined during the program’s pilot phase, Ms. Bounthavy was convinced right away that introducing new teaching methods into her classroom would help improve her students’ budding literacy skills.

After her training, Ms. Bounthavy returned to school, armed with colorful posters, charts, flash cards and books to help turn her classroom into a more effective learning environment. “The children took to the new curriculum like ducks to water,” she says with newfound confidence, noting that in particular the activity-based teaching kept her students engaged throughout the duration of the lesson—their hands flying in the air to answer questions.

“For me, the most important thing is that the children learn,” she told our staff when they visited her classroom.

Always eager to improve, she prodded them, “if you find that I’m not doing something correctly, please let me know—I’m not afraid of criticism.”

It wasn’t long before her willingness to try new things began paying dividends. Almost without exception, her students became more confident in their mastery of the alphabet, and seemed to enjoy their lessons more. At the end of the year when the time for student evaluations came, her class of young readers was ranked the best in the school.

“I am very happy that I was included in the Literacy Pilot program” says Ms. Bounthavy. “I have become a better instructor and now have more confidence that my students understand the lessons.”

Learn more about our Literacy Instruction program and about our work in Laos.

One School Takes Global Literacy Local and Makes Year-long Commitment

Room to Read’s Students Helping Students program started when students began raising awareness and funds on behalf of the organization following the 2005 Asian tsunami. Since then, schools and communities around the world have worked tirelessly to support Room to Read in big and small ways—from bake sales and read-a-thons to large-scale events, student groups have taken action on behalf of literacy and gender equality in education. 

 

***

As with many of our best relationships, our partnership with the John Eliot School, an elementary school in Needham, Massachusetts, came to us by way of a dedicated Room to Read chapter. In this case, Boston chapter leader Wendy McAllister had been working with the Eliot school and forging a friendship with its principal, Ms. Suzanne Wilcox, when a partnership was born. Ms. Wilcox saw the connection between Room to Read’s work and her own school’s challenges almost immediately.

Despite being a high-performing school, the Eliot School’s literacy test scores had reached a plateau. Once she learned more about Room to Read’s work, Ms. Wilcox realized that taking the global literacy movement local might be just the way to improve performace at Eliot. “It occurred to me that becoming involved with this organization just might be the ticket to engaging students in more recreational reading, resulting in improved rates of literacy for the students at Eliot,” said Ms. Wilcox. “Developing an interactive program with Room to Read would naturally align with our school and district goals, 'to advance standards-based learning, develop the social and emotional skills of all students, and promote active citizenship'.”

Ms. Wilcox knew that the success of embedding Room to Read’s work within the school’s curriculum wouldn’t ultimately hinge on her, but on the talented and dedicated faculty at the Eliot School so she presented the idea to her colleagues. "In a matter of minutes, the room erupted with enthusiasm,” she said. Brainstorming ensued. At the end of their meeting, the teachers agreed to collaboratively create a curriculum spanning classrooms and content areas. Ms. Wilcox applied for and received a grant from the Needham Education Foundation to sponsor staff development days for teachers to come together to plan out the year ahead. Their sessions resulted in three components that led to the school’s success: summer reading (adult and student), classroom buddies, and the Eliot School Cultural Diversity Day celebration.  

Planning for success from the beginning, Ms. Wilcox and her team put on a skit just before the start of summer vacation. She and a teacher posed as a student and teacher and explained to the children the importance of a summer read-a-thon.  To the students, "it seemed unthinkable that so many of the world's children, partuclarly girls, had no access to books or education."  Shortly after, the school’s motto for the summer was formed: “Give the gift of literacy while receiving it yourself!” The students left for the summer, reading logs in tow, revved up to read more than ever before. In addition, parents and teachers were given copies of John Wood's Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, to further unite the community in this effort. “Research shows that when children see their parents reading, it encourages them to read as well,” Ms. Wilcox added. At the end of the read-a-thon the students and teachers were thrilled to discover they had raised $5,000 and that over 85% of the students had participated!

Once the summer read-a-thon ended, the "reading mileage" challenge began. Ms. Wilcox and her team decided to have their buddy pairs (one upper-grade student and one lower-grade student) calculate the mileage needed to travel to their Room to Read country of choice and back to Needham. Those miles then converted into pages and with their itineraries set, the pairs took off on their read-around-the-world challenge.  As a result, every buddy pair read their way to their country and back, and some made the trip more than once! 

The school’s year-long focus on Room to Read and its program countries culminated in the Eliot School Cultural Diversity Day celebration, where classrooms presented their projects on Room to Read countries. Throughout the project, parents had many opportunities to engage in the overall reading goals of the school, including several opportunities to participate in book discussions. From classroom buddies to logging their miles, the students, staff, and families of the John Eliot School truly demonstrated that literacy is a priority, both at home and abroad. 

As Ms. Wilcox examined her test data last fall, it was clear the campus-wide campaign had worked; students' scores showed marked progress in both English language arts and mathematics, particularly among special education students. “The notion that Room to Read could serve as a catalyst to help students explore and understand world issues, offer students an opportunity to take action and increase the volume of student reading with the outcome of an improvement in overall literacy rates was simply something we could not pass up,” she said. 

The Eliot School is kicking off its second annual summer read-a-thon this summer and is looking ahead to a school year full of service learning tied to Room to Read’s mission. Learn more about our Students Helping Students program or email Jill Carlson at jill.carlson@roomtoread.org.

Photo caption: Director of the Cambodia office of Room to Read Kann Kall poses with members of Allison Dick's 3rd grade class. From Left: Lila North, Jenna Sandler, Kurt Brinkhaus and Brian Poolman. Photo credit: Credit Robert Rosen

 

Many "Firsts" in Her Family: Reconnecting with Hema in India (VIDEO)

In the 2009 Room to Read Girls’ Education Yearbook, we highlighted the story of a former scholar in Uttarakhand, India, named Hema. When we last met Hema, she was balancing a job as a primary school teacher while tutoring younger students in Room to Read's Girls’ Education Program to support herself financially through university. In 2010, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science, English literature, and history. She is the first person in her family to graduate from both high school and college. Hema’s boss at an outsourcing company where she now works allowed us to catch up with her during working hours at her office. 

***

Seeing the 2009 Girls’ Education Yearbook for the first time, Hema shyly looked at the page profiling her story and smiled. Her boss leaned over her shoulder and asked to scan the pages. He explained that he wanted a copy to share with all of their employees and said, “We have been very happy with the program scholars working here. They are hard workers. I hope more will apply to work here in the future.”

After graduating from high school in her small village in Uttarakhand, India, Hema knew she wanted to continue her studies. She dreamt of studying at a university campus in the nearest city. Though her family’s finances couldn’t support this dream, Hema was determined. “I really wanted to continue studying, so I filled out the forms for distance learning education on my own. I had saved my salary from teaching and managed to pay the fee to submit the form myself,” she said. “I managed it all by myself.” In 2010, Hema was the first in her family to attend and graduate college, yet she still yearned to go even farther in her studies. She has now started working towards earning a master’s degree in political science.

Continuing to balance work and studies, today Hema sits proudly at her own computer with a company ID badge around her neck. After passing the entrance exams and interviews, she joined a rural outsourcing company a year ago. She is responsible for quality assurance and hopes she will one day move into a training position. She grins from ear to ear as she describes her work, “At this office, we are like a family; we don’t feel like we are in a job. There is no senior-junior divide. Whenever we have a problem, we can freely talk about it and discuss it. The work environment here is really good and it makes me feel very comfortable and good.”

Hema’s commute is an eight mile walk up and down steep mountain terrain, so during the winter months she rents a room closer to her office. “Financially, I support myself completely and manage my own expenses and pocket money,” she explained. Self-sufficient and determined to share her resources with her family, she also sends money home in addition to paying for her master's degree education. Hema casually adds that, “I also support the education of one of my brother’s children. I deposit their school fees. I feel proud that I have always had the support of my family for my education.”

As our conversation comes to a close, she eagerly returns to her office in time for a team meeting—making sure to take the copy of the Room to Read Girls’ Education Yearbook along with her.

All gifts matched through May 31! From now through the end of May, all donations to our Girls’ Education program will be matched up to $350,000. Honor mom—or any other special person that has shaped your life—by supporting the next generation of women. www.roomtoread.org/MayMatch.

Honoring those Special Teachers on Vietnamese Educators' Day

November 20 is Vietnamese Educators’ Day, a day on which students show appreciation to their teachers by giving them small gifts or flowers or by preparing special performances or compositions. Vietnamese culture places a very high value on education, and teachers are well-respected for their commitment to helping children develop into accomplished young adults.

But in many of the rural, marginalized areas of the country, the harsh realities of daily survival often compete with a child’s ability to attend school. Rather than being a time of self-discovery and imagination, childhood in these areas is often muddied with conflict, violence, pressure for early marriage, and poverty. Positive role models, especially for girls, are rare. But fortunately, every once in a while, a very special person appears who creates a large impact in the lives around them -- and very often, this special person is a teacher.

In Long Hau Lower Secondary School in the Mekong Delta region in Vietnam, two very special people, Ms. Lien and Ms. Phuong, have started to change the lives of many of the local children. Both have dedicated their lives to preparing the local children to become confident and capable young adults equipped to navigate a sometimes challenging environment. Both are teachers -- and we honor their passion and commitment.

Ms. Phuong is one of Room to Read's social mobilizers who works with students on our Girls' Education program.  She works closely with 54 girls from the school, and with her warm and welcoming demeanor, has developed close relationships with the girls and their families. She is well aware of the family situations of each girl and pays special attention to any signs that the girls may be at risk for dropping out of school because of economic or social pressures.  Ms. Lien, the school's head teacher, is very supportive of the work being done by Room to Read and Ms. Phuong and ensures the program is implemented as best it can be in her school.

Both Ms. Lien and Ms. Phuong are strong proponents of the life skills component of the Girls’ Education program -- these include special workshops to develop self-confidence, self-awareness, decision-making and problem-solving skills. Girls often face extreme gender bias in education and beyond, and the goal of our life skills training, both for the girls and their communities, is to enact change in attitude and behavior so that girls can thrive equally in society.

Starting this year, the whole school district of Can Giuoc, of which Long Hau School is part, has adapted the Room to Read model of life skills training to include the entire student body, both boys and girls. With the strong support of the Minister of Education, the school management board and the commitment and teamwork of Ms. Lien and Ms. Phuong, all students now participate in and benefit from life skills trainings on Saturday mornings.

Ms. Lien plays an active role in this expanded program and expresses her enthusiasm, “We really believe that young people need life skills.  Thanks to the training we received from Room to Read, we now have many reference documents on life skills, and Ms. Phuong and I can act as resource teachers and model facilitators to train other teachers.”

Ms. Phuong doesn’t mind that her Saturdays are now filled with the extra life skills workshops. Other teachers are joining her sessions and those of Ms. Lien to receive on-site training so that even more students can participate in the program. Though she admits her job is very tiring and time-consuming, Ms. Phuong stays happy and motivated in the knowledge that her students will gain something valuable and useful for their daily lives. 

Read more about our Girls’ Education program and our work in Vietnam.

 

Drawing a Line in the Sand on Literacy

Literacy is defined as "reading skill and reading habit," and it has the power to unlock doors to opportunity. As Room to Read focuses on enhancing literacy skills in the nine countries where we work, we're introducing literacy pilot programs that include additional teacher training, curriculum development and supplemental classroom materials. Joel Bacha, Room to Read's Southeast Asia Program Manager for Literacy, describes a visit to a school in Cambodia where our literacy pilots have been initiated.

Walking with the principal toward the grade 1 classroom at Tatouk Primary School in Siem Reap province, we notice several students watch our approach through an open window. The principal explains that the grade 1 reading program is different this year: the students are more active – from his office, he can hear them sing songs and play games, and overall they seem to be enjoying school more. In today’s class, there are about 40 students. The teacher asks for volunteers and half the class raises their hands. The teacher calls on one girl who comes to the front of the class and chooses a letter. She holds it up to the class, and everyone calls out the name of the letter, “Shri-la.”

After we observed the class for 10 minutes, the teacher had the students go outside and line up in two lines. She asked them to draw the letter shape they had just learned in the air. Then the students bent down to write the letter in the sand.  When they were finished, each student checked their neighbor’s work to see if they had drawn the letter correctly. For those who needed more help, the teacher provided extra guidance, and in some cases, the teacher directed students to help each other. To reinforce the lesson, students wiped the area in front of them clear and practiced writing the letter again in pairs.  Afterwards, they washed their hands, returned to the classroom and pulled out their notebooks. The teacher wrote the letter on the board several times and the students followed by writing the letter in their note books at their own pace.

The literacy program is seen as important in Siem Reap where a large percentage of students are not reading at grade level by the time they reach grade 3. The program aims to promote a balanced approach for teaching reading where students are exposed to phonics instruction and structured reading time. Part of the challenge has been the limited training for teachers and the complex Khmer script which students are expected to learn in a short amount of time.

Earlier this fall, 36 grade 1 teachers from 20 schools in the local school district participated in a Room to Read literacy teacher training. However, while many grade 1 teachers are used to teaching phonics, teaching reading is still new. The teachers were introduced to interactive teaching and learning methods for phonics, reading and writing in the Khmer language. One of the teachers commented, “The extra activities in the [My Reading] book are really helpful. The students are learning better [than last year] because they are interested in the activities. I thought that trying the “new” way would be difficult. It takes more time to try at first, but once I get used to the activities, it seems better for students.”

For more information about our pilot programs and our work in Cambodia, visit our website.

 

Finding Miss Gilchrist: Guest Blog from South Africa

Lisa Ellis, Room to Read Director of New Country Operations, visited our staff and projects in South Africa last week and met a teacher who personifies the values of Room to Read -- dedication to students and a love of learning.

***

One of the most motivating teachers I ever had was my third grade teacher, Miss Gilchrist. She not only made learning fun and interesting by using pictures, books, and other materials in the classroom, but she very obviously loved teaching, and learning as well.  Her enthusiasm was inspiring as it was infectious -- even to an eight-year-old.

Imagine my happy surprise when I found a carbon copy of Miss Gilchrist teaching in a poor, rural primary school in the Eastern Cape, where Room to Read South Africa got its start. I was visiting the area last week for various meetings, but the highlight of the trip was a visit to one of our schools.

The road to the small village was dotted with cows and goats grazing on the hillside and near the road. We turned off the main road and travelled a few kilometers down a winding, pot-hole filled dirt road. Our destination was Makhazi Primary School whose student body included approximately 300 children and whose staff included an amazing teacher, Mrs. Vuyiswa Dlephu.

 Mrs. Dlephu had been trained as a librarian by Room to Read staff in 2007. She spoke passionately about all of the things she had added to the library since it first opened, such as  a corner section with current newspapers and magazines,  and a room filled with artwork made by the children and local posters about hygiene.  She described the assistance she gave the other teachers on how to test the children on what they learned from the books and other materials in the library.  Room to Read had not just found a teacher to train as a librarian, but we had presented a motivated teacher with the resources and professional development  to inspire her entire school -- teachers and students alike.

When I asked her how long she had been teaching, Mrs. Dlephu proudly told me 20 years -- it’s the only job she’s ever had.  She explained that while she had received her teaching diploma years and years ago, she had only recently finished her bachelor’s degree in education. She was then pleased to tell me she had just applied for a master’s program and planned to do her research thesis on needed improvements to the education system, especially as it relates to her community.

With a big smile on her face, she said, “I want to be a role model for my children and for all the children who have been through this school.  You can never stop learning!”  She went on to say, “I have always been a teacher and I always will be, no matter how much education I get. I will never leave this community!” 

I left that school hoping that the community realized what a tremendous, encouraging, motivating, and committed teacher they had in Mrs. Dlephu, the Miss Gilchrist of South Africa.

Read more about our work in South Africa on our website.