SRI SATHYA SAI VIDYA VAHINI PROGRAM - IMPROVIING TEACHING METHODOLOGIES USING TECHNOLOGY-POWERED PEDAGOGYSRI SATHYA SAI VIDYA VAHINI PROGRAM - IMPROVIING TEACHING METHODOLOGIES USING TECHNOLOGY-POWERED PEDAGOGY
Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust
(
Non-governmental organization (NGO)
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#SDGAction33770
Description
In addition to providing the highest quality free education, the Founder, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, also wanted to ensure that teachers everywhere were adequately empowered with teaching methodologies using the latest technological advances to enhance the learning outcomes desired. In furthering these ideals, the Trust developed an innovative program that augments learning outcomes across all critical domains that comprise effective learning, by empowering rural teachers with three key components required for the highest level of effective teaching: Content, Training and Teaching Aids. The program is called the Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vahini program (“Vidya Vahini”).
All contents of the Vidya Vahini program comply with the National Curriculum Framework in India, and are based on our proprietary “7 Assets Methodology”: Main Script; Inquisitive Questions; Interesting Asides; Day-to-Day Relevance; Human Values component; Activity based Learning; and Questions to Assess. This is a 360 degree method program covering all aspects of human learning. All program contents are mapped to state and national boards of education from Grade 1 to Grade 9 in Mathematics, Science, English, Social Studies, and Environmental Studies. The program is accessed by 4 different means: 1. Through the Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vahini web portal; 2. Through our dedicated mobile apps (English learning app in development phase); 3. Through the Vidya Vahini deployment application; and 4. Through the Prime Minister of India’s e-Initiative digital infrastructure called “DIKSHA” (a Digital Educational Infrastructure for School Education developed by the National Council for Education Research and Training in India). If required, the program is provided free to teachers in a “Pen-Drive”. The program team is comprised of a network of expert, highly qualified educators, trainers and technologists. Most services by these experts are provided on free and volunteer basis.
The National Institution for Transforming India (known as “Niti Aayog”, an Indian government “Think Tank” headed by the Prime Minister of India), which provides directional and policy inputs, has recently requested the Trust to implement the Vidya Vahini program in two under-developed districts of two different states in India, under the PM’s “Transforming of Aspirational Districts” program. Niti Aayog has placed the highest level of trust and confidence in the Trust’s initiative under the program. The program provided thousands of hours of online training using multiple digital bridges daily, seven days a week from April 2020 onwards, to train teachers on the use of their smart-phones to reach their students remotely. The success has been unprecedented. Even during the Pandemic, thousands of rural students are attending online classes, using basic smart-phones while their Vidya Vahini trained and accredited teachers teach them using ready-to- transact Vidya Vahini content.
The use of the latest technology has played a crucial role in the development of the program. The most important innovation was empowering rural teachers (the first-line educationists) with three key components required for the highest level of effective teaching: Content, Training and Teaching Aids. The Vidya Vahini program provides all three pillars effectively. Without the use of the technology developed, the aim of reaching those who are “furthest behind” would be a monumental challenge, especially for those beneficiaries in remote and rural areas of India.
The Vidya Vahini program, a technology-powered educational pedagogy, is highly scalable, replicable as well as sustainable. This is evidenced by the fact that the National Institution for Transforming India (Niti Aayog) a Government of India initiative headed by the Prime Minister of India, has asked the Trust to implement the Vidya Vahini program in two under-developed districts of two states in India, under its “Transforming of Aspirational Districts” program. This is the highest level of trust and confidence that the government can bestow. The implementation of this program goes towards benefiting those who would otherwise be left behind. It goes directly towards meeting various goals under the 2030 Agenda of the UN. The current data available shows that the Vidya Vahini online traffic, the total number of “downloads” various users are accessing and using in India is in hundreds of thousands per day. This goes towards the program’s sustainability.
The Covid-19 Pandemic has had an impact on the entire educational system in the world, and India is no exception. However, being an e-education initiative, Vidya Vahini was already “future-ready” when schools and teachers generally were struggling to replace the traditional classroom with an online alternative. The digital content of Vidya Vahini such as “Master Lesson Plans” with multimedia and PPTs were already available online prior to the onset of the Pandemic. But during the Pandemic, the program became critical, and this forms part of the “build back better” philosophy of the Trust.
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Teachers and educationists are the primary beneficiaries of the program, the ultimate benefits accruing to students, who learn effectively utilising technology-driven e-learning platform in an interactive, inquisitive and activities-based setting. The mobile App will be available in various local as well as English languages. This creates an environment of inclusiveness and sustainability for effective learning by children.
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Rathnakar, SRI SATHYA SAI VIDYA VAHINI PROGRAM - IMPROVIING TEACHING METHODOLOGIES USING TECHNOLOGY-POWERED PEDAGOGY