Pedagogy for 10X Literacy & Climate Action

Discover groundbreaking pedagogical approaches that accelerate literacy and climate change education. Explore success stories, innovative methods, and ideas for achieving 10X literacy while integrating climate change topics. Experience a compelling case study on ALfA (Accelerating Learning for All), showcasing the potential for transformation.

Disruptive Literacy ALfA

Slow speeds of learning are the greatest challenge in education. Even after five years of schooling about half the children cannot read, write or do mathematics at the grade level. We do not have five more years to build up the skills of the children currently in our classrooms, many of whom are greatly lagging behind in the foundational skills after the COVID school closures of nearly two years. Clearly, highly disruptive methods are now required immediately, so that no child remains without the foundational skills this year itself, or the results will be further devastating.

What if we shared new disruptive methods of teaching that are making it possible to reach grade-level FLN skills in 5 months or less for the vast majority of primary-aged children who attend regular school.

Accelerating Learning for All or ALfA is a groundbreaking new pedagogy incorporated in the Global Dream Toolkits that radically speeds up learning by all children. There are short modules inside the Toolkit that are arranged step-wise from known to unknown and simple to complex. These help children scaffold learning by working in pairs to dramatically improve learning outcomes. This new transformative pedagogy further empowers children with the 21st Century Skills of Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Character, and Citizenship, as anticipated by NIPUN Bharat Mission and the New Education Policy of India.

ALfA enables transformative change. Its reverse methodology dramatically alters our thinking about teaching and learning. ALfA is not an incremental change made to an existing system of education, but rather a paradigm shift, much like the new smartphone is to the old landline phone, that employs vastly different thinking and design. Global Dream Toolkits were born out of experimental work in the laboratories of slums and villages. They have proven to be effective in different settings including in the government schools.

How ALfA saves paper

• • Thin Booklets: The ALFA booklets are one-tenth the number of pages: 32+12+32 pages for reading, writing and arithmetic, that's all. Compare this to 180-page textbooks and equally thick workbooks. Only half of the number of ALFA booklets are needed as they are a shared resource between a pair of children, and kept in the school. Taken into consideration all the above factor only 18 pages/child is required to make any child FLN capable.
• • Reusable: The ALFA booklets are not class-wise: When resources are low, the booklets may be shared across the classes. Children often go beyond class levels as they are not stopped by age/grade limitations. At the same time ALFA booklets are used for two to three years if maintained this further reduces the impact to another half or a third. Apart from this no workbooks are needed: This alone saves tons of paper every year.
• • ALfANow App: With the accessibility of projectors inside the classroom the teachers can use the ALfANow App so as to make the children FLN capable, making it a resource cost effective and having no negative effect on the environment.

ALfA also uses locally available, reusable or biodegradable materials.

• Paper industry causes 190 megatonnes of CO2e emissions. About 0.4% of global emissions. 0.4 tonnes CO2e per tonne of paper.
• About 0.6% of global emissions

Policy as an Enabler for 10X Literacy & Climate Change

Understand the pivotal role of policy in supporting effective pedagogy and maximizing its impact. Engage with comprehensive policy reports covering diverse aspects of literacy and climate change. Learn how strategic policies can create an enabling environment for transformative literacy initiatives, driving sustainable change.

“Just reopening schools is not enough. Students need intensive support to recover lost education.” Robert Jenkins, UNICEF Chief of Education¹

NIPUN Bharat Mission or National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy is launched by the Education Ministry of India under National Education Policy 2020. This scheme ensures that every child in India gains foundational numeracy and literacy by the end of Grade 3. NIPUN Bharat focuses on transforming the monotonous education system into an integrated, enjoyable, all-inclusive and engaging.⁴

Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 Unlikely to be Reached Post-COVID

Target 4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. The provision of 12 years of free, publicly-funded, inclusive, equitable, quality primary and secondary education – of which at least nine years are compulsory, leading to relevant learning outcomes – should be ensured for all, without discrimination.⁵

Target 4.6 By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy. The principles, strategies and actions for this target are underpinned by the contemporary understanding of literacy as a continuum of proficiency levels in a given context. It goes beyond the understanding of a simple dichotomy of ‘literate’ versus ‘illiterate’. Therefore, action for this target aims at ensuring that by 2030, all young people and adults across the world should have achieved relevant and recognized proficiency levels in functional literacy and numeracy skills that are equivalent to levels achieved at successful completion of basic education.⁵

Mass Movement for 10X Literacy & Climate Change

Witness the power of a people's movement in achieving 10X literacy worldwide. Explore successful examples of mass movements and their impact on literacy and that have transformed communities. Gain insights into the leadership and decision-making required from government bodies to drive and sustain mass movements. Discover how policy supports and amplifies these initiatives.