Poorna Vidya 
Report on the progress of this project November, 2004

November 30, 2004
Questions? 
Contact Lakshmi Suryanarayanan 
surlak@vsnl.net

Recall from the previous report of November 2, 2004
In Feb- March 2004 the first assessment of student levels was conducted with the permission of the Headmistress of the school. 
“October 2004-

  • Planning for the assessment of students achievements – the study change in the last six months of inputs. Worksheets designed based on the different required competencies, execution planned and analysis of the results planned with the same group of teachers that did the preliminary assessment in February March 2004

  • Execution of the second assessment in three areas Tamil, Maths and EVS. Results are in the process of being analyzed and consolidated.

  • Introduction of spoken English classes for the teachers and interns. This is done with the view of empowering the teachers to help them improve the quality of English teaching –learning process in the school.

Work ahead-

  • For the guides- Interpreting results, Planning for course correction

  • Discussion of the study of the results with the teachers and HM to get their perspectives through a workshop and providing the required course correction.

  • Providing the required maintenance and infrastructure support for the school

  • Working with the idea of creating a Resource room with educational games and digital lessons for Audio Visual learning for information and language development.

  • Planning for support to the school for 2005

  • Understanding the school requirements in the future from us.

The happenings in the month of November 2004

I. Evaluations 

  • The worksheets for evaluations in Tamil and Maths based on the competencies that the children are expected to master at each class level from Std 1 to Std 5 were prepared. These worksheets are based completely on the Tamilnadu Govt. textbooks expressed expectations. The aspects of colouring and comprehension from pictures were included.

  • The evaluations were conducted by two of the teachers who had helped create the sheets with the enthusiastic and active support of the Asha Chennai facilitators Amudha and Dhanalakshmi E. The children who were not present on one day were given these sheets on the subsequent day when they were present at school. It took about a week to complete the work.

  • The teachers who had created the worksheets did the correction of the students work. They also wrote the class reports based and gave the student rating level for each competency on a 5point scale. This was done for both Tamil and Maths.
    {The reports for Maths were shown at the Asha Chennai monthly meeting on 21st November 2004. They were very well received and it was decided that such evaluations.}

  • The evaluation reports were discussed with the Headmistress and the teachers in great detail and suggestions for remedial work in areas of deficit were discussed and well received.

II. Responses from the teachers and Headmistress to the Feedback

  • The feedback was well received by the teachers.

  • The teachers were quick and participated with enthusiasm right till the last minute of 2˝ hour-long discussions.

  • The need for remediation within the academic year was well understood. 

  • The headmistress has provided a consolidated report of the understanding.

  • The headmistress has acknowledged the areas of remedial teaching required in Maths for all the classes. Her first note however does not cover Tamil.

III. Other School activities- The Brihadwani chief instructor came to appraise the music classes. Since the teacher was teaching a large group of students the chief instructor expressed the need for a mike system so that the classes could go on without strain to the voice of the teacher who was conducting the classes.

IV. Expectations of Asha and Pitts Macdonald Lodge from the school

  • The school looks forward for our continued support. The headmistress feels that the school is seeing better turnout of the children in clean and neat uniforms after our support. She expects with the problems of notebooks and uniforms solved the children will not seek admission in the neighbouring school that provides these things free.

  • The headmistress has expressed great satisfaction in the working together with Asha. The teachers and she are also happy with the Asha facilitators.

  • The materials given were very useful. However they felt some of the classes required more equipment. The immediate requirements were for more learning –teaching materials for Class3 where the teacher felt that she would like multiple copies of the same materials. Class 1&2 teachers also felt that they required more material if they had to effectively utilize the system he had learnt from RishiValley training.

  • The microphone for the music classes.