Early Reading & Writing Mathematics Programme Guidelines: MHRD has launched Padhe Bharath-Bade Bharath Abhiyan in the year 2013-14. Instructions on the implementation of Early reading and writing with comprehension and Early Mathematics under Padhe Bharath- Bade Bharath for class I and II.
What is the need for a special early reading writing and early mathemetics programme/RWM Programme? According to ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) India has achieved 96% enrollment. But we cannot say the same for learning achievement for class I and II children. So to make school heads and teachers feel more conscious about the achievement levels of children MHRD launched this programme. All national and state level achievement surveys show poor performance by class I and II children in reading and writing.
Children who fail to learn to read in the first two grades of school are likely to fall behind and have difficulty in learning other subjects as well as further giving poor results. Poor readers can not develop proper writing skills and are vulnerable to drop out of the education system undermining the quality of life and productivity of human resources. Early Reading & Writing Mathematics Programme Guidelines
Reading with comprehension and writing with a purpose:
Class I and II are important stages for developing the important skill of reading with comprehension and writing with a purpose. A child should understand what he/she is reading. Reading is as interaction between the text and the reader that means the child should be able to identify, correlate basing on the real life experiences she/he acquired till that age. When this ability develops gradually a child’s creative thinking, critical analysis also develops and they will perform well in all other subjects.
So for overall development of child, reading with comprehension is the most important skill we have to develop in the children. Writing purpose should not be to score marks to do well in exams. Writing should have a purpose. The child should write what she/he understood not what she/he remember. Applying the same logic to mathematics, math also taught in a way that to accelerate children’s mathematical skills by teaching them mechanical rules at the expense of understanding and intelligent application.
Therefore there is a need to help the children learn mathematics in a way that develops liking and understanding of the mathematics during early years of schooling, particularly in classes I and II.
Recently the MHRD has launched the Rashtriya Aavishkar Abhiyaan a five year plan for improvement of Science and Mathematics Education, targeting the students of 6-18 yrs, which needs a strong academic base at early stages let us plan and implement padhe bhaarath bade bhaarath with vigor and determination.
Early Reading & Writing Mathematics Programme Guidelines:
The two tracks of Padhe Bharath-Bade Bharath are:
- Early Reading and Writing with Comprehension
- Early Mathematics
Early Reading, Writing and Early Mathematics Programme Objectives:
- To make children fluent readers and make them understand what they are reading. Making them achieve learning levels appropriate to their class of study.
- To make children understand and solve simple mathematics and making them develop their own problem-solving methods by the way of numeracy and spatial understanding skills.
- To associate reading and writing with the experience of joy and real-life situations.
- To make children not to feel alienated from the home in the home-school transition by providing them children literature.
Action Plan for implementation in Schools:
School-level plan (only for classes I and II): What HM has to do?
- Wherever possible one teacher for class I and one teacher for class II should be allotted.
- We have around 220 school working days, 800 instructional hours (in 220 days) in an academic year. In which 500 hrs are for language and 300 hours are for Early Mathematics.
- Out of 4 hrs/day, 2 and half hours could be allotted to reading, writing and language and 1 and half hours for Early Mathematics i.e. in week 15 hrs for language and 9 hours for mathematics.
- HM should prepare the time table, allot and instruct teachers to teach language and mathematics accordingly.
- HM should personally monitor achievement levels of class I and II once every 15 days allotting one hour to each class.
- Accordingly, she/he should guide or help teachers to improve their performance.
- HM should ensure that class I and II teachers have a minimum of 95% attendance.
- HM should ensure that 45 teacher working hours per week (teaching and preparation). Ensure that the teacher steps into these classes with adequate preparation and teaching-learning materials.
- HM should make sure Reading corners implemented in schools effectively, procure children’s literature if already not there and should check whether appropriate literature is there.
What a teacher of class I and II should do:
- The teacher should ensure that the children who are coming for the first time to school should not fear a teacher that means the teacher should talk with children in a friendly way and should never use a harsh tone.
- Use simple friendly and clear language in the classroom avoiding commands.
- The teacher should not be very strict about the learning of children.
- Teacher’s plans should be flexible according to the children’s level and specificities.
- Special care towards children who lag behind in studies.
- Do not ever discourage or scold low learners and children with learning difficulties.
Classroom level plan:
HM and class teachers should take the following aspects seriously and implement them.
- Light and ventilation should be proper in the class.
- Blackboards should be easy to write i.e. color and height. Wherever possible running blackboards should be arranged.
- I and II classroom must-have reading corner where Attractive children literature (age-appropriate) should be easily available for children, prominently displayed.
- Provide a facility to read at school or take home.
- Every class should display children’s writings, drawings, collections, pictures with captions, children’s birth dates, class responsibility charts, pictorial stories, etc.
- Encouraging children to share their experiences in their own language and accent.
- Encourage children to express their mathematical findings and later gently pointing out errors if any.
- Provide a welcome space for parents and community members in the classroom.
- Allow freedom of mobility to children in class while working in groups and reading from the reading corner.
- Children can be divided into small groups with house names like flowers, fruits, animals, etc. For example, if 10 children are there 3 houses banthi, chamanthi, rose, etc., can be formed.
Classroom and community:
- Showcasing children’s accomplishments (in reading, writing, numeracy, etc.) in parent meetings and in community events.
- Take children to visit fairs, post office, police station, local body, diverse religious cultural institutions to celebrate local diversity.
- Assessment:
- The teacher should have a baseline assessment of each child at the beginning.
- Regular monitoring of children’s achievement.
- Feedback from children, parents and peer group.
- Use of CCE to review the teaching plan and to work for improved learning performance of children in reading and writing and mathematics.
- Due Weightage in children assessment could be given for oral, practical work, and group work.
Monitoring System: MEOs should monitor schools regularly and inspect (class I and II) all components of early reading and writing with comprehension and early mathematics programme viz.
1. Amenable Learning environment
2. Enabling classroom transaction
3. Connecting classroom with community
4. Assessments
5. Monitoring and review the CCE results of every child in comparison to set learning indicators.