FOR GRADES 6-8
Akshara’s flagship programme combines a strong pedagogical framework with technology-based assessment and monitoring
NEP 2020 sections 4.5, 4.6, 4.14 and 4.25 highlight the importance of • making mathematics teaching fun and a joy to learn • Innovative pedagogical practices • Providing TLMs to aid learning • Teaching in a more interactive manner • Sessions being more fun, creative and Collaborative • Encouraging experiential learning • Hands-on learning • Storytelling-based pedagogy
Sarva Shikshana Karnataka (SSK), having studied GKA 1.0, recognises the impact of joyful maths learning on children, based on activities with TLMs and realised the need for similar TLMs for the higher grades.
Students of grades 6-8 must be shown a way to maths, which is essentially a life lesson, and that way is through touching, feeling and experiencing it with TLMs that shed light on the procedures of a concept.
In 2022, on SSK’s request, Akshara Foundation in partnership with maths teachers from government high schools in Karnataka designed and developed GKA Math Kit for children in grades 6, 7 and 8 in accordance with the National Education Policy 2020.
The Numeracy at Scale Study cites Akshara Foundation's flagship - Ganitha Kalika Andolana (GKA), as one of six successful programmes from across the world to have improved early grade numeracy outcomes at scale.
The new GKA kit for grades 6-8 is currently being piloted in Bangalore across ~100 schools and will soon be scaled to cover all government schools in the state, in a phased manner.
Scaling up any initiative needs a successful combination of public commitment, backed with financial investment. And of the list, Government buy-in in the form of a Government Order is absolutely essential.
GKA follows a strong methodology and curriculum that we have created along with teaching / learning materials (National Curriculum Framework). Click here to download our free math resources.
Training and field support for teachers, state and district Resource Persons (RPs) in the Education Department is done in a cascade format, as part of GKA’s Capacity Building exercise.
Innovative and efficient monitoring tools and processes are essential to support roll-out at scale. Like our mobile-based app that works online and offline, allowing access from remote places
This forms the demand side of GKA. The greater the demand for quality learning from the community, the more sustainable it will be in the long run. Collecting inputs from parents, community members, SDMC members, elected reps, etc. has been a large part of our effort and this is now being captured via an Android-based app (available on PlayStore) called ILP Konnect . Click here for survey results.
The GP Contests are community-driven assessments of children in a non-intrusive environment. They serve as a platform to keep a tab on children’s learning curve and make necessary course corrections to improve the learning process for children. Click here to see how a Gram Panchayat math contest unfolds.
Creating a learning environment at home was key to balance all the work being done to ensure quality learning in the classroom. The Building Blocks app does just that. All the child needs is a parent’s smartphone (entry-level) and he/she can practice the math learnt in school, as a fun game, in the home. Click here to download the app.
GKA Programme Coverage
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