Literacy in Fragile Environments: Guiding Principles and Real Examples

Editor's Notes

• #2: Caroline Keenan (Save the Children) will be talking about a model for the full spectrum (ways of adapting Literacy Boost), and Mackenzie Matthews who has recently joined FHI 360 from IRC will discuss Safe Healing and Learning Spaces – open source Margaret Sinclair Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC) will be talking about Building Resilience and Social Cohesion through Educational Materials
• #3: Access the full slideshow and notes here
• #5: Introduce myself & FHI 360
• #6: Integrated, multi-sectoral approach A 360-degree perspective is required to address complex human development needs. The key to improving lives is in generating, sharing and applying knowledge. Sustainability comes from building the capacity of individuals, communities and countries to address their needs. Partnering with governments, civil society organizations, the private sector and communities leads to success.
• #7: We serve more than 70 countries around the globe, including the US Make point about local partners Integrated approach: Health & nutrition, education, youth, gender, economic development, civil society & peace building, environment And do so in partnership with: Private sector Foundations Nonprofit organizations Educational institutions Multilateral organizations U.S. Government agencies National governments and governmental institutions
• #8: Various degrees Humanitarian Relief Rehabilitation/Recovery Development Growth Can be a gradual process but often a shock: e.g. war/conflict, political unrest, natural disaster; At FHI 360 our projects tend to focus more on the development end of the spectrum, though elements more commonly found in more acutely fragile states are included across many of the contexts in which we work Plug our fragile states work
• #9: Apply our INTEGRATED approach to HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE to meet expanding needs of humanitarian crisis around the world. FHI 360 is currently working in 24 countries defined as fragile states and many of these countries are in crisis.  Borno State, Northeast Nigeria U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance
• #10: Features of crisis, conflict, emergencies, and fragility
• #11: Today I will focus on governance, teacher pd, and communities. Although all of this is intertwined, I’m simplifying my presentation highlight one example for each. Each project, in reality, could address all of them.
• #12: Today I will focus on governance, teacher pd, and communities. Although all of this is intertwined, I’m simplifying my presentation highlight one example for each. Each project, in reality, could address all of them.
• #13: Infrastructure and financial/human resources may be compromised Bureaucracy and turnover may slow decision making Data about schools, teachers, students, and learning outcomes is lacking Schools may have no or minimal facilities There could be more than one government or ministry to work with In refugee settings, it may be hard to access the ministry of education in host or home countries
• #14: DRC: armed conflict and state collapse led to 5.4 million excess deaths from 1998 to 2007, Peace accords in 2003, a gradual shift from humanitarian relief to post-conflict recovery has occurred. Chemonics partnering with FHI 360 on ACCELERE! CHALLENGES: Limited Ministry Capacity/Human Resources E.g., Not enough school inspectors Many schools difficult to access from district offices
• #15: Recently we’ve seen a proliferation of inspectors and/or literacy coaches providing support to classroom teachers across a breadth of international literacy projects. As this capacity continues to be built out, ACCELERE! Id working directly with head teachers to serve as an important point of support for teacher learning.
• #16: As additional point of support, the program is also leveraging members of the surrounding school community to serve as Community Reading Mobilizers Responsible for tasks like data collection and making sure reading activities are happening in the schools and at home. Monthly story readings; Reading buddies ---------- To boost children’s ability and love for reading even further, ACCELERE! will work with community mobilizers to engage parents and share things they can do to build their children’s foundation for reading, such as telling a story or talking through the steps in an everyday process (like cooking a meal) and describing where each ingredient comes from. These mobilizers also will support schools to lead activities that support literacy, such as organizing monthly story reading sessions and pairing older and younger children as “reading buddies.”
• #19: Made materials at the workshop in school-groups Curriculum independent, would later scaffold revised reading curriculum
• #20: Had planned to depend on manual, but teacher level was too low and English was weak. – came from Arabic system and had not had any t training. Some elementary, some secondary education in Arabic. Also curriculum was under revision so had to make the intervention curriculum-independent – would scaffold later reading curriculum. Simplified most important information onto Key Information Cards of 1 page each. Taught the process of reading to teachers in the training as though they were students before distributing the materials so they had experienced it – “transformative” Key Information Cards provide examples of "routines," which are highly recommended for psychosocial support. Participatory learning, as exemplified in the photos of songs and small group work, is also recommended.  Finally, the photos include pictures of our handmade teaching and learning materials. Key Information Cards Booklet – Core Information for Teaching: The Manual is accompanied by the Key Information Cards (KIC) Booklet that consists of simple, step-by-step instructions (accompanied by picture icons to assist low-literate teachers) focused on fundamental skills in teaching reading in English and on learner well-being, including classroom routines, psychosocial support (both of which are especially desirable in classrooms) and gender and social inclusion. This KIC Booklet mirrors the Teacher Training Intervention Manual, but it is meant to be used by the P1 - 3 English language teachers when they are in their classrooms teaching reading. Follow-up observations 85% use
• #21: Structures may have changed as a result of displacement or of having to spend more time attempting to meet basic needs Support for literacy programs may be more difficult to get under these conditions Have an important role to play to offer psychosocial support to children and teachers Sometimes it is communities themselves who make schooling possible by building schools and paying teachers Social cohesion may be threatened because of conflict
• #23: With conflict in the northeast of the country, the northwest is aware of possible threats. Education may help prevent spread of violence. Community support to education promotes buy in, which can mean that communities will defend their schools system and continue to send their children to school. Also, the more community involvement, the greater the chance the communities can find ways to support education in the event that NGOs projects and Ministry officials cannot access communities for a time period. Engaging traditional community leaders Inviting community leader participation in assessment activities, monitoring, and policy discussions Inviting each community to appoint a Reading Champion Assisting communities to write Community Leadership Action Guides Innovation: multi-stage community plan, working so closely with community leaders, communities make their own reading plans at end of Y1 after building understanding and collaboration all year.