Alternative Education

Reconstructing Contents and Methods of Teaching for Dalit Children

Language and Style of Education in Science and Mathematics

Reconstructing Contents and Methods of Teaching for Dalit Children

To delineate the nature and process of alienation among Dalit children in the existing pedagogy applied in schools Deshkal Society has undertaken a major three years project 'Reconstructing Contents and Methods of Teaching for Dalit Children' in the Magadh region spread in the southern part of Bihar. Ecologically, it is located in the south of Ganges and north of Chhotanagpur plateau. The research team of Deshkal is engaged in reconstructing content materials for Dalit children on the strong ground of the rich traditional knowledge and learning process of Dalit community.

Research

Five dalit communities have been selected from different district of Bihar. These communities in terms of different categories are: Dom, Mushar, Chamar, Dhobi and Pasi. The above sample communities, though marginalised are different from each other in terms of an acceess mainstream education, access to government jobs, social interrelations, opportunities of earning and even customary practices. We have selected 40 house hold samples from one community and altogether 200 households sample to make it truly representative of Dalit Community.

We have also selected five schools from different districts of this region, which represent good participation of children from Dalit communities. These schools provide us research inputs as well as the centres for teachers’ training.

Research out put

NGOs, the potential user of the research, shall be provided with alternative materials from view point of the dalits.

Additional Supplementary reading materials will be prepared and supplied to the Dalit parents.

Documentation

(a) Infromal meetings and discussions
(b) Participation in the main social/cultural actitives in community and schools
(c) Survey-quantitive and qualitative
(d) Interview

Dissemination

1. Workshop with potential users

• Community groups
• NGOs and district level educational planners
• Teachers and Students of selected schools

2. Review workshop

• Potential users
• Government officials, policy makers and educationists

3. Dissemination through Research Journals and Periodicals

4. A network which would be built in the course of research implementation among Dalit community, policy makers, educational planners, researchers

Advocacy

An advocacy compaign will be launched to influence policy makers to design Education Guarantee Scheme and other interventions in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan for educating SC and ST children with an appropriate pedagogic components to attract Dalit Children.

Language and Style of Education in Science and Mathematics

One of the first problems faced in the teaching of science and mathematics in schools is that students remove the language of teaching from the language of daily use. This problem may extend to other subjects of study as well, but in the teaching of sciences and mathematics, it is far more acute as these subjects have terminology of their own with distinct and precise meanings. Simultaneously, a degree of obstruction is also involved due to which these subjects become difficult to comprehend for many of the young minds. It is very common to notice a kind of fear from mathematics and sometimes from other science subjects in a majority of young learners in schools.
It is in this context that Deshkal Society conducted a study on the subject with an eye on evolving and implementing a strategy of alternative language use for the teaching of science and mathematics.

Outcome:

After the successful evolution of teaching methodologies both in theory and practice, teaching methodology manuals for teachers were developed. For practical purpose in science instructional manuals for performing various experiments / other simple experiment were also developed to help students. Apart from print form of instructional manuals for students, computer-based instructional design patterns to understand and practice the concept and utilize it in problem solving have been developed.