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WM CENTER LIBRARY – AN EVOLVING CONCEPT

The Second Term

How long has it been since any of us wrote, mentioned or even heard the words “mental block” or “alien” while talking about WM Center children’s approach to English? Quite a while, isn’t it? It is now there for everyone to see: the children have shed their inhibition in this respect. Being treated with a blank look when volunteers speak to them in English has become a thing of the past. On the other hand, often we observe the children trying to speak or ask questions in English.

A lot has to be said for this impressive progress. While lessons taught in the curriculum front have contributed to this marked improvement, it is the role that the Library team had played in bringing about this much-cherished change that we wish to record in this document.

In the first Term, the Library Team had laid a solid foundation and the joint creative power exhibited by the volunteers and the children alike through the academic year has brought about the transformation that we see today at the end of the Second Term.

One of the developments in the Second Term that the Library Team saw and could be proud of – one that could well be the greatest reward to the Team for its persistent efforts — is that, inspired by the other children visibly enjoying taking home books to read, six of the III standard kids showed interest and wished to be enrolled as recipients of books every week. The Team was only too happy to oblige them. It was very gratifying when we were later told that these children narrate the books’ contents to the other children under their English teacher’s supervision.

It will not be out of place to mention here that not a single week had passed without two members of the Library Team visiting the school on Wednesdays (or the day preceding or following it in case of a holiday) for distributing books to the children who have come to look forward to Wednesdays eagerly, with a book in hand and a book in mind. Of the 12 weeks in the Second Term, 11 days’ of book distribution took place except one week when it was not done keeping in mind the terminal exams.

In the Second Term, 36 new books were additionally put in circulation, throwing open to the children the option to choose from as many as 103 books. It is a common sight these days to see some kids picking a book, going through its pages and deciding to discard it and go for another book. And there are children who specifically ‘ask for’ books by name and still some who insist on books with more sentences per page.

After keenly observing children’s likings and keeping in mind their progress in becoming more and more interested in books, 24 new books were purchased in the Second term. With regular weekly visits by volunteers on Wednesdays for distributing books among 54 children, the turn-round of books increased drastically. This also resulted in many books becoming oft-read and well-thumbed, necessitating binding of some of the books to make them sturdy and withstand more handling. This exercise was taken up and 40 books identified as most dog-eared were got bound.

At the end of the Second Term, Library Record Notebooks of the children were collected. These notebooks were evaluated by the Library Team off-site and, based on how effectively they have been utilized by the children, stars were awarded to stimulate more interest in keeping record of books read. Sticker stars were stuck in their notebooks. Of the 24 notebooks reviewed, 5 were found worthy of 3 stars (the highest rating).

The Second Term also saw children taking to reading books in groups with the help of a volunteer in a very eager way. We have had seven good class reading sessions in the Second Term. On days when volunteer presence was less, some kids could be seen to take the lead and form their own groups to read more than one book in the half-hour time allotted for the session. Occasionally, a kid taking a book and sitting all by himself or herself to read it has also become a common sight. During these periods, some children who showed interest in knowing the exact meanings of words learnt were suitably guided in making use of the dictionary.

Besides group reading, children identified as good in reading were given the opportunity to read a book aloud to the class on Saturdays. Mohanraj, Sanjay, Saranya & Vaishali were such privileged ones. This has motivated other children to put in more efforts to be thus recognized.

In December, a day of Library session was converted as Educational Games period. Participated enthusiastically by children as well as volunteers, the session brought to light how learning (or teaching) through games could be more fun and more effective, compared to conventional methods. As one of the volunteers later put it, “Games make children focused…….the hands on activity helps.”

Overall, the results we have achieved so far in Library front have been very good and leave us in no doubt that we can do more for the children.

Computers, Notebooks, Netbooks, iPads and Mobile phones have been changing the way we have been reading, writing, listening and viewing, thus introducing digital in every walk of life. The day we could bring in technology to WM Library, such as children reading an e-story by flipping pages on the netbook using the mouse pad, we would have indeed reached a significant milestone.

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The previous week, we had taught kids about bridges, their types, their functionality etc, and so decided to give children a hands on experience on what it takes to build bridges. Volunteers were all geared up with all the materials to make this bridge building event a thought provoking one for the kids, but were alsofilled with skepticism about children turning up for the class. slowly by the time it is 5 o clock, we have more than 30 kids in the class, and new kids just kept pouring in.

In a way, we were both happy and scared if we would be able to make the children experience what we intended to teach. so anyway, we take one thing at a time, and decide that the only 5th graders and above will do the bridge building activity in groups of , while the smaller ones will work on dialouge delivery and conversational english. Once again, we were surprised, the smaller ones offered to help the bigger kids build the bridges.

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Children and volunteers formed groups and the ice cream sticks were distributed and children were allowed to choose their bridge designs from the templates. The collection of designs was given on an experimental basis to cater to various levels of complexities and to test commitment levels besides team work and visualising 3 D objects. These included simple truss bridges to more complex ones like suspended bridges, arch bridges and beam bridges based on their strength and load bearing capacities.. The thought that these kids probably don’t get a chance to relate real life scenarios to what they read in books made the whole effort of teaching them and experimenting on it made it a worthwhile experience.

We had invited Ms Lekha Umesha as our chief guest, Lekha is an Architect graduated from NIT Trichy. Her areas of interest are in product design and creative designs. Currently after graduation, she has been learning and doing a lot of complex Modular Origami objects.

we had started working on building the bridges by 5.15 P.M. while the bigger kids were scaling their bridge designs and getting ready making their templates, the smaller kids help them apply glue to the ice creams sticks and also run around spying on other teams and their levels of completion. It was a total fun activity, where we were witnessing a combination of team spirit, leadership among the older ones, understanding maths, physics and the strength of materials.

the Judge arrived at 6:30 P.M and only 1 bridge had got completed by then. when we looked around, we had no hopes of seeing any more bridges getting completed, and she started her work on judging, which included criteria like stability, complexity of design, execution and improvisation from the original design, minimal usage of material for maximum strength and load bearing capacity. after the 1st entry had been evaluated, the heat caught on when children started counting the number of tiles the bridge could bear, and the spirit was so high inside the class room.

subsequently all the entries were evaluated, and the result was announced. Honestly it was a very satisfying event and a memorable one for the volunteers and kids as well, as most of them took more ice cream sticks home to complete their bridges and were planning to bring it to class the following week. Later Ms Lekha remarked that, the enthusiasm in the smaller kids was higher than the bigger ones. while some of them took it seriously, some of them were having fun. while some of them struggled with over ambitious design, some of them did a commendable job with their simple yet strong designs. The struggle was more due to the lack of team work and communication skills among kids, as they were unable to communicate what they wanted to deliver and hence slightly complex designs failed to materialise.In effect, it was a learning experience for both volunteers and the kids. Never mind, it was still a practical lesson learnt.

No festoons or flowers, no dazzling lights or music. Still, the class room wore a festive look and the joyful atmosphere was so thick you could lean on it. The children had come in dazzling colours that matched the excitement in their faces. It was like it was everyone’s birthday.

In a way it was. Yes, West Mambalam Center of Deepam stepped into its second year on 4^th September 2010 and the function to commemorate it was got up on 25^th September.

And what a day it turned out to be! The class started at 9 AM like any other day, with children vying with each other to get the best book from WM Center’s library. Even though the children knew ‘Board Games’ were to be inaugurated after the library session, it was heartening to see that they were well-behaved, not wanting to rush through the books. Soon, when the modest collection of Board Games was thrown open, the volunteers appearing more excited than the kids, it was greeted with loud cheers. The games were an instant hit.

Children and volunteers formed groups and the games were played with great enthusiasm both by the kids and the volunteers. The Center’s collection of games had been procured on an experimental basis to cater to the interests of children of various levels. These included jigsaw puzzles, word games, chess, games based on numbers and shapes. The thought that these kids probably don’t get a chance to enjoy such games either at home or at school made the whole exercise very special and exciting.

The Center had the honour of having Mrs Chitra Nagesh as chief guest. Mrs Chitra Nagesh worked as a Social Science teacher at DAV and at PSBB and currently after retirement she is working with a lot of schools and teaching Ghandian Values. It was a proud moment for Saye and Yeshwant who have attached so much value to her impeccable qualities, and today they could express their gratitude to their teacher in a way she’d feel happy and invite her over to introduce WM team to her. Mrs Chitra Nagesh put everyone at ease with her simple approach and modesty. Her talk on non-violence and appeal to all to shun violence, going deep into root causes of many a conflict, was really thought-provoking to the kids as well as to the volunteers.

Afterwards the children enacted a beautifully conceived skit, show-casing in just 90 seconds the ideals of Deepam and how over the last one year these have been achieved in West Mambalam Center.

A fitting memento was presented by Deepam WM Center to Mrs Chitra Nagesh. In recognition of the excellent support the school’s Head Mistress, Mrs Radha, and the teachers of the school have been extending to Deepam and its volunteers, an acrylic shield with the inscription “Deepam Supported Institution” was presented to the School.

This was followed by cutting of the Anniversary cake and distribution. Children were also given in a take-home packet cakes, biscuits and chocolates.

Truly it was a very satisfying event and a memorable anniversary for Deepam WM.

Later, commenting on the event, Mrs Chitra Nagesh remarked that Deepam’s way of combining fun with teaching is something that even trained professionals struggle to achieve.

A sizeable fund was given to WM Center out of the donation received from Roundtable ( Madras Knights Round Table 181 ) / TeamUSA (Indiateam.org), and the co-ordinators wasted no time in inviting suggestions from volunteers on how best to utilize it. Equally quickly, mails were exchanged, needs discussed and the Center’s immediate requirements finalized.

The first was a 5.5’ steel almirah – a long-felt need at the Center. This was ordered, delivered and was in place at the Center and one set of keys was handed over to the School Head Mistress on 31/07/2010. The storage space in the cupboard will be shared between Deepam and the School.

Another immediate need was augmentation of WM Center’s Library. As many as 55 books, hand-picked with utmost care to suit WM Center children’s aptitude, were added. With this addition, the Center will now be able to fulfill its desire to give children more books to choose from, for reading in the class or at home.

15 learning-based games (e.g, Spell-O-Chess, Origami, Number Puzzles, Jigsaw Puzzles) were added to the Center for use under volunteer guidance. It is the Center’s idea to utilize these as occasional diversions to the children without, at the same time, straying much away from learning.

Deepam would like to thank Round Table (Madras Knights Round Table 181 ) and TEAM USA for its generous contribution and we look forward to their continued support to help improve infrastructure at other Deepam centers.

Dear all,

The heat is on! and while the children are cooling off in their summer vacatio/native places, this is the perfect time to set the curriculum and plan for the next year. June 2010 – March 2011.

The Adyar-Pudiyador center has varied needs. Some
1) We have two desktop computers there, and we have access to three (yes three!) more laptops that the UK center is going to hand over.
2) We have children across the age group- from 4-5 standard students to 11-12th standard! We also have some toddlers looking at the screen in curiosity
3) The children there are fairly confident in all the MS office suite.
4) Sessions every weekend on a sunday 11am-1pm. Time slot may change.

Request all volunteers and interested people to please lend a hand to set the curriculum for the year.

Plan of Action for the next year
1) Prepare a bunch of confident english speakers
2) Exposure to the internet and making presentations, gathering data from the internet.
3) Activities (once every quarter)
4) Divide the class into 2-3 batches and cater specifically to their needs.

This year, we aim to build a strong curriculum and a stronger volunteer team.
Please get in touch with me if you can contribute in any manner. Suggestions most welcome!

thanks,
Anupama
anupama[dot]s3[at]gmail[dot]com

Deepam Fellow is an award conceptualised to honour the people who have made a significant contribution to furthering the cause of education for less-privileged children at Deepam. This award will be given to 3 people every year.

Thanks to the our special invitee Subha for coming to Pudiyador center over the weekend. She paid rapt attention to every item, I am sure she had a hard time saying which was No1, so everyone were declared winners.

Silambattam: You have seen silambattam. For the uninitiated, a long stick is rotated skillfully held away from the body in a dextorous and beautiful manner. These children went one step further, they tied cloth to the ends of the sticks, doused it in kerosene and set them on fire. We had an amazing fire display! Five of these kids aged 10-14 years were on fire with their display!
Then, they laid a stick (lit completely on fire) and jumped over it, somersault etc. You should’ve been there! All of us were going ooh-aah for this one.

Skit/Mime/Drama: The children had make-up on their faces with powder and paint. Set on the theme of creating awareness, about 6 boys mimed scenes like throwing the banana peel down, talking on the cellphone while driving, hanging out of a train, then they reenacted the scene depicting the proper way of doing this. Another mime was played out based on religious unity. To each of these scenes, the children did their own personal comedic touch. It was a very good one and apt!

Dance: The younger girls did two popular dances, the older girls did one dance. I must say the bharatnatyam classes(that take place just before the Deepam sessions on sunday mornings) are having quite an effect. Such beauty and grace in their steps and movements. Kudos!
The smallest kids (about 4-6) entertained us too.
Sathish is invariably the dancing star of Pudiyador (He is Hemesh’s friend and classmate btw)

The credit for encouraging the children and bringing out their talent lies with the Pudiyador people. Their dedication to bring the best to these kids is outstanding. These kids were coached in dance and skit by Mr.Lenin. I have noticed the children here are so confident in their speech and manner. Last year’s talent event was amazing, but this year topped that too!
I consider myself very lucky to have been a part of this rare performance.

Check out more pictures of the event at Pudiyador and other centers on our Deepam Facebook page (login not required)

I recently spent almost a fortnight in the heart of Bodoland in Assam.The place was the last Indian village on the India-Bhutan border.I worked with teachers from rural north-east and Women self-help groups.Something interesting the teachers brought out regarding the challenges of education :
1.No safe drinking water
2. No infrastructure – schools do not even have a proper buiding- bamboo structures keeping the students in.
3.Poor attendance – half of te year there are floods and rains and for the other half – Malaria.
4.FIrst generation learners – no support for education from home .
Few take away’s that I thought worth mentioning –
1. All classes will ahve some bright students and some slow learners(this is called the Differential Ability Group or the DAG). Teachers will face problem in handling both the higher and the lower ability groups. Simple solution : give the higher group pupils something extra, something higher than the normal class ability level.This will keep him occupied.For the lower ability group – give more tasks that will make him use his hands.USe Activity based learning (ABL).
2. We did not try to tell the teachers what to teach – rather how to teach. Keeping the interest level up for the students is purely on the onus of the teacher.
3. Every 30 -45 seconds there should be some interaction between the teacher and the student.
4. Saw a very good teacher – she started the class by gossiping and asking the students how are they. But gradually she moved into the topic/subject matter.This transition was so seemless, so smooth that the students hardly felt they are learning something. They were like the teacher was still gossiping with them.

Yep, I finally took a nose-dive into community service and Deepam gave me a one-way ticket. So, on a balmy Saturday morning, with the whispers of the adjacent Bay Of Bengal casting a smile on my face, I found myself at the Olcott School with a bunch of 20-odd teens raring to take on the world with their lofty dreams. All they needed was that little reassurance, or an acqueising smile to show them they were headed in the right direction; that someone actually cared- and we were there to do just that.

The first class, two weeks ago, was mostly about breaking the ice and reaching out to them. This wasn’t a problem- after all these were urban kids who seemed quite knowledgeable about issues that Chennai teenagers care about- Kollywood, cricket et all. They were so much into grasping what we intended to offer them that they forgot to give us nick-names (!). Though I found them innocent and unfazed by the journey to adulthood that confronted them, they had a mature side to themselves in that they had concrete plans for their lives, beyond castles in the air that every city teenager loves to build at their age. So much so, that most of them were intent on breaking into the admin/police service while the majority wanted to become software engineers. Of course, the few girls who aspired to be housewives had second thoughts when peals of laughter broke out in the crowd 😛

The first class- we took on groups of 4-5 and asked them to quiz us and fill out a form on our behalf and then make a presentation to the class. Quite neatly done, within the schedule too.
Then followed a game of antakshari when we tried to break the routine and all of us were pleased when we realized we could sing without remorse ;). Lastly, we got them to fill out personal forms with their role model and ambition and read them out in class- giving each student his due. In the second class, we carried forward the learn-through-games idea and settled on a simple vocab-building game, which we will expand eventually as they get into the mood. They loved to learn all the states and their capitals (with occasional help from the Atlas) and meticulously wrote them down. They did, of course, stumble with capitals of North-Eastern states, but come to think of it, didn’t we too?

So time flew by and before we knew it, four hours had come to an end. One of them asked if me he’d be able to use the laptop soon and I smiled assuringly when he proudly showed me his work-register with his time-table and weekly agendas. The Saturdays, though blank, were pencilled with “Deepam class” on the side- so that’s when I realized that we’d sunk our roots firmly at Olcott…now it’s time to grow!