Page 8 - 10x GOOD_Issue 3_V4
P. 8

ALfA’s Unprecedented                                                                                                   of words meaningfully in a mere
          Rise                                                                                                                   ten days—a rate of progress that
                                                                                                                                 would traditionally require months
          The story of ALfA is a story of                                                                                        or even years to attain. These
          remarkable growth. In less than a                                                                                      children continue to cultivate reading
          year, ALfA has made its mark in over                                                                                   fluency and amass a rich vocabulary
          600 government schools in India.                                                                                       within just a few weeks, casting
          It has grown across many nations                                                                                       aside the slow and laborious steps
          including Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria,                                                                                       often associated with early literacy
          Peru, the Philippines, the Maldives,                                                                                   development. They go beyond grade
          and the United States, all since                                                                                       level competencies within forty-five
          the fall of 2022. Its audacious goal                                                                                   school days, versus three years on
          of instilling foundational literacy                                                                                    average.
          and numeracy skills within just 45                                                                                                                        ALfA program reduces carbon footprint with its very thin booklets, Ed-Tech solutions, and
          days, or even a condensed 20-                                                                                                                             paired work in which half the printed thin booklets are used between two children working
          day intensive period, may seem                                                                                                                            as a pair. It consciously integrates climate education within the program, including the
          ambitious, but the tangible outcomes                                                                                                                      reading of stories of climate change. This in turn children read and comprehend. They
                                                                                                                                                                    perform activities that provide a deeper understanding, for example, one child becomes a
          speak volumes. As results come so   At a recent experiment to fast-track ALfA FLN, we discovered children can learn many                                  researcher and the other the whale in a joyous exploration.
          quickly, it is possible to showcase   times faster than our current education acknowledges or provides for with age / grade
                                            considerations, and timetables that limit learning potential, pointing to the need for a
          success almost immediately. RCT   paradigm shift in our thinking about human potential and about education.
          data, reported by Harvard Graduate
          School of Education, USA, shows   and 0.89 for Grade 5 after just 40   Uttar Pradesh between August and
          effect sizes of 0.23 for Grade 3   days of implementation in Shamli,   October, 2022.                                                                                                       In the subject of mathematics,
                                                                                                                                                                                                      ALfA is doing something truly

          ALfA’s Accelerated                                                                                                                                                                          extraordinary. For most educational
                                                                                                                                                                                                      programs, second-grade mathematics
          Path to Literacy and                                                                                                                                                                        might involve simple addition
          Empowerment                                                                                                                                                                                 and subtraction. But in the ALfA

          In the realm of education, ALfA is                                                                                                                                                          classroom, second-graders are
          proving to be a seismic force that’s                                                                                                                                                        tackling mathematical tasks that are
          shattering conventional boundaries.                                                                                                                                                         far more advanced. From four-digit
          Traditional metrics of what a second-                                                                                                                                                       addition with carryover to complex
          grade student can master are being                                                                                                                                                          subtraction with borrowing, these
          remarkably redefined within this                                                                                                                                                            students are working on problems
          innovative program.                                                                                                                                                                         that often aren’t introduced until
                                                                                                                                                                                                      later grade levels. But what sets
          ALfA’s impact extends far beyond                                                                                                                                                            ALfA apart isn’t just the complexity
          classroom walls. Students who                                                                                                                                                               of the problems—it’s the depth of
          engage with ALfA undergo a                                                                                                                                                                  understanding that the students
          transformative journey.                                                                                                                                                                     achieve.

          On the literacy side, the children
          begin by decoding and blending                                                                                         Comprehension: The Blue Whale
          sounds to form words—a                                                                                                 Class: 3F
          foundational skill in literacy.
          However, the remarkable facet                                                                                          Teacher Galvanizer: Moushumi Sen Gupta
          of this learning journey is the                                                                                        4C Skills: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creativity
          pace. Students transition from    Children of Grades 1 to 5 become proficient in reading with understanding. Here, Grade 2   4C Traits: Character, Climate Consciousness, Citizenship, Connectedness (Social-
                                            children are reading a newspaper article in the ALfA book. They make questions for each
          deciphering to reading hundreds   other, thereby consolidating learning.                                               Emotional-Mental Well-Being)


           8                                                                                                                                                                                                                       9
   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13