Building Instructional Capacities of Teachers to better Support students
Teachers are essential in molding young minds, and their impact in the classroom is undeniable. The Build the Basics (BTB) program is dedicated to supporting 1,800 teachers in the Karnali and Madhesh provinces. One of the program’s key goals is to provide these teachers with training in Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) methods. This training aims build the instructional capacities of teachers to better support students recover from learning setbacks caused by school closures and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. By equipping teachers with effective teaching strategies, BTB strives to improve learning outcomes and contribute to the overall educational development of children. Through this initiative, the program seeks to make a positive and lasting impact on schools nationwide.
As of now, the activities of the First Year have been successfully completed, reaching a total of 591 dedicated teachers from 234 schools across 12 Local Governments in Karnali and Madhesh Provinces. The teachers have successfully completed a week-long training in the TaRL approach targeted for remedial learning. The many activities and exercises including training on conducting assessment of students learning to track their learning levels. This approach in learning, prioritises numeracy and literacy skills, incorporating hands-on techniques to enhance comprehension of number relationships and problem-solving in mathematics while concurrently focusing on literacy skills, such as letter and word recognition exercises in Nepali.
The TaRL approach ensures teachers comprehend and effectively replicate the methods, placing emphasis on number and letter recognition exercises, formative assessments, and practical approaches with a student-centered approach. Following the TaRL Teacher Training program, teachers integrate TaRL methods into their classrooms, supported by continuous monitoring and mentoring from Street Child of Nepal and Aasaman Nepal.
Ganga Kumari Marsyandi, a primary school teacher at Shree Nepal Rastriya Secondary School, Surkhet, shares her experience after running TaRL activities in her teaching, “I participated in TaRL training provided by Street Child and Aasaman. I found the training quite different and unique to other training courses I attended before. I really liked the idea of assessing student’s learning levels, grouping them according to their current learning levels and providing tailored support to the students. I have started to apply these methods in my classrooms, and I am starting to see positive impact on my students.”
