When we arrived at the start of the summer the concept of phonetics was totally foreign to the children, but by the end they were using all 26 alphabet sounds to build words of 3 and even 4 letter families (eg elt, -and etc)
That to me is definitely something I can say we taught them. The issue comes with just how much a difference that will make to them, but that isn't up to me, and I think it's better to have the tools and not use them, than never be given the choice.
Stephen Cassidy, DAS team 2007, Kolkata
There were a few guys in my Science Olympics team that wouldn't open their mouths in class; you hardly knew they were there. Once we started experiments on light and sound and explaining the theory behind it, I saw that they were getting really into it, so I decided that instead of a test for Olympics day that the team would present it in front of the class in Swahili. The two quietest lads in the class presented the theory in Swahili and you could see they were absolutely delighted. That was definitely one of the best things I experienced.
Joe Ryan, Maweni team 2007, Mombasa
The schools and coaching centres were generally one-room operations, with several competing classes going on at once. At night, our rooms sprouted posters, flashcards and other teaching paraphernalia like crops after the onset of monsoon.
Conor James Mc Kinney, DAS team 2008, Kolkata
Click here to download the Curriculum developed by the 2008 volunteers - Carlos Quinn, Hugh Doyle and Luke Maishman in partnership with the Prayas Education Team, New Delhi.
We worked in pairs, with children aged 6 to 18 years, with each pair teaching a wide array of subjects from Maths and Science to English and Geography. We also work in coaching centres in the evenings and also organise sports and recreational activities for the children.
Helen McGuire, Vikramshila team 2008, Kolkata
Every night the team would gather around our TLM (Teaching-Learning Material) table and swap our stories of successes and challenges, offering support and advice to each other. The difficulties facing most teaching partners were class organisation and the variety of ability-levels of the children. However, teaching abc's at the same time as double digit multiplication, is something we came to relish.
Aisling Murtagh, Prayas team 2008, Delhi
Volunteers from the Sabuj Sangha team in Kolkata held a "Fun Festival" at the end of their placement. This special event was organised for over 400 children . Read this article written about the event in the Kolkata Mirror.
The Global perspectives element included a field trip to a UNICEF disaster preparedness project in the rural south of the state. GP Week itself was extremely informative, and the calibre of speakers from the UN, World Bank and our own Irish Embassy was highly impressive. The change of focus from grass-roots work to the big picture of Development in India as a whole (an integral part of the programme) was great to see. There was also a chance to investigate possible career paths in Development. The DAS team also presented a case study on child marriage, based on a troubling instance in one of the DAS schools.
Conor James Mc Kinney, DAS team, Kolkata
Global Perspectives Week was a huge eye-opener to the life, economics and workings of India and also a chance to meet and speak with different people who are working towards improving the lives of people here; whether it be Development work with the UN, working to save the environment, helping HIV/Aids patients or just teaching people how to keep peace of mind through meditation.
Sorcha Pollak, Jahangirpuri team, Delhi
Click here to download a copy of research carried out by volunteers Donal Holohan and Susan Carroll for the Prayas Juvenille Justice Centre.
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