Commentary

Returning to classroom learning in the Philippines

Wed, 11/24/2021 - 12:11 By

On November 15, 97 public schools opened their doors once again to classroom instruction after 20 months of closure and a shift to remote learning for more than one full academic year. The Philippines is one of the only countries in the world to have remained closed, with no exceptions, for so long. According to the President, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, the public health risks were simply too great for household and community transmission of the COVID-19 virus in this country where crowded metropolitan areas and multigenerational families living in the same home is the norm. USAID (US Agency for International Development), through the All Children Reading, ABC+, and Reach Health projects implemented by RTI International in the Philippines, is providing support for this pilot in various ways.

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Adding up the Evidence: Strengthening foundational math teaching and learning in LMICs

Fri, 11/05/2021 - 14:55 By

Imagine being a second grade student in a classroom with close to a hundred other children. It’s math class, and the teacher is instructing the class on how to solve a problem written on the board. You’re too far in the back to hear, and her instructions were so fast. Now she wants everyone to solve a new problem she has written. You have no idea what to do, so you just copy the numbers that you can see and hope she doesn’t call on you.

In early-grade classrooms across Asia and Africa, teachers struggle to teach math effectively, relying on techniques such as memorization and lecture to teach foundational skills.

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Basic Education Coalition (BEC) publishes study on governments’ organizational responses to COVID-19

Thu, 10/07/2021 - 22:17 By

Over the past 18 months, governments have made in rapidly designing and implementing distance, blended, and remote learning opportunities for students and teachers. Countries deployed a diversity of remote learning opportunities, ranging from radio-based instruction, to TV lessons, to mobile or online learning programs. In parallel, researchers have designed and are implementing studies to monitor and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of these efforts.

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Building Blocks for a Brighter Future: How a Kindergarten Program Prepared Liberian Children for School, Even During COVID

Tue, 09/07/2021 - 22:40 By

Entering first grade ready to learn takes more than a book and a pencil and the enthusiasm every young child brings to learning. To be better prepared for school, it helps for a child to have acquired certain basic, foundational skills.[1] Let’s look specifically at reading. When young Joy walks into her first-grade classroom on that momentous first day of school, what skills does her teacher hope she brings with her?

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