mEd • 09/11/23 • Laura Danforth
Achieving FLN Competencies through tech-enabled, project-based learning in low-resource contexts
WWW.LEARNINGEQUALITY.ORG
Equity-Driven Focus
Open content and tools
Disconnected Communities
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Barriers we address
Infrastructure limitations
Discoverability of relevant learning resources
Understanding of learning and teaching with ICT
Our approach
We build tech solutions to enrich learning without Internet.
Sustainable.
Low-cost.
Scalable.
Effective.
Lewa Downs Primary at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy | Kenya
Agami | Bangladesh
Shoulder to Shoulder | Honduras
Lewa Downs Primary at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy | Kenya
Kolibri
An adaptable open solution that overcomes infrastructural barriers preventing equitable access
Wide variety of hardware (legacy/low-cost)
Offline-first
access and distribution
Lewa Downs Primary at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy | Kenya
Seamless distribution and data syncing
Flying Colors
Implementation and pedagogical support
Gulu-based organization that specialises in providing mental health and psychosocial support services.
Curriculum design and offline-first edtech support
Nonprofit pioneering offline-first edtech for teaching and learning that develops Kolibri.
SEL expertise and curriculum design
Nonprofit which developed the socio-emotional Colors of Kindness curriculum that can be localized and adapted.
Funding and research support
Provides grants with a focus on creating opportunities for children to learn through play.
Flying Colors: tech-enabled PBL
HARDWARE
CURRICULUM
TRAINING
ENROLLMENT
COMMUNITY
676 community members engaged
20 government representatives engaged
714 learners enrolled (333 girls and 381 boys)
588 learners graduated
16 trained teachers and head-teachers
13 teacher training workshops
72 tablets
4 servers and 4 charging units
3 solar panels
48 lesson plans
1000+ offline educational resources on Kolibri
Delivery so far: in numbers
Teachers were unfamiliar with project-based learning and digital tools → Successful facilitation of blended learning
0% teachers ‘very comfortable’ incorporating technology into lessons → 75% teachers ‘very comfortable’ at endline
“What made me more confident was the recent training … we are able to assign extra resources and lessons to weak learners to catch up to others.” Teacher
“I used not to consider the emotions of my learners, but with social and emotional learning, I have learnt a lot ... It has improved my teaching.” Teacher
Teacher digital skills and confidence
“I used to feel it [was] difficult to work and socialize with each other but nowadays, I relate easily with others.” - Learner
Social-emotional learning
Learners’ notice feelings and have dreams for the future:
<50% → >89%
Teacher’s confidence supporting emotion identification:
38% → 75%
Parents report learners are more confident
There was a significant* improvement in learners’ literacy:
0.8 → 4.3 (out of 6)
“I always love to come and use the tablets. I have learnt English and I can now read words.” Learner
* The difference in the mean score at baseline and endline was statistically significant at a 95% confidence level,
with a large effect size.
Foundational literacy
There was a significant* increase in numeracy:
3.5 → 6.9 (out of 8)
* The difference in the mean score at baseline and endline was statistically significant at a 95% confidence level,
with a large effect size.
Foundational numeracy
What did we learn?
Public Good (OER): Project-based Learning curriculum with Kolibri
FACILITATION GUIDANCE AND LESSON PLANS FOR ONE YEAR OF INSTRUCTION
Educator guidance materials & digital resources for learners.
Focused on building foundational literacy and numeracy, social emotional learning, and project-based learning competencies.
ALIGNED KOLIBRI DIGITAL RESOURCES FOR ACADEMIC, SEL AND PBL SKILLS
Public Good (OER): Project-based learning training pack
FACILITATION MANUAL
TRAINING PRESENTATIONS
TRAINING WORKBOOK
CLASSROOM OBSERVATION TOOL AND DEBRIEF TEMPLATE
The training pack will guide trainers and facilitators to introduce Kolibri and its features, and demonstrate how PBL can be integrated in a Kolibri program. It consists of:
| Topic | Description | Duration |
| Program Introduction | Intro to PBL and Kolibri ASER assessment | 1 week |
| Unit 1: The Stories of our Families How can we share our family stories? | Individual project: sharing a story about a family member. | 4 weeks |
| Unit 2: The Heroes of our Community How can we appreciate and thank our community heroes? | Group project: thanking a community hero. | 4 weeks |
| Mid-Program Assessment and Parent Update | ASER Assessment Parent Engagement | 1 week |
| Unit 3: Our Environment How can we preserve our environment from pollution? | Group project: create a product out of reusable materials | 4 weeks |
| Unit 4: Healthy Habits How can we lead healthy lives through nutrition? | Group project: create a recipe + meal that includes all 5 food groups. | 4 weeks |
| End of Semester Assessment and Parent Update | ASER Assessment Parent Engagement | 1 week |
Next steps
Next steps
Come chat with me!
Peer Review: Interested in doing a peer review of the curriculum and training pack?
Collaborate: Want learn more about PBL with Kolibri and collaborate with us?
Thank you!
Photo Credits from L to R: New Arrivals Institute (USA), Rotary Club of Daytona Beach West (USA), Lewa Wildlife Conservancy (Kenya), UNHCR Jordan/Lilly Carlisle, and Agami (Bangladesh).
For more information: laura@learningequality.org learningequality.org