Taking structured pedagogy to scale: A case study of the scaling-up early literacy intervention in India

• In Event: Core components of effective implementation: Unpacking successful educational interventions

Proposal

Structured pedagogy is a systematic application of many moving, connected parts. In an effective structured pedagogy approach, the curriculum, lesson plans, materials, training, and assessments are all aligned and systematically lead to better learning outcomes. Room to Read’s approach to structured pedagogy programs enables children to systematically build their literacy skills and habit of reading through simplified instructional routines and structured library activities focused around aligned pupil books, teacher’s guides, and authentic literature.
In this paper, Room to Read will share a case study of the Scaling up Early Reading Program (SERI). Room to Read India, in collaboration with USAID, launched SERI in 2015 to bring Room to Read’s literacy approach to scale in four states. The key components of structured pedagogy, like a carefully planned scope and sequence, helped to ensure that students got the opportunity to read as early as possible. The teacher’s guide included instructional methods that ensured students mastered basic skills like phonics to make way for more complex skills like comprehension. Guidance for teachers on reading activities provided students with models of fluent, expressive reading while introducing them to diverse children’s literature to nurture their love of reading and their deeper engagement with authentic texts. Teacher training and continuous coaching helped teachers gain and practice new knowledge. The project was implemented in a scaffolded approach with contextualization in the design. The contextualization was done under two strands of linguistic orthographies due to geographic regions and the approach of the system.
The multilingual fluidity in the classrooms and the language's orthographic needs aligned with the language's social hierarchies led to the addition of strategies in the instruction design, teacher training, and coaching under SERI. The emphasis on the library as an integral part of children's literacy experience was consciously strengthened.
In the year 2018, an end-line evaluation of SERI showed that by the end of grade 2, children from project schools could read 37 words per minute and were able to answer 2.3 questions (out of 5) in comprehension (Joddar, 2018). In contrast, children in non-project schools could read only 18 words per minute and could answer 1.3 questions correctly under comprehension.
In this paper we will share lessons learned from this experience, including contextualizing the approach to meet diverse needs, as well as insights and recommendations for governments and other organizations planning to implement structured pedagogy at scale.

Authors

• Saktibrata Sen, Room to Read india

• Christabel Pinto, Room to Read