Innovators Advancing Early Grade Literacy Through Family Engagement and Technology

Session Submission Type: Group Panel

Description of Session

All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (ACR GCD), a partnership between USAID, World Vision, and the Australian Government, leverages science and technology to create and apply scalable solutions to improve children’s early grade reading in developing countries. It is well understood that literacy leads to better health, broadens employment opportunities, and creates safer and more stable societies. However, a 2013/2014 UNESCO report indicates that 250 million children across the globe are not learning basic literacy and numeracy skills. Of these, 57 million children—a disproportionate number of whom are from disadvantaged backgrounds, live in conflict-afflicted countries, are disabled, or are girls—aren’t enrolled in school at all. Since 2011 ACR GCD funded 32 innovators working in 32 countries with a focus on innovative technology-based solutions to improve early grade reading focusing on three areas: mother tongue instruction and reading materials, family and community engagement, and children with disabilities.
This panel will focus on four innovators that leverage technoloogy-based innovations to support family and community engagement with the goal of changing behaviors, motivation and increased engagement in early grade reading. Research shows that community and family support can emphasize the importance of reading and writing, build confidence, influence young people's literacy habits, and encourage youth to seek out ways to engage in literate activities (Lopez, Casque and McWIlliams, 2016).

Problematizing parent and community engagement with children’s reading through technology-based innovation the panelists are:
1. Creative Associates International (CAI) presenting on the Makhalidwe Athu project in Eastern Province, Zambia which mobilizes community members to help author early grade reading materials by submitting their favorite local stories and folktales and then distributes them to 1200 students via SMS.
2. Qué Funciona para el Desarrollo (Qfd) presenting on the Mundo de Libros (MdL) project in Mexico City, Mexico which uses the MATCH algorithm to provide personalized recommendations on the MdL platform according to each child’s specific reading profile and the improves the role of parental participation through targeted reading workshops.
3. Resources for the Blind (RBI) will highlight their project, Reading Beyond Sight in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindinao, The Phillippines which supports teachers and families with children who are low vision/blind to access mother tongue reading materials through the use of assistive technology and targeted training.
4. Sesame Workshop India Trust (SWIT) will present on the Play.Connect.Learn project in Maharashtra, India which introduces a smartphone-based mobile app, based on Galli Galli Sim Sim (Marathi-dubbed version of Sesame Street television program), to improve mother-tongue literacy skills.


References
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. (2014). Teaching and learning: Achieving quality for all. (1st Ed.). Paris, France.
Lopez, M. Elena, Caspe, Margaret & McWilliams, L. (2016). Public Libraries: A Vital Space for Family Engagement. Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE), Volume VIII, Issue 3.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Organizer

• Sarah Hinshaw, George Mason University

Individual Presentations

• Play.Connect.Learn (PCL) - Sashwati Banerjee, Sesame Workshop / India Trust

• Makhalidwe Athu (“Our Way of Staying”) - Karen Tietjen, Creative Associates International

• Mundo de Libros (World of Books) - Maria Elena Ortega, Qué Funciona para el Desarrollo, A. C.

• Reading Beyond Sight - Arminia Mojica, Resources for the Blind, Inc.

Discussant

• Rebecca Leege, World Vision, All Children Reading