Digital StudyHallJune 2009
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The Challenge: Improve Quality of Education in Developing Countries
Shortage of qualified teachers for slum and rural schools in developing countries– Teachers lack subject matter knowledge and understanding of effective
teaching practices– Teachers are isolated and lack support and resources
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The Digital StudyHall Model
Overview
A community-based video production and sharing system– Films and distributes lessons taught by the best grassroots teachers to poor
rural and slum schools on DVDs Teachers at spoke schools use the DVDs to provide high-quality instruction to
their students and train themselves
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The Digital StudyHall Model
Key Components
A People’s Database of “Everything”
Practical Technology forCommunity-Based Content-Sharing
Mediation-Based Pedagogy
Network of Hubs and Spokes
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The Digital StudyHall Model
Themes
Not about any one particular piece, but about building an “eco-system” of symbiotic pieces
Cheap, practical, effective, replicable on a large scale Solve end-to-end education problem (not just a technology project) It’s a people system!
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The Digital StudyHall Model
A People’s Database of “Everything”
Practical Technology forCommunity-Based Content-Sharing
Mediation-Based Pedagogy
Network of Hubs and Spokes
A People’s Database of “Everything”
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A People’s Database of “Everything”
Overview
The Digital StudyHall Vision
A People’s Database of “Everything”
Importance of BeingVideo-Centric
• Accessible to the largely illiterate community
• Easy-to-scale content production (vs. flashware)
• Effective in capturing pedagogy and showmanship of great teachers
• Open-source, freely available content
• Community-based: Content relevant to audience due to localized creation
• Video-centric so audiences can use
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A People’s Database of “Everything”
Database Content
• Classes are based on the state government curriculum and textbooks, and are filmed in organized, coherent sequences
• The goal is to cover:• All subjects• All grades• All languages
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• Daily filming of live classes conducted by grassroots teachers
• Filmed by local staff using cheap, simple equipment
Pune
Calcutta
Lucknow
A People’s Database of “Everything”
Recording the Classes
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A People’s Database of “Everything”
Bridging the Education Gaps: The Challenge
Content development must account for key differences between the privileged and underprivileged schools:
– Teacher qualification– Language (e.g., English vs. Hindi medium)– Student background and environment– Textbooks (e.g., CBSE vs. Uttar Pradesh State Board)
“Rich” School
“Poor” School
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A People’s Database of “Everything”
Bridging the Education Gaps: The Solution
Pair the best teachers with slum students so classes filmed are audience-appropriate and bridges the education gaps
– Classes are filmed in local language– Examples and language used are generalized (e.g., not specific to urban lifestyle)
Best teachers from best schools
Slum kids
Slum kids
Best teachers from best schools
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A People’s Database of “Everything”
Characteristics of Recorded Classes
Classes are highly interactive, with lots of:• Questions and answers• Role plays• Activities• In local languages
Science demonstrations via the recorded classes compensate for the lack of equipment, specimens, etc. at under-resourced spoke schools
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Since 2005, we’ve accumulated over: 1500 lessons in English, math, science
– Languages include: Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, English 1500 pieces of other complementary materials
A People’s Database of “Everything”
Current Status
Classes
Stories
Plays
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A People’s Database of “Everything”
The Digital StudyHall Model
Practical Technology for Community-Based Content-Sharing
Mediation-Based Pedagogy
Network of Hubs and Spokes
Practical Technology forCommunity-Based Content-Sharing
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Practical Technology for Community-Based Content Sharing
The Process
Cheap, simple camcorders / equipment to record classes
“Hubs” digitize and organize data “Hubs” sync with each other to build
global database
“Hubs” burn
DVDs to send to spoke
schools
Spoke schools use content with a cheap TV / DVD player setup
1 2 3
4 5
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Practical Technology for Community-Based Content Sharing
Equipment at Spoke Schools
Current Equipment Spoke schools given TV, DVD player,
and electrical equipment, including power supply if necessary
$550 per set of equipment Cheap, easy to use, easy to replicate
Equipment Being Tested Low-power solution based on “pico
projectors” powered by a solar panel $700 per set of equipment
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A People’s Database of “Everything”
The Digital StudyHall Model
Mediation-Based Pedagogy
Network of Hubs and Spokes
Practical Technology forCommunity-Based Content-Sharing
Mediation-Based Pedagogy
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Mediation-Based Pedagogy
Overview
Model TV Teacher
• Provides lesson plan and knowledge of subject matter and pedagogical practices
In Mediation, the TV and a local teacher form a
team
Local Teacher
• Periodically pauses the video to “mediate” the lesson through mimicking, expanding upon, and tailoring the video content
• Uses questions, activities, board work, role playing, poems and songs, etc. to deliver an interactive lesson
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Mediation-Based Pedagogy
Training for Mediators
Training occurs over time:– An introductory training
session gives teachers fundamentals for mediation
– DSH staff regularly visits school site to observe and give feedback to teachers
Training for spoke school teachers emphasizes:
– Ways to interact with their students, while
– Viewing videos together
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Mediation-Based Pedagogy
Peer Teaching
Good students are enlisted as class “leaders”
– Can be effective in cases of teacher absenteeism Potential of scaling skilled and motivated mediators
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Mediation-Based Pedagogy
DSH Role in Teacher Training
Local teachers learn from video teachers Teachers should “graduate” from the DSH program
– We want the local teachers to kick out DSH equipment in the long run
Technology
Replacing People
People Replacing Technolog
y
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The Digital StudyHall Model
Network of Hubs and Spokes
Practical Technology forCommunity-Based Content-Sharing
Mediation-Based Pedagogy
A People’s Database of “Everything”
Network of Hubs and Spokes
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Network of Hubs and Spokes
Overview
Each Hub: Is a local center of excellence Radiates content and methodology
into neighboring slums and villages through:
– Developing content
– Distributing content to spokes
– Supporting teachers at spoke sites Connects with other hubs to
populate global database and share best practices
The Spokes: Beneficiaries of hub activities, often
slum and village schools Spoke school teachers build their
own capacity through mediating the lessons
May connect with each other through the voice social network system
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Network of Hubs and Spokes
Key Benefits
Decentralized content production, distribution, sharing, training, and monitoring means:– Content is localized and relevant to audience (e.g., in local language, based on
state curriculum)– DSH is easily scalable and replicable
Hubs can recognize and tailor operations to meet needs of specific region Hubs can learn from each other through sharing of best practices
Pune Calcutta
Karachi
Lucknow
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Network of Hubs and Spokes
Current Status
Operational hubs in Lucknow (IN), Pune (IN), Calcutta (IN), Dhaka (BD), Karachi (PK)
Each hub works with a number of poor village and slum schools, totaling about 40 spoke schools
Spin-Offs
– Digital Green (Bangalore, IN): Spread sustainable agricultural practices
– Digital Polyclinic (Lucknow, IN and Ghana): Rural public health care education
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Network of Hubs and Spokes
Spin-Offs from Digital StudyHall
Themes of Spin-Offs:
– Community-based video sharing system
– Locally relevant content
– Mediator-based dissemination
– Training of mediators results in local capacity building
– Open-source content
Digital Green: Agriculture Digital Polyclinic: Rural public health
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Impact of Digital StudyHall
Evaluation Study
Madantoosi
Kannar
Mauthri
Sarojini Nagar
Evaluation study conducted at 4 schools over 8 months
Assessed impact of DSH on:
– Student academic achievement
– Improvements in teacher pedagogy
Evaluation Methods:– Tests– Interviews– Field visit notes
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Impact of Digital StudyHall
Evaluation Study: Summary of Findings
Compared to non-DSH classes, DSH classes saw:
Significantly greater improvements in student test scoresIncrease of teachers’ and students’ engagement with subject matter
– Teachers asked more questions relating to subject material
– Teachers better connected material to children’s daily lives
– Teachers asked more sophisticated questions that require complex or critical thinking from students
Teachers adopted better pedagogical principles– More participatory practices and collaborative
approaches– More effective use of illustrative tools
Caution: Findings should not be over-generalized.
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Final Thoughts
Not about any one particular piece, but about building an “eco-system” of symbiotic pieces
Cheap, practical, effective, replicable on a large scale Solve end-to-end education problem (not just a technology project) It’s a people system!
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Contact Us
Google for: digital studyhall
Website: http://dsh.cs.washington.edu
Email: [email protected]