Parassala block resource centre readies worksheets for primary students

Rain pelting down may occasion different reactions. Some may take cover under an umbrella, and others use books to cover their heads. Some others could not care a fig and make the most of the opportunity to get drenched. A familiar scene for most students in the State. But looking at a colourful picture depicting this scene and writing about it is what second graders in the 71 schools under the Parassala block resource centre of the Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) will soon be doing as part of the comprehensive quality education programme of the General Education department.

The department, in association with the SSK, has come up with a number of strategies to improve academic standards and ensure that children attain the desired competencies. With this aim, every block resource centre (BRC) of the SSK has been asked to come up with their own programme and implement it in schools under their limit.

Since strong foundations are the building blocks of lifelong learning, the 14-member team of the Parassala BRC mulled ways in which students’ foundational literacy and numeracy could be improved. It came up with the idea of readying worksheets for various subjects for students from classes II to VII to provide the students more practice. Class I was left out since the students are still new to school and just becoming familiar with letters and numbers.

Even as the BRC staff embarked on worksheet preparation, they were conscious that it should include exam-oriented questions such as multiple choice that students attempt in the National Achievement Survey or its State version. They were also clear about one aspect – students of all abilities should be able to answer these, whether gifted or those who lag behind in class. Accordingly, 70% of the questions in the worksheets are of average level, while 30% are of a higher order.

Nearly 28 teachers prepared the worksheets for the first units in four subjects for lower primary classes and 30-odd teachers for six subjects for upper primary students.

Initially done in Malayalam, these were translated into English by the BRC team. The worksheets were then compiled into a book form and released recently, says Anjana V.T., cluster resource centre coordinator at the BRC.

Since financial constraints make it difficult to ensure that physical copies of the worksheets reach students, schools have been sent one digital copy and asked to utilise PTA funds to print it and then disseminate it to students through WhatsApp.

Once schools reopen after the Onam break, the BRC plans to involve the teachers to get the worksheets for the second unit ready. There are also plans to take the support of computer teachers in the secondary section to prepare videos for portions that have concepts that students find it tough to grasp, says Anjana.