Download - Teaching Assistants PEDC
PRIMARY EDUCATION FOR DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN
A PEDC Project InterventionA PEDC Project Intervention
TEACHING ASSISTANTS
in VietnamWorking towards EFA and MDG
PEDC - Objectives
To increase access to primary school and to improve the
quality of education for disadvantaged children
Situation of Ethnic Minority Children
Children not knowing enough Vietnamese language for it to be their language for learning
Some may not have access to pre-school programs – not ready for primary school
More likely to be living in less accessible areas – less access to books and other reading materials
Many likely to be living in poverty (lack of good nutrition, increased health problems) which affect learning potential
This can lead to: reduced access and
enrollment increased repetition and drop
out low achievement incompletion of full primary
cycle fewer graduates from primary
school early drop out from lower
secondary school, particularly girls
Strategies to improve the situation (PEDC)
Recruit Teaching Assistants Establish School Readiness programs Introduce Vietnamese Language Strengthening in
all subjects for primary grades 1-3 Increase training for teachers and managers Provide direct support to families through Campus
Support Fund Ensure PTA is effective
Teaching Assistants
Recruited from local ethnic minority community – can speak ethnic minority language and Vietnamese.
Provides language and cultural bridge between school and family
Supports children before entry into primary school, during transition and for the first three grades.
Teaching Assistants - Duties
Establish and facilitate school readiness classes
Make and use teaching and learning aids
Visit families and encourage children to go to school regularly
Monitor progress of individual children
During the pilot phase 1800 TAs were recruited in 12 provinces.
In 2008 5,020 more TAs were recruited in 33 provinces.
The total number of TAs in May 2009 is 7,020
Recruitment and scale up
TA Scale up 2008
School Readiness Some children have no access to pre-school
education School Readiness not only prepares children for
entering primary school but supports them through the transition from pre-school to grade 1, through the collaboration of the Teaching Assistant and grade 1 teacher
Longitudinal study on Teaching Assistants and School Readiness
The mid-study findings report (April 2009) corroborated earlier positive results of the PEDC initiative of recruiting local bilingual Teaching Assistants (TAs)
General Result : TAs help organize and implement School Readiness (SR) classes so that more children have access to school; parents are encouraged to enroll them for grade 1 and that they regularly attend school and achieve better
Findings on effectiveness of TAs’ activities
Vietnamese knowledge of Grade 1 students with TAs is better than that of Grade 1 students without TAs, specifically :
Classes with TAs Classes without TAs
- Students can communicate in Vietnamese with teachers, friends and strangers, they are not shy.- Students can greet and respond to strangers’ greeting.- Students understand and give correct answers to basic Vietnamese questions. - Students tell about housework of their families- Students are confident when speaking Vietnamese
- Students are scared when strangers come to class; they are shy of communicating in Vietnamese.- Students often look at or observe strangers.- When students are asked, they sit quietly, say nothing or laugh-In the class, students follow sample action: spelling following teachers, reading following sample sentences...- Students listen to teachers attentively but find it difficult to answer teachers’ questions.
Findings – word types
- Most of students after attending SR class can use Vietnamese words to express their ideas
- there is a big gap in use of Vietnamese word types between ethnic minority students in satellites with SR program and without SR program (see chart below);
- Students can understand and remember Vietnamese nouns best – these words are used in daily life
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Findings – Mathematics Mathematics knowledge:- Mathematics learning results of students supported by TA are better
than those who are not supported by TA
With TA
- Students could identify shapes such as circle, square, triangle, number and quantity, symbols >,<,=, and Mathematics problem solving skill is good
- Students have good calculation skills
Reason: Students know Vietnamese language and are supported by TAs so they can understand mathematics better
Findings – Attitudes and Behaviour With Teaching Assistants
• Students go to school on time, paying close attention to the teacher. They know how to get teacher’s permission if they want to go out, they sit in the right place and keep their desk neat.
• Students know how to wash their face, comb hair or keep personal hygiene. TAs help them to maintain personal hygiene.
• Many students prepare the lesson before attending class, do homework and revise previous lessons at home in the evening.
General Comments1. Noticeable successes : a) Students: Improved use of Vietnamese vocabulary, learning achievements ,
communication and social skills; More regular attendance, less repetition and drop out.
b/ For Teachers and School managers: less pressure at the start of the school year.
c) Parents and communities more supportive of the school.
2. Difficulties which need solving :- TA’s Vietnamese language competence - Allowance is low - No policy or national guidelines for the use of TAs to support ethnic minority
students and those with barriers to their learning.- If TAs, especially those having good qualifications (Grade 12; ) try to
upgrade to a teaching qualification there is no job security when graduated.
Improving :
• access
• enrollment
• regular attendance
• achievement
Teaching Assistants and School Readiness
Teaching Assistant collects students from their homes
The good shepherd….. 12 students can walk to school safely
Students arrive at school, safely and on time
Students receive support in Vietnamese and in their mother tongue
Parents feel secure that their children will get home safely – and are more willing to send them to school
RESULT: The Teaching Assistant ensures that students have access to school, no matter where they live, are enrolled at the correct age and are supported daily to ensure regular attendance and good achievement
Budget Commitment
• At present rates of allowances (520,000 VNDpm from May2009) +travel stipend of 70,000 VND pm) the Gov. would have to commit:
2,531,100, USD per annum With costs of Grade 1 teachers allowance for
School Readiness, SR materials and training costs and social security payments The Gov. should commit approx. 4 million USD to this intervention
The impact would be felt by at least 110,000 studentseach year. By 2015 (EFA and MDG reporting) 770,000students would be achieving better and more likely tocomplete the primary cycle and better able to achieve inlower secondary due to this intervention.Cost approx. = 20USD per student
IMPACT
For 7020 TAs for one year (in USD)
TA allowance 1,819,584
TA travel 30,888
Grade 1 Teachers allowance 390,400
Classroom materials 93,750
Student materials 120,000
Policy Implications
- Need to develop policy or national guidelines for the use of TAs to support ethnic minority students and those with barriers to their learning. Provinces can then access funds such as ENTP.
- Provide security of employment opportunities if TAs graduate as teachers and are willing to teach in their own communities.