The Learning for Change project aims to improve relevance and quality in education by introducing more participatory and inquiry-based teaching strategies into rural government secondary schools. The existing method of teaching the curriculum relies heavily on the one-way transmission of knowledge from the teacher to the student. The project’s alternative strategies will help young people to acquire the skill-sets that will enable themselves, their families and their community to become more self-reliant, and to grow and adapt to rapidly changing circumstances.
Student investigations will not require new topics to be added to the curriculum. Instead, the different components will be taken forward in different subjects across the curriculum.
The Components of Learning for Change
- Teacher Training – a series of six workshops during the year to introduce interactive and openended teaching strategies based around Education for Sustainable Development, to Class 9 teachers from different subjects.
- Teacher-facilitated enquiry into local climate change – young people will learn how to interview family and community members about historic changes in weather and climate; the impact of extreme weather events on livelihoods and nature; collect stories about what people did to survive and recover from these impacts; build their own weather station using sensors and compile local weather records; analyse the information and draw conclusions; understand long term climate change and its implications for the future
- Young people communicate their findings to the community – explore different ways using street theatre, music, social media, workshops and meetings
- Finding solutions – young people and community members identify some of the main issues resulting from climate change (social, economic or environmental) that they would like to tackle together and search for solutions from both within the community and outside; agree solutions, identify external expertise if required.
- Taking action : Reflecting on action – young people and community undertake collaborative planning and action to improve their situation, protect their environment and take steps towards a more sustainable future.
- Learnings – assess skill development in young people (group working, research, analysis, problem-solving, critical thinking, decision-making, leadership, citizenship) and their personal development (confidence, public speaking, respect to others, openness to different views).
- On becoming adults – some will stay in their community and put these skills to good use as drivers of change – revitalising farm systems, creating new income opportunities, and representing their community to local government. Others might leave for higher education and later become advocates for their community from their positions in government or business.
Learning for Change – sustaining the concept
A restructuring of local governance in Nepal has given greater autonomy to the newly formed Rural Municipalities. One of the key devolved responsibilities is to deliver a more localised or place-based school education. Learning for Change will assist the Rural Municipality of Panch Pokhari by extending this idea beyond simply teaching aspects of Tamang language and culture. Student-led investigations into some of the challenges facing the local community will position the school as a ‘knowledge hub’ where traditional and modern knowledge may be accessed and used to create new solutions to 21st century problems that are impacting on rural people – from local biodiversity loss, climate change and persistent levels of poverty and disadvantage. The mediumterm objective is then to encourage neighbouring Rural Municipalities to adopt Learning for Change in their own schools through co-funding arrangements.
