India - Transgressive Learning

Project Description

India T-learning

The Indian team conceptualized a novel framework for youth-led monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4.7. By using digital technology, the program re-imagined learning by putting youth at the heart of its success. Traditional notions of learning as a top-down transfer of knowledge in a school setting were challenged and youth were empowered to identify issues affecting their local community, take actions to resolve these issues, and monitor this change using a mobile app. The entire approach used a bottom-up, crowdsourced methodology with youth defining the goal, the steps to be taken, and metrics for monitoring change. The app helped assess community involvement and learning using statistical metrics. Apart from transgressing the existing norm and initiating learning outside a classroom setting, the approach also incentivized working in groups and promoted social and emotional learning leading to an all-round development of youth.

Transgressing to Learn

THE MATTER OF CONCERN:

In many countries, education follows a traditional path of teachers transferring knowledge to students in a classroom setting. This one-size-fits-all approach has been shown to be lacking in terms of youth realizing their true potential. Especially in India, youth are neglected in matters involving the community and told to “focus on their studies”.

THE TRANSGRESSION:

Strengthening youth civic engagement using knowledge from real-time crowdsourced data made available using a mobile app. Youth are encouraged to think outside of a fixed school-set curriculum, engage with community-related issues contrary to existing norms, and use evidence-based data from the app to positively influence knowledge, attitudes and practices of the community, as well as develop accountability of government to local citizens.

CO-LEARNING PARTICIPANTS:

Primary Stakeholders – Youth and members of local educational institutions (teachers, principals, heads of departments, etc.)
Conceptualization and Implementation – UNESCO MGIEP
Implementation partner – 4th Wheel Social Impact
Funding – Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa

Learn to Transgress

METHODS USED:

YLM used workshops to introduce students and youth to the aim of the program, and provide hands-on training on using the mobile app. The app is then used to crowdsource data, and make it freely available to all members to enable easy monitoring of community involvement and learning.

WHAT EMERGED:

A mobile application titled “MEdAL (Monitoring Education And Learning) designed to engage youth in reporting and monitoring the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. A scientific manuscript detailing the framework, methodology and potential for scaling the pilot project into a global initiative has also been submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.