This proposal is based on the research and experience of Dr. Phoolan Prasad and Dr. M.R. Sarsani of Indian Institute of Science and Kakatiya University, respectively. Please refer to the Research Page for further resources regarding educational improvement in India.
India faces many challenges in the realm of education. There is not only a digital divide but a divide on a socio-economic level as far as the availability of quality education for all students. Dr. Prasad feels a particular issue is with respect to the lack of quality teachers. He specifically works with advanced students, but feels even before they have reached high school they are disabled due to a lack of quality teachers. Even following our initial contact, he was kind enough to follow up and provide this additional article on teacher quality which provides the foundation of this proposal.
India lacks quality teachers. There is a considerable push to improve the infrastructure within the country to make technology is more widely available. This is just part of the UNESCO initiative to provide Education for all by 2015.
So if India is having challenges in providing quality education for all, one might ask how can this country be a model for an effective educational initiative? India is not a model, but the proven research in quality, creative mathematics instruction such as that conducted by Dr. Sarsani, can make India a vehicle for change. Dr. Sarsani also points the need for quality teachers which is likewise a goal in the United States. The challenges in India are not the focus of this initiative, but overcoming these challenged is the focus---in turn, this initiative will partner teachers in India with those in the United States providing students and teachers alike with a unique opportunity to think globally.
The proposal involves two basic components:
- Global Project for Students
- On-line project
- On-line submission
- On-line GLOBAL feedback
- Teachers Interact globally
- Mathematics modules, with a focus on critical thinking, will be posted on-line
- Teachers can access modules for use in the classroom
- Teacher can receive and provide feedback on methods
- Teachers can take lessons in Web 2.0 tools
- Teachers can support one another on a global level
Regular survey results will be collected and summarized to provide information for improvement of the initiative.
