Step-Up

Step-up is an innovative activity-based learning approach which helps change the role of a teacher to a facilitator and allows each student to learn at an individual pace.

Step-up is an innovative method of teaching in which the curriculum is divided into units and each unit is taught to the students with the help of various types of activities. This method improves the teaching-learning process.

Stakeholders

Students (1st- 4th std)

Concept Note
Step-up

Details

In the majority of government primary schools, it is observed that there is a shortage of teachers, which results in an imbalanced teacher:student ratio. At times, due to the shortage of space and infrastructure challenges, students of different standards are merged into a single classroom, leading to compromised quality of education. Another problem in these formative years of education is a standard pace at which content is normally delivered, while grasping differs as per an individual. Assessment is also normally only in written format, which does not do justice to some student. Maa Foundation has adopted an innovative teaching method which is called the Step-up approach, which tries to minimise these challenges.

This multi-level, multi-grade activity-based teaching-learning model involves the classroom to be divided into four parts, mixing children from two standards (1st and 2nd standards together, 3rd and 4th standards together) - these are ‘completely teacher supported’, ‘partly teacher supported’, ‘peer supported’ and ‘independent learners’; in this system, the role of the teacher is more of a facilitator.

Each student has to complete the ladder chart at his/her individual pace.

There are no textbooks in this system and in this method the entire curriculum of each standard is divided into units. Each unit consists of the following activities:

  • Introductory
  • Reinforcement
  • Evaluation
  • Remedial
  • Enrichment

The teacher introduces some units of both the merged standards at the start to all the students; after that, the students start following the activities. Based on these observations, the teacher allocates a group in which the student is most appropriate vis-a-vis the learning level. In the higher standards, at an advanced stage, the students themselves start sitting in the most appropriate group for that unit. Evaluation is in-built in each unit, not necessarily written - this ensures that the student only proceeds further after completing the assessment for that particular unit.

Cards and workbooks are prepared containing different types of activities for different subjects. There are various symbols and colours used for differentiating between the type of activity, the class to which the activity pertains and the subject.

CLASS WISE DIFFERENTIATION:
Class 1: Pink color cards
Class 2: Green color cards
Class 3: Golden color cards

SUBJECT WISE IDENTIFICATION OF CARDS:
Math: Technology symbols
Language: Transportation symbols
EVS: Nature symbols

This method focuses on concept clarity, where the centre of focus is the child, thereby engaging the child in learning. Puppet shows, mothers stories, crafts, mime and mimicry, local songs, riddles, children stories, herbal medicinal knowledge are all part of the curriculum, thereby implementing the 'Learn with Fun' method.

To know more about Step-Up, contact us today.