StoryWeaver's Outreach Manager Payoshni Saraf shares what happened at a two day workshop in Chandrapur, Maharashtra.

In the warm month of May, a two-day workshop on StoryWeaver was jointly organized in Chandrapur, Maharshtra by UNICEF India, DIET- Chandrapur and Pratham Books with over 36 teacher from Government schools participating. The workshop sought to encourage the value of ‘reading for joy’ and introduced the teachers to StoryWeaver - an open source digital repository of multilingual stories.  Through the workshop the teachers and resource people were taken through the various ways in  which StoryWeaver could help address the language development requirements of the students and were guided to make them more confident about using technology to bring in more resources into their classrooms.

The session opened with a narration of ‘Bheema, the Sleepyhead’ and the participants were asked to guess how Bheema finally woke up. This set the context for the workshop with the participants agreeing that stories

a) are important in the classroom

b) make us think creatively and imaginatively, experience emotions and build curiosity

c) help children learn better.

As the session progressed into introducing StoryWeaver with a demo, participants shared their vision on how they would bring more stories into their classrooms. The second half of the day was reserved for a hands on session where the participants created content on StoryWeaver. This resulted in the creation of over 18 new stories by 16 first time authors, the addition of stories in two new tribal languages (Gondi and Banjari), 4 versions of a single story in less than 24 hours and curation of 25+reading lists that were useful for the participant group and the StoryWeaver community at large.

This teacher created and shared a story written in a dialect of Marathi spoken only in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

Day two revolved around the various ways in which StoryWeaver can be used in the classroom and how non-fiction concepts can be delivered through stories. The teachers were acquainted with the 200 books on STEM concepts on StoryWeaver, a unique offering of fun and knowledge and a module on its use in the classroom.  As part of the module, we read out Dum-Dum-a-Dum Biriyani to the group and asked the teachers to share their thoughts on the book. Along with noting that the book establishes the everyday use of multiplication and division in real life, many other interesting anecdotes were also shared.

One teacher pointed out how the story breaks gender stereotypes by showing Basha being the one interested in cooking rather than his sister, and how such mindset change can be brought about in young minds only through stories. Life skills like empathy, teamwork and responsibility emerged as other key take-aways from the story.

In later sessions participants came together to brainstorm on ideas to bring in more ‘reading’ and ‘books’ in their schools and classrooms. Some of these ideas included:

a) make ’15 minutes of daily reading’ compulsory

b) buy/raise funds for more books and establish and manage ‘leveled’ libraries and use StoryWeaver to supplement as an e-library

c) use stories for enhancing classroom resources

d) encourage creative thinking and writing  

d) Sharing of resources, reading lists and best practices among the teacher peer group through a WhatsApp group.

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teachers brainstormed in groups to create and share a 'reading' action plan

A feedback survey was done towards the end of the workshop to know from the teachers if the workshop was beneficial for them, gauge their comfort in using technology to find and create resources,  their vision for its use in the classrooms and their commitment on the listed next steps.  

Many teachers echoed the sentiment of ‘how different reading levels of stories is very helpful in a classroom setting as children are at different levels and will be able to read a story as per their reading ability. The presence of so many stories at one single platform will be able to fulfill all their reading needs.’

A retired teacher who now dedicates his time in setting up libraries remarked:

“I set up libraries in various schools and I am always looking for more books on different subjects. StoryWeaver is a great medium for my quest. So many stories on so many subjects, all for free! This is like Alibaba’s Khazana that we have all got!”

The two-day StoryWeaver workshop generated a wealth of ideas and established the foundation of ‘importance of reading and stories in the classroom’. We thank all the participating teachers, UNICEF and DIET-Chandrapur for making this workshop a precious experience for all of us.

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Here’s a post by Purvi Shah, Senior Director — StoryWeaver, to mark our 7th anniversary.

The right to read. To learn. To discover… It’s what every child deserves.

Take 9 year-old Snehal, for instance. Born with impaired speech and hearing, she often struggled in school. There’s no measure of how deeply her learning journey was affected by her impediment. But a child is a child, and from the moment she first opened “Maaloo aani Kaaloo” (Maaloo and Kaaloo), a storybook from StoryWeaver’s Foundational Literacy Program, she was captivated by the new world among its pages.

Snehal Sampath, Grade 3, Kishtapur Aheri, Gadchiroli, Maharashtra

Snehal couldn’t read the book, at least not at first. But she could see the beautiful illustrations, and as she traced them with her fingers, as she turned pages to see how the story unfolded, she began to smile. Her teacher tells us that she used to copy the stories from these books to her notebook, and would retell them in her own words. Her parents were thrilled to see her express herself through the written word.

From curiosity, to reading, to writing – these are the journeys we celebrate today, on International Literacy Day. It’s been seven years since Pratham Books’ StoryWeaver took life online to help children like Snehal along their reading journey. And to celebrate our anniversary, we’re celebrating the right to read, in its many shapes and forms.

Pratham Books is the not-for-profit publisher of children’s books that aims to put a book in every child’s hand. Early Literacy is at the heart of our work. We know the power of reading to feed curiosity, shape imagination, and equip children with tools for social and emotional learning. The joy of reading is an extraordinary motivation for children to transition from ‘Learning to Read’ to ‘Reading to Learn.’ And we work to achieve this through a combination of methods.

Our storybooks are contextual, so that the child can relate to them. They are visually rich, to be attractive for the child. And finally, they are in the child’s mother tongue, so as to be as accessible as possible. Through our award-winning open source digital platform, StoryWeaver, we make thousands of such stories available easily to parents, teachers, and children in over 300 languages, all for free. 

 

#RightToRead through the pandemic and beyond

2020 was a year like no other. All over the world, the shadow of COVID-19 loomed large. School closures put an abrupt end to the planned learning journey for months to come. In the state of Maharashtra alone, 5.3 million* students of government schools were bereft of their regular learning environment. Pratham Books’ StoryWeaver, the Maharashtra State Council of Educational Research & Training (MSCERT), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), and UNICEF came together to tackle this problem head on. StoryWeaver helped create the  Goshticha Shaniwar Reading Program (Saturday of Stories). 

Every Saturday, teachers, parents and volunteers would receive and disseminate the all-digital ‘package’ of storybook, posters, and activities via WhatsApp. The Program shone a light on the role remote learning can play in a student's life. As more and more children return to school, it falls upon us  to continue this momentum and keep building their reading habit by providing regular online and offline access to interesting, relevant storybooks in mother tongue languages. 

 

#RightToRead in your mother tongue

Language supports cognitive processes required for learning. They are intrinsically linked to culture and central to the identity of communities. It is said that children should be taught in their mother tongue for at least 6 years. According to Unesco, 40% of the global population cannot access education in a language they understand. StoryWeaver has been relentlessly  working on the right for children to read in their mother tongue for the last 7 years. Through partnerships and language champions we have made available storybooks in over 300 of the world’s languages, 70% of which are underserved.

 

#RightToRead so that children can ‘Read To Learn’

 A 2021 study conducted by Azim Premji University in 1137 public schools in 5 states of India found that the learning losses due to school closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an average of 92% of the children losing at least one specific language ability from the previous year across all classes. At Pratham Books’ StoryWeaver we took this time to pause, reflect and build a suite of programs that would help teachers and parents bridge this gap - leveraging the power of stories. 

Our Early Childhood Program supported early readers. The Reading Program guided children from Grades 1 to 8. The Foundational Literacy Program (FLP) built foundational reading skills. The STEM Literacy Program, to be launched soon, helps inculcate a STEM mindset. Each of these programs is linked to curriculum, learning outcomes and  scaffolded with activities, worksheets, A/V resources and training videos - thereby making it easier for any teacher, anywhere to adopt the program.

At Pratham Books’ StoryWeaver, we believe that every child has the right to read. And we’re drawing upon the best of technology and open licensing to make sure that children can have uninterrupted access to the books they so richly deserve to read and enjoy. Not just today, but every day.

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StoryWeaver is celebrating #LaughterMonth to ring in the new year! Here are some books that will bring a sprinkle of laughter, a dash of chuckles and even a guffaw or two into your life. 

This illustration by ROSH originally appeared in 'The Girl Who Could Not Stop Laughing' wriiten by Meera Ganapathi and published by Pratham Books.

1. The Girl Who Could Not Stop Laughing written by Meera Ganapati and illustrated by ROSH, revolves around little T.Sundari who just can’t seem to stop laughing even when it gets her in trouble. She wonders if it's a problem that she should do something about. Her plans to control her laughter fails until she goes to her brother. Does he have a cure? Find out in this riotously lovely book here. 

2. Lesley Beake's It Wasn't Me from BookDash is beautifully illustrated book by Gwendolene van der. This cheerful book tells the tale of what happens when a mother leaves her kids and the pets home alone. What could possibly go wrong? Let’s find out here. 

3. It's All the Cat's Fault written by Anushka Ravishankar and illustrated by Priya Kuriyan is about a boy who gets scolded for not completing his homework. He, however, has a legitimate excuse! Read about what happened to him, and you'll see how one thing can lead to another, and another, and another... Find out how it all ends here. 

4. What Are These For? written by Bhavini and illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat. The cat enters the kitchen and topples all the utensils, much to the awe of the children.  The kids want to know all about the objects splattered on the floor. Bhavini's fun rhymes makes this a delightful read for children! Read the story here.

5. Achoo written by Sudhir, illustrated by Subinita Deshaprabhu and translated to English by Gouri Srinidhi. Kabir is our troubled protagonist who sneezes all the time. It makes him spill his milk, gets him thrown off the bicycle and the list just goes on! Can he stop his sneezes? Read to find out what fresh troubles his sneezes bring to him, his friends and his family! Read the story here. 

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