World of Letters has expertise in the design and implementation of Environmental Education programs which focus on curriculum development, teacher training and producing e-learning materials. The staff of the World of Letters implemented one of the first EE programs with the Ministry of Education under the WEPIA project which included producing one of the first EE curriculum, teacher’s guides and water education CD. The team of specialist at the World of Letters serve as Environmental Education and Ethics consultants locally, regionally and as part of the Biosphere Ethics Project- one of IUCN initiatives to develop an Environmental Ethics framework.
Piloting the Letterland Learning System in Jordan SJE/CIDA INTRODUCING THE ENGLISH LEARNING SYSTEM TO KINDERGARTEN’S IN JORDANSJE/CIDA INTRODUCING THE ENGLISH LEARNING SYSTEM TO KINDERGARTEN’S IN JORDAN
Description: introducing the Letteerland English learning system to 15 Kindergarten’s in Jordan. To highlight the importance of quality content and capacity development of teachers in achieving positive student outcomes, we piloted the Letterland English learning system in 15 public schools in Jordan. The Letterland system, which is a multi-sensory phonetic-based program for teaching young children to read and write, was able to change the attitude of students towards the English language in piloting schools. Students found the classes engaging and began to enjoy learning the subject. They identified the sounds of letters in the lower case and were able to recognize new vocabulary words. They felt more confident and were singing and chanting the letters names, sounds and shapes. The results of the pilot project provided the ministry of education with an informed idea about the effectiveness of quality education in improving learning outcomes. It also highlighted the vital role that the private sector plays in assisting the Ministry of Education in their drive toward excellence in education.
Fifteen schools were selected in central and northern regions of Jordan to pilot the Letterland system. This pilot falls in line with the public-private partnership (PPP) that builds the foundation of the current education reform. By piloting the Letterland resources and system in 15 public schools, the MoE then had an informed idea of the importance of quality resources and training in developing the capacity of teachers resulting in positive students outcomes. The project also highlighted the vital role that the private sector plays in assisting the Ministry of Education in their drive towards excellence in education.
The Letterland system is a multi-sensory phonics program for teaching young children to read and write. It has a proven track record of success over 25 years and in over 100 countries. The Letterland system uses simple stories and characters that are very child-friendly and are in-line with best educational practice and scientific research. Letterland ELT is specially designed for young KG students where English is their second language. It meets all the required Jordanian KG competencies in a single package. It is exceptional in combining phonics, vocabulary development and play-based learning. Its characters are especially helpful for young children who are unfamiliar with English letter shapes and direction. There are also excellent computer based resources. Training was carried out by international Letterland international trainer- Lesley White. Training focused on daily teaching routine keeping in mind the duration of the English lesson in public school kindergarten.
The Letterland system in the Pilot school changed the attitude of students towards English language. Students found the classes engaging and began to enjoy learning the subject. Students in the pilot schools identified the sound of letters in the lower case and were able to recognize at least 11 vocabulary words. They were introduced to 60+ vocabulary words and most recognized them. Most of the students were able to de-code words and attempted to read. They felt more confident and were singing and chanting the letters names, sound and shape.
PAP/USAID PROJECT; KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE SURVEY
Client: USAID/ Public Action Project funded by USAID with the lead organization ECODIT Project description: A qualitative survey of the knowledge, attitude and behavior of children and youth ages 7 to 24 towards water and energy conservation and littering. – finalized in 2010 To see the survey follow this link: http://jordanpap.com/documents.html
Due to its broad experience in developing interactive Arabic curricula and environmental education materials, the World of Letters (WoL) was contracted by the Public Action for Water, Energy and Environment Project (PAP), a USAID funded project, to implement a survey to provide an informed overview of current practices and youth perspectives on environmental issues.
The objectives of the project as relevant to this survey and outlined by the Public Action for Water, Energy and Environment Project were to develop young people’s knowledge around the scarcity and limitations of resources; encourage individual action that can contribute to conservation of these resources; and educate young people on how science and technology can provide alternatives to improve consumption patterns. To address these objectives, the World of Letters provided lead technical support in designing and conducting a survey of children and youth to assess their behavior and attitude on environmental issues: water, energy and solid waste.
To accomplish the survey, the WoL conducted a mapping and qualitative survey to assess the presence of environmental concepts in the formal, informal and the non-formal education sectors. The survey includes review of formal textbooks, interviews, and focus group discussions. The qualitative survey was used as a baseline to identify attitudes and behavioral changes to be associated with the interventions of this project. Concepts of importance and gaps in the different components were identified and strategies will be recommended to ensure longitudinal change which will be beneficial for the future planning for the project.
To gain an informed overview of current practices and youth perspectives on environmental issues in Jordan, WoL was contracted by the Public Action for Water, Energy and Environment Project (PAP), a USAID funded project, to design and conduct a survey involving children and youth. The survey was aimed to provide baseline data for a bigger project with the objective to develop young people’s knowledge around the scarcity and limitations of resources, encourage individual action that can contribute to the conservation of these resources, and educate young people on how science and technology can provide alternatives to improve consumption patterns. For our survey, we conducted a mapping and employed qualitative research methods to assess the presence of environmental concepts in the formal, informal and the non-formal education sectors. The survey also included a review of formal textbooks, interviews, and focus group discussions. The survey’s results served as a baseline to identify attitudes and behavioral changes to be associated with the interventions of the project.
(PAP)/USAID WITH THE LEAD ORGANISAITON ECODIT IMPLEMENTED FOR (QRTA)
Project description: Asset Queen Raina Teacher Training Academy (QRTA) by developing support environmental education resources for grades 4, 6 and 9. – Finalized 2012.
WoL was subcontracted by the Public Action for Water, Energy and Environment Project (PAP)-a USAID funded program with an overall objective to initiate and establish clear and identifiable behavioral changes amongst the Jordanian public and decision makers alike. The WoL was mandated to offer consultation to the Queen Rania Teacher Training Academy in Jordan on a teacher training program to integrate environmental education in schools. This included developing class-room resources on environmental ethics and education. The resources produced targeted grades 4,6 and 9 and include Environmental Education and Ethics framework for teachers, teachers guide and students workbook.
The material was produce to use an innovative framework for environmental ethics developed by local experts. The classroom unit plan developed uses the critical thinking and problem solving approach. Interdisciplinary approach is used during teaching to integrate the environmental theme in more than one subject matter making learning authentic and contextualized to real life experiences. By the end of the unit, students are able to develop real community based projects and are able to take action for environmental change.
The material will be piloted in 2013 and many as 100 teachers in six communities will be trained. Six community based projects will be developed representing each grade level. The 100 teachers will influence 4 other teachers at their school to increase the impact to almost 400 teachers.
- Millions learning project: Client: Brookings Institution TBD
- Gender Analysis of JordanClient: University of Maryland
- Transformative Learning ApproachClient: World of letters – self Early Childhood Curriculum evaluation
- Client: World of letters-self
