Arivu

Arivu - a play-based learning and digital program for educators and students to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes

Arivu, a digital play-based learning programme was conceptualised to address the key challenges that exist in the state of education. According to the fourth edition of Pearson Voice of Teacher Survey, 2016, nearly 1 in 2 students  in India were not actively engaged in their learning process, especially in schools catering to students from low-income backgrounds. Our experience of working with children over the past ten years showed that a one-size fits all, didactic learning approach followed by teachers with limited teaching styles and resources was a major contributor to the disengagement of students. 

Reckoning the challenges, Headstreams piloted a learning program 'Arivu' in low-income state-run schools in India which used an inductive learning approach and equipped teachers with playful learning tools and an open-ended digital platform which converted any content into playful learning digital games. Teachers who did not know even one line of coding were able to gamify their content and present it to their students for playing within the classroom. The game platform leveraged the power of peer-learning and was built to promote crucial 21st century skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and communication. Through the multi-modal game formats which included text, audio and visuals, the teacher could create personalised content which catered to multiple-intelligences and learning styles of his/ her students at the same time. Keeping the needs of schools and educators in resource-poor settings, the platform was designed to be deployed in areas which had minimal or no internet facility and could be administered completely offline. 

The results were phenomenal and the students' attendance was seen to be almost one hundred percent on the days when the Arivu program was conducted. Students engaged in the learning process even at home and the involvement of parents' and significant others in the student's lives also showed an increase. Needless to mention, this was accompanied by an increase in student learning outcomes and comprehension.

The 'Arivu' solution brings back the joy in learning and puts the power of designing need-based, customised and engaging learning solutions in the hands of individual teachers, especially in resource-poor settings. 

The solution has the ability to turn any educator into a creative designer of education by putting a simple digital app and game formats into their hands. It has the potential to impact education settings by integrating digital playful leaning app, game formats and gamified teaching content in learning. It redefines the role of teachers as facilitators of learning and transforms students from being passive to active participants in the learning process. The innovation also lies in its low- cost and replicable model, making it accessible to students and educators from even the most remote and impoverished settings. 

The Arivu playful learning digital application and dial-to-learn missed call service are the two main technology elements of the program.

The Arivu Android digital platform has customisable open game formats. The app and game formats allow educators to plug in any content which can be accessed by students. 

In the Arivu dial-to-learn missed call service, educators upload their learning content on an Interactive-Voice-Response-System (IVRS). Their users call a designated phone number and receive a free call back from the IVRS, through which they can listen to lessons or submit audio assignments which are reviewed by the teachers in their free time. 

The goal over the next year is to scale the program to a wider audience while simultaneously building more game formats for use on the platform. We are at a phase where we have proven that the Arivu playful digital learning programme has impacted the lives of students in state-run schools. The current goal is also to pilot test the model in learning settings beyond schools, such as correctional facilities for children in conflict with the law

The vision of the program over the next few years is to popularise the Arivu digital play based learning platform among educators across the world and to inspire students, gamers and other tech volunteers to create new  game formats on the digital platform for use of educators and students from disadvantaged communities.

The program would also seek to scale its footprint in schools across India and other resource-poor countries by seeking collaboration with state education departments and institutional bodies promoting education.

The Arivu programme is currently being implemented in state-run schools and the pilot-phase is being supported by Mphasis, an IT based company. After experiencing the change in students' engagement and outcomes, the education society has requested that teachers in more districts be trained in the play and learn approach and the use of digital tools for learning.

The state-run schools cater to the disadvantaged communities in India and scaling the program in these schools will help to reach children with lack of access or limited access to technology. 

The current users of Arivu include educators who work in schools in resource-poor settings, while the end beneficiaries are students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Since 2015, the programme has impacted over 5000 children and 250 teachers who have been supported to bring playful learning approach and digital learning tools into schools.

The solution has helped educators create their own learning games to help students explore concepts collaboratively in subjects such as English and Science for grades 6 to 9.

The program envisages reaching out to teachers in over 100 schools in low-resource settings to introduce them to the play and learn approach and the digital platform in the next year. This is expected to bring a positive shift in the learning experience of over 5000 students. As our experience has shown, the use of playful learning approaches and gamified digital tools transforms classrooms into engaging learning space which helps to improve students’ learning outcomes and enhance critical 21st century skills. 

The programme is designed, managed and implemented by a team of multi-disciplinary professionals including educators, child development experts, psychologists,and social workers. 

As an organisation, Headstreams has a proven track of over 10 years and has been recognised nationally and internationally through prestigious awards including the NASSCOM Education Innovation Award (2017), TCS Outstanding Support Affirmative Action (2015), Lego Foundation Learning through Play Award (2014) and Mahindra ‘Spark the rise’ winner (2012).

Headstreams' partnerships span governmental bodies, corporate entities, funding agencies, academic and research institutions and community based organisations where it leverages the strengths of each entity to further its mission.

Headstreams is a registered non-profit organisation and has leveraged the corporate social responsibility funds of companies to fund its intervention activities. With the increase in requests for training from state-run and private educational institutions, Headstreams has created a training and resource centre in play and learning which would work with other organisations in training and support activities. This would create a revenue stream for the organisation as well help in scaling the program to new areas. The digital platform is designed as a shared resource for teachers and students and the schools and institutions could avail the services on a subscription basis (user-pay model) in the long run.

Solve can advance our work by bringing visibility to the Arivu model and help us to scale up and transfer the program to other resource poor regions across the world. Design inputs and technology support through Solve networks can also help refine the solution for large scale adoption. A grant would be useful to conduct pilot-testing in new regions.

One of the barriers we face at Headstreams is to find a community of like-minded peers with whom we can deliberate and work with to refine our solution. Solve can help by connecting us to such a network and fostering collaboration in technology related aspects  and in design of self-directed, technology enabled, exploratory learning spaces. 

Another barrier that we face is to communicate our impact beyond academic indicators. Solve could help us capture the impact of the program on learning and change, beyond narrowly defined academic outcomes.