Education is the best path to meaningful and lasting improvement in the quality of lives of everyone, but most saliently, those in developing countries. The ability to read, write, and speak English is a basic prerequisite to opportunities for both higher education and high-paying secure jobs.
In Afghanistan, the quality and amount of English instruction provided in the schools is inconsistent at best. Contributing to this problem are limited internet access, outdated or inappropriate educational materials, and a shortage of teachers with English fluency. TIE is addressing this problem by creating a multi-faceted English as a Second Language (ESL) program that can be utilized throughout Afghanistan in formal classroom settings, libraries, and individual homes. We need your help to:
- Work with experienced ESL instructors to create age-appropriate language goals, lesson plans and supporting syllabuses and curriculum.
- Identify existing ESL technology tools that can be translated into Dari and Pashto, the primary languages in Afghanistan. We have had great success using a similar approach with translated Khan Academy math videos.
- Where possible, convert or modify existing technology so it can be utilized in Afghanistan in both online and offline environments.
- Create a library of short, simple, and fun learning videos that start with the basics (the alphabet, numbers, colors etc.) and progress to more complex vocabulary and dialogues. The underpinning methodology of these videos is one that uses a ‘children teaching children’ approach.