Connected Learning Initiative- TISS

y (MIT, Cambridge, Mass., USA) and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS, Mumbai, India). CLIx has been created to provide young people from under-served communities opportunities for participation in quality education offerings through the meaningful integration of technology. CLIx is geared to provide engaging, hands-on learning experiences in Mathematics, three Science subjects, and Communicative English, as well as digital literacy through the i2C (Invitation to CLIx) platform, integrated with value education and skills relevant to the 21st century. In the first phase, these resources are being offered to students of government secondary schools in the four Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana, in their respective regional languages. As a platform for innovation in education, CLIx also supports the professional development of in-service teachers, making substantial contributions to teacher education in Indian languages. Supported by an interconnected network of partners, institutions, public education systems, teachers and learning resources, CLIx is developing a scalable and sustainable model of open education, providing students with a significantly higher level of knowledge and skills in key areas, more than existing systems and pedagogies have been able to achieve. Challenges facing students from rural areas who manage to reach high school tend to include: weak foundations laid in primary school; an unavailability of resources in their own languages; isolation and poor access to learning opportunities; and a lack of qualified teachers, particularly in Maths, Science, and English. In this context, CLIx addresses both curricular content and pedagogical approaches, to work with students and teachers and to deliver quality solutions at scale. CLIx aims to reach approximately 1,000 schools and 150,000 students in 4 states during the period 2015-2017. With an eye on capacity building, Teacher Professional Development (TPD) courses for approximately 2,700 teachers are to be conducted during the same period, to strengthen their competencies and confidence. Successful implementation of the project could pave the way for increased coverage, not only of regions and schools, but also of subjects and age-groups. The future would lie in the model’s replication throughout the country, in keeping with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF 2005). It also has the potential to travel to neighbouring countries.

----- Active and authentic learning
The CLIx curriculum design nurtures higher order cognitive development, and consolidates learning in the mother tongue.

-----Valuable and powerful content knowledge
Knowledge and skills acquisition pave the way for better educational and employment opportunities.

-----Learner access to, and interaction with, peer groups and experts. Through such communication and interaction, circles widen and new opportunities arise.

-----Peer feedback and credible assessment
Learners offer each other, and gain from one another, constructive critiques and useful perspectives.

-----Development of the self as a social being
Integrated value education prepares learners for real world situations and for participation in democratic citizenship through a drawing out of connections between the subjects of study and related values, that are then reflected in an evolving culture of engagement and responsibility.

-----Building a community of practice
Teachers and educators provide mutual support and encouragement while sharing perspectives and insights to do with common problems and issues.

-----Live action research
Research is integrated into the multiple streams of ongoing CLIx activities. Continuously monitoring and informing all aspects of the project, it aims to enable sustainable growth of the initiative.

-----An interconnected ecosystem
All partners, including teachers, parents, alumni, institutions, experts, other interested individuals, the education system, and the larger community, are linked together through a shared commitment to meaningful education.

-----Narrowing the education gap
CLIx addresses the gaps between segments of population within the country and, ultimately, between India and other countries – thus working to overcome what has been, historically, a major obstacle to growth.