London dekha… Paris dekha… ab dekha Nairobi
by Sibabrata Choudhury, Aveti Learning
This Sunday Evening was different as I visited the depth of the Great Rift Valley and followed the fierce African Lions with a Masai Tribal youth in the grasslands of Southern Kenya! Yes, Amidst this depressing environment and ensuing lock-down, I along with over 700 co-participants were preview to the many picturesque sights and exotic animal life of the wonderland called Kenya.
We traveled on a virtual tour with Aparajita who shared with us several interesting stories about Kenya and its people intertwined with her own experiences and anecdotes. This is what made the journey more lively, interesting and unforgettable. Ever since the live streaming the video has crossed 5000 views in the past 24 hours. Aprajita Sahoo, is an experienced educator and resides in Dubai with her family. She visited Kenya few years ago and gracefully volunteered her time to prepared this session for the audience in Odisha.
Lively Sunday Evening
Each Sunday for the past three months Aveti Learning has been organizing Guest Lecture sessions for students in Odisha and elsewhere. The session on 19th July 2020 was 14th in the series. The Sunday Lectures have achieved a combined viewership of close to 100,000 in the past three months which reflects the popularity among the students.
This apart, since regular classes were suspended for children in March 2020, we have been streaming live lessons for students around Odisha. Aveti Learning has over the years developed a rich repository of micro video lessons for those studying in local Odia language. Interactive subject topics and problem solving sessions are streamed daily for I to X students who have limited or no access to study material during the lock-down. The sessions include interactive learning, video lessons, lecture as well as assignments to students. In the last three months, Aveti YouTube lessons has got a viewership of over 3 millions, students have attempted over 50,000 class exercises and submitted over 5000 descriptive type essays over the Aveti platform.
Aveti Guest lessons telecast every Sunday are virtual tours streamed on YouTube give an exposure and visual tour of different places around the world. In addition to the daily lessons, school assignments and lessons from teachers, Sunday Sessions give a fresh outlook to children. The idea behind the Guest Lecture Series was to present before children diverse perspectives and share something that is beyond text books. Our efforts have been to bring the best for the children and help them broaden their imagination and expose them to different cities, countries and cultures. The Guests share real-life stories and experiences while encouraging the children to relate to their conditions back home in Odisha.
Up to July 2020, we have traveled to the temples in Khajuraho, imposing Taj Mahal, bye-lanes of Agra, famous Postojna cave in Slovenia, a tour of Eiffel Tower and National Museum in Paris, the art and culture of Belgium and several other places. The episode hosted by Dr. Arun Roy in May was unique and an eye-opener for many. Dr. Roy who is an educationist and alumni of IIT Mumbai spoke about his vast teaching experience and deciphered the technique how students learn a subject. I am sure many would have gained from the episode.
We are thankful to our Guest Faculty for devoting their time and experiences and sharing it with the children of Odisha. All are accomplished professionals in their own fields, it’s quite a task to prepare for the video sessions since it involves quite a bit of research and preparation in selecting the topic, collect materials for the lesson. They share their stories and personal incidents to make the lessons lively and interesting. There are always a few trial rounds to check for technical issues and practice sessions. The live lecture is available on Aveti Learning App and You Tube Channel every Sunday at 9:00 PM IST.
Wings of Imagination
Sunday Lecture is not a one-way talk — the children are really inquisitive and ask lot of questions during the show. A few quiz questions are also posted to initiate the show. We have seen the Sunday session a very effective way to ignite inquisitiveness among the young minds. At the end of each lecture few interesting questions are posed to the students to help them think beyond and develop solutions on an issue such as climate change, farming, environment, etc.
It is encouraging that several students have recorded their response and share them with us over Aveti Learning App. They can post their response or queries in the form of short videos, essay or voice note.
All trips end with an open ended questions like: What kind of bridge do you want in Odisha after a trip to Golden Gate in San Francisco? What kind of transportation system do you propose after a trip to Dubai? How do you protest if your ruler follows Louis the 16th after a trip to the Palace of Versailles?
In response to the assignment posted in the Dubai episode, a student of Std X studying in Nodal High School, Kendrapara posted an interesting response to the assignment.
We have received several such response from students who undertake fair amount of effort and exhibit their creativity in forming their response. It is really encouraging to see the confidence and driving spark among the children.
Good thing is that these students spend time to research on the topics and in drafting the answer. These habits could be helpful to hone their leadership and presentation skills. This is the objective of the Lecture Sessions — to ignite the young minds and spur them to explore further and beyond their regular coursework.
World to Conquer
In our effort to bring in experiential learning and equipping our children for the World, the Sunday Live sessions are just one effort towards this. The response has been quite encouraging from the feedback and response from students. It is a rewarding experience as well for the people like Aparajita Sahoo, Sovan Parida, Sarba Roy, Jitu Mishra, Jhumi Kanungo, or Surjyendu Dhal who have come forward to contribute to this cause and an opportunity to contribute back to their origins. Remember, most of Aveti’s audience are students learning in Odia language and study in low-budget schools in different parts of Odisha. Some might have, but a vast majority might not have visited beyond the borders of the State.
With access to internet and easy data packs, information and news from all around the world can be viewed on a mobile phone. Through the live interactive sessions and real-life narratives we create an immediate connect with the students that might ignite a spark in someone to aim for the Sky and beyond!
Thank You.
