GLXi’s Curriculum Responds to Students’ Needs

Motivating Students with the Right Teaching Tools

Hugo was afraid to read in public, faltering over words and slowly making his way through sentences.

Reading was not a fun activity for him; it was a chore. As a result, he struggled with other subjects as well.

GLXi’s programming helps students reach graduation and beyond

School was a challenge. It is a common problem for so many children in Guatemala who lack the resources that a robust and well-funded educational system can provide.

But while Hugo was lacking in confidence, he was not lacking in determination.

All he needed to break the impasse was a boost from his teacher, and the power of GLXi’s Open Minds, Open Books curriculum.

His teacher, Mayra Gonzalez, recalls how everything changed for Hugo once she started using her GLXi training in the classroom.

Mayra was able to incorporate all the tools she had gathered from her teacher training. And as she attended GLXi’s ongoing workshops, she was able to fine tune her techniques and bring in additional areas of expertise and focus.

The boy’s progress was significant. And with progress, came increased motivation. And with that, more progress.

It was a continuous cycle of improvement that became apparent with each new tool introduced in the classroom.

Dramatizations helped Hugo engage in reading, and enjoy and relate to the stories’ characters.

Storytelling activities broadened his imagination.

And timed reading sessions gave him goals to shoot for.

Little by little, reading became a fun and exciting activity for Hugo.

Literacy as a Bridge to the Future

Global Learning Exchange Initiative’s programming is grounded in a curriculum designed to encourage, improve and strengthen children’s reading and writing skills.

It is based on four components: guided reading and writing, independent reading and writing, literacy, and vocabulary. With each, the teacher considers the appropriate time for intervention and the development of skills in each student.

A guiding spirit of constant support and early intervention helps students like Hugo reach learning goals now and in the future.

By applying reading and writing skills to other areas of study, treating each lesson as the building block that it is, we are able to open doors for the students not just this year, but in years to come, paving a path toward graduation, and eventually, a career.

And this widening of opportunities occurs not just for the student, but their families and communities as well.

We have seen time and time again how GLXi students bring their lessons home with them, engaging and inspiring their entire family.

With each family in which this occurs, the web of learning and progress grows.

GLXi trained teacher Mayra Gonzalez works with a student in her class

Teaching Models That Work

GLXi draws from an array of effective models when training its teachers.

One example is Universal Design for Learning, which is an educational framework that creates flexible learning environments and materials to meet the diverse needs of all learners, instead of a "one-size-fits-all" approach.

By offering multiple ways for students to access content, engage with it, and show what they know, we remove common barriers to learning.

This is particularly important in many of the more vulnerable regions where GLXi focuses its efforts, because these are areas where some of the more reliable and traditional educational tools are not available.

Through this methodology, students can use their strengths and preferences to become more purposeful, resourceful, and strategic learners.

GLXi also emphasizes psychopedagogical intervention, which is a specialized, interdisciplinary approach that leans upon both psychology and education to help students with learning difficulties or developmental disorders.

By addressing underlying issues like ADHD or dyslexia, we can improve students’ cognitive skills, academic performance, and emotional well-being.

Active teaching methodologies are also introduced, along with ways to incorporate game playing in learning. A student is much more likely to engage and retain knowledge if it comes to them through a point scoring activity or board game.

GLXi’s Open Minds in Action teacher workshops allow teachers to continue to interact with each other, and to share and learn from concrete cases that they are encountering in their classrooms.

This opens perspectives, and creates opportunities that are grounded within the social and cultural reality in which they are immersed.

It also allows us to shape our curriculum based upon current teaching practices and challenges that teachers face.

Measuring Progress and Adapting Methods

With Hugo and her other students, Mayra found the “global method” of teaching to be particularly effective.

With this method, content is first presented in a meaningful way, starting with complete ideas, words, or situations. Then the teacher helps students break the components and concepts into smaller parts.

This method allows students to better understand what they are learning, as they connect new knowledge with what they already know and have experienced.

GLXi trained teacher Mayra Gonzalez

“I believe this method was effective because it helped students develop their learning in a more natural and motivating way, promoting comprehension, active participation, and more meaningful learning in the classroom,” Mayra said.

Of course, no teaching methodology is perfect, nor will one solution always prove to be the most effective answer for every single student.

That is why GLXi also administers the IDEL assessments at the start and end of every academic year, so that teachers can see what their students’ strengths and weaknesses are and tweak teaching methods based on their students’ progress.

With Hugo, Mayra saw that the methods she was using in class were hitting the right note. As the year progressed, so did Hugo’s IDEL test scores.

“The innovative activities have helped improve his reading skills,” she said. “Seeing a student so motivated in their reading process is truly rewarding.”

Your support helps provide the programming that changes the future for Guatemala children. Donate today. https://glxi.org/donate

You can also directly share the link to sponsor: Sponsor Teacher Training — Global Learning Exchange