1. Introduction

Even when children do have access to school, they may require extra assistance with their schoolwork and learning. This is particularly true in contexts where there is a high rate of absenteeism and high teacher/pupil ratios. For some students, remediation will be required even in the best learning environments, simply because they are slower learners and may have special learning needs. Village-based remediation by teachers, outside school hours can provide children with the added support that is required. In order to provide the required assistance classroom teacher need to receive specialized training.

2. Primary Objectives

• To provide one-on-one support to children who are experiencing learning difficulties in the classroom.
• To foster the self esteem, confidence and understanding of slower learners.

3. Target group

Slow learners from all grade levels.

4. Information on Implementation

After the first semester of school, those children who score lower than the average on the semester exams are identified as slow learners and are encouraged by the teachers to attend remediation classes (N.B. This is only one way of identifying slow learners, other criteria may be used depending on the context). Village-based remediation is so named because it takes place in the village (or sometimes the school if there is not an appropriate space in the community). The teacher runs remediation classes for groups of children after school and provides instruction on topics or areas the students are having difficulty with in the classroom. Before teachers can give remedial instruction they must attend a training workshop (in Cambodia this is two days). Workshop topics include: determining lesson content based on student learning needs; learning in small steps; cueing; self-monitoring of progress; using multiple senses for learning; continuous assessment; and immediate feedback on learning. Two representatives per cluster usually attend the training and then provide training for teachers in the cluster. Teachers provide remediation for children for two hours, twice a week. Teachers are remunerated for their services as they are extracurricular activities.

5. Resources Needed

• Teacher trainers - $2.50 per day per trainer x 2 days
• Training materials - $25 per group
• Materials for classes
• Remuneration for teachers - $0.50/hour per teacher x 4 hours/week x 16 weeks
• Site set-up - $15/site