Math Matters: Women Math Educator Program

We are addressing the widespread issue of low foundational numeracy skills prevalent across India, particularly in rural areas. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2023 for rural India highlights a concerning statistic: only 43.3% of 14-18-year-olds can perform basic division. This problem isn't confined to India alone; globally, only 18% of third graders possess the foundational numeracy skills expected of second graders, as per UNICEF.

Several factors contribute to this problem. First, the teacher-to-student ratio in primary schools is alarmingly high, significantly exceeding the recommended ratio of 1:10 set by the Ministry of Education, India. In many rural areas, this ratio can reach as high as 1:50. This overcrowding in classrooms makes it challenging for teachers to provide individualised attention and support to each student, hindering their ability to grasp foundational concepts effectively.

Additionally, the quality of teaching is compromised due to teachers' lack of subject mastery and outdated teaching methods. According to a report by the Centre for Teacher Accreditation (CENTA), teachers don’t have subject mastery over 70% of the content. This deficiency in teacher expertise directly impacts the quality of education delivered to students, further aggravating the problem of low numeracy skills.

Moreover, the prevailing learning environment in schools lacks the necessary nurturing elements to foster students' curiosity and critical thinking. Students are often not encouraged to explore Mathematical concepts beyond rote memorization, limiting their ability to develop a deep understanding of foundational numeracy.

The repercussions of low foundational numeracy skills extend beyond academic performance. They can affect individuals' confidence in maths and hinder their prospects, particularly for women in pursuing careers in STEM fields. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), revealed a stark gender disparity that in 2021, only 19% of women aged 15 & older participated in the labor force, compared to 70% of men in India. Out of the working women, only 14% are in STEM related jobs according to a World Bank report from 2019. This disparity is further perpetuated by societal beliefs that women are less capable in maths and Science, leading to limited opportunities for women to pursue careers in these fields.  Globally, women participation in STEM is only 29.2% of all STEM workforce, as per Global Gender Gap Report 2023. For years there has been no conscious and active effort to bring in gender equity in STEM education/career as part of any strategy in the country. It implies that the majority of women weren’t and will not be a part of the STEM revolution unless we make a collective effort, with a sense of urgency, to educate, equip, and enable them. 

To address this multifaceted, and a rather worldwide problem, we are implementing a solution that focuses on supporting women from low-income, underserved communities. By educating, equipping, and enabling these women to become proficient maths educators, we aim to bridge the gap in foundational numeracy skills, teacher-to-student ratio, teacher expertise, and women workforce participation. Our army of confident women educators will eradicate the prevailing fear of Mathematics. 

The Women Math Educator Program partners with government and education/gender-equity based organizations to create an excellent army of women educators and facilitators. 

The program is categorised into two - Aarohan, which loosely translates to ‘climb’, and Math Matters. Both the programs aim to educate, equip, and enable women from remote, most under-served regions of the country. 

Aarohan is a one-year long residential program, which has since its inception in 2020, supported 50 women who have further reached thousands of educators and students. The learners of the program graduate with a job as primary maths educators across sectors in the education field. A few of our graduates have even gone on to pursue higher education like Bachelors or Masters in Education.

Math Matters is an online, synchronous six-month long program, supplemented with asynchronous assignments. Through two modules of three months each, we equip aspiring educators or educators with limited growth opportunities with a solid understanding of primary mathematics. This program offers flexibility and accessibility, which was particularly crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic. We piloted Math Matters in the year 2020. Leveraging digital platforms like Zoom and Google Classroom and hardware tools like PenTab, Math Matters provides participants with the same high-quality training as Aarohan. In the year 2023-24, we reached 240 women through Math Matters. 

Both online and residential programs cover the entire primary maths curriculum. We are fostering conceptual understanding, demonstrating and discussing subject-specific teaching practices and creating a mindset shift by instilling confidence in the women to learn and teach maths. The program also generates additional avenues of income and a lasting network of support.

During sessions, our facilitators encourage learners to connect and apply knowledge in various contexts, eradicating the need for rote memorization. We pay close attention to language, using the right terminologies and simple language to explain concepts. Additionally, certain practices we demonstrate and discuss are asking open-ended questions to promote inquiry and justification. The learners are introduced to actions that promote active-thinking classrooms that allow students to think creatively and critically. Using simple teaching learning methods, planning contextual lessons and concept flows, and visualising mathematical concepts help build solid conceptual understanding.

To measure the effectiveness of the program, we use a variety of assessment methods, including focus group discussions and MCQ-based assessments, conducted before, during, and after the program. These assessments allow us to track learners' progress in terms of conceptual understanding, teaching practices, and mindsets shifts regarding maths education.

Overall, our Women Math Educator Program addresses the specific needs of women in becoming proficient maths educators. We provide them with the skills, resources, and support to create a nurturing learning environment and improve maths education outcomes in underserved communities.

Our program targets two main groups: children in the primary grades and women aged 18 and older. The learners of the program come from diverse geographies, mainly remote rural regions or urban slums. 

For children, basic maths skills like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are crucial for everyday life. The impact of poor foundational numeracy skills goes beyond academic struggles; it touches the very core of their emotional well-being. Even simple tasks like calculating change at a store can trigger overwhelming feelings of anxiety about the future. It hinders their future prospects, especially in STEM careers. 

The women we engage with have two things in common – they have come out of an archaic, rote-memorisation based education system and they see no women role-models, especially in the STEM workforce. One of the factors behind this is the strong held belief that women cannot do maths and science. Currently, majority of the women graduate high-school but cannot access education beyond that, especially women from under-served communities don't even consider this as an option due to societal norms, inflexible work models, and commonly held belief that women can't do maths and science. They are at risk of dropping out of school early, getting married young, and becoming pregnant before they're ready. In India, these life changes often mean they have to give up on their dreams of ever having a career. This leads to the loss of voice, identity and independence, causing them to rely heavily on the men in their families and being more vulnerable to abuse, both physical and sexual.

The program bridges these gaps by supporting women to become skilled maths educators. By fostering conceptual understanding, subject specific teaching practices, and by nurturing their confidence in maths, we not only create avenues for income generation and self-development for women, but also improve educational outcomes for children. Introducing a woman maths educator in the lives of the children, we are slowly eradicating detrimental, deep-rooted stereotypes that women cannot do maths and Science. Nidhi, a graduate from the 2020 cohort, shares, “During my time in school, I never once saw a woman maths educator. Science and maths were always taught by men. People believe that women cannot do maths. I never had any example to look up to when I was in school or college. But now people in my town not only see me with respect but also see me as a role-model for other girls.” Nidhi’s experience succinctly describes the transformational power of the program. 

Through our program we are meeting two needs with one deed, transforming lives for both women and children. Giving children the foundation they need to succeed and breaking down barriers for women, we are enabling them to pursue fulfilling careers and achieve financial independence. 

With over 50 years of combined teaching experience in low-income and government schools, specifically in Science and Mathematics, our team has a deep understanding of the needs and challenges faced by educators, students, and government bodies. We are deeply connected and close to the on ground reality of STEM education in India and are constantly researching bespoke solutions to teach complex concepts in simple language. 

Most of our team members are women who've faced similar challenges due to societal norms and limited resources. This personal connection drives our work and makes it even more meaningful.

Over the past decade, we have established ourselves as a center of excellence for STEM education in the country. We have done this by entering into equal partnerships with various organizations working in the field of education and gender equity; for example Teach for India and Educate Girls. Every aspect of our program, from the pace of sessions to the language used, is designed in collaboration with our partners to ensure it's relevant and effective.

Our commitment to innovation is evident in our continuous research efforts, resulting in cutting-edge resources and solutions like numeracy games and discussion practice, which have been adopted by the Delhi Government school systems. We're always improving our program to meet everyone's needs, making it adaptable and effective. For example, Math Matters was born from our commitment to continuous improvement.

In our sessions, we prioritise justifying and understanding over just finding the right answer. Even when a learner arrives at the correct solution, facilitators consistently ask, "How did you arrive at this answer?" or "What steps did you take to reach the answer?” 

In conclusion, our team's deep experience, personal connection to the communities we serve, and commitment to collaboration and innovation make us well-positioned to deliver impactful STEM education solutions.

Since 2020, we've been working hard on our Women Math Educator program. We've made it better over time, and one big change we made was starting Math Matters. Through these programs, we've educated, equipped, and enabled 800 women, consequently impacting the lives of over 16 lakh students, through ripple effect, across diverse communities.

The outputs of both programs have been similar, successfully providing women with additional/newer avenues for income, nurturing their education/career goals, and fostering various soft skills like their communication, problem solving, and  decision making skills. For example, from the consolidated data of the last three years, 61% learners strongly agreed that Aavishkaar helped them become a better educator and about 22% shared that they can take care of their expenses without anyone’s support. Upon completion of the program, the women go on to earn anywhere from $40 to $250 a month as maths educators. In all, we have observed immense shifts in the confidence and self-worth of the learners. 

For instance, Nidhi today is not only fluent in Primary Mathematics but is also an excellent facilitator who has gone on to build capacity in over 500 aspiring women educators in India. Another learner Anjali, a graduate of the program in 2021, recently co-led a full day maths event for Teach For India - Delhi fellows. Ragini, a graduate from the 2022 cohort shared, “I had so much fear of maths before I joined Aavishkaar. But now that I myself don‘t have fear and I try to do the same with my children. My children also love maths now.“

We teach maths in a way that makes sense to everyone. The graduates from our program not only understand maths but also feel good about teaching it. That's why we teach them about different teaching methods and encourage them to believe in their own growth and potential. Together, we're not just teaching maths; we're changing lives.

We are applying to Solve to address several critical barriers that are hindering the long-term success and scalability of our program.

1. Product enhancement - Adding another twist to the women maths educator program, we are currently building self-learning short courses. These courses will be available on our website, readily accessible.

2. Monitoring and Evaluation Expertise:  We have been collecting data consistently from each of its programs; however we need support in strategizing and implementing a model that assists us in collecting and analysing outcome level data, consistently in the long run. This would enable us to look deeper into the long term impacts of the curriculum and teaching practices modelled by us. This methodology will strengthen our understanding of the impact on teachers' professional development and the mindset shift towards Mathematics and Science in the ecosystem.

3. Technical Support for Expansion: Starting from 2023, we have refined our data-collection methodologies to make them more robust. We are also in the process of launching our Learning Management System (LMS) to support our efforts of expansion. Solve's technical expertise can provide valuable guidance and support in these endeavours, ensuring that we scale our programs while maintaining quality. Additionally, the women we work with come from low-income, terribly underserved communities. Although they have access to phones and the internet, they are not tech savvy. Our expertise too lies in the teaching industry. With support from people with technical background and expertise, we might be able to better support the women with bespoke technical support.

4. Support in Fundraising: Additionally, we welcome all support in the fundraising domain. While we are currently building a nuanced understanding of fundraising, Solve's expertise and network can provide invaluable guidance and connections to potential donors and partners.

5. Alumni Network Establishment: We envision establishing an alumni network of women educators supported by us, enabled by technology. However, we currently lack the expertise and resources to create such a support system at scale. Solve's support can help us build the necessary infrastructure and capacity to establish and maintain an effective alumni network, and provide continuous support to them. 

By addressing these with Solve's support, we believe we can significantly enhance the impact and scalability of our program, ultimately empowering more women and improving educational outcomes in Mathematics and Science.

In the Indian education landscape, various organizations and government bodies are striving to address educational challenges, such as improving enrollment, retention, and learning outcomes. While organizations like Educate Girls focus on boosting enrollment and retention rates, Teach For India introduces young leaders as educators in low-income schools to redefine education for children. Additionally, government bodies like the District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) aim to build capacity in educators at the district level.

However, despite these efforts, the education system in government institutions often relies on rote memorization, making learning a mechanical process devoid of inclusivity and relatability. Many organizations working on teacher professional development assume that teachers already possess conceptual knowledge. At Aavishkaar, we take a different approach. We prioritise conceptual understanding, subject-specific pedagogy, and mindset shifts based on evidence-based research. 

Our innovative approach aims to make foundational numeracy not only relevant but also engaging and enjoyable, moving away from the traditional rote memorization methods. We are instilling the belief that everyone can learn and teach maths, in the first levers of education - the teachers and the women at home. By building capacity in these individuals, we empower them to create active-thinking classrooms, accelerating students' foundational understanding and instilling a sense of self-efficacy.

Moreover, our approach goes beyond the classroom. From a young age, girls in India are subtly discouraged from pursuing maths and science. A young child asking for help with maths homework is most often told to seek support from their fathers or brothers, reinforcing the idea that women do not know maths and science. We recognize the pivotal role of women in the household and their influence on children's education. By equipping women with teaching skills and promoting a positive attitude towards maths and science, we catalyse broader positive impacts in the community. Additionally, the career trajectory as a maths educator allows women to find a sense of flexibility and control over their career. They can design the profession as per their availability, be it through online classes, or coaching centers, to name just a few.

We are proud to note that Aavishkaar has been at the forefront of training educators from various organizations, including the fellows from Teach For India and D.El.Ed students (aspiring educators) from DIET - Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. This collaboration not only expands our reach but also fosters a collective effort towards improving educational outcomes for all.

The vision of our program is to educate, equip and enable women to become excellent maths educators and thereby build conceptual understanding in children and a love for the subject. We have broken our progress to reach this vision into three -

1. Long-Term Outcome (These are student-directed and are measured after the program)

   1. Teachers are able to observe increased participation and engagement in students

   2. Students have a positive relationship with Math - we have defined this as

      1. students enjoy learning maths 

      2. they find maths useful in their life and

      3. they feel confident to approach Math Questions

   3. Students have improved academic scores

2.  Mid-Term Outcome (The end of the program)

   1. Teachers are encouraging for justification from students 

   2. Teachers are not merely passing on information ; Students are forming conclusions and sharing answers

   3. Teachers are encouraging for multiple ways to do maths

3.  Short - Term Outcomes (Mid of Program)

   1. Teachers are conducting 'Maths Talk' at the start of every maths Class

   2. Teachers believe they can learn and teach maths

   3. Teachers are using visual models and tools in class

Apart from identifying our outcomes, we have also articulated our immediate outputs. These are on four fronts - 

1. Monitoring - Here we monitor their attendance, engagement with pre and post work, ability to perform skills that are built through program - which is measured through post-works, presentations, and video-assessment of clippings from their teaching. 

2. Assessment - A Baseline and Endline assessment to understand growth in conceptual understanding of participants, important teaching practices that are identified and mindset shift about Math learning and teaching. 

3. Feedback about session after every session

4. Feedback about program after the program

Towards these, Aavishkaar's intervention include - masterclasses, spaces to reflect on teacher skills and mindset, engagement with pre and post-work, practice and work time with feedback. 

To measure our progress to outcome and outputs, we use the following tools: 

1. Baseline and Endline Assessments - This tool will be used to measure the learners' milestones in conceptual understanding, teacher practices and beliefs about learning and teaching Math.

2. Interviews and Focus-group discussions - As a way of feedback from learners and also as a check-point of what they are believing about Math ; and also sustained teacher practices

3. Video - submissions from their teaching - Based on a rubric that we have developed, we will be assessing  growth as a teacher

4. Surveys - to understand sustained teacher practices after the program and learn about students.

Our impact goals at the Women Math Educator Program are all about making a real difference in the lives of women and children. First off, we aim to promote gender equality by empowering women to enter STEM fields, giving them the opportunity to become decision-makers. Additionally, we want to improve the quality of education by addressing the global issue of children lacking numeracy skills.

To track our progress, we look at various indicators. For women, we measure their income growth, changes in lifestyle like financial independence and aspirations for further education or employment, and shifts in mindset towards maths teaching and learning. We want them to feel confident in their abilities and see maths as something that's accessible and valuable. Similarly, for students, we focus on their mindset growth and conceptual understanding of maths. We assess this through observations in the classroom and questions that test their understanding.

In essence, our goal is to empower women and improve education by fostering positive changes in mindset and skill development. Through these indicators, we can measure our progress towards creating a more equitable and knowledgeable society.

From the start to the finish, technology plays a big role in our Women Math Educator Program. When we're doing research to find the best teaching methods and resources, we use things like artificial intelligence and Google search to stay up-to-date.

At the implementation stage, we use technology like Zoom, Google classroom and PenTab for video classes, and messaging services like WhatsApp to maintain regular communication with everyone. All learners of the program need to have access to a phone and internet connection. Since we work with women from low-income, underserved communities before the start of the program, we help the women become familiar with google classroom and other applications like Zoom to ensure a comfortable learning experience.. 

Our marketing team, for pre/during/post promotion of the program, taps into several social networking sites to spread the word about our program. Additionally, we use Artificial Intelligence and other software and mobile applications to design the content for the communications purposes.

And when it comes to tracking how well our program is working, our Monitoring and Evaluation team relies on tools like Google Suite and AI to collect and analyze data. We're even working on a Learning Management System to keep track of our impact even better.

Overall, technology helps us make sure our program reaches as many people as possible and has the biggest impact it can.

We have 31 full-time staff members who cover various roles like Founders, Chief Operating Officer, STEM Leads, STEM Associates, Marketing and Technology Lead, Social Media & Communications Associate, Monitoring and Evaluation Lead and Associate, Accounts Lead, Relationships and Partnerships Lead, and Aavishkaar Fellows. We also have a kitchen team. Additionally, we have 2 full-time interns.

Overall, our team is diverse and dedicated to making the Women Math Educator Program a success.

We established the Aavishkaar Center in 2016 to transform Math and Science education. Since then, we have developed modules for teacher training and direct student intervention on all themes in Math and Science in the K-12 education system.  We've also developed unique discussion practices like Ganit/Vigyaan Charchaa, loosely translated to Math and Science Talk, which encourage active-thinking in the classroom.

In 2020, we began the Women Math Educator Program. Since then, we've partnered with different organizations to help women become amazing maths teachers. Our goal is to keep growing and reaching more people with our innovative approach to education.

At Aavishkaar, diversity, equity, and inclusivity are not just buzzwords; they're part of who we are. Our team reflects this commitment, with 71% of our members being women. We also pride ourselves on the diversity of our team, with many of us coming from underserved communities in places like Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Kerala.

One of the clearest examples of our dedication to equity is our Women Math Educator Program. This initiative focuses on empowering women from underserved communities by providing them with the opportunity to gain financial independence and develop essential teaching, communication, and problem-solving skills. Moreover, we actively collaborate with grassroots organizations like Educate Girls, extending our reach to the most marginalized populations in remote regions across the country.

In summary, at Aavishkaar, we don't just talk about diversity, equity, and inclusivity; we live and breathe it. From our team composition to our programs, these values are at the core of everything we do.

Our business model at Aavishkaar revolves around educating, equipping, and enabling students and educators in the education system. We recognize that students are the future leaders, and to support them, we focus on improving the quality of education through teacher capacity building and direct interventions with students. This includes providing training sessions, workshops, and camps to both existing and aspiring educators, and teacher coaches. By enhancing their conceptual understanding and teaching practices in Mathematics and Science, we aim to boost learning outcomes for children. We also organize camps for students to fill in the foundational learning gap or to help achieve grade level competency. 

To reach our beneficiaries, we form partnerships with government and non-government organizations, collaborating with various entities across different regions. Through these partnerships, we've worked with governments in Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, National Capital, Jammu and Kashmir, and over 75 other organizations, including schools and nonprofits like Teach for India and The Sanskriti School - Assam.

Our funding comes from a variety of sources, including service fees, corporate social responsibility initiatives, retail fundraising, and grants. These resources enable us to deploy a team of dedicated facilitators, educators, program managers, promoters, and evaluators. They design engaging activities and implement innovative strategies to make learning Mathematics and Science not only enjoyable but also relevant to students' lives.

In essence, our business model revolves around fostering quality education by equipping educators with the necessary tools and knowledge to empower students and create a brighter future for all.

We sustain our venture and program through service fees from teacher training programs, exemplified by partnerships with Delhi SCERT,  Educate Girls, Plan India, TFI. 

Fundraising via grants supports our aspiring teachers program for participants who come from low-income communities. Oftentimes we partner with organisations to support aspiring educators or educators with limited growth opportunities who do not have the funds to meet the service fees requirement. For those partnerships, we use funds from grants for retail donations. Our goal with this is to ensure that everyone has access to the learning. Hence, this support also helps bridge gaps in service costs; supporters include The Nudge Foundation, META, and Mercatus Center. Additionally, Wipro Foundation has been our long-term supporter. Additionally, recurring funds from high net worth individuals and corporate social responsibility (CSR) strengthen our  ability to ensure inclusive support for novice and experienced teachers, making our impact accessible to diverse stakeholders.