Juan Reanda leading a training at Chacaya Primary School
Two years ago, our Pueblo a Pueblo team began to dream of a way to bring better quality educational materials to teachers and students throughout rural Guatemala. Many communities here lack internet access, limiting the types of resources that students can use in school. So last year, thanks to the generosity of the International Foundation, we began to install RACHEL in schools.
Far from just a name, RACHEL stands for Remote Area Community Hotspot for Education and Learning. It is a software that makes online resources, such as Wikipedia, the Khan Academy, typing programs, and more, available offline. Students and teachers can connect to RACHEL on their computers, phones, or tablets, and have immediate access to a wide range of resources used for research and classroom learning.
Far from just a name, RACHEL stands for Remote Area Community Hotspot for Education and Learning. It is a software that makes online resources, such as Wikipedia, the Khan Academy, typing programs, and more, available offline. Students and teachers can connect to RACHEL on their computers, phones, or tablets, and have immediate access to a wide range of resources used for research and classroom learning.
The RACHEL system "router"
With the help of World Possible, an organization that provides educational technology and training in developing communities, we installed RACHEL at Chacaya and La Cumbre Primary Schools. Over the course of the year, World Possible also delivered three trainings to teachers at both schools, showing how RACHEL works and how to use its content in class.
For example, during the last training, Juan Reanda, Technology Facilitator at World Possible, spoke about the learning strategy SOLE-- Self-Organized Learning Environment. With SOLE, teachers ask students an open-ended research question. Students then divide into groups, and utilizing RACHEL, they sort through different sources of information to answer the question.
Students then present their findings in any creative form, such as theatre acts, songs, or drawings. With RACHEL and the SOLE method, teachers are encouraging students to expand their imaginations, research, and investigate-- rather than always being told the answer.
For example, during the last training, Juan Reanda, Technology Facilitator at World Possible, spoke about the learning strategy SOLE-- Self-Organized Learning Environment. With SOLE, teachers ask students an open-ended research question. Students then divide into groups, and utilizing RACHEL, they sort through different sources of information to answer the question.
Students then present their findings in any creative form, such as theatre acts, songs, or drawings. With RACHEL and the SOLE method, teachers are encouraging students to expand their imaginations, research, and investigate-- rather than always being told the answer.
La Cumbre students using RACHEL with a tablet
According to Virginia Baran, fourth grade teacher at La Cumbre, “The RACHEL system has helped a lot in the classroom”. Students are using language games to more effectively learn English, and are using the offline dictionary to look up words they don’t know. “We just completed the RACHEL trainings a couple months ago, and have not been using the system for a long time, but it provides many interesting resources. I am excited to explore more”.
As we continue to work with Chacaya and La Cumbre Primary Schools on full implementation of RACHEL in the classroom, our hope is to bring RACHEL to more rural communities-- so that schools without internet connection can still access quality educational resources.
As we continue to work with Chacaya and La Cumbre Primary Schools on full implementation of RACHEL in the classroom, our hope is to bring RACHEL to more rural communities-- so that schools without internet connection can still access quality educational resources.
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