Posted Jan 2010 TED India

10:36 TEDTalks》 Kiran Bir Sethi ~teaches kids to take charge

Kiran Bir Sethi shows how her groundbreaking Riverside School in India teaches kids life's most valuable lesson: "I can." Watch her students take local issues into their own hands, lead other young people, even educate their parents.

□Contagious is a good word. Even in the times of H1N1, I like the word. Laughter is contagious. Passion is contagious. Inspiration is contagious. We've heard some remarkable stories from some remarkable speakers. But for me, what was contagious about all of them was that they were infected by something I call the "I Can" bug.

□So, the question is, why only them? In a country of a billion people and some, why so few? Is it luck? Is it chance? Can we all not systematically and consciously get infected? So, in the next eight minutes I would like to share with you my story. I got infected when I was 17, when, as a student of the design college, I encountered adults who actually believed in my ideas, challenged me and had lots of cups of chai with me. And I was struck by just how wonderful it felt, and how contagious that feeling was. I also realized I should have got infected when I was seven.

□So, when I started Riverside school 10 years ago it became a lab, a lab to prototype and refine a design process that could consciously infect the mind with the "I Can" bug. And I uncovered that if learning is embedded in real-world context, that if you blur the boundaries between school and life, then children go through a journey of "aware," where they can see the change, "enable," be changed, and then "empower," lead the change. And that directly increased student wellbeing. Children became more competent, and less helpless. But this was all common sense.

□So, I'd like to show you a little glimpse of what common practice looks like at Riverside. A little background: when my grade five was learning about child rights, they were made to roll incense sticks, agarbattis, for eight hours to experience what it means to be a child laborer. It transformed them. What you will see is their journey, and then their utter conviction that they could go out and change the world. (Music)

□That's them rolling. And in two hours, after their backs were broke, they were changed. And once that happened, they were out in the city convincing everybody that child labor just had to be abolished. And look at Ragav, that moment when his face changes because he's been able to understand that he has shifted that man's mindset. And that can't happen in a classroom. So, when Ragav experienced that he went from "teacher told me," to "I am doing it." And that's the "I Can" mindshift. And it is a process that can be energized and nurtured.

□But we had parents who said, "Okay, making our children good human beings is all very well, but what about math and science and English? Show us the grades." And we did. The data was conclusive. When children are empowered, not only do they do good, they do well, in fact very well, as you can see in this national benchmarking assessment taken by over 2,000 schools in India, Riverside children were outperforming the top 10 schools in India in math, English and science.

□So, it worked. It was now time to take it outside Riverside. So, on August 15th, Independence Day, 2007, the children of Riverside set out to infect Ahmedabad. Now it was not about Riverside school. It was about all children. So, we were shameless. We walked into the offices of the municipal corporation, the police, the press, businesses, and basically said, "When are you going to wake up and recognize the potential that resides in every child? When will you include the child in the city? Basically, open your hearts and your minds to the child."

□So, how did the city respond? Since 2007 every other month the city closes down the busiest streets for traffic and converts it into a playground for children and childhood. Here was a city telling its child, "You can." A glimpse of infection in Ahmedabad. Video: [Unclear] So, the busiest streets closed down. We have the traffic police and municipal corporation helping us. It gets taken over by children. They are skating. They are doing street plays. They are playing, all free, for all children. (Music)

□So, you're getting the pattern. First 200 children at Riverside. Then 30,000 children in Ahmedabad, and growing. It was time now to infect India. So, on August 15th, again, Independence Day, 2009, empowered with the same process, we empowered 100,000 children to say, "I can." How? We designed a simple toolkit, converted it into eight languages, and reached 32,000 schools. We basically gave children a very simple challenge. We said, take one idea, anything that bothers you, choose one week, and change a billion lives.

□And they did. Stories of change poured in from all over India, from Nagaland in the east, to Jhunjhunu in the west, from Sikkim in the north, to Krishnagiri in the south. Children were designing solutions for a diverse range of problems. Right from loneliness to filling potholes in the street to alcoholism, and 32 children who stopped 16 child marriages in Rajasthan. I mean, it was incredible. Basically again reaffirming that when adults believe in children and say, "You can," then they will. Infection in India. This is in Rajasthan, a rural village.

Child: Our parents are illiterate and we want to teach them how to read and write. KBS: First time, a rally and a street play in a rural school -- unheard of -- to tell their parents why literacy is important. Look at what their parents says.

Man: This program is wonderful. We feel so nice that our children can teach us how to read and write.

Woman: I am so happy that my students did this campaign. In the future, I will never doubt my students' abilities. See? They have done it.

□ So, the charter of compassion starts right here. Street plays, auctions, petitions. I mean, they were changing lives. It was incredible. So, how can we still stay immune? How can we stay immune to that passion, that energy, that excitement? I know it's obvious, but I have to end with the most powerful symbol of change, Gandhiji. 70 years ago, it took one man to infect an entire nation with the power of "We can."

□ So, today who is it going to take to spread the infection from 100,000 children to the 200 million children in India? Last I heard, the preamble still said, "We, the people of India," right? So, if not us, then who? If not now, then when? Like I said, contagious is a good word. Thank you. (Applause)

教孩子發揮影響力

「感染」是很棒的一個詞即便當H1N1正流行時，我還是很喜歡這個詞。像是受到笑聲感染，受到熱情感染獲得靈感也是一種感染我們都聽過許多傑出講者分享精彩的故事但我認為，這些人之所以有感染力在於他們都中了一種「毒」我把這個毒稱作「我做得到」

那問題來了，為什麼只有他們「中毒」呢？印度有十億多的人口就這麼點人受感染嗎？純粹是運氣好嗎？難道我們不能全都自願中「毒」嗎？接下來八分鐘，我要和各位分享我的經驗我是17歲受到「感染」的當時我主修設計有些大人很認同我的設計理念還會提出許多疑問、和我邊喝茶邊討論我覺得這種思辨過程非常好深深感染了我心想要是7歲就受「感染」該有多好

所以我成立了「河濱學校」，十年來用各種教學方式不斷改善課程的設計希望能讓孩子建立「我做得到」的自信心然後我發現如果把學習融入真實世界打破學校和生活之間的界限孩子在過程中會先產生自覺看到事物需要改變的地方然後有能力改變自己進而施展所長，帶領大家促成改變如此便能直接提升學生的成就感孩子的能力因而變強才不會徬徨無助但這些道理想必各位都明白

所以我想讓各位稍微看一下平時在河濱學校，我們都怎麼將「知道」化為「做到」先簡單介紹影片：一群五年級學生在上兒童權力的課老師要他們捲拜拜用的香那種香叫「亞珈倍地」，一做就是8小時好讓他們瞭解童工的處境這對學生影響很深，待會會看到他們轉變的過程以及他們後來為什麼會深信自己能走出教室、改變世界 [孩子如何促成改變]

他們正忙著做香不出兩小時，他們就會腰痠背痛那時心態已經不一樣了開始腰痠背痛的時候他們就會進城，設法說服大家必須廢除童工制度看一下拉卡的表情，他臉上出現笑容因為這代表他知道自己成功改變那個大人對童工的看法這可不是課堂上會有的事從拉卡開心的樣子就知道他不再只是聽「老師說」而是「自己去做」，抱持「我做得到」的心態這整個過程可以透過後天的激發和學習

但有些家長會不放心地說「培養孩子正確的價值觀是很好」「但會不會耽誤數學、理化和英文這些正課呢？」「拿出好成績才算數」我們就給家長看了成績，數字證明只要給予孩子發揮的空間他們不但能做好事還能有好成績，應該說很棒的成績畫面上是印度的全國學科檢定考試共有超過2000個學校參加我們學生的成績超越印度十大明星學校數學、英文和理化皆是如此

可見教學成效很好，應該要擴大實施 2007年8月15日印度獨立日那天我們的學生一起「感染」在整個阿姆達巴德城市裡的人這行動已經無關乎「河濱學校」本身而是為所有孩子著想，所以我們理直氣壯走進市府機構，走進警察局走進報社和各個商家要傳達的訊息是：「大家別再看輕小孩」「要體認每個小孩身上都有無窮的潛力」「什麼時候才會傾聽他們的聲音？」「要對孩子敞開心胸，真誠交流」

我們得到什麼回應呢？ 2007年起，每兩個月該市會封閉最繁忙的街道，禁止車輛通行讓孩子在街道上玩耍嬉戲這就是城市肯定孩子的努力來看看阿姆達巴德城市裡的人受「感染」的情況 [印度語] 車水馬龍的街道已經封閉了交通警察和市府人員在一旁維護秩序現在是小孩「當道」有的在溜直排輪，有的在演街頭短劇這些孩子正自由自在地玩耍 [畫面字幕]彩繪市容&人人平等

[卡瓦爾] aProCh是長期致力於兒童服務的機構我們計畫把此活動延伸到市區各個角落 [背景音樂]

該市願意貢獻多餘的時間給孩子還有全世界第一條兒童斑馬線

[吉特‧瑟吉]：如果社會願意為孩子付出未來，孩子也會願意回饋社會 [畫面字幕]孩子做主正因如此阿姆達巴德成為了印度首座對兒童友善的城市

「感染」的進程，從原先「河濱」的200名學童到後來阿姆達巴德的三萬名孩子，數字仍在攀升該是「感染」全印度的時候了所以，兩年後的8月15日也就是2009年的獨立日我們用相同的方式讓十萬名孩子表達「我做得到」的心聲怎麼進行呢？我們先設計一套簡單活動再翻成八種各地方言發送到32000所學校基本上活動的任務很簡單我們要孩子想個點子解決一件困擾他們的事用一個禮拜的時間設法改變現況

他們真的做到了，成功的故事從印度各地傳來包括東部的那加蘭西部的朱尼呼奴北部的錫金和南部的克里希納吉里孩子解決了生活中各式各樣的問題像是克服孤單、修補街道坑洞以及酗酒的問題有16樁童婚因而取消，等於有32個孩子免於不幸這件事發生在拉賈斯坦諸如此類的事，實在不可思議再次證明了只要大人認同孩子的努力相信孩子做得到，他們就會做給你看來看印度怎麼受到「感染」這是拉賈斯坦的一個村落

[印度語]我們爸媽都不識字，我們想教會他們讀書寫字孩子集結起來演街頭劇，這在偏鄉學校前所未聞只為了讓父母瞭解識讀的重要性來聽聽他們父母的看法

[印度語]這個計畫真的很棒很高興自己的小孩也能教我們讀書寫字

[印度語]很高興看到學生參與這計畫以後我絕不會懷疑他們的能力了，他們表現得很好看到沒？他們真的辦到了

這是海德拉巴市內的一所學校 [印度語]這棟是581

我們要從編號555開始收垃圾

海德拉巴的孩子，不分男女全都出動相當不容易，但他們做到了

[印度語]他們還小但表現得很好先是打掃了這裡，然後是海德拉巴市區，相信最後全印度都會變乾淨

我真的大開眼界，沒想到這群孩子有這麼大的潛力

謝謝，各位女士先生本次拍賣展出多幅優秀畫作都是為了做善事所得將用來購買助聽器材各位女士先生，準備好了嗎？[觀眾]好了！你們準備好了嗎？[觀眾]好了！你們也準備好了嗎？[觀眾]好了！

他們展露的同情心在此發酵透過街頭劇、拍賣會、請願等等孩子正改變著許多人的生活實在太不可思議了所以，我們怎麼可以還對這個毒「免疫」呢？怎麼能無視他們的熱情、活力和雀躍的樣子？我知道接下來要說的有點老套但我還是要以一位最能象徵改變力量的人來作結：甘地 70年前，甘地一個人感染了全國上下靠的就是「我們做得到」這股信念的力量

所以，今天誰要來做這件事將「感染」的種子從十萬名孩子散播到全印度的兩億名孩子身上如果我記的沒錯，印度憲法開頭就給了答案：「身為印度人的我們」所以，我們不來做，還有誰來做？現在不做，更待何時？我一開始就說了，「感染」是很棒的一個詞謝謝大家 [掌聲]