About the project: “Now I Know” is a 5-week online Ukrainian Language and Mathematics course for school children of 4th-10th grades conducted by the “Smart Osvita” NGO. The idea for this project came after the successful implementation of catch-up classes in 2022. The project primarily aims at children struggling to master the school curriculum fully and targets children who experience difficulties mastering the basic programs in schools.
All the students passed entry and final tests in both subjects to monitor their progress during the project. Students who passed both tests and attended more than 50% of the classes received certificates of completion and motivation letters from their teachers. Classes were held every day (except Wednesday) in the morning (10.00-12.00) and evening (17.00-19.00).
- In 2022, the course covered 1050 students and 92 teachers
- In 2023 – 1127 students and 42 teachers
- In 2024, the number of participants was 838 students and 57 teachers
The program was developed by experienced methodologists Natalia Vinnitska for the Ukrainian language component and Yuriy Chop’yuk for mathematics. The course incorporates the principles of a competency-based approach to learning.
The course is free of charge and was held on the Moodle platform, which remains open to participants so they can log in at any time and recall the material, complete exercises, or read texts.
The students were tested in Ukrainian and math at the end of the course. Afterward, the teachers personally provided each of them with motivation letters and guaranteed certificates of completion.
Currently, experts from the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment are analyzing the developed teaching materials and evaluating the curriculum and results of the “Now I Know” course.
The course is based on the principles of a competency-based approach to learning, which allows children to explore and understand various topics through practical tasks and everyday life situations.
The goal of the project is to help students fill gaps in their school education that may have arisen due to the war in Ukraine and deepen their knowledge for everyday use.
Key features:
- Small groups of children
- A competency-based approach to learning
- Pre- and post-course assessments to gauge children’s knowledge
- Participants have access to course materials on a platform, allowing them to study at their convenience
- Ongoing communication with teachers for questions and clarifications.
Partner:
- Educo
- ChildFund Deutschland
Timeline: Wave 1 – June 1st to July 25th, 2023; Wave 2 – July 17th to August 20th, 2023; Wave 3 – August 3rd to August 25th, 2023.
Project in media:
2022
- Osvitoria: Go through training to join the project to make up for educational losses from the NGO ‘Smart Osvita’
- Ukrinform: Free summer course in Ukrainian language and mathematics starts for students of grades 4-10
- NUSH media: Through motivation and practical tasks: how students make up for educational losses in the Ukrainian language and mathematics in the ‘Now I Know’ project
2023
- UP. Zhyttya: 10 problems of education that may become a crisis in 2023
- New Ukrainian school: ‘Now I know’: a free 5-week course in Ukrainian language and mathematics for schoolchildren from the NGO ‘Smart Osvita’ has started
- Osvitoriia: How to interest children in Ukrainian language lessons: examples of tasks
