Using Cognitive Neuroscience Principles to Design Efficient Reading Programs: Case Studies from India and Malawi Cognitive Neuroscience to Design Literacy Programs

Abstract

The hidden crisis in education has come to light since the past decade. Millions of school-going children remain illiterate, even after spending 2-3 years in school. This paper explores a cognitive neuroscience driven method to improve children’s reading in two local languages--Chichewa (Malawi) and Telugu (Telangana, India). The paper first presents the science behind how children learn using this science-driven model. It then presents the process of contextualization of this literacy method for Malawi and Telangana, India. The contextualization and adaptation processes lead to some generalized principles that could be applied to other local language literacy programs. The study looks at sequencing of letters, font size and type, teacher training modalities as well as classroom delivery processes, which are all key components for any early literacy intervention. The study also focuses on cost-cutting measures to aid in full implementation and scale-up for a low resourced educational setting.