Below some specific classroom activities are described which could be used by other practitioners or program directors in designing their own literacy programs. The women practice reading the word out loud as a group, syllable by syllable, and also practice writing it in their notebooks. They discuss the activity of chicha-making, which may spur ideas for new words to construct from the lists of syllabic families which are posted on the blackboard or the walls. For this type of activity, the women use a textbook written in Quechua. This lets learners see whole words written out for already familiar vocabulary.
Music is known to be an effective learning aid.
Trainer often asks class if one person's answer is acceptable or not. While there is a fair bit of rote work in the classroom, especially at the very beginning levels, discussions involving all the learners are also an important element of the lesson plans. In this way, the daily themes can be developed and lessons in civic responsibility can be introduced, with the literacy component worked in around the main theme. Thus, literacy does not become an end in itself, but a tool used to help learn the other, community-centered lessons. All rights reserved.