Finland selected one hundred educational projects as the world's most innovative and inspiring. Tikichuela early math education in Paraguay was one of them. The project is a collaboration among the Ministry of Education of Paraguay, the IDB, and IPA.
In the context of significant gaps in teacher preparation and pedagogy, the program uses interactive audio segments that cover the entire preschool math curriculum. Since Paraguayan classrooms tend to be bilingual, the audio and written materials use a combination of Spanish and Guaraní. The program helped narrow learning gaps between low- and high-performing students, and between students with trained teachers and those whose teachers lack formal training in early childhood education.
Tikichuela improved learning equally among both Guaraní- and Spanish-speaking students. But not all learning gaps narrowed as a result of the program. Although girls improved significantly, boys improved much more. Therefore, the program was modified to ensure gender parity encouraging girls’ increased participation in the classroom and general interest in math.
More information and details about the program, its evidence-based design, evaluation, and implementation, are available at this link
Listen to the lessons: Immerse yourself in two different interactive audio lessons of Tikichuelaearly math education in Paraguay
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
