In a small video done by phone, a young girl speaks directly into the camera. Tara is in the 11th standard. Her father is a farmer and her mother is a housewife. She says that the Bolo app is important for all students and that it helps students to improve their language skills. Trupti says she is 17 years old. There are five members in her family. She says the Bolo app is amazing and that she can understand the stories easily. Jessica says she uses the app for ten minutes a day and she feels it has helped her improve her English.
These are just a sample of the numerous girls who have taken the opportunity to record themselves speaking in English and confidently praising an app they became accustomed to thanks to their C2C instructors and tutors. Bolo, which means “speak” in Hindi, is an app for young students that promotes literacy both in Hindi and in English. While used to teach children to read and follow stories, the app also allows students to practice their pronunciation, drilling them until their answers are accurate.
In the Life Skills Paradigm at C2C, we teach the four C’s: Confidence, Creativity, Communication, and Critical Thinking. Student-led presentations are an important component to this educational process. Students must be able to harness their voice to present their ideas and to be able to execute this skill in English.
Our students are aware of the necessity of learning and mastering English as it will position them as competitive candidates in the fields of international business and IT. Unlike English, Hindi is a phonetic language, meaning that each letter has one distinct sound. You may know that the pronunciation of “though” and “rough” are different, but these language nuances are immensely challenging to second language speakers.
International speaker Julian Treasure once gave a Ted Talk titled “How to speak so that people want to listen.” He pointed out that the human voice is likely the most powerful sound in the world. The human voice can start a war, resolve conflict, or profess love. Thanks to the Bolo app, our C2C students are learning how powerful their voices can be.