Step Inside Our Can’t Wait to Learn Classroom

Can’t Wait to Learn provides quality education to children with limited access to formal learning opportunities - including children in refugee settlements. In Jordan the programme is active inside the Zarqa settlement - where children are learning to read and do maths through playing educational games on tablet computers…

Zarqa refugee camp is one of the oldest Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan - and inside its aging infrastructure children are reclaiming their right to learn. Can’t Wait to Learn - our innovative technology-driven education programme - is now active in one of the camp’s schools.

The school - run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) - began to implement the programme at the end of 2018. Now the first group of students are coming to the end of term. In that short time both teachers and students have felt their learning has improved - particularly when compared to traditional learning methods.

Learning through Playing

Can’t Wait to Learn offers conflict-affected children the opportunity to learn to read and do maths through playing educational games on tablet devices. This portable delivery system means children can learn even in places where formal education is not available.

All game content is based on school curricula approved by the Jordanian Ministry of Education - supporting children to access quality education.

The programme is designed to boost children’s motivation and engagement - and in Zarqa the enthusiasm for this new learning method is evident. Students have been using the tablet once each school day - with three sessions on literacy and two on maths per week. One child explained that she is able to learn and understand more using the tablet because “it is faster to learn from the tablets and the answers are straightforward.”

Structured Learning

The enthusiasm for the programme doesn’t end there. One teacher told us that absences had decreased since the introduction of the tablets into the classroom. She expressed her belief that this was due to the children’s love of using the tablets - and their desire to not miss an opportunity to use them.

The programme has also fostered increased cooperation between the students - and looking out across the classroom of children helping one another out is an inspiring sight. One student described how she “likes helping the characters in the games - and helping people in general.”

More than 2,000 children are now taking part in Arabic reading and maths activities in Jordan - in both public ministry of education and UNRWA schools - all thanks to Can’t Wait to Learn.