The project I am working on is called ICLP, which means Improving Child Learning and Participation. It was put into place by VSO, and the main aim is to improve children’s learning and participation in twenty-four primary schools across the Bukoba rural districts.
Final preparations before the World Café workshop
The success of the project is measured using three main factors; decrease in dropout rate of pupils, increase in exam pass rate and increase in pupil attendance.
I’ve been working towards achieving these by using alternative maths teaching methods. This has involved bringing role play, group work and singing (my favourite!) into the classroom to get the kids more involved in maths lessons.
Positive change
A report is done every year to measure progress, and it’s supported by evidence from both teachers and pupils. For teachers, this information is collected during World Café. Before you ask, this didn’t involve food! It was in fact a session where over seventy teachers and Head teachers came together to answer questions about what is/isn’t working for them in terms of teaching methods. It was really useful to have the chance to speak to teachers one on one. They were so positive about the changes that are happening, and it sounded like a lot of them have seen promising engagement from the pupils.
World Café questions answered
Question time
For the pupils we used a questionnaire, which allowed over 200 students to share their thoughts about their teachers and the teaching happening in the classroom. Most of them mentioned that they found role play, group work and singing to be the most helpful and engaging, but what caught my attention were the reasons they provided.
Many said they enjoyed singing because it helped them to develop friendships with their classmates and work together as a team. Speaking of teams, they also had some really positive things to say about group work. They said it gave them the chance to work together to ‘teach’ one another. By reaching a shared decision as a group, they could make sure no-one was left behind.
Students discussing the questionnaire
Food for thought
I thought this outlook was really special, and it got me thinking about what sort of answers I might get if I asked students in Europe the same questions. Would cooperation, mutual help and bonding hold the same value as they do for Tanzanian pupils? Are European students learning to work together, share emotions and support for one another? Or is schooling an exercise of competing and scoring the highest mark? All food for thought!
Furha
As part of my preparations for wrapping up the term, I recently flew to Dar Es Salaam for the VSO Tanzania conference. I was very excited, it was the first time my flight ticket said I could carry one twenty kilogram bag or one bucket of fish! Although the fish was only allowed on the outbound journey.
Furaha, the volunteer who Hekima
We stopped over in Mwanza where my colleague Chui took me to visit a home for street children called Hekima, which means ‘wisdom’ in Swahili. I was honestly blown away. A lady called Furaha, (which fittingly means ‘happiness’ in Swahili) runs the home by herself as a volunteer. She cares for the children, helps them with their school work, and teaches them how to grow vegetables; all of this and more without electricity. It was truly inspirational.
New rules
The conference was held in Bagamoyo, which is an hour outside Dar Es Salaam. It was great to catch up with some volunteers I already knew, but the real highlight was meeting other teacher trainers who are working across Tanzania. Someone I met, who really made an impression on me, was a Pakistani-Canadian lady who dedicated her life to helping children in need. She created a nursery in the Himalayas twenty years ago, which is still running – and has now in fact become a college. It was honestly one of the most moving stories I have ever heard.
The longer I teach maths, the more I realise being a maths teacher isn’t about following rules – but finding new ones. This is how maths becomes useful in real life. It’s about creating alternatives, challenging routines and opening up routes to learning.
It’s on this philosophical note that I round off this blog. Wishing you all seasons’ greetings and very happy New Year!
Andrea
