I feel that my hard work training teachers in Tanzania is really starting to pay off. As I’ve got further into my placement and become a part of the teaching community here, the frustrating first days are far behind me. I recently organised a special visit back to most of my 12 schools to observe lessons, assess how teachers were doing, and to work out what the next steps were.
I must admit I had a fluster of nerves each time I rode my motorbike up to the front of the schools. I knew this was the moment to see if my training had made a difference, and see with my own eyes if teenagers here were starting to learn more.
Happy feedback
Wow! I was a happy bunny after these observation visits! I was delighted that a lot of my top tips were being used by most teachers, with amazing progress including:
• Individual activities used within lessons. By giving students exercises to work on, it meant that the teachers are able to walk around the classroom, and give students the extra help they need.
What I like to see - eight out of eight in a geography test! (©VSO/Andrew Aitchison)
• Structured group work – and one of the first times I’ve seen boys and girls helping each other learn
• Creative use of resources – in one school I was over the moon to see a teacher using a filled water bottle with a hole in the bottom to demonstrate different densities in a science class
• Classrooms have been taken outside! Getting bums off seats and children engaging with demonstrations outside, makes learning fun and much more likely to stick.
Classmates working together to learn (©VSO/Andrew Aitchison)
Choosing ‘focus teacher’ mentors
From these observations, it was clear most teachers had taken my tips on board, and were not only using them, but making them even better. Alongside the teacher handbook I’ve already made, I’m keen to think of new ideas to spread this progress before my time in beautiful Tanzania is up.
The most recent and exciting plan we’ve decided on is creating a mentoring scheme for teachers – finding confident individuals who will ultimately take over the role I have been doing by spreading new ways of teaching and encouragement to other schools across the Lindi region and beyond.
The head teachers at the 12 schools I’m working in chose their most enthusiastic staff, and through a selection day the VSO team chose the top six teachers. The theory is that these teachers will now shadow us in all our meetings with local government, come to our observations and training sessions, and as they become more confident we start handing over greater responsibility.
This is the plan anyway, there’s a lot of work before this ideal situation can happen! Wish me luck, and I will certainly keep you posted on this exciting development.
Thank you
That’s me done for now, but I look forward to letting you know how the mentoring is going. Thank you so much for sticking by me and believing that I, and other VSO volunteers around the world, can make a difference.
Until next time,
Paul
