Some of you have been asking about our work. As we understand it, the challenge is to upgrade the English language skills of teachers, to expand teachers' methodology and to help them to create low cost teaching aids.
Over a year ago, our predecessor, Louisa started the Programme for Improved English (PIE) in Primary Schools. We are continuing that work which is aimed at seven primary schools in and around Kibaya. Each week we run two identical workshops for teachers, one at the CERC building beside where we live, the other at the teacher centre, a twenty minute walk away.
Yesterday ten teachers showed up at CERC. That's impressive attendance so far. We opened with an old standby game of “I spy with my little eye something that begins with the letter ....” The teachers like this one. We had taught it during the first workshop so they were familiar with it and the game moved along nicely. Then we threw in a few other ideas, you can teach colours, adjectives, categories, etc. With each new twist there was a pause and you could virtually 'hear the penny drop'. The ancient blackboard is the only visual aid but they really appreciate it when we write the clues “something that is blue, ...tall, ... made of wood”. I really get the impression this is one activity they will use.
Role playing seems to be above their comfort level but we get everybody up anyway. Some who have been to three workshops already are becoming more comfortable with us are getting used to putting on a little skit. We're not worrying about grammar. We just want people up and talking and having fun.
To practice quick replies we did a game with a set of questions matched to numbers. Each teacher had to reply quickly to a numbered question by drawing from a deck of cards. For example #5 'What would you do if you were rich?' This following one got us some insightful answers:
'What would you do if you could change one thing about your school?'
... make sure the school had enough water.
... have a shelf full of books in each classroom
... have enough desks and seats.
... build two classrooms for each standard (one of the schools has 124 eleven year old kids in standard four. (That suggestion would reduce class size to 61.)
... hire competent teachers.
Low cost teaching aids seems to be pretty far down the list of priorities, but they seem keen on whatever we can offer. Activities that cost nothing and don't require much moving around would be high on my list. Let's see what today's workshop brings in the way of ideas.
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