We’ve not long completed our mid-year school holidays here in Tanzania. But it was not a ‘holiday’ for several of our staff, namely those working on Masters degrees! Archbold spent his ‘holiday’ doing classes and exams, while Celina and Amani spent theirs writing up final theses and submitting them to supervisors. One of these blogs will be a celebration of their graduation!!
Meanwhile we are back at work! Today I am focusing on the education department’s new initiative, an online teacher in-service professional development platform. We have called this initiative Shule Support, meaning School Support, indicative of our in-service focus.
OUR TRAINING MODEL has three components that our experience has proven to be non-negotiable for teachers to successfully grasp new concepts:
1. Observation: we are making video clips of good teachers in action that demonstrate what we are teaching. Here is Amani showing how to teach fractions using real objects.
2. Training: It’s a big job, but all our trainings are going onto video! Whew – that’s hours of camera time! Some we have captured live on camera. Here are Anna and Sam during trainings.
3. Mentoring: This is the hardest part to put online, but we have some ideas to help teachers work through their challenges …
- Interviews and panels: Here are shots of an interview and panel in progress –
- Forums
- Chat lines
- Q&A sessions
- One-on-one mentoring sessions (and face-to-face visits will be possible too)
All in all, our ambitious project is moving ahead well and we’re excited with the possibilities! As you would expect, some of us are naturals in front of a camera, and some struggle a bit. But we are all learning and growing professionally as we progress. In fact, I think I’ve earnt the right to put “Studio Director” on my CV!!
Thanks for being a part of this with us. We really appreciate your prayers and support!
Please visit our shulesupport website now
