WOW !! Mwangaza's campus does come alive when 30 teachers arrive for a week's seminar, including room and board. All of Mwangaza staff, and a couple of volunteers, find themselves with responsibilities from before to after daylight each day, providing security, housekeeping, meals, and our course, seminar sessions.
And now that the week has ended, and we've had Saturday to slow down a bit, will spend some time today looking back through those days and sharing some thoughts and pix with you. Since have already gathered several sets of pix, will begin with Monday and continue writing some notes through today and ... until have reviewed the whole week.
1. Each seminar day begins with sala, a devotion based on a Scripture reading. Our teammate John led us on Monday, then participants were invited to volunteer for the other days. Hearing the harmony of 30+ voices singing hymns and listening to the Word of God is a great way to start each day. We especially appreciate that we can join in singing the hymns, even though printed and sung in Swahili, as every vowel is pronounced -- even recognized many of the melodies, so can translate while singing. Knowing that the teachers are using their 3rd language, we are also grateful for their extra effort to present all salas in English.
2. Introductions follow on Monday, with the facilitators and teachers getting to connect each others faces and names. Certainly students are appreciative and feel the teachers' investment if their teachers can call them by name -- and these teachers usually have 40-100 per period and several different groups throughout a week. It was very reinforcing to hear both young and older teachers share some of their techniques for learning names of their students.
3. Sharon then led everyone through the objective's for the week's seminar -- which made it very clear immediately that there were high expectations for participants and facilitators. These 10 objectives were posted on the hall wall and frequently referred to during the week. Plus, during closing on Friday, the participants were "invited" to recall times/examples of the objectives having been addressed during the week. The "invitation" was also their "ticket out" of the seminar, reinforcing one of the formative assessment strategies (informally measuring learning & understanding without grading their answers) we had taught/modeled during our presentations.
4. After we had gathered information regarding their schools, materials, computers, etc., John and Salome led a model lesson using the methodology we were going to teach during the week, while working in more guidance by focusing on Teaching Aids as their topic. Seems to work well with teachers, as well as other learners, to show them the product you hope to get from them at the end of the week. And 'tis good for our team to be creative, thinking what teaching aids, especially those that can be hands-on, are available in the school communities.
5. Mwangaza Head Cook Rachel and her proficient crew fix delicious meals for lunch and dinner, and hearty snacks to go with tea/chai for morning and late afternoon breaks. Rachel has just put more fish into the oil to deep fry before adding it to vegetables and juices for a wonderful fish stew to top the rice or ugali (corn flour mixed with water to a cold mashed potato consistency) for the evening.
6. The weather is often cool, with drizzling perhaps, in the mornings, but by lunch (1 PM) we are enjoying our meal or chai at the banda or otherwise enjoying a bit of outside and sun.
7. One of Mike's personal favorite meals, minced (ground) beef to be picked up with the chapatti (similar to tortilla or flat bread), along with cooked cabbage and a very fresh orange.
Now that we have lunched and supped, please allow us to send this on to you and return soon with Monday evening and beyond.
Peace and love,
Mike and Sharon
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