Fourth Day of Teacher Training

Our last day of teaching at TTC Mururu included lessons on Classroom Management, Mathematics and further lessons in ICT, where teachers learnt how to draw tables and alphabetise using Microsoft Word. 

Bridget and Maddie expressing the importance of learning names as a tool for classroom management

Before lunch, we grouped teachers into schools so that they could plan what resources they wanted to create to take away from the course. Rwandans, we have noticed, are remarkably resourceful; rice sacks, bottle tops and plastic bottles are used to create bright classroom displays, inventive games and teaching tools. The post-lunch resource making session produced a variety of materials that teachers will be able to use in their lessons. 

Jo, Natasha and Bridget showing teachers how to create maps on rice sacks for wall displays

Map tracing

Francine using bottle caps to make a wall display

Another heated debate ensued, this time on the motion 'Education is more influential than politics', which was almost unanimously supported by the floor.

Voting on the debate

This evening, Isaiah invited us to listen to his church's choir rehearsal. We enjoyed the harmonious melodies and some of us even recognised a few Kinyarwanda words in the songs. Stephan (much to his astonishment) was asked to give an impromptu address to the choir, which he did with much poise. The community spirit we have seen throughout the country was very much evident in this small group, who meet twice a week to rehearse.
As our time in Rwanda comes to an end, we want to thank everyone who has made these two weeks possible. The incomparable team at Rwanda Aid and Munizero House welcomed us as family members from the start and it is difficult to describe what fantastic work these wonderful people are doing. To Peter, Patrick, Alex, Isaiah, Felicien, Honnorette, Jonas, Claudette, Candida, Francoise, Faustin, Martin and Athenos, we say Murakosi Chane!
Much of what we have done here would not have been possible without the generous support of the parents and pupils of Devonshire House School. The effect of your efforts is obvious, with beaming faces of children and teachers growing in confidence being only some of the visible rewards that result directly from your ongoing fundraising efforts. Thank you so much!

Third Day of Teacher Training and some Celebrations

The 30th July started with excitement not only was its Maddie's birthday but it was also the clearest day we had experienced. Maddie sat in her birthday chair eating her nutella and banana on toast with the best views across lake Kivu to the hills of the Congo and beyond (not a bad way to spend your birthday). What Maddie did not realise was that this was only the beginning and this would be one of her most memorable birthdays to date.

The amazing birthday cake made by Maddies mum that travelled all the way from London 

This was our third day of teacher training and once again theme of the day was variety; we taught ICT, mind-mapping, investigations and inquiry as well as lesson planning. 

In the ICT lessons Maddie taught the teachers the correct layout for a formal letter. They were required to write a pretend letter to their head teachers reporting back on the teacher training and we were really pleased with the positive things to say about how well organised the course was as well as the many strategies they had learnt. No one other than Maddie and Bridget seemed bothered when a small herd of cows walked through the school mid lesson, a fantastic photo opportunity!

One of the cows that passed through during ICT

Teachers making huge progress in the ICT lab

Jo used mind-maps to show how teachers can use these as a tool to categorise ideas. The teachers were excited by the prospect of being able to easily get students to break down information and demonstrate their understanding of a topic through summarising and connecting ideas. 

Mind-mapping really got the teachers thinking

Categorising information to go in a mind map

Fantastic examples of mind maps

Bridget introduced teachers to investigations and inquiry based learning. She was able to expand on the work of both Maddie and Jo's lessons on differentiation and mind mapping to demonstrate how teachers can use the strategies of inquiry to make their lessons more student centered. They particularly enjoyed trying to solve the height of the person who's footprint was mysteriously left in the room and were very interested in Natasha's idea of using a water gauge made out of a simple plastic bottle to investigate into rainfall in the area. 

Bridget and Natasha comparing height. 

Mid-Inquiry!

Investigation into shapes

Stephan expanded the teachers knowledge on lesson planning by explaining how to set out lessons focussing on ensuring lessons were 'chunked' with a starter, activities and a plenary and also spoke about the importance of adding in assessment. The teachers were able to bring in their knowledge of formative and summative assessment as well as starter activities taught earlier in the week. 

The importance of lesson plans being explained

The debate topic of the day was a controversial one- The moot being, 'Women should stay home and look after their children'. It is safe to say even with a convincing argument from the proposition the opposition ensured this moot was taken down.

The debate

An afternoon tea treat for Maddies birthday

The day ended with even more excitement than it began. We had a surprise birthday party with all the Rwanda aid team for both Maddie and Jo (Who's birthday is when we are on the plane home) with a dinner out and plenty of cake. We were humbled by a heartfelt speech from Peter on behalf of the Rwanda aid team expressing their gratitude and thanks for all the work we have put in over the past two weeks but also for the support they have from Devonshire House School parents as this really does contribute to the success of the outstanding work Rwanda aid completes. 

Team photo overlooking lake Kivu

The excitement of the day really bubbled over when a phone call came through telling us one of the Rwanda aid team had just had a baby girl. We had the privilege of being invited to the hospital and felt honoured to be a part of this special moment. For all of us this was the youngest baby we had ever met, and are not sure visiting hours in England would have allowed all 6 of us at the hospital an hour after the baby had been born at around 10pm. It is safe to say that after the events of the day we all slept well!!

  

Second Day of the Teacher Training Course

The second day of the teacher training course began with the teachers being split into three groups: P1-3 and two groups of P4-6 teachers, enabling us to focus our lessons on age-group appropriate topics.  Francine and Natasha covered Rewards and Sanctions, Phonics, Displays and ICT.  The teachers used the number square and number line in inventive ways and were enthused by the thought of being able to bring them into their classrooms.  Hangman was also a firm favourite when solidifying phonetic sounds, although there was a little bit of cheating!  It was revealing during the Rewards and Sanctions session was that one of the major problems which concerned the teachers was punctuality - and so it was necessary to mention that they needed to mirror the behaviour they expect from their pupils.

Francine's group read some English books

Natasha giving a star for good participation in the Rewards and Sanctions session

A teacher uses the number line to teach addition and subtraction

Teachers planning using a display to teach a lesson

Bridget, Stephan, Jo and Maddie covered Assessment, Differentiation, Levels of Questioning and ICT.  In Assessment the teachers learnt about the less traditional methods of assessment and focused on the importance of formative assessment.  Bridget used a graphing activity to assess prior knowledge of countries (Rwanda, the UK, South Africa and New Zealand) and was pleased that at least one teacher had some knowledge of New Zealand!

Jo helps with some group work

In Differentiation Maddie looked at different ways that teachers could help support different levels of ability in their classes, by modeling a few methods with different activities.  She was pleased to be able to bring in her knowledge of animals in Kinyarawanda (again!) in a differentiation-by-task activity where the teachers were given four activities, all with the same outcome of learning the English words for animals, but some were more scaffolded than others.  The teachers in this session particularly enjoyed the differentiation-by-outcome activity where they had to find as many words as possible in the word 'elephant' - especially as the reward for winning was some sweets!

Maddie is helped by Deborah, one of the teachers from last year's course who is a mentor (and translator) this year, with group work in the Differentiation session

Maddie discovered quite quickly that Levels of Questioning was going to be a challenging topic to teach and Bloom's Taxonomy went out the window when the first class of students struggled with the concept of the '20 Questions' game and having to ask questions which demanded yes/no answers.  However, the second class impressed with their discussion of open and closed questions.

A pile of confiscated phones (which we attempted to auction at the end of the lesson!)

To finish the day we participated in a debate, for which the motion was 'All lessons in Rwanda should be taught in English' to show the teachers how they would be debating tomorrow and on Thursday.  We knew that the topic would be a slightly controversial one - and before the debate just 5 of the teachers in the audience were in favour of the motion!  Stephan, Bridget and Natasha spoke for the motion, putting points across such as English being an international language; the language of business and most popular culture; and beneficial for tourism and travel.  Francine, Jo and Maddie opposed the motion with points such as English being a difficult language to learn (let alone teach in); loss of culture; and the fact that 70% of Rwandans are unlikely to use English in their daily life.  After our heated debate, some of the teachers stood up to argue their points of view and made excellent points we had not thought about - such as English being the language of tomorrow and they should think about the future rather than today; that English is essential for the growing trade exports from Rwanda; and conversely that many students are failing in Maths and Science because they are taught in English - when actually if they were taught in Kinyarawanda they would be achieving much higher marks and have greater understanding.  We took another vote after the debate and the proposers only managed to persuade another two to their point of view (which Stephan's team took as a victory!)

Francine passionately opposes the motion

Stephan mid-debate

One of just a few teachers who was in support of the motion tries to convince his peers

An evening walk into Kamembe town

Our walk took us to see the clearest sunset we've seen yet over Lake Kivu and the DRC

First Day of the Teacher Training Course

Today saw the start of our Teacher Training week at T.T.C. Mururu in Kamembe.  Our morning began with a slightly anxious phone call from Peter, the Manager of the Rwanda Aid team here, explaining that today had been declared a national holiday in Rwanda (for Eid al-Fitr, the last day of Ramadan) and showing concern about how many teachers would realistically want to attend the training on what should be a day of rest for them.  Neverthless, thinking optimistically, we crammed ourselves into the weary Scorpio, determined to make the best of whatever awaited us.

Teachers assembling in the hall first thing for an address from the Headmaster of T.T.C. Mururu

Although slightly fewer participants than we had anticipated were there at 8am, by the time we were ready to begin the first teaching session, most of the 60-odd teachers had arrived and, when given the choice to have the day off or continue as planned, most opted for the latter.

The morning sessions involved lessons on Pair and Group Work, ICT (many of the teachers have never seen a computer before), Lesson Starters and Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic Learning.  It is the second time that Stephan and Francine have visited Rwanda on such a trip and both were impressed with the level of English most of the group can use and understand.  We have three Rwandan teachers acting as mentors to the group; they are teachers who have attended previous training weeks and are more proficient in English.  They proved invaluable assistants to us throughout the day, translating when needed but also happily involving themselves in the sessions.

Showing a teacher how to use Microsoft Word

A teacher, having mastered the art of copy and paste, helps another teacher

At lunch some of us sampled plantain for the first time and Stephan's Leatherman became a valued friend to those of us not used to eating large lumps of meat without knives.

Dishing up lunch: rice, beans, plantain and meat

Lunch in the dining hall

The final session of the day followed lunch and, as a compromise for sacrificing their day off, we agreed that we would end the day slightly earlier than planned.  One of the lessons we have learnt from being out here is that things do not always work out the way we expect them to so we have to be flexible!

Group work in the Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic session

Trying out one of Stephan's lesson starters

More lesson starters

Getting into pairs using wool in the Group and Pair Work session

Using string to ensure all members of the class participate in a group work task

Even this little lizard turned up for training!

Umuganda, Painting at Ngwino Nawe and Lunch with the Street Children

This morning brought an early start for a Saturday. Every last Saturday of the month the Rwandans celebrate 'Umaganda', a morning of national community service. All cars have to be off the road between 8am and 12pm, during which time the local communities all donate the hours to a village project. The word 'Umaganda' can be translated as 'coming together in a common purpose to achieve an outcome'. This is part of the Government's efforts to reconstruct Rwanda and nurture a shared national identity. 

Blink and you won't miss it.

 This, however, was very convenient for Stephan to ensure that we were all out of bed and ready to go to Ngwino Nawe to finish painting the mural. After a hasty breakfast we drove through the quiet roads, hoping we didn't have to pull the 'mzungu' card if the police saw us out of time. The day may have been drizzly, but the spirit was eternally sunny. In the action packed few hours Maddie completed the learning wall with an alphabet under the giant chalkboards, and whilst Francine drew the pictures she was continually asked about the imaginative creatures and fish she was drawing.

The new learning wall.

 After she had been at her community service, Therese returned towards the end of our session and jumped straight in with painting some tropical fish. 

Many hands making light work.

Colour decisions on the outside wall.

Once the sounds of motor vehicles returned to normal very rapidly after midday, we jumped back in the car and were swiftly on our way back to the Street Children project.  On our arrival we were greeted by the excitable faces of the children all ready to go to their family and foster homes. Very quickly we were ushered into the main hall, where we were presented by Claudette with a wonderful lunch and sat down with the children to have their end-of-term meal. 

The most wonderful lunchtime.

Gentle, respectful conversations arose between children that filled the room with a calm hum. Just before we finished eating, it was time to celebrate the children's achievements. It was wonderful to see that 7 of the children had reached the top of their class, and 5 children were leaving to permanent new homes. The care, devotion and concern Claudette feels for these children was evident in her emotionally charged address to us all. The children are being equipped with skills to give them a bright future. 

Loom's newest entrepreneurs.

Another session of loom bands ensued, with both boys and girls getting snazzy with the patterns and with a deftness that was remarkable. Spirographs also were thrown into the mix, with the teachers leading the way in order to try and persuade the boys that they didn’t quite need to produce 4 bracelets…each! 

Concentration.

We are all so excited to see what the next year brings for these very special children, and their equally inspiring, driving force of a director Claudette.

Francine teaching 'Baby Five!'