We started our work at Kacyiru with key goals in mind. We wanted to understand what it’s really like inside a Rwandan classroom. This understanding will allow IEE to create better training material and lesson plans that are appropriate for a Rwandan classroom setting. We also wanted ensure that what the teachers learned in the TTP workshops are actually being implemented in the classroom. We want to support teachers in the transition from ‘chalk and talk’ to learner-centered teaching methods.
Meredith and Carly modeled four lessons in each class, observed Assinapol and Boniface teaching the same lessons, and then provided the teachers with feedback. The first lesson was on Greetings and introduced and emphasized group and pair work. The second lesson introduced the difference between simple present and present progressive verbs. The third lesson asked students to identify parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, and verbs). And the fourth lesson gave students jumbled sentences of a story and students worked in groups to put the words in order.
It was exciting and inspiring to see the students’ enthusiasm in the classroom. When a teacher asked a question, the students would lean closer and closer to the front of the classroom, raising their hand, snapping their fingers in unison and whispering ‘please teacher!’ At first the students seemed reluctant to participate in group activities, unsure of what to do or whether they were allowed to talk, but by the end of our few weeks at Kacyiru the students were more comfortable working and solving problems together.
Assinapol and Boniface are now using more learner-centered teaching methodologies in their classes; in particular they have students work in pairs and groups to solve problems. Working in groups and pairs allows children to work together, speak English to improve their English for communication, become more engaged in the learning process, and develop critical thinking skills. According to the teachers’ feedback forms, they have changed their teaching methods and now use group and pair work in their lessons, they have learned how to motivate children using teaching tools, and they now encourage students to work together.
Both IEE and the Kacyiru teachers learned a lot from the lesson modeling and think that one-on-one feedback and support enhances the training that we are providing for our teachers and will ease the transition to English and new teaching methodologies.
