QUALITY CLASSROOMS - 2009 SCHOOL YEAR UPDATES

• quality classrooms impact
• sports competition report

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quality classrooms impact

what is active learning?

We posed this question to Ato Mulat Gebre, who led a 5-day teacher training session on the topic. In his 20 years as a teacher, Ato Mulat has seen big changes in the classrooms of Ethiopia. The most pronounced is the shift from lecture-based learning, a top-down approach where the teacher delivers information to students which they memorize and then regurgitate, to a student-centered, participatory approach. This methodology engages students through their different senses and learning styles; be it visual, aural, tactile or kinetic; hence "active" learning.

Ato Mulat used few teaching aids for the morning half of his workshop. Instead, he activated the trainees' imaginations by posing everyday knowledge as scientific questions. "A thermal jug keeps hot liquids hot on the inside, but stays cool on the outside and doesn't burn our fingers. How and why does this happen? Everyday situations are full of scientific questions," he says. Ato Mulat puts forward the question to the teacher trainees, who then brainstorm in groups to come up with the scientific reasons for the phenomenon. They were then asked to present them to the rest of the class in an engaging way, just as they would have their own students do. In the afternoon segment, he employed the use of the science kits which the schools received two weeks prior as part of Science Teacher Training. Again he started with an everyday question, and trainees this time used experiments to explain their answers.

When it was teacher Daniel Amare's turn to shine, Daniel confidently announced that "a noisy classroom is a student-centered classroom." When asked to elaborate, he describes Active Learning perfectly. "When you have lecture-based lessons centered around the teacher, the students will be quiet. This is because they are passive. When you have student-centered lessons, there will be much noise because they will all be enthusiastically discussing among each other for answers. A noisy classroom should therefore be seen in the most positive way."

The 5-day Active Learning seminar covered the subjects of Environmental Sciences (Physics, Chemistry and Biology), Language Arts and Mathematics. Ato Yohannes Gesese facilitated the Mathematics segment and was hands-down the most popular trainer. Having taught primary school for 15 years, and secondary school for a dozen more, he is now a director at a high school. "The wisdom that comes from his experience is tremendous," says grade one teacher Mulu Berhanu of Mere'da School, "and he showed us how to use everyday local objects as teaching aids. This is very important in poor rural schools."

"Another important thing we learned from Ato Yohannes is to be completely honest with our students," adds Teacher Daniel, "Sometimes when a student asks a question, we don't know the answer. We feel that as teachers they expect us to know, so we make something up or we find some other way to avoid it. Ato Yohannes suggested that we admit we don't know the answer, and then turn it into an assignment for the students and for ourselves. Knowledge comes from questioning, after all."

Ato Yohannes wholeheartedly believes the group learning approach is the most effective. "But to put my students into groups, I must first know my students," he says. If forming a group of eight students for instance, he will place two weaker students with 3-4 average students and a couple of strong students. "It is fantastic to see in just a few weeks the weaker and average students strengthened to the next level," he beams. And what about the strong students? Are they challenged further? "In my school they receive tutorials by students in upper grades, and in their peer groups they are thought of as teachers themselves, which makes them very proud and happy to help their friends."

coming up: training the leaders of tomorrow

Soon we'll be training students to be future leaders in society by first being leaders in five unique school clubs: The Civic & Ethics Club, Sport & Music, HIV & Gender, Language & Literature and the Environmental Sanitation Club. Student interest in school clubs has proven infectious in schools like Wazza, where-inspired by the five imagine1day school clubs they received last year, seven more student-run clubs were created. Eight committees were also formed, which are run by students with the guidance of teachers.

coming up: materials that make a difference

Teacher Mulu's dream is close to coming true. When educators are faced with an annual school budget of a mere 9 cents per student for stationary and materials, it is no wonder we commonly see children begging not for money, rather for pens. In the coming weeks, imagine1day will be delivering the materials that every child deserves to have access to.

During our monitoring and evaluation interviews last June, where we gauge the success of the programs we've already implemented, there was overwhelming positive feedback and appreciation for creative writing materials, sports materials and reading corners. Below are some of our findings:

• Something as simple as a pen and paper open the floodgates for students' reflections of their world.
• Sports materials allow students to achieve and maintain good health while encouraging cooperation and camaraderie. Having a chance to play at school keeps attendance up.
• Students love to read books and are eager to take them home in the evenings and on the weekends.

It's easy to see that a school is more than four walls and a blackboard. We'll update you again once all 2009 Quality Classroom activities are fully implemented.

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inspiring quality education through sports and art

more than just an activity

To show what an important role sports and art play in imagine1day's schools in Ethiopia, an interschool competition was held in the town of Adigudom from February 26th to 28th, 2010. Over a thousand people attended the competition to watch 195 students with 27 teachers from 27 imagine1day schools compete in a variety of sport and art events.

The competition included both male and female volleyball, soccer, 1,500 and 3,000 metre runs, traditional wrestling, a question and answer competition for Grades 1 to 8 and a music contest.

"My parents were very happy I was selected to be in the Question and Answer competition", said Muezti Fisseha, a student from Que'en in Grade 3 (click here to watch an interview with Muetzi). "My parents did everything they could to help. My family knows how important it was for me to come and how important education is. They made me food and gave me some money to come." Considering how little her family has to give, this support is incredible.

for the very first time

Before taking part in the competition, children had already competed in cluster competitions at their own individual schools. "At the cluster level, students were chosen who were already known to have a level of talent," says Sapna Dayal, Executive Director of imagine1day. "For Ethiopians from remote rural communities, this would be expressed as "we see her run a lot, she must be fast."

For most students, this was the first time they had ever met children from communities outside their own. Lulseged, imagine1day's Community Development Officer in Ethiopia described the event as "a platform that opened [the student's] eyes to an entirely new world and widened their scope in a way that strengthened their commitment to education. For almost 75% of our students who participated in the competition, it was their first time seeing Adigudom (their own capital town)."

The children had the competitive spirit in them from their previous competitions at their own schools, but the element of the unknown created a sense of excitement and anticipation that was palpable in Adigudom. Before the event began, imagine1day organised an opening ceremony, where the children all dressed up in new uniforms and marched down the main street of Adigudom, shutting it down for a period of celebration. Over one thousand spectators came out to watch the march and celebrate the event.

pride for the future

Not only was this event inspiring for the children involved, it served as an example to the government of Ethiopia about how to engage their nation's children. "I was in Ethiopia this past October and our team is always discussing what we're doing to encourage and enhance the level of commitment in these communities towards education. The imagine1day team wanted to show the families with children enrolled in school that education is about more than just attending classes, it's about engaging the students. The Youth & Sport office of Ethiopia partnered with us, providing referees and project managers to help with the event. It turned into a joint effort, strengthening a relationship we will continue to build going forward. Being connected to the Youth & Sport office helps us raise awareness about children in our schools who are especially talented," says Sapna.

When asked what value she feels competition brings to Ethiopian children, Sapna responds without hesitation: "Pride. Pride in being chosen to be a part of the competition for their talents. Pride in being able to represent their community. The feeling of possibility that is born when parents see their children demonstrating their gifts." For Lulseged, the inspiration this competition gave provided the most value. "The biggest goal of this competition was to inspire our students to work hard and be proud to represent their school in the areas of education and sports," he says. "Eventually, they can achieve something greater and represent their schools in competitions in other districts."

As far as plans for another competition in the future, there will be more events down the road. "We saw the value it brought to the community, so yes, there will be another competition in the future." Next time around, imagine1day would like to see the government take an even greater part in organizing and implementing the event, making it something the Youth & Sport office can initiate in the future. Sapna explains a competition like this has not existed until now. "Ethiopia's education is very basic. We want to expand the breadth of experience we're giving the children and encourage their development."

it all started with a school

For the children, they see the far reaching effects of education and how it can change their lives. Muezti, the Grade 3 student, saw how education could change the way an Ethiopian family operates. "Many people do not know about family planning because of a lack of education," she says. "If you are educated, you will know how to plan for a family." She shrugs her shoulders and looks down. "If you're not educated, you'll spend too much money and not enough for the food harvest. Later on, you'll have empty pockets and nothing to eat." The look in her eyes says Muezti has experienced this first hand.

For many spectators, the most inspiring events were the 1,500 and 3,000-meter races. "I'm a runner and I could feel the nerves in my belly when the children were on the start line," says Sapna. "Running is so connected to what their country has been successful in already. It was very exciting to see them race. The music and dance competitions were beautiful as well. They demonstrated just how smart and talented these children are."

For children like Tsedel Arefel, her approach to education has been expanded and enriched, thanks to the Interschool Sport and Art Competition. "Education isn't just about numbers and reading, it's changing my attitude and the way I think," she says. "I want to change the attitude towards education within my own community." (Click here to watch an interview with Tsedel) When asked what she imagines one day, she replies: "I imagine one day when all girls are educated." The confidence and joy she feels is evident in her smile and her eyes. Education and sports are inspiring these children by showing them the influence they can have and giving them hope for a better future.

It all starts with a school.

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