Projects/moshi-tanzania

Details Requested by OLPC Contributor “Community Jury” at January 8, 2010 On-Line Meeting and for FOT Project Application, January 29, 2010 Memo: #50418 OLPC Ideas for Moshi, Tanzania Area, July 15-24, 2010 Further details of Objectives, Sustainability and Methods for Teacher Exchange Workshops for Capacity Building in Schools of Rural Moshi, Tanzania (Application Form was provided) Location: Second Chance Education Centre (Registered Tanzanian NGO) and Honey Badger Lodge and Cultural Centre, Plot 98, Rindi Road, Moshi, TZ Objectives: 1) Overall a) To bring together visiting international teachers who are computer-literate and selected headmasters and teachers of primary and secondary rural schools, plus the directors of the five teaching centres which serve the area, to develop, as a team, efficient and effective modern teaching practices based on the use of XO/Sugar collaborative learning environment and supporting technologies. The ClassActs Mini-Deployment Guide will be useful. b) To offer this in a total English-Language immersion residential workshop. c) To create opportunities for rural primary and secondary teachers to bridge the gap between their levels through discussions as to which subjects are most successful and which most lacking in students’ learning. Except for Swahili, all secondary school courses are taught in English; yet the English language proficiency of rural teachers is weak. d) To collaborate with related NGO projects for Tanzania, such as Solar Electric Light Fund and OLPCorps Stanford (Opendo).

2) The focus of the initial workshop will be: a) Math, Sciences (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) and Civics, subject areas that have been identified by headmasters as those presenting most difficulty in teaching and for students in passing government examinations. We will use information from existing XO projects in the science areas to demonstrate to teachers the ways in which their science curriculum could be taught using Sugar/XO activities. We will introduce them to the collaborative problem solving applications which use Sugar activities and features such as the recorder, the camera, the video, drawing, measuring and documenting. We will present information on using sensors; introduce the physics activity; discus projects where students learn about the ecology and biology of their village. Health education will also be addressed through the Sciences and Civics. On paper, the Tanzanian Ministry of Education requires that Information Technology be taught, but there is a disconnect between demand and reality for the rural schools. The XO environment, although not Microsoft, still introduces learners to basic skills for ICT : keyboards, mouse, selection, drag and drop graphical user interfaces. Taking apart and reassembling the XO could be a confidence building activity for some of the teachers.

b) the development of English language fluency which is intrinsic to the workshop. The XO laptops will be used to build English language skills. The Speak tool for pronunciation and spelling, recording audio reading of texts can be loaded into the XO. Lesson plans developed by the team will be added and adapted for XO use either as rich text or html. Teachers will learn how to create rich text documents to complement everyday lessons and review for government exams. This application of on-line lessons/programs and access to the vast resource library of the internet will be valuable aids for development of English. Also, the availability of the laptops during the more relaxed sessions of break and evening activities will reinforce English language learning.

c) respect for traditions and intrinsic cultures. The majority of the Moshi rural teachers and students are of the Chagga tribe. Professor R. Sambuli Mosha, presently at DePaul University, Chicago, himself of Chagga origins, who has endorsed the workshop and hopes to be present during its deployment, writes: “In Chaggaland, as in most African societies, the two aspects of indigenous formation, an education for life and a living are inseparable …”(The Heart of Indigenous Africa, A Study of Chagga Educational System, R. Mosha, Garland Publishing, 2000, p. 17). Instruction in computer technology and its application for teachers and, in turn, students, will help provide this education for life and for living in the workplace and at institutions of higher education for these Tanzanians in this 21st century.

Sustainability The laptops will be stored in the secure area of the library at Second Chance Education Centre, made available for teachers to use there or to check out for use for a limited time at their schools (assuming solutions for recharging batteries have been found). A substantial financial fine will be imposed if the laptop is not returned. The goal is for the participating headmasters and teachers to return to their schools as mentors for their colleagues, thus teaching them the applications of technology, then, instructing the students. Students of Second Chance Education Centre can be given the responsibility of manning the library and computer center, thus empowering their own learning and ability to instruct teachers and other students in computer use and application. It should be noted that the Renju family, Directors of Second Chance Education Centre and Honey Badger Lodge, are computer literate: Dr Renju, a linguistic scholar, has used a laptop for many years editing the World Bible Society translations of ancient Greek scriptures to Swahili. Mama Lucy Renju uses the computer to correspond with international schools for community service projects and for the business of the lodge. She was named ‘Entrepreneur of the Year-2008’ by the Center for Global Leadership. Both are recognized community leaders. Their son and daughter-in-law, university graduates, will be taking over management of the lodge and both use IT extensively in their work for NGOs. There are also young, European volunteers at the Second Chance Education Centre. Therefore, further computer literacy for teachers and students can be sustained in between workshops.

Methods- Note the methods and approach will vary according to the input of visiting educators and local teachers. We will work as a team. 1) Before deployment, the team of approximately 10 volunteer American and international teachers will receive from Diane Russell, workshop facilitator, relevant background information, sample Tanzanian Education Ministry lesson plan forms (obligatory) and past government exams in specific subject areas. We will correspond through email as to the best approaches to teaching these subjects in impoverished schools, yet with the benefit of the laptops. 2) Upon arrival at Honey Badger Lodge/Second Chance Education Centre, two days prior to the workshop, the visiting team members will familiarize themselves with the area, visit rural schools, meet the Education Ministry Regional Director and plan the workshop materials and the effective use of laptops. The workshop facilities are already in place at the lodge and the Second Chance Education Centre is in close proximity. The lodge has electricity and/or generator. 3) With the arrival of the local headmasters and selected teachers (total approximately 30) the workshop can formally begin: a) Introductions and grouping of teachers according to subject field and level with an overview of what is hoped to be accomplished. Discussions about pedagogy and methodology, such as the different approaches to lesson plans; arrangement of furniture in classrooms to create interactive student groups; how to most efficiently use limited books and materials; student assessments; Socratic Method and “See-Say-Do” technique. b) An introduction to laptops and computer technology, basic keyboarding, word processing and internet use.

4) The Tanzania Education Ministry lesson plan format will be on the computer screen and projected. Sample lessons for each of the specific lesson fields at different levels will be discussed, typed into the rubric of the lesson plan, further modified according to discussion, resulting in a creative, valid, helpful lesson plan which recognizes benchmarks of differential learning and outcomes and incorporates both teacher and student reflection and self-assessment.

5) Similarly, a variety of assessment means will be presented. Copies of government examinations will be on the computer screen and questions, approaches to answers and assessment will be discussed as a team. Sample answers can be discussed as they are typed, reviewed and revised.

6) Teachers may use the computer to create their own variations of lessons, student assessment, quizzes, and tests which allow for differential instruction and empower the teacher to use his knowledge and inherent awareness of his culture. The possibilities of preparing and printing these assessments will be explored.

7) During break and evening “English language” activities, the computers can be used for word processing and access to the internet. The oral tradition of story-telling laced with proverbs is strong in the Chagga culture. One example in keeping with the indigenous culture would be for a story to be written on the computer in a round-robin way, saved, printed and become a permanent record of the workshop. Much expansion of this technique can result: collaboration on “ngomas,” moral plays focusing on ethics and health issues; poetry, such as the work of Tanzanian poet, Shabaan Robert; excerpts from the required study of literature texts for the English language government exams.

8) Visual aids are also a vital learning tool. The internet and library can be resources.

9) Practice lessons will be presented to the students of Second Chance, who will also be introduced to the use of laptops by the rural local teachers.

10) There will be a final session of reflection and evaluation of the workshop by all participants. Networking with visiting volunteers and local teachers should continue. Reports of continued peer teaching and student progress are expected to be submitted and sent bi-annually by the headmasters to the team and the workshop directors and facilitator. Assessments and reviews will be shared as to the format of continued teacher capacity building workshops.

Capacity Building Workshop Committee, September 2009 Picture

Typical Rural Moshi Classroom Picture

Moshi Teachers and Students Need XOs Picture