This week began the official back-to-school round of teacher workshops to which we are also accustomed in the US. All the teachers have workshops (talleres or capacitaciones), but the primary teachers are split into two groups, 1-3 grades and 4-6. Since I work with 3-6, I had to split my time between the two workshops.
Monday, I attended the 4-6 workshop, where I had the opportunity to meet some more of the teachers I may work with in my other schools. The topic of the workshop was, get this, cooperative learning. I'm not surprised in a condescending way, such as wow, people in Nicaragua have heard of cooperative learning. It was more that I take it as a positive sign of a fortuitous beginning that the first workshop I attend is something on which I have spent so much professional attention in the past, and something about which I can possibly offer some assistance or at least an exchange of ideas. We used a packet of information from something called "Proyecto Excelencia" although I'm not sure if it's the same Project Excellence we have in the states or not. I can imagine that that would be a popular title for educational resources. We addressed different aspects of cooperative learning, such as positive interdependence, individual responsibility, and group social skills. Then each group took an aspect and we had to brainstorm and present strategies to ensure that aspect is present in our classrooms. I participated in a group, just like the Nicaraguan teachers, and it was very instructive for me to hear the way that they think about the purpose of education, their education system, classroom managment, evalutation, etc. Cooperative learning provided a touchstone for this kind of observation because cooperative learning is such a holistic approach that all these other aspects of education are encompassed, or at least have to be taken into consideration. I was also able to introduce the JigSaw (yay!) to the teachers during the part of the workshop when we discussed strategies. They seemed to really like the idea and be receptive to cooperative learning in general, although many of them see its usefulness relegated to only a few subjects. This is definitely a theme I can follow up on in my own work with the teachers. It's always good when your first day is a productive day.
Tuesday, I took a day away from workshops because I had a meeting with the Fundación Entre Volcanes (Foundation Among Volcanoes), an organization here on the island to promote citizen participation and the realization of community improvement projects. They have a wide range of projects going on on the island, and I am hoping to work with them in the future. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to their office because for the first time since I've been in Nicaragua, my bus broke down. So, I didn't make it to Moyogalpa until afternoon and then with only just enough time to run my other errands and turn around and come back.
Wednesday, I went to Altagracia to observe the workshop of the 1-3 grade teachers. Their workshop was for all the teachers of the entire island in these grade levels, so a much bigger group of people. Their taller is only one topic the whole week, about teaching mathematics. The Ministry of Education has published a new math book, complete with shiny new teachers' versions and everyone is receiving theirs this year, along with training in how to use it. Each grade has their own guía, with information about what to teach and how to teach it, as well as how what they're doing fits into what the kids have learned and will learn in the surrounding grades. It's a much more structured approach than what we use in the United States, with each day of their math class dictated to them on a national level, down to the page number in the guía. The new guías are well-designed, with visual symbols to help teachers and students clue in on important things quickly, what is mean to be guided practice vs. independent etc. I can also see how having such a structured class would help teachers who aren't very good at math, and will also improve standardization, but it also seems to leave little room for autonomy on the teacher's part. I am also not sure how using this kind of guía allows space or opportunity to create lessons that cross curricula. It will be interesting to see the teachers put the new guías to work this year, and while I don't think I would like this kind of teaching, the teachers at the workshop seemed to like the new guías. There is a new guía for grades 1-5, with 4-5 grade teachers receiving their math workshop on Saturdays in February. The national committee is working on creating the 6th grade guía this year.
Today is Thursday, and the topics at the teacher workshops are physical education and more math. Because I am feeling quite sick again, a consequence of not sleeping well, and very soon I will not have very many days of freedom, I am taking today to work on some other projects, such as measuring some things in my house and trying to find a location for the English language practice group I am trying to start. This will be my first attempt at actually starting something, as I consider my compost pile to be more an idea than a project at this point. I am also now officially on a committee with the mayor's office to work on something for Semana Santa. I have bits and pieces of information about the project, but I go to my first meeting a week from Saturday, and I'll fill you in then.
In the meantime, tomorrow I go to another workshop, the first TEPCE of the year. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it has something to do with evaluation and we have one once a month. I also finally have the contract to my house, and have arranged to have the lights put in. We'll see how all that goes. On Sunday, I officially get the keys to the house, and I'll be taking a bunch of pictures as a type of before and after.
Monday, I attended the 4-6 workshop, where I had the opportunity to meet some more of the teachers I may work with in my other schools. The topic of the workshop was, get this, cooperative learning. I'm not surprised in a condescending way, such as wow, people in Nicaragua have heard of cooperative learning. It was more that I take it as a positive sign of a fortuitous beginning that the first workshop I attend is something on which I have spent so much professional attention in the past, and something about which I can possibly offer some assistance or at least an exchange of ideas. We used a packet of information from something called "Proyecto Excelencia" although I'm not sure if it's the same Project Excellence we have in the states or not. I can imagine that that would be a popular title for educational resources. We addressed different aspects of cooperative learning, such as positive interdependence, individual responsibility, and group social skills. Then each group took an aspect and we had to brainstorm and present strategies to ensure that aspect is present in our classrooms. I participated in a group, just like the Nicaraguan teachers, and it was very instructive for me to hear the way that they think about the purpose of education, their education system, classroom managment, evalutation, etc. Cooperative learning provided a touchstone for this kind of observation because cooperative learning is such a holistic approach that all these other aspects of education are encompassed, or at least have to be taken into consideration. I was also able to introduce the JigSaw (yay!) to the teachers during the part of the workshop when we discussed strategies. They seemed to really like the idea and be receptive to cooperative learning in general, although many of them see its usefulness relegated to only a few subjects. This is definitely a theme I can follow up on in my own work with the teachers. It's always good when your first day is a productive day.
Tuesday, I took a day away from workshops because I had a meeting with the Fundación Entre Volcanes (Foundation Among Volcanoes), an organization here on the island to promote citizen participation and the realization of community improvement projects. They have a wide range of projects going on on the island, and I am hoping to work with them in the future. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to their office because for the first time since I've been in Nicaragua, my bus broke down. So, I didn't make it to Moyogalpa until afternoon and then with only just enough time to run my other errands and turn around and come back.
Wednesday, I went to Altagracia to observe the workshop of the 1-3 grade teachers. Their workshop was for all the teachers of the entire island in these grade levels, so a much bigger group of people. Their taller is only one topic the whole week, about teaching mathematics. The Ministry of Education has published a new math book, complete with shiny new teachers' versions and everyone is receiving theirs this year, along with training in how to use it. Each grade has their own guía, with information about what to teach and how to teach it, as well as how what they're doing fits into what the kids have learned and will learn in the surrounding grades. It's a much more structured approach than what we use in the United States, with each day of their math class dictated to them on a national level, down to the page number in the guía. The new guías are well-designed, with visual symbols to help teachers and students clue in on important things quickly, what is mean to be guided practice vs. independent etc. I can also see how having such a structured class would help teachers who aren't very good at math, and will also improve standardization, but it also seems to leave little room for autonomy on the teacher's part. I am also not sure how using this kind of guía allows space or opportunity to create lessons that cross curricula. It will be interesting to see the teachers put the new guías to work this year, and while I don't think I would like this kind of teaching, the teachers at the workshop seemed to like the new guías. There is a new guía for grades 1-5, with 4-5 grade teachers receiving their math workshop on Saturdays in February. The national committee is working on creating the 6th grade guía this year.
Today is Thursday, and the topics at the teacher workshops are physical education and more math. Because I am feeling quite sick again, a consequence of not sleeping well, and very soon I will not have very many days of freedom, I am taking today to work on some other projects, such as measuring some things in my house and trying to find a location for the English language practice group I am trying to start. This will be my first attempt at actually starting something, as I consider my compost pile to be more an idea than a project at this point. I am also now officially on a committee with the mayor's office to work on something for Semana Santa. I have bits and pieces of information about the project, but I go to my first meeting a week from Saturday, and I'll fill you in then.
In the meantime, tomorrow I go to another workshop, the first TEPCE of the year. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it has something to do with evaluation and we have one once a month. I also finally have the contract to my house, and have arranged to have the lights put in. We'll see how all that goes. On Sunday, I officially get the keys to the house, and I'll be taking a bunch of pictures as a type of before and after.
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looking forward to seeing you!
T