Teacher Training

After a day of invigilating exams, a Land Rover of teachers (collective noun questionable) arrived at our house for ‘An Introduction to using a Projector in the Classroom’ – evening one of an exciting forthcoming series.  The AICT secondary school is closely linked with one in Denmark and the ‘sister school’ has very kindly donated two projectors, three laptops and two tablets (they are referred to as iPads, no trademark issues here).

The school are very keen to start using technology and feel it would attract more students. Like us, the school’s white teachers, the projectors also feature in the current advertising campaign although it is still unclear as to which is the bigger draw. A projector is a complete novelty here, for teachers as well as students, so we offered to do some informal training to get them started. A brief question time established that one teacher had access to a PC at home, some had never used a computer and only a couple had internet capable phones.

The Principal had seen a projector in action but none of the teachers had used one before so it was an introductory session in the truest sense of the word. They are very enthusiastic about the potential of using technology in the school so were eager to find out as much as possible. Paul went through how to connect it, emphasised that a projector is just a big screen, as well as discussing how fragile they are – especially in this hot, dusty environment. There had been much chat over the previous weeks about magical ‘PowerPoint’ and when Alice opened a blank PowerPoint document, there were hints of disappointment as she chatted through the preparation required to turn it into an effective teaching aid.

We also showed Physics experiment videos to show that presentation software was only one potential use. A projector and access to the internet would allow a teacher here to find and use resources from all over the world. As suggested by one teacher, she could use the projectors to show students pictures of other countries. Something not possible now when there aren’t even enough text books to go round. However, as we kept saying, a good teacher is a good teacher and a projector is only another potential tool to be used alongside other teaching techniques.

The highlight of the evening was when we showed a sample English language resource; the Lion King. Most readers will have unconsciously been taught their first Swahili words through undoubtedly one of the greatest movies of all time. 'Simba' Rafiki' and 'Sarabi' now being staples in our Swahili language storehouse. We have found out over the past few weeks that the Lion King never reached Tanzanian shores – hence, when we say ‘Hakuna Matata’ it isn’t met with the knowing smiles and the few hummed lines we’d expect. It really was a privilege to share Timon and Pumbaa (Swahili for ‘thoughtless’) singing ‘no problem’ to a group of Swahili speakers for the first time.

We think that the technology is a great addition to the school but only if the teachers feel confident enough to use it in their classrooms. The laptops and projectors are currently not being used and all involved in the school feel that they need to be benefiting students as soon as possible. This week’s installment was well received so we are planning on continuing to help and train the teachers over the next few weeks and into the new year, we’ll keep you posted.

Class Two: ‘Turning on a Computer’...