Teacher Stories

Teresia Ngaruiya – Murindu Highway Primary School

Benefits of EBB Methodology

Collaborative Learning

The learner is free to give his/her ideas to the other learners. It is learner centred because the learners are given different tasks. It has benefited our school very much in that it has made the class eight discuss almost all the subjects whenever a teacher is not in. The rest of the classes have also adapted the collaborative learning especially with the exam papers for example revising on their own.

Differentiated learning

It has benefited our school because it has even made the slow learners have confidence in themselves. Most of learners do not know how to read on their own and this method has made them utter or read words with the help of their co-learners.

Project based learning

Composition writing has really improved in our school. It has helped them gather materials from outside and write topics of their own choice. It has created interest in learning about their country for example government structure and the new constitution.

In conclusion, the teacher has ample time in working around other areas such as preparation because teaching becomes less time consuming.

Wilson Bowen – Ndibai Primary School, mathematics in Class 5, 7 and 8.

My Experience Before Attending EBB Workshops

I have been teaching mathematics for the last ten years now. I used to teach my pupils from known to unknown method. This is a method where you introduce a topic to the pupils give them examples on the board and then ask them to work out some exercises in their exercise books.

In most cases my pupils were unable to grasp what I taught easily. I used to repeat a certain topic even three times. This led to fatigue in most cases. My lessons were boring to the pupils since in most cases no teaching aids were used. I used to explain some concepts for a long time because I was using lecture method. There was low interaction among pupils since each pupil worked individually.

A Case Study

In Class seven there is a girl by the name of Beatrice Nyambura. She developed an unusual habit in class. She used to be active in class but then she developed some behaviour which was unusual. This included;

Withdrawal from other pupils
Became shy
Stopped answering questions or asking questions
Low self-esteem
Her overall performance went down

After noticing the above changes concerning Nyambura, I called her to my office and discovered that she needed guidance and counselling. The seminar I attended taught me on how to handle pupils in such a situation.

After finding out the problems Nyambura was facing I discovered that she had the following problems;

a) A lot of work given at home – house chores

b) Lack of enough food at home

c) Some boys were bullying her on her way to school

d) She lacked a private room for her studies

e) She did not have kerosene as a source of fuel for lighting the small lamp in the house.

To note, Nyambura revealed her feelings to me after a long process. Initially she was not ready to reveal her problems but in what I can attribute to the skills which I acquired from the EBB workshop on guidance and counselling, I was able to have her confide in me.

Solutions I gave

I invited her parent to discuss how to assist the girl by availing enough fuel and to also reduce the amount of work allocated her at home.

I also requested other older pupils to accompany her when going home to deter the boys from harassing her.

I advised the parent to create a place for her in their small house for her to do private study.

Results registered

After two months, there was remarkable change noted in Nyambura;

a) Her performance improved

b) Her self esteem increased

c) She became active in class again

d) I noted that she started collaborating with other learners

Summary

I thank the organisers of EBB workshops for availing the opportunity to me to attend and to learn the four areas;

Guidance and counselling

Collaborative learning

Differentiated instruction

Project based learning

These areas are helping me in becoming a better teacher.

Shelmith Maina – Karunga PLC, teaching Std three.

The strategies we learned previously are amazing. I have tried using collaborative learning in my class three in the subjects in our syllabus. This strategy has been of help because it has helped my learners to participate fully in the learning, work together and have been able to help each other in their respective groups. I have been using this strategy in Mathematics and English.

Collaborative learning has helped my learners to open up as they work together hence improved their communication skills. They are encouraged to think higher since they are dealing with their fellow pupils as their respective leaders and co-workers in their set groups.

The strategy has helped the learning to be more realistic since learners learn from their peers hence learn better. However it does not go without challenges. Some learners in their respective groups feel that they need to be leaders all the time – thus I have to be keen when sharing roles, and also going round the different groups assessing their performance.

I have been using Project based learning and I have realised that learners are well involved. The learners take pride when they realise that the materials used in a particular project are their own, brought from their home. They learn better when they touch, look and do activities in their in the class – thus building material retention. PBL can be challenging especially if the learners are not aggressive in bringing the materials needed for the same. I have been using PBL mainly in Social Studies, Science and Christian Religious Education.

The above strategy, however, needs more time in material preparation and presentation. It is a good methodology because it leaves a big impact on the learners. I am looking forward to a better future, better learners and better citizens and a better learning environment if I continue using these strategies and others also.

Lucia Wambui Kuria - How EBB has transformed my classroom teaching.

The workshop has benefited my teaching through the use of the various learned method of teaching at EBB. Some of these methods include:

a) Collaborative learning

b) Differentiated learning

Comparing the various other methods that I have used in the past, I find these two methods being more convenient to my teaching because learners are able to understand and retain what they have learned in daily classroom work.

When I group my learners in mixed ability groups, tangible results emerge in various subjects. For example, in mathematics they are able to learn more from each other. As a teacher I do organize these groups by giving out the task to be done, I assign duties to different individuals in each group and collect the feedback at the end of each lesson. Small groups of pairing work out well during oral work especially in English subject. The slower pupils benefit from the fast pupils in pronunciation of words and reading words and sentences.

Learners with special needs are not left behind. The task assigned to them goes with their ability and pace. I guide them and give them the right material they need to use. I do close monitoring so as to get a positive result.

Hannah Wambui – Miti Mingi Primary School

Education Beyond Borders are a group of teachers who have teamed up in order to share different issues which teachers experience when carrying out their work.

This body has tried to see to it that teachers themselves come up with ways on how to solve these problems. Therefore, teachers from different schools from a particular area are invited for seminars. Then in groups they raise problems that they do experience in their schools. They also give solutions to the problems.

Education Beyond Borders has enabled me to handle learners with varied abilities: quick and slow learners and the physically challenged learners.

Today I am able to use the locally available materials in order to make my teaching efficient and practical. Most of my teaching activities now involve the learners very much. In addition, it has become easier to cover a lot of work within the allocated time. This is by applying different methodologies acquired from the seminar. It has strengthened my confidence.

Charles K. Kuria – EBB SEMINAR REVIEW

TOPICS COVERED

1. METHODS OF TEACHING

a) Collaborative learning

b) Differentiated learning

c) Project based learning

2. GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING

a) Individual G/C

b) Group G/C

c) Peer Group G/C

Advantages

From the above seminar, I learnt that there are other methods that can be used in learning. From the above methods I found out that;

More can be covered
Pupils get more involved
Lessons are more interesting
New ideas are shared among learners.
Creativity amongst learners
Few apparatus are needed

Achievements

After using the above methods to my learners I have realized the following;

Syllabus coverage
Active class
Better results
Pupils involvement
Time management
Enjoying my teaching

Case Study

In one of my classes there was a Kalenjin pupil whom pupils used to talk about due to the tribal clashes. I tried to warn pupils not to victimise the boy but I didn’t succeed fully. But after I attended the EBB seminar, I used the skill obtained in the Guidance and Counselling topic and the Differentiated Learning to assist the other pupil to accept the boy and also the boy to feel one of the pupils in the class. Today you cannot tell that there was that attitude there before.

Other Benefits

From the seminar we;

1) Interacted with others and made friends

2) Learnt from one another

3) Shared problem solving methods

4) Received a certificate

5) Learned how to organize seminars modelled by the EBB one.

NB: EBB has a vision and the vision is real and achievable.

Catherine W. Mukua - Report on how EBB Teaching methodology

a) Collaborative learning

Learners are able to research on their own which creates a sense of responsibility in them on top of the knowledge acquired from the research content. During presentations, self-confidence is developed. The slow learners have had a room to express themselves freely.

b) Differentiated learning

The slow learners have especially benefited from this method. They are able to deliver what they have unlike in the case where the multi-able group dominates the learning. The teacher is also able to spend more time with them. The multi-able are able to cover without feeling that they are dragged by the others.

c) Project based learning

The practical aspect has made learning interesting as well as beneficial. Learners are able to understand more easily through observation.